New York, United States | AFP | Ashley Graham, the star model going stratospheric for breaking down barriers in the fashion industry, powered down the New York runway Monday celebrating curves in her latest lingerie collection. The 29-year-old sensation from Nebraska modeled sexy black and green underwear in her latest link-up …
Read More »World tourism numbers post biggest first-half rise since 2010
Madrid, Spain | AFP | International tourist numbers grew 6.4 percent in the first half of 2017, the strongest half-year figures in seven years, with Mediterranean destinations posting double-digit growth, the UN World Tourism Organisation said Thursday. The number of international tourists surged to around 598 million between January and …
Read More »New York fashion kicks off with millennials on the mind
New York, United States | AFP | New York turns fashion hub of the world for a week starting Thursday, as top designers do battle for the hearts and minds of millennials in a social-media whirlwind of models and celebrities. US designer Tom Ford — fresh back from a stint …
Read More »‘A Nasty Boy’ tests Nigeria’s masculinity
Make no mistake Nigeria’s “A Nasty Boy” is not a gay online magazine. Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | In a country where homosexual acts can be punished with 14 years in prison, this provocative website featuring photos of men in mini-skirts is simply “pushing the boundaries and exploring masculinity”. Richie Akuson, …
Read More »Ask and you shall receive in world of voice shopping
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Ordering pizza from the sofa without lifting a finger has joined the list of modern-day conveniences thanks to a hot trend in voice-commanded smart speakers. Amazon, Apple and Google are duking it out with devices designed to sit out of sight in homes, awaiting …
Read More »Security tightened at Spain’s tomato throwing festival after attacks
Buñol, Spain | AFP | Extra police were deployed at Spain’s annual “Tomatina” tomato throwing festival in the eastern town of Bunol on Wednesday in the wake of the deadly twin vehicle attacks in Catalonia. A total of 740 security forces were on duty, including police officers, firefighters and ambulance workers, …
Read More »Alibaba profit nearly doubles on robust revenues
Shanghai, China | AFP |Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba said Thursday its net profit almost doubled in the latest quarter on the back of solid revenue growth in its core shopping business and in cloud computing. Alibaba, which has made billionaire founder Jack Ma one of China’s richest men and a …
Read More »Why a few drops of water make whisky taste better
Paris, France | AFP | Ignore the snobs, because most experts agree: a few drops of water enhance the taste of whiskies, from well-rounded blends to peat bombs redolent of smoke, tobacco and leather. The only real question is, why is this true? The answer, a pair of biochemists in Sweden …
Read More »China runners brave gawps, pollution and deadly driving
Shanghai, China | AFP | A group of elderly Chinese joggers are pounding along a deserted motorway when suddenly a taxi ploughs into the back of them, knocking them over like skittles. At least one person was killed and the footage from the eastern province of Shandong went viral on Chinese …
Read More »Newspaper woes send Murdoch’s News Corp into red
New York, UNITED STATES | AFP | US media group News Corp on Thursday reported a loss in the past quarter, hit by declines in advertising and writedowns at its global newspapers. The company controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his family reported a loss of $430 million in the …
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