Life

WHO experts to meet on AstraZeneca shot as virus cases surge

  by Nina Larson with Agence France Presse bureaus GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — WHO safety experts prepared to meet Tuesday over the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine whose rollout has been halted in several European countries over blood clot fears, imperilling the pandemic fight as infection rates surge. The three largest EU nations — Germany, Italy and France — joined others in suspending the shot Monday, dealing a blow to the global immunisation campaign against a disease […]

WHO insists AstraZeneca vaccine safe as jab faces new setbacks

  by Robin Millard, with AFP bureaus Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization said there was no reason to stop using AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 jab after several countries suspended rollout over blood clot fears, while the hard-hit United States exceeded 100 million doses of vaccine administered to its people. The WHO, which said its vaccines advisory committee was examining the safety data coming in, Friday stressed that no causal link has […]

UK says AstraZeneca vaccine is ‘safe and effective’

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The UK government on Thursday defended the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine after Denmark suspended the jab’s use, and insisted it would continue with its own rollout. “We’ve been clear that it’s both safe and effective… and when people are asked to come forward and take it, they should do so in confidence,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman told reporters. “And in fact you’re starting to see the results of […]

Welcome to the Knightfall Protocol: Into the Light

  By Dr. Ma. Angela Leonor Aguinaldo Welcome to the Knightfall Protocol. It took a few months before I finally decided to launch this blog after being offered to contribute to the EBC (Eagle Broadcasting Corporation) website. The eagerness to help was there but I had my personal misgivings on whether I had the qualification to write on issues and events that matter around the world.  I had qualms on whether anyone would be interested […]

Large asteroid to pass by Earth on March 21: NASA

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The largest asteroid to pass by Earth this year will approach within some 1.25 million miles (two million kilometers) of our planet on March 21, NASA said Thursday. The US space agency said it will allow astronomers to get a rare close look at an asteroid. The asteroid, 2001 FO32, is estimated to be about 3,000 feet in diameter and was discovered 20 years ago, NASA said. “We know the […]

Novavax Covid vaccine highly effective against severe Covid: company

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US biotech firm Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine was shown to be 100 percent protective against severe cases of the disease, including hospitalization and death, the company said Thursday following trials. But its efficacy against the South African variant fell markedly when including mild and moderate cases, results showed. The results announced Thursday were from final analyses, following interim results that were announced in late January. In a Phase 3 trial in […]

Planetary pact: China and Russia to launch lunar space station

  by Anastasia CLARK Agence France Presse MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) – Russia and China unveiled plans Tuesday for a joint lunar space station, as Moscow seeks to recapture the glory of its space pioneering days of Soviet times, and Beijing gears up its own extraterrestrial ambitions. Though Moscow was once at the forefront of space travel — it sent the first man into space — its cosmic ambitions have dimmed thanks to poor financing and […]

Israeli 5-minute battery charge aims to fire up electric cars

by Alexandra Vardi HERZLIYA, Israel (AFP) — From flat battery to full charge in just five minutes — an Israeli start-up has developed technology it says could eliminate the “range anxiety” associated with electric cars. Ultra-fast recharge specialists StoreDot have developed a first-generation lithium-ion battery that can rival the filling time of a standard car at the pump. “We are changing the entire experience of the driver, the problem of ‘range anxiety’… that you might […]

Space-starved Singapore builds floating solar farms in climate fight

by Martin Abbugao SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Thousands of panels glinting in the sun stretch into the sea off Singapore, part of the land-scarce city-state’s push to build floating solar farms to cut greenhouse gas emissions. It may be one of the world’s smallest countries, but the prosperous financial hub is among the biggest per capita carbon dioxide emitters in Asia. And while authorities have been pushing to change that, renewable energy is a challenge […]

Mars rover Perseverance holds its first test drive on ‘Red Planet’

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Mars rover Perseverance has successfully conducted its first test drive on the Red Planet, the US space agency NASA said Friday. The six-wheeled rover travelled about 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in 33 minutes on Thursday, NASA said. It drove four meters forward, turned in place 150 degrees to the left, and then backed up 2.5 meters, leaving tire tracks in the Martian dust. “This was our first chance […]

NET25’s romantic drama series ‘Ikaw Ay Akin’ shines with Meg Imperial and Fabio Ide as lead stars

By Caesar Vallejos, OPEN FOR BUSINESS The romantic drama series of NET25 continues with IKAW AY AKIN starting March 6, 2021.  The show’s first season (Book 1) was highlighted by the reunification of the much-loved characters Reina and Romer, played by Ynna Asistio and Geoff Eigenmann. In Book 1, they freed themselves from the past to fight for their love. Aired every Saturday at 8 PM, Ikaw ay Akin will be top-billed by the country’s […]

New and more contagious “Super-CoVid” variants possibly driving Covid-19 surge in NCR

by Emily Manuel Contributor, Eagle News (Eagle News) — In a virtual press conference held on March 3, 2021, the OCTA Research Team, an independent and inter-disciplinary Philippine-based research group, shared its latest report which highlights a sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in some local government units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region (NCR), including: Pasay, Quezon City, Manila, Makati, Malabon, Taguig, Paranaque, and Navotas. This surge is possibly being driven by […]