Thousands of Tokyo 2020 athletes, staff and reporters will be scanned by cutting-edge facial recognition technology in an Olympic Games first, organisers say. QUENTIN TYBERGHIEN / AFPTV / AFP
Life
Watch: Hundreds dip in giant pool in China to beat the heat
From above, the hundreds of people dipping in a giant pool in China, look like floating fruit loops. Hundreds crowded a giant pool for a respite from soaring temperatures as meteorologists renewed a yellow alert on Saturday with a heat wave persisting in most parts of the country. (Video courtesy Agence France Presse TV)
Ten ways the planet could tip into ‘Hothouse Earth’
by Marlowe Hood Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Even if humanity slashes greenhouse gas emissions in line with Paris climate treaty goals, the planet could overwhelm such efforts and irretrievably tip into a hellish ‘hothouse’ state, top scientists warned Monday. Under such a scenario, Earth’s average temperature would stabilize 4 or 5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, rather than the 1.5 C to 2 C (2.7 or 3.6 Fahrenheit) cap called for […]
Cancer-causing impurity found in Chinese-made blood pressure medications
SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Two more Chinese drug makers have announced that a blood-pressure medication they exported to Taiwan contained a potentially cancer-causing impurity, a month after the same problem at another Chinese manufacturer prompted a global recall. Tianyu Pharm and Rundu Pharma said batches of valsartan, an active ingredient widely used in medications for high blood pressure and congestive heart failure, contained N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which is believed to potentially cause cancer through long-term use. […]
Slovenians strive to live in peace with bears
by Bojan Kavci Agence France-Presse MARKOVEC, Slovenia (AFP)–When he used to go hunting, Miha Mlakar would dream of killing a bear. But today the 33-year-old from Slovenia makes his living watching the animals, peacefully, in their natural forest environment. The turnaround to shooting bears with a camera, not a rifle, puts Mlakar, who runs bear observation tours, in step with wider efforts in the small Alpine nation to promote the coexistence of humans and […]
Demi Lovato thankful to be alive after overdose
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP)–Pop star Demi Lovato said Sunday she was thankful to be alive and needed time to recover in her first remarks since an overdose nearly two weeks ago. Writing to her more than 70 million followers on Instagram, Lovato gave few details on her July 24 hospitalization but noted that she has long been open about her struggles with addiction. “What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that […]
46 degrees Celsius felt in parts of Europe; asphalts melt, police dogs given shoes
MADRID, Spain (AFP)– Europe sweltered Saturday in intense heat with temperatures hitting near-record highs of 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) in Portugal, while elsewhere the high temperatures, exacerbated fires and melted the asphalt on highways. Here is a roundup: – Spain: three dead – In southern Spain, the heat continued to pound the tourist city of Cordoba reaching 44 C. In Catalonia in the northeast, a fire on the border with France forced […]
Lebanon sinks old tanks to create underwater dive ‘park’
SAIDA, Lebanon (AFP) — Lebanese environmentalists on Saturday sank 10 old tanks and armored vehicles to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea in a novel attempt to attract divers and create new habitats for marine life. Three kilometres off the coast of the city of Sidon, a huge crane on the back of a ship manoeuvred the military hardware into place over the water before dropping them down to the seabed one after the other. […]
LOOK: The Parker Solar Probe mission
After liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 11, the Parker Solar Probe will become the first to fly directly into the sun’s atmosphere, known as the corona. (AFP VIDEOGRAPHIC) https://youtu.be/c_GYrdbj4c4
Eiffel tower to reopen after strike over long queues
by Joseph Schmid and Paul Gypteau Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — The Eiffel Tower — closed to visitors since Wednesday afternoon — is to reopen on Friday after workers went on strike over unacceptably long queues at the Paris landmark. Workers walked out in protest at a new access policy that has seen separate lifts allocated to visitors with pre-booked tickets and those who buy them on site. At the same time, the tower […]
Apple reaches new landmark with $1 trillion valuation
by John Biers / with Glenn Chapman in San Francisco Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Apple — the culture-changing company behind the iPod, iPhone and iPad — hit another milestone on Thursday, becoming the first private-sector company to surpass $1 trillion in market value. Shares of Apple finished the formal Wall Street trading day at $207.39, topping the magic number two days after the California tech giant reported strong quarterly earnings. The […]
Puppies rescued from uninhabited Canadian island
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Puppies discovered on an uninhabited island in the Canadian wilds are looking for a new home. The litter — four males and three females — has been dubbed the “Gilligan’s Island crew” after the 1960s American television sitcom about castaways on an uncharted tropical island. Two boaters recently heard their cries in the night, Deb Vandekerkhove, director of the rescue, told AFP. “The fellas could see some dark figures on the […]
