Author Archives: OP King

Image copyrightTOURISM AUSTRALIAImage captionThe Tourism Australia advert, with Paul Hogan in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Australia has put Crocodile Dundee at the centre of a lavish ad campaign to attract US tourists. Trevor Marshallsea explores why Australia is betting so heavily on a 1980s character – and associations – in 2018. An unoriginalContinue reading “Selling a ‘lovable’ Australia to the US”

Image copyrightLOIC VENANCE/AFPImage captionNigeria’s women will be the first African bobsleigh team to compete at the Winter Olympics Eight African countries will be competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. As one of the world’s hottest continents, Africa lacks the climate for winter sports such as skiing, bobsleigh and snowboarding. But despiteContinue reading “Winter Olympics 2018: A guide to Africans competing”

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES Facebook is testing a new “downvote” button that will let people hide comments and provide feedback about them. However, the social network denied that the new feature was a “dislike” button, which many Facebook users have requested. The downvote button is being tried out by a small number of US users. TheContinue reading “Facebook testing ‘downvote’ button”

Image copyrightNASAImage captionFile artwork: The asteroid will pass safely by the Earth on Friday evening (GMT) An asteroid up to 40m in size and only discovered five days ago, is due to skim past the Earth on Friday. Asteroid 2018 CB will pass by at just less than one-fifth the distance between the Earth andContinue reading “Asteroid set for ‘close’ 43,300 mile flight past Earth on Friday”

Image copyrightAFPImage captionPresidential candidate Timochenko has had to abandon some rallies because of protesters throwing stones The demobilised Colombian rebel group Farc says it is suspending political campaigning for upcoming elections following threats to its candidates. Farc signed a peace deal with the government in 2016 and announced last year it was forming a politicalContinue reading “Colombia’s Farc suspends election campaigning over ‘threats’ to candidates”

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionThe arrested scientists worked at the secret factory which made the USSR’s first nuclear bomb Russian security officers have arrested several scientists working at a top-secret Russian nuclear warhead facility for allegedly mining crypto-currencies. The suspects had tried to use one of Russia’s most powerful supercomputers to mine Bitcoins, media reports say.Continue reading “Russian nuclear scientists arrested for ‘Bitcoin mining plot’”

Image copyrightAFPImage captionMany refugees crossing into Uganda are from the Democratic Republic Congo and South Sudan Four Ugandan government officials have been suspended amid allegations of inflating refugee figures. Uganda’s Commissioner for Refugees Apollo Kazungu and three of his senior staff are being investigated. Investigations will also consider whether officials from UN aid agencies wereContinue reading “Ugandans suspended over ‘refugee scam’”

Image copyrightAFPImage captionMartin Schulz says he wants the new coalition deal to succeed The leader of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD), Martin Schulz, has abandoned a plan to serve as foreign minister in a new coalition government. A deal to govern with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives still has to be put to a vote of SPDContinue reading “Germany coalition: SPD’s Schulz gives up cabinet role to save deal”

Image copyrightINSTAGRAM/MENNEL_OFFICIALImage captionMennel Ibtissem became an internet sensation after she appeared on France’s The Voice A Muslim singer who became an internet sensation following her performance on France’s The Voice has quit the TV show after being criticised for comments she had made on social media. In one post, Mennel Ibtissem, 22, had expressed doubtsContinue reading “French Muslim singer quits TV show amid row over online posts”

Image copyrightAFPImage captionHaiti has never fully recovered from the 2010 earthquake that killed thousands of people One of the UK’s biggest charities has denied allegations it covered up the use of prostitutes by its aid workers in Haiti. Responding to a report in The Times newspaper, Oxfam admitted that the behaviour of some of itsContinue reading “Oxfam denies cover-up over ‘Haiti prostitutes’”