Film showing Mickey Mouse’s predecessor found

Tokyo: When Yasushi Watanabe bought a cartoon film decades ago in Osaka, he had no idea he was purchasing animation history. But the modest reel he bought for just 500 yen ($4.40 in today's money) has been revealed as a rare lost cartoon produced by Walt Disney featuring a character that led to the creation of Mickey Mouse. While Disney created the character, complete with oversised ears and a button nose, he lost the rights to another company, prompting him to develop a new cartoon figure: Mickey Mouse. AFP

Apple to employ trafficking survivors

London: Apple will employ trafficking survivors to work in its retails stores, the technology giant said, after winning an international award for making details of its supply chains public in a bid to help end modern slavery. Since 2012 Apple says it has reduced the number of underage workers in its extended supply chain, which includes locations where rare earth minerals are mined for use in smartphones. Labour rights groups had previously criticised Apple and its biggest manufacturing partner Foxconn for excessive overtime and hiring underage workers. AFP

We remember names better than faces: Study   

London: We are actually better at remembering names than faces, according to a study. Researchers from the University of York in the UK suggest that when we castigate ourselves for forgetting someone's name we are placing unfair demands on our brains. Remembering a person's face in this situation relies on recognition, but remembering their name is a matter of recall. It is already well-established that human beings are much better at the former than the latter, the researchers said. They also point out that we only become aware that we have forgotten a name when we have already recognised the face. PTI

Trump picks handbag designer as South Africa envoy

Washington: US President Donald Trump has nominated a handbag designer to be the next American ambassador to South Africa. Lana Marks, a Florida resident and member of Trump's exclusive Mar-a-Lago resort, was born and raised in South Africa. Marks is known for luxury handbags in exotic animal skins, such as ostrich and alligator, with prices that can hover above $19,000, CNN reported. One of her more expensive creations, a $400,000 clutch, has been carried on the red carpet. IANS