Italy: Villa that inspired Pinocchio for sale in Italy
A villa near Florence that inspired the author of Pinocchio is on the market for €10.5m – a world away from the humble workshop where the marionette is born in the book.
The 3,000-square-metre mansion has three hectares of garden including a lawn known as the “Field of Miracles” where a gardener famously found a hoard of coins in the 19th century – a story that was included in “The Adventures of Pinocchio”.
Pinocchio’s author Carlo Collodi lived near the villa in Sesto Fiorentino, now a suburb of Florence, where his brother worked at a local porcelain manufacturing plant, and several other local sites also feature in his tale. …
The Local
South Korea: Netizens cracking down on plagiarism scandals plaguing K-pop world
The recent charges of plagiarism involving local hip-hop artist Primary has brought the Korean music industry’s notorious past and ongoing allegations of plagiarism to the fore.
Many are now questioning how these accusations will impact the future of the industry.
Thanks to the infinite capabilities of the Internet, netizens have been exposing supposed plagiarism.
“As bad as an accusation of plagiarism can be, the resolution of plagiarism in Korea might actually be far worse,” said one industry insider. “A false claim can seriously damage a person‘s career while a true claim can be very difficult to collect any sort of financial damages for.” …
The Korea Herald
New Zealand: Strongman mine fire still burning after 17 years
The smouldering underground fire that has been burning in the old Strongman Mine since August 1996 has forced workers at the small-scale open-cast mining operation above to take precautions.
Solid Energy spokesman Bryn Somerville said the mining team at the site, in the Nine Mile valley, was regularly working through areas of heated rock and coal so special care was needed in the planning and operation of mining activity.
The company also had consent to divert water from the site to cool areas of heating underground. …
The New Zealand Herald
Germany: ‘Missed Opportunity’ – Bavarians Reject 2022 Winter Olympics
Bavarians voted against a bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in a local referendum on Sunday that reflected mistrust of the International Olympic Committee and concerns about costs. Supporters warn this is a blow to Germany’s sports reputation.
The people of Bavaria on were asked on Sunday to cast their votes on whether the region should apply to host the 2022 Winter Olympics and their answer, a resounding “Nein,” is a stinging blow to the country’s reputation as a sporting nation, said the dejected backers of the bid. …
Spiegel Online
Australia: Star Wars wedding out of this world (video)
Croydon humanoids Jacqui Abikhair and Chris Godfrey arrived at the altar in Star Wars style to celebrate their planetary passion.
The sweethearts of more than eight human – as opposed to light – years, tied the knot at the Tim Neville Arboretum in Ferntree Gully on Friday, November 3.
The happiest pair in the galaxy joined forces dressed as the iconic Princess Leia and Han Solo.
The new Mrs Godfrey explained: “My partner and I met through mutual friends and we realised that we both loved Star Wars as much as each other and that was helpful in our courtship. Weddings are usually done in a church, according to the religion of the people and we thought we didn’t really want to do the traditional wedding in the church. Star Wars is our religion. It’s what we live by and is really precious to us.” …
Herald Sun
Bhutan: A house made of hair!
The nomads’ tent is a thing of ingenuity that takes both weaving and stitching skills
The nomad shelter in Soe is thick, black and woven from yak hair. But the one weaving bja is not called a weaver but a carpenter.
While it’s black and might appear without character, it is not really so. The design is rich and it can astonish or confuse, if one gives it a closer look.
For nomads, making these tents is no different from constructing a house and, upon completion, a grand celebration is held. “It’s considered our ancestral house and we shelter in it during summer,” tshogpa Tobgay said. …
Kuensel Online
Russia: Russia Surpasses Europe in Shopping Mall Construction
Russia is ranked number one in Europe in terms of building retail space but still has a lower ratio of shopping malls to people, according to research by Cushman & Wakefield.
With over 456,200 square meters of retail space built in just the first half of 2013, Russia topped the rankings for shopping center construction, with Turkey coming second, having built 422,500 square meters of retail space over the same period, the report said.
Russia comes third behind Turkey and Britain for already operational shopping centers, but may eclipse Britain by the end of 2014 when there will be a total of just under 19 million square meters of retail property in Russia, Vedomosti reported Monday. …
The Moscow Times
