Switzerland: Swiss building provides refuge for the sensitive
No smoking, no perfume, no mobile phone use — the list of rules at a newly opened apartment building in Leimbach on the outskirts of Zurich is long. For a reason: the structure has been purpose built for people who say exposure to everyday products like perfume, hand lotion or wireless devices make them so sick they cannot function. ... (Read more)
The Local
New Zealand: Number of Kiwis born overseas tops 1m
The number of New Zealanders born overseas has topped one million, according to Census statistics released today.
“People born overseas now make up more than a quarter of New Zealand’s population, and results from last year’s census show that they’re coming from an increasingly diverse range of countries ... (Read more)
The New zealand Herald
Italy: Italy a darling of low-cost travel
Milan, Rome boast some of world’s cheapest hotels, study says. Despite rising hotel costs, Italy is still a darling of low-cost travel. According to a report issued Monday by hotel ratings and booking service HRS, Milan and Rome are ranked 22nd and 25th in a list of most expensive hotels. ... (Read more)
Ansa
Malaysia: Next time your panda freaks out, give it some sugar
Giant pandas get plenty of greens thanks to their diet bamboo but scientists have discovered they like dessert too. Scientists studying the endangered black-and-white bears said that while pandas almost exclusively eat bamboo, which contains only tiny amounts of sugars, they showed a strong preference for natural sweeteners in an experiment. ... (Read more)
The Star
Germany: A history of German cuisine
German food historian Ursula Heinzelmann tells DW why people used to thicken sauces with bread instead of cream, and how soccer changed Germany’s attitude toward its national dishes. ... (Read more)
DW
Ireland: Love the sound of screaming seabirds? We have job for you
Ever dreamed of living on a remote island and being paid for it? Birdwatch Ireland needs two people this summer to study and protect the Roseate Tern on Rockabill Island, 7km off the north Dublin coast.
The adventurous island castaways will be paid €400 a week, but the jobs are not for the faint-hearted and sleepwalkers need not apply. ... (Read more)
The Irish Times
Indonesia: Successful first day, seems like plain sailing, for now
It might have been business as usual for senior high school students on the first day of the national exams if not for a piece of paper on the cover of their exam paper: The new “honesty contract”. ... (Read more)
Jakarta Post
*Image of panda bear eating bamboo via Shutterstock
