The secret police of the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu recruited thousands of children to spy on schoolfriends, parents and teachers, according to communist-era archives. They show that the Securitate blackmailed children into becoming informers in the late 1980s, as the whiff of liberalisation in the Soviet bloc prompted Ceausescu to tighten his grip on the […]
not kiss. They were disinclined to cuddle up, even when cajoled by the photographer. This reflects the traditions that persist in many parts of Indonesia. Not only had Yanti, 22, a restaurant cook, and Tri, 24, a farmer, just met, they barely knew anything about each other. “Er, what does he like to do in […]
After his final appeal for asylum was rejected in 2004, Thomas lived rough in Manchester; on friends’ floors and in a disused factory with other failed asylum seekers. One night, five white youths attacked him and left him with bruised ribs and a swollen eye. But he wouldn’t go to the […]
A large container ship, the Australian Star, was making its way across the South China Sea bound for New Zealand. It was evening and Captain Peter Newton left the bridge for his cabin. As the ship passed the Indonesian island of Bintan, nine armed men burst into Captain Newton’s cabin. They held a machete to […]
When Val Salisbury walked down her lane in Herefordshire, in southern England, and into a giant plastic polytunnel where dozens of Ukrainians, Lithuanians and other east Europeans were picking strawberries, the workers were surprised. She was, after all, a 69-year-old Englishwoman using a walking frame. But when she started pulling up the plants and throwing […]
Some carry sacks or rolled-up blankets on their shoulders. They scramble over grassy banks and hurry down the sun-scorched roadside on the way to the night shelters, which are guarded by government troops. In any other country a 14-year-old girl leaving her home and an anxious mother for the night would spell rebellion. Here, it’s […]
Hundreds of sets of twins gathered for a special convention in Taiwan. Entitled “Happiness in Taipei: Twins of Taiwan Unite,” the event was organised by the government. Some of the twins at the event dressed up in matching cute costumes such as pandas and cowboys, while others didn’t seem too sure what they were dressed as. Two sets of […]
No, your eyes are not deceiving you. This is actually a surfing pig. This little piglet has left the muddy sty behind and taken to riding waves in Hawaii instead. “He really get’s off on it. Seems like he’s having a good time when he’s out there. I think it makes him happy.” Kama loves nothing more than to surf, regularly joining his owner […]
This is Premsai Patel. He claims to be the world’s oldest man. Still able to walk with only a stick for support, Prime says he was born in 1896. That would make him 118 years old. He backs his claim by producing an ID card which mentions his date of birth as the 11th of May 1896. Premsai lives in the remote […]
The Hennessey Venom GT isn’t just pretty to look at. It’s now known as the fastest sports car in the world. The super car set a new land speed record earlier this month, clocking in at 270.49 miles per hour. It narrowly beats the old record held by Bugatti’s Veyron Super Sport. The record-setting run happened earlier this month at […]