Common Focus Not Chaos

ITALY

Italy won't ratify EU free-trade deal with Canada: farm minister 

Artcity at Rome's Vittoriano features women in jazz

Migrants have crossed the Mediterranean for centuries – but they used to go from north to south

GERMANY

Merkel, Trump both agree the ailing German military needs a boost — so why isn’t it happening? 

The End of German Politics As We Know It OPINION

The Enemy in the White House OPINION

URUGUAY

SHE’S CHALLENGING SOUTH AMERICA’S IDEA OF HOW A MODEL SHOULD LOOK 

Uruguay May Be South America’s Unlikely Robotics Champion

Uruguay chair of Mercosur, targets accord with China, exhausted of negotiations with the EU

PANAMA

How the Panama Canal Took a Huge Toll On the Contract Workers Who Built It

Panama has finally joined the ranks of high-income countries

Varela: Panamanian economy is healthy and does not grow due to corruption and money

COSTA RICA

Colony of Beautiful, Doomed Purple Octopuses Found Off Costa Rica

$6 Million in Bogus Organic Fruit Sold to U.S.

Protest Rally at U.S. Embassy, in San Jose, Saturday

JAMAICA

Bwaaat! How the Air Horn Made Noise in Pop Music 

Kiwanis Club of West St Andrew builds restrooms at Red Hills Basic School

Messado re-arrested for more fraudulent land deals

BRAZIL

Using tech and $100M, Dr Consulta transforms healthcare for the poorest 

Agriculture Minister Maggi says U.S.-China trade war bad for Brazil

GLOBAL

Global shares rise, oil prices jump on OPEC news 

UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency Forced Displacement in 2017

The carbon-price chimera

NORWAY

Norway requests WTO dispute settlement consultations with the United States 

Norway arrests man for making 'Islamist' threats: report

Hot summer to hit Norwegian north with 20 degrees in Arctic Circle: forecast

SWAZILAND

A FAIR-TRADE MODEL WITH A SPICY KICK RISES IN LANDLOCKED AFRICA 

Swaziland holds first-ever pride parade

Swaziland's king celebrates independence with lavish party

CHINA

Why China’s New Cambodia Military Boost Matters 

Meet the five urban Chinas

Beijing’s Drive Towards Global Technological Supremacy

PUERTO RICO

Harvard study estimates thousands died in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria 

Puerto Rico’s agro-ecology brigades are a model of resiliency in a changing climate

Can Farming Save Puerto Rico’s Future?

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand announces tourist tax to fund straining infrastructure 

Dying man and wife at 'breaking point' due to restrictions in family carers policy

Phil Goff's advice on the petrol tax: Shop around for the best deal

READ

The Suffragette Movement - An Intimate Account Of Persons And Ideals 

Panama 1914 - The Early Years of the Big Dig: The early years of the Big Dig

You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes

AUSTRALIA

Australia to buy six U.S. Triton drones for $5.1 billion 

Malcolm Turnbull on the ABC: 'Some presenters are biased to the left'

Chef Dan Hunter digs the dirt on US local-food guru Dan Barber

UNITED KINGDOM

A Search for a Lost Hammer Led to the Largest Cache of Roman Treasure Ever Found in Britain 

National measles warning after five-fold rise in cases in England

Pint scam' as major restaurant chain caught serving beer in special glasses 8.1ml too small

EUROPE

U.S. Threat of Sanctions Imperils Bid to Save Iran Deal, European Officials Say 

Emma Navarro appointed as new EIB Vice-President

EU looks to offer Trump a bigger slice of its beef market as trade war looms

CUBA

U.S.-Cuban relations are about to get worse 

Cuban Teen Almost Long Jumps Beyond Pit For Best Mark In 23 Years

U.S. Officials Press Cuba on ‘Urgent Need’ to ID Source of Attacks on Diplomats

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO   

Could pigs be involved in Congo's new Ebola outbreak? 

With Ebola at a ‘critical point’ in Congo, aid groups scramble to limit the outbreak

TOTAL SYSTEMS FAILURE: EXPOSING THE GLOBAL SECRECY DESTROYING FORESTS IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

SOUTH AFRICA

Corruption Gutted South Africa’s Tax Agency. Now the Nation Is Paying the Price. 

Murders of farmers in South Africa at 20-year low, research shows

Go beyond living up to Mandela COMMENT

NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as  a "community service" announcement.  These again are shared for their varying perspectives.

Any commercial or business interest information shared is purely informational, not an endorsement.  I have no connection with any such commercial or business interest.

Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post.  Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse.  They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended.