Tech companies sued over child coblat miners

International Rights Advocates (IRA), a human rights group in class action lawsuit has claimed Apple, Google, Microsoft, Dell, and Tesla have all “aided and abetted” a supply chain for cobalt metal critical for smartphones and electric vehicles that forces children to work in dangerous conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Apple, Alphabet, Dell, Microsoft,…

Raffles and Singapore Sling

The original Singapore Sling was invented at the Raffles Hotel Singapore over 104 years ago by Hainanese bartender Ngiam Tong Boom,  when the etiquette dictated  that Ladies could not consume alcohol in public. Cad’s Alley as first lovated at the main hotel entrance where tables were strategically placed next to one another, so that male…

Volcano eruption five people dead several injured in New Zealand

  A volcano has erupted in New Zealand’s White Island, leaving five people dead and several unaccounted for according to police. Tourists were seen walking inside the crater of White Island moments before Monday’s eruption. 23 people have been rescued from the White Island  which is also called Whakaari, the country’s most active volcano. The…

Masterclass in reading and writing

“Revising one sentence” is the title on Lydia Davis’s lucid collection and according to her if a short story is a love affair and a novel is a marriage, then her very short stories sometimes just a single sentence is more like a one-night stand. Spanning more than 30 years Essays, the first of two…

Nato leaders meet at a 70th Anniversary summit

Nato leaders will meet outside of London for formal three hours of talks on Wednesday as they gather to mark the military alliance’s 70th Anniversary.   The talks will take place at a luxury hotel near Watford and follow receptions held on Tuesday at Buckingham Palace and Downing Street. Tuesday also saw also sharp exchanges…

China tech companies dictating standards for Facial recognition

Chinese tech companies are at an advanced stage of shaping facial recognition and surveillance standards at the UN, as they aspire to dominate markets in the developing world for their designs. China Telecom, ZTE, Dahua are among companies proposing global standards in the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for facial recognition, video monitoring, city and…