By Ko Dong-hwan The world needs more new varieties of coffee beans so that bean farmers and producers can make more profit and the market does not get monopolised by a few coffee-producing countries or roasters that offer limited choices, according to the head of World Coffee Research (WCR). Jennifer “Vern” Long, chief executive of … Read more
Chinese smartphone maker Oppo is ramping up its overseas push with a sharpened focus on Europe and South America, backed by its expanding manufacturing capacity overseas, a company executive said. Oppo, the world’s fourth largest smartphone vendor in the third quarter, is “steadfast” about investing in Europe and aiming to gain more ground in the … Read more
A WOMAN was terrified to discover South America’s deadliest scorpion running along her skirting boards at home. Payge Aitchison spotted the Brazilian yellow scorpion in her hallway in Wokingham, Berkshire, but has no idea how it got there. 4 The Brazilian yellow scorpion is South America’s most deadly scorpionCredit: SWNS 4 Payge Aitchison discovered the … Read more
ByteDance-owned international short video-platform TikTok has reported total revenue of US$4.6 billion in 2023, an increase of nearly 75 per cent from a year earlier, in markets excluding the United States, Asia and Oceania. TikTok, which has more than 1 billion users worldwide, attributed that rise to “the continued growth of [its] user base”, “enhanced … Read more
In recent months, Peru has been gripped by a wave of violence targeting bus drivers and transportation companies, primarily in the capital, Lima. This escalating crisis has revealed the pervasive control that extortionist gangs now hold over the country’s transportation sector, forcing companies and drivers to operate under the constant threat of violence. How Organised … Read more
Representative AI image (Pic credit: Lexica) An annular solar eclipse will create a rare “ring of fire” phenomenon visible in parts of South America on Wednesday.A “ring of fire” occurs when the Moon lines up between the Sun and the Earth to create a solar eclipse, but does not block out the Sun’s light entirely, … Read more
However, the country’s opposition has been able to collect a majority of voter tallies in the aftermath of the polls, with results showing González beating Maduro by a handy margin. “The government of Spain reiterates its commitment to the political rights and physical integrity of all Venezuelans, especially political leaders,” Spain’s foreign ministry said in … Read more
South America’s answer to the Sahara, the southern part of the Atacama Desert is known as the Sea of Dunes (“Mar de Dunas”), with those dunes spanning 335 square kilometres (129 square miles). A snowboarder rides down a dune in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Photo: Shutterstock At 550 metres, El Medanoso is one of the highest … Read more
The coffee bush likes tropical climates and elevation, and grows in a belt around the equator. It is the cherries of the plant, which turns bright red when ripe, that are used to make the hot drink. They’re gathered, stripped, dried, roasted and finally ground and ready to use. Sounds like hard work, doesn’t it? … Read more
Brazil’s health ministry sounded the alarm in July after four babies were born with microcephaly — smaller than expected heads. Their mothers had been infected with the virus. Zika virus, which is also transmitted via mosquitoes, is also known to cause congenital deformations including microcephaly. In 2015 and 2016, Brazil recorded more than 3,500 cases … Read more
