Priceless Van Goghs or just plain art?

Los Angeles (AFP) – On a Tuesday morning last month, Steve Meadows, a 66-year-old architect, actor, inventor and dabbler in art, left his home in Venice, California, with a cargo boasting an extraordinary history. [Read more] Continue reading →

The long, arduous trek to find the American Dream

Seattle (AFP) — In the spring of 2013, Buta Singh, a 34-year-old Sikh from India’s Punjab state, fled his homeland out of fear of religious and political persecution, hoping for a new start in the United States. It has been a bewilderingly long and brutal quest, spanning a traumatic 10-week journey, 11 months in detention … Continue reading →

10 of the best new affordable hotels in New York City

The Guardian > Travel – New York City | From bargain-price rooms in midtown Manhattan to swish boutique hotels in Brooklyn and Queens, our top 10 makes it possible to explore NYC to the max. [read more] Continue reading →

REPLACING GUARDS AND GATES WITH BIOMETRICS AND BIG DATA

Newsweek > Tech & Science — Los Angeles | The U.S. security industry, from gadgets and manpower to software and consultancy, has evolved and expanded in recent decades amid rising fears of particular threats, like mass shooters, and the promises of new technology spawned by the digital and internet revolution. [read more] Continue reading →

The changing face and fortunes of Las Vegas

Al Jazeera English > Features — Las Vegas | The city that boomed most before the Great Recession – and then fell the furthest – believes it’s back in business [read more]. Continue reading →

WHY JAPAN IS EXCITED ABOUT THE TOKYO OLYMPICS

  Newsweek > Tech & Science — Tokyo, Japan | If all goes according to plan, visitors to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be awestruck before the sporting contests even begin. [read more] Continue reading →

Security giants earn huge windfalls from ‘surveillance-industrial complex’

Al Jazeera America > International — Tokyo, Japan | In the run-up to 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Panasonic and other multinational corporations find big market for security. [read more] Continue reading →

Japan’s Historic Inns: A Little Too Authentic for Some Tastes

Wall Street Journal > Off-Duty Travel — Kumano, Japan | Ryokans—or historic inns—offer guests full-on (and sometimes clothes-free) immersion into local traditions and cuisine. For some, they are the best kind of culture shock [read more] Continue reading →

Despite nuclear fears, Japan solar energy sector slow to catch on

Al Jazeera America > International –Fukushima, Japan | Despite disastrous 2011 Fukushima meltdown, the economy’s power demand exceeds renewable potential [read more] Continue reading →

The decline of Japan’s doya-gai labourer districts

Al Jazeera English > Features — Yokohama, Japan | Economic and social factors contribute to the decline and gentrification of Japan’s traditional day-labourer areas [read more] Continue reading →

Eat in the ‘Kill Bill’ restaurant, learn how to make sushi and visit temples in Tokyo

New York Daily News – Tokyo, Japan — Tokyo is the most populous metro area in the world, and Japanese culture can feel perplexingly unique. So be sure to plan ahead for a trip there [read more] Continue reading →

Winning $1.5bn Powerball ticket sparks frenzy in quiet California suburb

The Guardian > U.S. News — Chino Hills, Calif. | Excited residents and a media army massed at a 7-Eleven after hearing that the store sold one of record jackpot tickets [read more] Continue reading →

Dance Troupe Steps Up Academics and Spreads Its Message

Wall Street Journal – New York Regime Performing Arts practices six days a week and its teen members maintain high grades [read more] Continue reading →

Mental-Defect Defense Planned for Suspect in NYPD Officer’s Killing

Wall Street Journal — New York Demetrius Blackwell is arraigned on a 12-count indictment in Queens Supreme Court; district attorney says prosecutors will fight mental-health defense. [Read more] Continue reading →

Indie Rockers, The War on Drugs, Hit All the Right Notes

Wall Street Journal — New York Adam Granduciel and the band on craft, panic attacks and the 2014 album ‘Lost in the Dream’ [read more] Continue reading →

Demetrius Blackwell, Suspect in Killing of Officer Brian Moore, Has History of Psychosis, Violence

The Wall Street Journal — New York Slain officer was 25 years old when he was shot on patrol in Queens [Read more] Continue reading →

Drugs, migrants and rebels: Life along Darién’s Gap

Al Jazeera English — Panama Rugged border region between Panama and Colombia has no formal crossings, bringing an array of security challenges. [Read more] Continue reading →

Creating the Kingdom of North Sudan

Al Jazeera English — New York Keeping a promise to make his daughter a princess, American declares a kingdom in northeast Africa. [Read more] Continue reading →

A Criminal in an NYPD Uniform

The Wall Street Journal — New York ‘The Seven Five’ documents a rookie cop’s 1980s slide into corruption and prison [Read more] Continue reading →

Crossing the Darién Gap: US-bound migrants marooned in Panama jungle

Al Jazeera America — Panama: Long voyage winds from half a world away in search of economic opportunity in North America [read more] Continue reading →