From the outside, it looks like another historic edifice in Rio’s rundown city center. Inside, however, is a multi-tiered library so spectacular, so ornate, that stunned visitors feel like they’ve walked into a movie fantasy…
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Afghanistan mourns death of comic who mocked the powerful
Afghanistan has been mourning the death this week of one of its most treasured celebrities, comedian Hanif Hamgam, known for ridiculing the powerful in a region where poking fun at warlords is no laughing matter….
Cuba decides to scrap same-sex marriage law in new constitution
Cuba will leave out of its new constitution changes that would have paved the way for legal same-sex marriage, despite majority support in local assemblies, a government official said Tuesday. It was a surprising twist…
Outrage as six baby seals decapitated in New Zealand
Six baby seals have been found decapitated in New Zealand in what wildlife rangers on Wednesday branded a “cruel and senseless” act against a protected species. The bodies of the New Zealand fur seal pups…
Elon Musk bores tunnel to revolutionize city driving
Elon Musk on Tuesday took a break from futuristic electric cars and private space travel to unveil a low-cost tunnel he sees as a godsend for city traffic. The billionaire behind Tesla and SpaceX late…
South Africa bans ‘reverse colonialism’ TV advert
South African regulators on Tuesday banned a television advert that showed a black man discovering a foreign land and naming it ‘Europe’, ruling that colonisation was ‘not open for humorous exploitation’. The advert, for a…
‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ hits Broadway stage, adapted for Trump era
It’s a story of racial injustice that is seared into the US psyche and required reading for millions of American students. Now, Harper Lee’s seminal novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a Broadway smash hit,…
Young Russian fashion designers take inspiration from history
In her workshop in a Moscow attic, Maria Andrianova is using a sewing technique she learnt from elderly women in the forested Karelia region of northwestern Russia. “For me, sewing is a way to learn…
Vine, HQ Trivia cofounder dead at 34
US tech star Colin Kroll, who co-founded Vine and popular gaming app HQ Trivia, was found dead Sunday in New York of an apparent drug overdose. Police found Kroll, 34, unconscious and unresponsive in a…
Moroccan saffron farmers battle knockoff spices
Saffron farmers in southern Morocco have long taken pride in the coveted spice they produce from the purple-petalled Crocus sativus, but some are worried knockoff versions are threatening their business. “The pure saffron of Taliouine…