Iceland: Iceland best place to be a woman
For the fifth successive year, Iceland has been named the country where women have the greatest opportunity, according to a new report. The study on global gender gap, published by the World Economic Forum last Friday, showed that Iceland once again finished in first place when it comes to equality of opportunity between men and women.
The North Atlantic nation first claimed the top spot in 2009, after being ranked fourth between 2006 and 2008.
The rankings, which were compiled from 136 countries, are based on four key areas: economics, politics, health and education. Northern European nations scored particularly well, with Finland, Norway and Sweden taking the second, third and fourth positions respectively. The Philippines was ranked fifth while Denmark came in eighth place. ...
Ice News
Costa Rica: 10 cool facts about Sony’s gorgeous flower eruption ad filmed at Costa Rica’s Irazú Volcano
The same company that released 300,000 bouncy balls in San Francisco has unleashed 8 million flower petals in Costa Rica’s Irazú Volcano National Park. The video capturing the release of the petals was created to sell the new Sony 4K Ultra HD TV. The viral video blew up Friday morning. To explain just how much work went into the shoot, we listed 10 of the most awesome details about the video’s production ...
Tico Times
Australia: Free film tickets from US Embassy spark questions
The US Embassy in Canberra has attracted the attention of the US State Department and the Washington Post newspaper after giving away free tickets to an anti-American film at a local film festival.
One of the films is a documentary called Dirty Wars which looks at US military involvement in the death of civilians in Afghanistan and other aspects of what it calls a ‘covert war’.
The Canberra International Film Festival was launched by the new US Ambassador to Australia on Wednesday, and the embassy used its Twitter account to offer free tickets to the controversial film as well as several others.
Festival Director Lex Lindsay says the US Embassy has been a long term supporter of the event. ...
“I think in this case they’re supporting our choice, our freedom of choice to screen whatever film we should choose to screen.” ...
ABC
France: Hollande refuses to exempt footballers from 75% tax
French President François Hollande said on Thursday that he would not exempt professional football players from a proposed 75 percent income tax, prompting the country’s top clubs to state that the planned November strike would now go ahead.
French President François Hollande showed football clubs the red card on Thursday in the face of protests over plans to impose a 75 percent tax on earnings over one million euros a year. ...
France 24
Canada: Prime Minister Harper joins the band at Calgary’s Cowboys nightclub
CALGARY—He was Prime Minister Stephen Harper while on stage Friday night at the Conservative Party Convention in Calgary, but on stage at the Cowboys nightclub he was the man in black.
Harper loosened up after his convention performance with a delegates only performance at Cowboys.
Backed by the band Herringbone, Harper handled keyboards and lead vocals for the half-hour set. And given the set list he and his fellow musicians were all appropriately garbed in black.
They opened with “The Hockey Song” by Stompin Tom Connors and also knocked off a version of “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash — the original man in black. ...
Toronto Star
Jamaica: Legal Minds Challenge ... No Jury For Gangsters?
A provision in the anti-gang bill for persons charged under the law to be tried by a single judge has been categorised as potentially unconstitutional by the Norman Manley Law School.
Nancy Anderson, who was making a submission before the Joint Select Committee of Parliament considering the bill, last week opined that thein-camera, single-judge provision in the bill contravenes provisions in the Charter of Rights which was passed three years ago.
“This is in violation of section 16 of the Charter which guarantees citizens due process,” argued Anderson.
The anti-gang bill proposes that the jurisdiction of a Circuit Court to hear and determine offences under the act shall be exercised by a judge sitting without a jury and that there shall be no preliminary examination or committal proceedings. ...
Jamaica Gleaner
Thailand: Sale of electric shock items banned
The Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) has banned the sale of electric shock products used as for pranks as they can be dangerous to children and people with heart problems.
OCPB secretary-general Jirachai Moontongroi said on Sunday that there are a variety of products, such as chewing gum, pens, car alarm keys and electrical switches. ...
Bangkok Post
*Image via Shutterstock
