Iceland: Iceland motorists could soon use volcano power
Iceland already uses the geothermal energy it sits on top of to heat the whole country, but it could now be set to run its cars on volcano power.
FastCoExist is the company behind the radical idea to make cars run on volcano power.
Volcanoes make the huge amount of energy within the Earth’s core accessible from its surface. A power company in Iceland already uses this to its advantage by producing electricity; however, the process results in large amounts of fairly concentrated carbon dioxide being emitted. ...
Recycling firm Carbon Recycling International turns that CO2 into methanol which, in turn, could be used to power cars without having the carcinogenic byproducts of gasoline. ...
Ice News
Italy: Woman steals church offerings after hypnotising priest
A woman made off with Christmas offerings made to a local church in the Northern Italian city of Padua after having hypnotised the local priest and entered the cloisters where women are banned to make off with some 1,800 euros in cash. ... She was described to law enforcement officers by the victim as a Roma (gypsy) aged around thirty-five. ...
ANSA
Germany: What’s So Funny About Racism? Germany’s New Minority Comics
A new generation of comedians with foreign roots are shining an irreverent light on the prejudices they encounter in Germany. But when it comes to the integration debate, do their brash, cliché-rife performances do more harm than good? ...
Der Spiegel
South Africa: Cape gangsters form political party
Cape Town - Some of Cape Town’s most notorious criminals and gangsters have stepped out of their comfort zone and formed their own political party, according to a report in the Sunday Times.
The Sunday Times reports that the Patriotic Alliance was formed in October and on Saturday, they held their first media conference after registering with the Independent Electoral Commission [late November]...
The party is made up of bank robbers, gang bosses, dodgy businessmen and smugglers among others. ...
News 24
Korea: Untouchable calls return to hip-hop ‘a long trip’
Hip-hop duo hopes to find own sound after military service
Sleepy, 29, and D-Action, 28, of hip-hop duo Untouchable said they feel like they’ve been on a long trip.
Upon completing their mandatory military service in May, they went straight to work on their latest EP, “Trip,” released on Nov. 11.
“After serving in the military, we were back to square one on making new music and continuing with our career. It made us think a lot on how to improve our previous albums’ weaknesses, what must be done to have a better album, and this long thinking felt like a trip. Not like going on a vacation, but more like you go on a trip to refresh your mind and find yourself,” said D-Action. ...
Korea Herald
Jamaica: History In The Making - Jamaica To Welcome Two Millionth Stopover Visitor
Jamaica will welcome its two millionth stopover visitor in a year, when American Airlines, flight 380 from Miami, Florida, touches down at the Sangster International Airport in MontegoBay, St James.
All indications up to April were that the island was experiencing a marked decline in arrivals, with the reduction as high as 3.1 per cent.
But Jamaica’s Director of Tourism John Lynch is crediting the increase with a four-month soar in stopover arrivals, from September to December. “We are doing well because the product, our hotels and attractions are performing well, while the Jamaican people remain our greatest asset, staking claim as some of the friendliest in the world,” said Lynch. ...
Jamaica Gleaner
Costa Rica: Costa Rica’s 5 most important environmental stories in 2013
Year in review: From the zoo debate to threatened conservationists – here’s a look back.
Known for its pristine national parks and renewable energy efforts, Costa Rica often makes international headlines. But while the country looks like a green bastion on paper, the top headlines from 2013 reveal the country’s environmental struggles. ...
5. Mass sea turtle deaths ...
4. Costa Rica bans shrimp trawling then tries to take it back ...
3. Infinito Gold ruling challenge ...
2. Costa Rica’s impending zoo closures ...
1. The Jairo Mora murder case ...
Tico Times
*Image of a volcano in Iceland via Shutterstock
