Seoul (AFP) – Thermal images of people and traffic in Seoul illustrate a searing heatwave baking the South Korean capital. In the last week, the country saw three new all-time high temperatures set, with the mercury peaking at 42.5C on Sunday 2 August. Seoul is under a “severe heatwave warning”, the first issuing of the alert since its introduction this year.
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – It’s at the wacky end of the rock spectrum, but an unlikely recipe of polka-dot pyjamas, floppy-nosed masks and hypnotic guitar riffs has propelled Canadian duo Angine de Poitrine to viral stardom. Clad head to toe in black-and-white robes with their faces hidden by outsized masks, the duo, known only by pseudonyms, perform the hip Botanique venue in Brussels. “These two people are just totally bizarre and so intriguing at the same time,” says graphic designer, Peter Somers. “It’s just incredible.”
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – It’s at the wacky end of the rock spectrum, but an unlikely recipe of polka-dot pyjamas, floppy-nosed masks and hypnotic guitar riffs has propelled Canadian duo Angine de Poitrine to viral stardom. Clad head to toe in black-and-white robes with their faces hidden by outsized masks, the duo, known only by pseudonyms, perform the hip Botanique venue in Brussels. “These two people are just totally bizarre and so intriguing at the same time,” says graphic designer, Peter Somers. “It’s just incredible.”
Moskau (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin announces the first permanent head of the country’s drone forces, during a meeting with top Defence Ministry officials.
Moskau (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin announces the first permanent head of the country’s drone forces, during a meeting with top Defence Ministry officials.
Taipeh (AFP) – Taiwanese soldiers participate in the first day of the largest military drills of the year as the island democracy attempts to prepare its population for a potential Chinese invasion. The annual “Han Kuang” exercise, which runs from August 5-14, stages combat scenarios for troops and reservists to practise responding to an attack on the island, defence officials say.
Taipeh (AFP) – Taiwanese soldiers participate in the first day of the largest military drills of the year as the island democracy attempts to prepare its population for a potential Chinese invasion. The annual “Han Kuang” exercise, which runs from August 5-14, stages combat scenarios for troops and reservists to practise responding to an attack on the island, defence officials say.
Tangerang (AFP) – CCTV footage shows the moment Indonesian custom officials discover drugs in the suitcase of a Malaysian pilot after he flew a passenger plane to Jakarta on July 28. The pilot tested positive for meth, MDMA and cocaine — and is accused of smuggling more than 70,000 ecstasy tablets in his suitcase.
Dunedin (AFP) – Jo Galer, a local councillor in Dunedin on New Zealand’s south island, joins a high-stakes meeting from a bathroom, her laundry clearly visible in the background — prompting comments from the city’s mayor Sophie Barker.
Dunedin (AFP) – Jo Galer, a local councillor in Dunedin on New Zealand’s south island, joins a high-stakes meeting from a bathroom, her laundry clearly visible in the background — prompting comments from the city’s mayor Sophie Barker.
(AFP) – Japanese product designer Satoshi Nakagawa has worked out a way to harness electrical current naturally present in everything from food to soil. While he knows that the dribble of power is too tiny to power anything more than a tiny LED, Nakagawa insists that the technology has a serious role to play. “As the population moves toward 10 billion, energy issues will become just as critical as food issues,” he tells AFP from his lab in Ibaraki. “In that kind of situation, even if it’s just a small contribution, I want people to be able to produce their own electricity.”
Prag (AFP) – At Prague Zoo, polar bears and gorillas nibble on ice cream and roll around in piles of snow as a second heatwave of the summer reaches its peak, with national temperatures hitting a near-record 41.5 degrees. Polar bear twins Gregor and Aleut receive up to three tonnes of ice on such days, while they munch on ice cream filled with apples, carrots, mackerel and salmon. The zoo’s gorillas, for their part, like their ice cream — also sweetened with fruit — to be suspended down to them on a rope.
