Tag Archives: social

And the world’s happiest country is… Norway, as Uganda is ranked 133 New York, United States | AFP | A chilly climate isn’t keeping Norway from basking in the glow of being named the world’s happiest country on Monday. The Scandinavian country surged from fourth place in last year’s UN …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP |  A ban on alcohol sold in plastic sachets will come into force in Tanzania this week, the government said Wednesday, as it seeks to protect the environment and curb youth boozing. The import, manufacture, sale and consumption of the 50 millilitre alcoholic sachets …

Ottawa, Canada | AFP |  Canada on Friday called on domestic airlines to ensure that pilots show up for work sober, following recent arrests for drunkenness in cockpits. “As a commercial air carrier authorized to carry passengers in Canada, you have an obligation to ensure that flight crew members are …

Islamabad, Pakistan | AFP |  A Pakistani court Monday banned public celebrations of Valentine’s Day in the capital Islamabad, the latest attempt by authorities to outlaw a holiday seen by many in the traditional Muslim society as vulgar and Western. The Islamabad high court issued the order after a petitioner …

Paris, France | AFP |  Algorithms are a crucial cog in the mechanics of our digital world, but also a nosy minder of our personal lives and a subtle, even insidious influence on our behaviour. They have also come to symbolise the risks of a computerised world conditioned by commercial …

Tehran, Iran | AFP | Female sex workers and homeless drug addicts in Tehran should be “convinced” to undergo sterilisation to prevent social problems, a deputy provincial governor in the Iranian capital said on Sunday. “These women deal drugs, consume drugs and also work as sex workers,” Siavash Shahrivar told …

Beijing, China | AFP | As soon as China abandoned its one-child policy a year ago, Zheng Xiaoyu and her husband started trying for a sibling for their nine-year-old son. Their efforts bore fruit with another boy — one of a million extra births this year. “The traditional Chinese thinking …

Beijing, China | AFP |  Thinking of competing in a marathon but put off by the distance? Easy. Pay someone to run it for you. The death of a runner in a half marathon in China’s southeastern city of Xiamen this month has highlighted an unexpected form of cheating. When …

Dengfeng, China | AFP | The young martial arts pupils cartwheeled across a pitch, before football coach Sun Dawei ordered one to deliver him a kung fu kick to the stomach. “You see I avoid the kick like this,” Sun said, dodging out of harm’s way before grabbing his young …

Anand, India | AFP | At a hostel for dozens of pregnant women, impoverished widow Sharmila Mackwan weighs up her decision to carry twins for another couple — her only ticket out of poverty — as the government moves to close India’s multi-million dollar surrogacy industry. She has left her …