Author: 5hspx
Apple What if someone told you that mermaids really existed?Forget fishtails, we're talking about women who can hold their breath for minutes while diving under the sea several hundred times a day.They are South Korea's haenyeo divers, a community of women on Jeju Island who have been freediving (without oxygen) to harvest seafood for centuries.Today, when most of them are between 60, 70 and 80 years old, their traditions and way of life are in danger, as fewer and fewer young women enter the profession and the ocean risks to become unrecognizable.It was these facts that inspired Korean-American filmmaker Sue…
Getty ImagesChina has cracked down on businesses including real estate, technology and finance.“Now I think about it, I definitely picked the wrong sector.”Xiao Chen*, who works at a private equity firm in Shanghai, China's financial hub, says it has been a difficult year.For his first year on the job, he says he received nearly 750,000 yuan ($106,200; £81,200). He was sure that he would soon reach the million yuan mark.Three years later, he earns half of what he did then. His salary was frozen last year and an annual bonus, which represented a large part of his income, disappeared.The “glow”…
Getty ImagesThere is growing speculation that the way pensions are taxed could be changed in the Budget.Chancellor Rachel Reeves says she needs to find £22bn and some experts say she could change the workplace or private pension system to find some of that money. This is separate from another debate over state pensions.There are a number of options that could affect workers getting their first job, those already working, all the way to those who are retired. This is what could happen and why you should care even if you're only 20 years old.Make employers pay more for national insuranceWhen…
Getty ImagesRed teams attempt to break into high security facilitiesAn elite team assembles and breaks into a top-secret military base or corporate headquarters – you've probably seen it a dozen times in a movie or on TV. But such teams exist in the real world and can be hired to test the tightest security. Many companies offer to test computer systems by attempting to hack them remotely. This is called White Hat Hacking.But the skills involved in breaching physical security, known as Red Teaming, are rare.Companies that offer the Red Team service must bring together staff with very specific skills.…
Swastika FriendA puja chose Lajja or shame as the theme to focus on the alleged rape and murder of the doctor.On August 9, the Indian city of Kolkata was shaken when a trainee doctor was found raped and murdered in one of its oldest hospitals. Although an arrest was quickly made, accusations of cover-up and tampering with evidence quickly surfaced, fueling public outrage. Since then, daily protests, human chains and candlelight vigils have taken over the streets of Calcutta. Today, the city's biggest festival takes place amid some of the city's most fervent protests in years.Kolkata celebrates its biggest annual…
The European Union has delayed the introduction of a fingerprint and facial scan border control system for non-EU citizens.Its deployment was scheduled for November 10, but was pushed back after Germany, France and the Netherlands said their IT systems were not ready.At the same time, sources told the BBC there had been no live testing of EU software on UK border systems.EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said there was no new timetable for its implementation, but it would be introduced gradually.“It is clear that we will not be ready for November 10,” Johansson said, adding: “We will take a…
Getty ImagesNewJeans Group's Hanni has previously raised concerns about workplace harassmentSouth Korean pop star Hanni has made a surprise announcement, announcing that she will testify before the country's National Assembly during a hearing into bullying in the music industry.The singer, who is part of the girl group NewJeans, said she made the decision without informing her managers or her label Ador.“I think moving forward is the right thing to do no matter what I think about it,” she wrote to fans on social media.This comes after she and the four other members of her group raised concerns about their treatment…
The funeral took place in Mumbai of Ratan Tata, chairman of one of India's largest conglomerates, Tata Group, who died on Wednesday at the age of 86.Business leaders, politicians and celebrities were among thousands of people who paid their last respects at the center where his body lay in state before being cremated.The state of Maharashtra declared a day of mourning and his coffin received a military salute as it was carried away for funeral rites.Ratan Tata took over as chairman of the group in 1991 and is credited with transforming it into a global powerhouse.During his 20-year tenure, the…
Getty ImagesA major shake-up of workers' rights is underway, but the proposed reforms are still being developed and it remains unclear how some of them will work in practice.Changes could still be made before most of them take effect in two years, but here's what's proposed and how it could affect you.Unfair dismissal From the first day of their employment, workers will have the right to claim unfair dismissal against their employer.This is a major change from the current two-year waiting period. However, it has been proposed that staff be subject to a nine-month probationary period, during which employers can…
Getty ImagesThe fall in mortgage rates could come to an abrupt halt, according to brokers, with the expectation of a rise in home loan costs in the coming days.Lenders have faced intense competition to attract borrowers in recent weeks, leading to a steady decline in interest rates on new fixed-rate mortgage deals.This has led to greater activity among buyers and sellers in the UK property market.But one lender, Coventry Building Society, is raising mortgage rates on Friday, with others expected to follow suit in the coming days.“The mortgage market has seen rates fall in recent months, but that could come…