|
Happy Monday! Like millions of fans I was sad to hear of Sean Connery’s passing over the weekend. But let’s face it — James Bond, the character he was best known for playing, embodies sexism as much as sex appeal. Today you’ll meet Argentina’s female on-screen spy who can make 007 eat humble pie, visit an underwater skyscraper, taste a secret Tanzanian pork dish and check out a multistory Japanese forest you can chop and grow at the same time. |
| | Charu Sudan Kasturi, Senior Editor |  |
|
|
|
| |  | | 1. Lockdown From the TopWHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is quarantining after the Ethiopian public health official came in contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, at a time the U.K. has warned that it might extend its month-long lockdown beyond early December. Virus cases are peaking in Russia too. (Sources: Reuters, Nikkei) |
| 2. My Way or the HuaweiThat’s what the Chinese telecommunications giant has decided, amid growing Western pushback over security concerns. Huawei plans to set up a chip plant in Shanghai to cut its dependence on American technology in a bid to avoid U.S. sanctions and secure its dominance. (Source: FT) |
| 3. Storm Coming: ETA TuesdayThis one’s announcing its arrival — though its name. Tropical storm Eta, the 28th named storm of this year’s Atlantic season, has an expected time of arrival of Tuesday in Nicaragua and Honduras. Meanwhile in the Philippines, the year’s strongest storm, Typhoon Goni, killed at least 10 people Sunday. (Sources: ABC, CNN) |
|
|
| | Knock before entering, or you might get eaten. Australian scientists have discovered a giant, 1,690-foot coral tower that’s taller than the Empire State Building and has a thriving community of aquatic residents at a time climate change is killing most coral reefs. |
|
|
|  | | Miss the good old days? We do too. Luckily, our friends at Cariuma have captured the nostalgic, effortlessly cool style we all crave with their brand-new CATIBA Pro. Beyond its attractive vintage style, the CATIBA Pro is built for an active lifestyle and has maximum durability without sacrificing comfort. Join us to rock the fashion of the good old times — and don’t forget to use code OZY to get $15 off for a limited time! |
|
|
|  | The Next Female 007Sean Connery epitomized James Bond, but from Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde to Ingrid Bergman in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Notorious, women have played stellar spies too. Meet the next generation that’ll make you swoon. |
| 1. Alia BhattDon’t let those impish dimples deceive you: In the 2018 blockbuster Raazi, they helped the Indian spy played by 27-year-old Bhatt bowl over the son of a top Pakistani general before the 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh. Married into the general’s family, Bhatt’s character Sehmat uses her guile and karate skills to transmit military secrets. Among India’s finest young actresses, Bhatt might be cinema’s next super spy. |
| | |
|
| |  | Tempting TanzaniaOne of Africa’s only nations that has had continuous democracy since independence in 1961, Tanzania now stands at the crossroads. President John Magufuli controversially claimed a landslide win in a disputed election over the weekend. But there’s plenty else happening in Tanzania that there’s no dispute over. |
| | 2. Stunning Slum StrainsIn the former capital city of Dar es Salaam, the densely populated Tandale slum was once notorious for robberies and prostitution. Now it’s better known as the birthplace of a new street genre of music, singeli, that draws on more traditional Swahili rhythms but gets you grooving with pulsating beats and verses about slum life. Try this song. And read more on OZY. |
| 3. Secret Pork ChopsHush!! This one’s ideal for the undercover agents we’ve introduced today. Head to the back of the restaurant kitchen, pick your portion size and place your order. It could take an hour, but kitimoto is worth the wait. Pork has sparked religious riots in Tanzania in the past, so you want to be careful. But hopefully you’ve picked up some tips from Bhatt, Gamboa and Thusi by now. Read more on OZY. |
|
|
|  | Fantastic ForestsWith governments lifting protections for forests from Alaska to the Amazon, soak in some of the world’s most unique forests before it’s too late — there’s a reason more and more people are embracing the concept of forest bathing (no, you don’t need a swimsuit). |
| | 2. Cloud Forests, PeruHere trees grow out of clouds — or so it appears. Machu Picchu is the majestic culmination of the Inca Trail, but the Andean cloud forests you’ll pass on the way are no less magical. These forests literally eat and drink mist from the clouds and use that nutrition to support a stunning range of hummingbirds, orchids and more. |
| 3. Crooked Forest, PolandThe trees are shaped like inverted question marks — which is appropriate becauseno one quite knows how they got to be that way. Were they shaped using some tool in the 1930s? Did they get their shape because World War II tanks rammed into them? Or, to turn the question on its head, did the trees stop Germany's advance in the war? Perhaps it’s time to call in Queen Sono. |
| 4. Avenue of the Baobabs, MadagascarThese 800-year-old giants arenearly 100 feet tall and line a red dirt road in western Madagascar. Theircanopies look like roots — and if you believe in legends, that's no coincidence. The devil, the story goes, yanked the trees out of the ground many centuries ago and replanted them upside down. |
|
|
| | | |
|