Life

Fires brought under control in Syria, Lebanon

DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) — Dozens of fires that ravaged parts of Syria and Lebanon in recent days were brought under control on Sunday, authorities in the two countries said. In Syria, blazes fuelled by high temperatures broke out Friday in the provinces of Homs, Tartus and Latakia, where at least three people died, according to the health ministry. Several families had to flee residential areas near the fires, according to media reports. Syrian Agriculture Minister […]

Microsoft to let employees work from home permanently: report

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Software giant Microsoft will let employees work from home permanently if they choose to, US media reported on Friday, becoming the latest employer to expand work-from-home provisions prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Verge said most Microsoft employees are still at home as the health crisis drags on, and the company doesn’t expect to reopen its US offices until January of next year at the earliest. But when it […]

Bago at unang romantic drama series ng NET 25 ‘Ang Daigdig Ko’y ikaw’, mapapanood na sa Nobyembre

Ni Phoebe Publico Eagle News Service (Eagle News) — Inihahandog ng NET 25 ang kauna-unahang romantic drama series ‘Ang Daigdig Ko’y Ikaw’ na nakatakdang ipalabas sa Nobyembre. Gagampanan ang dalawang lead roles nina Geoff Eigenmann at Ynna Asistio at ito rin ang kanilang unang pagtatambal on screen at sa telebisyon. Kasama sa powerhouse cast nito sina Elizabeth Oropesa, Tanya Gomez, Richard Quan, AJ Muhlach, Anna Mabasa-Muhlach, Arielle Roces, Jiro Custodio, at marami pang iba. Mula […]

Samsung flags near-60% operating profit jump after Huawei boost

  by Sunghee Hwang Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Samsung Electronics flagged a leap of nearly 60 percent in third-quarter operating profits Thursday, as its mobile and chip business were boosted by US sanctions against its Chinese rival Huawei. The South Korean tech giant said in an earnings estimate that it expected operating profit to reach 12.3 trillion won ($10.6 billion) for July to September, up from 7.8 trillion won in the […]

Russia probes pollution off Pacific coast after ‘ecological disaster’

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian authorities Wednesday opened an investigation into suspected toxic waste pollution off the Kamchatka peninsula on its Pacific coast which has led to the mass death of marine animals. Locals sounded the alarm in late September as surfers experienced stinging eyes from the water and sea creatures including seals, octopuses and sea urchins washed up dead on the shore. The Russian branch of Greenpeace has described the situation as an “ecological […]

Unique vine ‘greenhouses’ found by 91-year-old nature volunteer

by Kelly MACNAMARA Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — An unusual vine discovered by a 91-year-old volunteer nature guide in Japan has a “unique” way of using its leaves to curl around its fruits to envelop them in a protective microclimate, scientists said on Wednesday. The cucurbitaceous vine, a type found in East Asia, is an oddity because while leaves come in all shapes and sizes and perform a crucial role in photosynthesis, they are […]

Trio win Nobel Physics Prize for black hole research

by Johannes LEDEL / with Patrick GALEY in Paris STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) — A trio of scientists, Roger Penrose of Britain, Reinhard Genzel of Germany and Andrea Ghez of the US, won the Nobel Physics Prize on Tuesday for their research into what the Nobel committee called “one of the most exotic phenomena in the universe, the black hole.” Penrose, 89, was honoured for showing “that the general theory of relativity leads to the formation […]

Last month warmest September on record globally: EU

  by Marlowe HOOD Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Earth’s surface was warmer last month than during any September on record, with temperatures since January tracking those of the hottest ever calendar year in 2016, the European Union’s Earth Observation Programme said Wednesday. This year has now seen three months of record warmth — January, May and September — with June and April virtually tied for first, the Copernicus Climate Change Service reported. […]

14 million tons of microplastics on sea floor: Australian study

  SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — The world’s sea floor is littered with an estimated 14 million tons of microplastics, broken down from the masses of rubbish entering the oceans every year, according to Australia’s national science agency. The quantity of the tiny pollutants was 25 times greater than previous localised studies had shown, the agency said, calling it the first global estimate of sea-floor microplastics. Researchers at the agency, known as CSIRO, used a robotic […]

Mental health toll of pandemic ‘devastating’: WHO

by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The Covid-19 pandemic is having a “devastating impact” on mental health services globally, the World Health Organization said Monday, ahead of a large fundraising push. It warned that mental health had been overlooked in the crisis, pointing to a survey conducted between June and August that revealed severe disruptions to services in 93 countries. While 83 percent of the 130 countries surveyed had included mental […]

US-British trio win Nobel Medicine Prize for Hepatitis C discovery

by Pia OHLIN STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) — Americans Harvey Alter and Charles Rice together with Briton Michael Houghton won the Nobel Medicine Prize on Monday for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus, the Nobel jury said. The three were honored for their “decisive contribution to the fight against blood-borne hepatitis, a major global health problem that causes cirrhosis and liver cancer in people around the world,” the jury said. Thanks to their discovery, highly […]

Wildfires raze dozens of homes in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Wildfires have destroyed up to 50 homes in New Zealand, authorities announced Monday, saying it was a miracle no one was hurt as “a wall of orange” razed most of a remote South Island village. The blaze began in a mountain forest early Sunday morning and, fanned by strong winds, swept through the village of Lake Ohau, forcing residents to flee for their lives. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) […]