Sweden: Are Swedes friendly?
Mårten: “Inside, Swedes are friendly. We’re born friendly, but there is this pressure coming from the outside that makes us afraid. We don’t dare to be generous,” he says. Having said that, his most recent act of friendliness was giving change to a homeless person. ...(Read more)
The Local
Japan: Researchers find protein that could reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers have found a protein that appears to prevent the brain from succumbing to Alzheimer’s disease, a discovery that could lead to new therapies for the most common cause of dementia among elderly people.
They said the protein, called SorLA, is less concentrated in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients than among disease-free individuals. …(Read more)
The Asahi Shimbun
France: Top Ten Dream jobs in France for expats
Always dreamt about landing the perfect job but never quite made it or were too scared to take the risk? Well France may have its problems with unemployment but it also offers a wide range of dream jobs for expats. Here’s our top Ten. What’s yours? ...
When it comes to working in France it can be easy to fall back on the obvious: easy options like teaching English at a language school or working behind the bar of an expat pub in Paris. …(Read more)
The Local
Uzbekistan: Human rights activists demand Czech president cancel Karimov’s visit
Human Rights Watch again called on the president of the Czech Republic to withdraw its invitation to the “oppressive leader of Uzbekistan” Islam Karimov.
Human rights activists were not appeased by the Czech president’s response to their previous petition ...(Read more)
UZNews
Island: Viking Silver Bracelet Found in Reykjavík
Last summer archaeological research took place at the so-called Althingi-spot, thought to be the area where the first settlers in Iceland built their houses. In the mud, a silver bracelet was found. The piece was quite delicate, besides being surrounded by very hard soil. … (Read more)
Island Review
Indonesia: Closed airport
Adisumarmo airport in Solo, Central Java, is covered with volcanic ash from an eruption of Mount Kelud Friday. Volcanic ash from a major eruption in Indonesia shrouded a large swath of the country’s most densely populated island on Friday ... (Read more)
The Jakarta Post
Argentina: The illusion is over: January’s consumer price index clocks in at 3.7%
At the debut of the new national consumer price index, Kicillof blasts private consultancies
President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s administration yesterday unveiled its long-awaited new national urban consumer price index (IPCNu), which reported a 3.7 percent increase in prices in January compared to December. ... (Read more)
Bueanos Aires Herald
*Image of Sweden via Shutterstock.
