This Is How The World Sees South Africa – Switzerland, Canada and Japan are seen as the best countries in the world in the 2020 Best Countries Report – a ranking and analysis project by US News & World Report, BAV Group and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. [btech]

Putin Is Sending A Message To The World With His Shock Announcement – Vladimir Putin announced his plan to push through reforms that would make his successor as president less powerful, by redistributing power in such a way that the Russian parliament and office of prime minister will have greater clout. [cnn]

The GOP Said Trump Committed No Crime. The GAO Now Rules He Broke The Law – The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office severely undermines a core Trump impeachment defense. [washpo]

US Ambassador’s Moustache Gets Up South Korea’s Nose – Harry Harris has been criticised for his facial hair, which reminds many South Koreans of the days of Japanese colonial rule. [guardian]

Louis Vuitton Purchases World’s Second Biggest Diamond – On Wednesday, it was reported that the luxury French fashion house purchased the diamond for “millions” as the brand turns its attention from leather handbags to high jewellery. [ind]

Microsoft To Erase Its Carbon Footprint, Past And Future, In Climate Push – Microsoft Corp on Thursday set a new ambition among Fortune 500 companies in addressing climate change, pledging to remove as much carbon as it has emitted in its 45-year history. [dmav]

Panama: 7 Killed, 14 Tortured In Exorcism Terror Rituals – Seven people were killed in a bizarre religious ritual in a jungle community in Panama, in which indigenous residents were rounded up by about 10 lay preachers and tortured, beaten, burned and hacked with machetes to make them “repent their sins,” authorities said Thursday. [ctv]

Australia Fires: ‘Apocalypse’ Comes To Kangaroo Island – Kangaroo Island in South Australia has been likened to a Noah’s Ark for its unique ecology. But after fierce bushfires tore through island this week, there are fears it may never fully recover. [bbc]

Harvey Weinstein’s Lawyers Demand His Rape Trial Is Moved Out Of New York City – Weinstein’s lawyers claim a “carnival-like atmosphere” makes it impossible for the ex-mogul to get a fair trial in his hometown. [sky]

People Are Getting Extremely Creative With Shipping Container Buildings – Take a break and enjoy the creativity and eco-friendly designs that went into these superb container buildings. [here]

Klein Karoo’s ‘Caracal’ Taking Bookings From September 2020 – Just two-and-a-half hours out of Cape Town, the cliff-dangling, four-bedroom mountain villa is this year’s dream getaway. [more]

Augmented Reality Contacts Are Real, And Could Be Here Sooner Than You Think – I’m standing in a Las Vegas hotel suite and I’ve just gotten a glimpse at the future seemingly every spy movie has promised: contact lenses with tiny built-in displays that beam information directly into your eyes. [mash] Would be nice to wire that into Facebook’s facial recognition to automatically get someone’s name as they approach.

Netflix Is Projected To Spend The GDP Of A Small Country On Content In 2020 – The streaming giant is aiming for world domination in the wake of new competitors like Disney+ launching their own platforms. [vice]

Harry And Meghan’s Frogmore Staff Are Let Go – Speculation mounts among courtiers that the couple will settle in Canada and the Duchess will never return to live in Britain in a ‘meaningful way’ after Megxit. [dm]

Jared Kushner’s Awkward ‘Time’ Cover Inspires Plenty Of Robot And Marionette Jokes – Jared Kushner’s latest Time cover has prompted everyone to ask the same question: Do you even move, bro? [time]

Collector Pays UK-Record £1m For Rare Coin – An Edward VIII sovereign has become the first UK coin to be bought for £1m, the BBC can reveal. [bbc]

Man On Death Row Has His Sentence Changed – Hours Before Execution – Jimmy Fletcher Meders was meant to have the lethal injection in Georgia but his sentence was changed to life in prison. [sky] Happened to me once… such a relief.

Eel, Fish Eggs And Curry – Someone Needs To Held Accountable For These Soft Drinks – You’ve heard of Vanilla Coke and Cherry Coke, but what about eel-flavoured cola and some other oddities? Perhaps this has gone a little too far. [here]

Liam Hemsworth, 30, Kisses New Girlfriend Gabriella Brooks, 23, At The Beach In Byron Bay – As the pair confirm their romance five months after his split from wife Miley Cyrus. [dm]

Selena Gomez Thinks She’s “Desperate” For Buying Her Own Albums To Get The No. 1 Spot – Selena Gomez has been very open and honest about what her new album Rare means to her. [eol] I did that once. It works. 

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DON’T SAY WE DIDN’T TELL YOU…

There are a number of ongoing deals set up at our various exclusive partners. Here they are – just for you;-)

Buy Any Product From Websites That ‘Don’t Ship To SA’ – One of our most exciting partners offers you a PO Box in US, UK or Hong Kong, for you to deliver overseas online purchases to. Postbox Courier handles it from there – getting the package to you in under a week. [more]

There Is Only One Company When It Comes To Import Export Logistics – Your freight forwarding / shipping partner is probably more important than the actual products you want to move from country to country. Choose the wrong guys and you can get stung in so many ways. Be smart, use 2ov’s partners, Berry & Donaldson. [here]

It’s Time You Treat Your Pet To The Finer Things In Life – It’s all good and well posting pictures of your furry friends on social media, but you don’t want people talking about how you’re skimping on the treats. Do better. [petculture]

First Month Storage Space 50% Off At Stor-Age – Whether you need a locker for a bicycle or a garage for your house contents, Stor-Age has the space you need. And they’re offering a special ‘50% off the first month’ deal – no strings attached! You can take your stuff out after one month – no problem! [check it out]

Everyone’s Talking About Streaming These Days – There’s a world of entertainment out there, but if you want to get with the program then there’s no better place to start than Showmax. [here]

Affordable Cane Furniture – If you’re buying cane or wicker furniture anywhere else, you’re wasting a lot of time and money. These guys import directly from Malawi. Hand-Made cane furniture – buy online and have it delivered! [check it out]

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