And once again, we set off for a quick trip around the world with interesting news that you probably won’t see anywhere else today.
Italy: Big ships banned from Venice St Mark’s basin
Giant cruise liners blamed for endangering fragile buildings.
Veneto Governor Luca Zaia on Friday said ships above 40,000 tonnes will be banned from Saint Mark’s basin and the Giudecca Canal in Venice. It was a “unanimous decision” by an interministerial committee to save Venice and its lagoon, the governor tweeted. In addition to the risk of collision, cruise ships have long been blamed for blowing corrosive smog onto Venice’s medieval buildings, whose fragile foundations are weakened by the massive vibrations big liners put off. ... (Read more)
Ansa
Vietnam: Coffee farmers in Vietnam selling inventories as prices advance
Coffee growers in Vietnam, the top producer of robusta beans used by Nestle SA, probably have smaller stockpiles than a year earlier after rising prices boosted sales, underscoring the shortage in global supplies.
Farmers had unsold reserves equal to 10 percent of the record harvest at the end of July from 12 percent at the same time last year ... (Read more)
Thanhnien News
Greece: Finding the golden mean
Many years ago, as a student, I had traveled to one of Greece’s beautiful Cycldic islands. I arrived at a small fishing village that had one taverna and a ceramics workshop. After an afternoon swim, my companions and I asked whether we could get a late lunch at the taverna. “We’ve got nothing,” was the response. We asked whether someone could prepare a simple salad and some fried potatoes for us but got the same response. One of my companions pressed the issue. “You don’t have any tomatoes?” “Sure we do.” “What about cucumbers and feta.” “We’ve got some of that as well. All right then; I'll whip something up for you,” ... (Read more)
Ekathimerini
Chile: Wildlife is being failed by the government, say experts
In a recently published article in Science magazine, a team of researchers coined the term “defaunation” to alert the public of a new phase of animal extinction severely accelerated by humans. Despite this dire trend, though, the Chilean government neglects to take appropriate action due to the propagation of false information, say experts. ... (Read more)
Santiago Times
France: French builders steal 900,000 euros of buried gold
Three French builders stole a treasure trove of gold bars and coins worth 900,000 euros which they found when working on a property in Normandy, according to local media reports.
Regional daily Paris Normandie reported on Monday that the three men were levelling the ground around a house prior to building an extension when they found the stash hidden in glass jars. ... (Read more)
France 24
Japan: Japan must pursue a path to a nuclear-free world
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki this month, both of which marked the 69th anniversaries of the atomic bombings. In the ceremonies in both cities, he emphasized determination to realize a world without nuclear weapons. ... (Read more)
The Asahi Shimbun
Spain: Made in Spain: ice cream that changes colour
A Spanish scientist-turned-chef has come up with the world’s first ever colour-changing ice cream. The secret ’recipe' is actually within us. Manuel Linares is no ordinary scientist. A qualified physician, engineer and mathematician, he started cooking classes as a way of combatting stress ... (Read more)
The Local
*Venice image via Shutterstock.
