Two yellow burqas are on display at a television station in Kabul, bright versions of the blue ghostlike garments some women in the capital still wear. For the young women at Zan TV they are relics, a reminder of a Taliban-ruled past that few of them can recall.

Read more at Associated Press News.

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty to a new indictment Monday that includes revised charges of predatory sexual assault, a development that caused the judge to delay the start of his trial until early next year.

The tweak to the case was intended to open the door for an actress to testify against Weinstein in a rape and sexual assault trial that had been scheduled to start on Sept. 9.

Read more at Associated Press News.

New Zealand is only 1,000 miles long, 280 miles across at its widest, and home to just under five million people, but this long, narrow country contains an enormous variety of things to see and do. Travelers can ski on snow-capped mountains and bask on subtropical beaches, learn about Maori culture and discover its British heritage, sip on some of the world’s finest wines and hike through uninhabited wilderness. Whatever kind of travel experiences you enjoy, you can probably find it in New Zealand.

The country comprises two main islands—imaginatively named the North and South Islands in English, and Te Ika a Maui and Te Wai Pounamu, respectively, in Maori. Although the South Island is larger, more than three-quarters of New Zealand’s population lives in the North. Ideally, visitors should spend time on both islands, although picking one isn’t a bad approach. Here are the 15 best places to visit in New Zealand.

Read more at Trip Saavy.

The White House, blindsided by a pact between California and four automakers to oppose President Trump’s auto emissions rollbacks, has mounted an effort to prevent any more from joining the other side.

Read more at NY Times.

Earwax plays essential roles in ear health. It helps remove debris from the ear canal, prevents foreign bodies and particles from penetrating deep into the ear, and it even helps protect against germs.

The ears are also relatively self-regulating. Thanks to the motion of talking and chewing, as well as the shape of the ear itself, earwax naturally moves up and out of the ear.

Read more at Medical News Today.

Computer systems in 23 small Texas towns have been hacked, seized and held for ransom in a widespread, coordinated cyberattack, the authorities said this week.

The Texas Department of Information Resources said Monday that it was racing to bring systems back online after the “ransomware attack,” in which hackers remotely block access to important data until a ransom is paid.

Read more at NY Times.

A reader asks:

I was having a difficult conversation with my boss regarding career development when she interjected that someone on another team that I work with, she couldn't say who, said that I "wasn't working with enough urgency." I asked for clarification or a specific example of a project I did not complete on time and she couldn't provide me any.

Her willingness to give me someone else's feedback without any specifics really bothered me. I remembered having a conversation with a peer in another department about her boss doing the exact same thing. I've also had past managers use this on me in the past. I seem to fall for it every time, it puts me on the defensive, makes me question my relationships with my peers and is distracting from the topic at hand.

Read more at Inc.

Web accessibility is a bigger deal than you might think …

Did you know that Beyonce’s website is under fire for its lack of accessibility? Or that Domino’s is fighting the Supreme Court over a website accessibility lawsuit filed by a blind customer? Lawsuits about accessibility for disabled internet users have climbed through the roof, with 2285 cases being filed in 2018 …

Read more at The Next Web.

Germany, Europe’s industrial powerhouse and biggest economy, with companies like Volkswagen, Siemens and BASF, may be entering a recession, according to a gloomy report from the country’s central bank Monday — a development that could have repercussions for the rest of the eurozone and the United States.

A technical recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth, and Germany saw a 0.1% drop in the April-to-June period. In its monthly report, the Bundesbank said that with falling industrial production and orders, it appears the slump is continuing during the July-to-September quarter.

Read more at Associated Press News.

Choosing where to invest is the first step to starting to invest.

One of the biggest hurdles to investing for beginning investors to overcome is option overload. With countless investment websites, firms and investments to choose from, getting started investing can feel like trying to pick the prettiest blade of grass in your lawn. The way to conquer this challenge is by taking it one decision at a time, starting with deciding where to invest. While there is no one investment website that’s best for every investor, each of the following seven investment sites are great picks for beginning investors. Before you begin, take a moment to think about what features are most important to you in an investment provider so you can choose the best investment website for you.

Read more at US News.