Life

In photos: The vicarage where Dr. Jose Rizal wrote the last chapters of Noli Me Tangere

Fotos: Das Pfarrhaus, wo Dr. Jose Rizal die letzten Kapitel von Noli Me Tangere schrieb   By Malou Francisco  EBC Europe bureau/ Eagle News Service (Eagle News) – While in Wilhelmsfeld, Germany, Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal went to the University of Heidelberg to practice ophthalmology. He would walk through the Odenwald Hills for three hours covering 12 kilometers. (Während seines Aufenthalts in Wilhelmsfeld besuchte der philippinische Nationalheld Dr. Jose Rizal die Universität Heidelberg, […]

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UAE denies developing popular Mideast app as spy tool

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — The United Arab Emirates on Saturday denied reports that a popular mobile application developed in the country was used for government spying. Apple and Google removed the ToTok app from their marketplaces last week following a report claiming it allowed the UAE government to track users’ conversations, movements and other details. But the country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said in a statement that UAE laws “prohibit any kind of data breach […]

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NASA’s trip to Mars begins in California ‘clean room’

Pasadena, United States (AFP) — NASA’s Mars 2020 rover will head off for the Red Planet next year. But like Voyager, Galileo and Cassini before it, the mission’s epic journey began in a “clean room” in California. One of two ultra-sterile labs used for spacecraft assembly at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, the eggshell-white room was briefly and exceptionally opened to journalists Friday. “We need to keep the […]

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Rhino believed to be ‘world’s oldest’ dies aged 57 in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (AFP) — A black rhino believed to be the oldest in the world has died in Tanzania at the age of 57, according to authorities in Ngorongoro where the animal was living. The female rhino, named Fausta, died of what is believed to be natural causes on December 27 in a sanctuary, after living most of her life in the wild, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority said in a statement on […]

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China launches powerful rocket in boost for 2020 Mars mission

by Jing Xuan TENG Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China Friday launched one of the world’s most powerful rockets in a major step forward for its planned mission to Mars in 2020. The heavy lift Long March 5 rocket carrying a Shijian 20 test satellite payload blasted off from the Wenchang launch site on the southern island of Hainan at 8:45 pm (1245 GMT), a live-stream from state broadcaster CCTV showed. “After more than 2,000 […]

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Climate change caused 15 disasters costing over $1 bn this year: charity

PARIS, France (AFP) — At least 15 natural disasters linked to climate change this year caused damage of over $1 billion and seven of them cost at least $10 billion, British charity Christian Aid said Friday. This year is set to be the second hottest year in history and each of the disasters in the report has a link with climate change, Christian Aid said. “Extreme weather, fueled by climate change, struck every corner of […]

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Displaced Syrian grows mushrooms to feed family

by Aaref Watad Agence France Press In a camp for the displaced in northern Syria, Nasrallah scatters mushroom spores into a bag of wet hay, hoping they will sprout and feed his family. “Mushrooms have become the main alternative to meat, as it’s so expensive,” says the 43-year-old. After the civil war erupted in Syria eight years ago, Nasrallah started growing the fungi in his home province of Hama. “We’d eat some, give some away […]

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Elephants in Thailand ‘broken’ for lucrative animal tourism

by Sophie DEVILLER and Jonathan KLEIN Agence France Presse Separated from their mothers, jabbed with metal hooks, and sometimes deprived of food — many Thai elephants are tamed by force before being sold to lucrative tourism sites increasingly advertised as ‘sanctuaries’ to cruelty-conscious travelers. Balanced precariously on hind legs, two-year-old Ploy holds a ball in her trunk and flings it towards a hoop, one of many tricks she is learning in Ban Ta Klang, a […]

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‘Not a single species’ affected by Galapagos fuel spill

Quito, Ecuador (AFP) — The Galapagos Islands’ unique wildlife was spared after a barge carrying 600 gallons of diesel fuel sank, causing a spill, the Ecuador government told AFP Monday. “Not a single species has been affected by the spill in San Cristobal,” the easternmost island in the chain, said Environment Minister Raul Ledesma. He added that a team of veterinarians was onsite checking animals. Authorities activated emergency protocols Sunday morning to contain the environmental […]

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Europe marks 40th anniversary of first Ariane rocket launch

  by Juliette Collen  PARIS, France (AFP) — The first Ariane space rocket lifted off over the forests of French Guiana 40 years ago, enabling Europe to at last take its place as an independent player in the international race for space. Following a number of delays and technical setbacks, Ariane 1 finally left the launch pad in Kourou at 2:13 pm local time on December 24, 1979. Its maiden flight was a so-called qualification […]

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Facebook investigating data exposure of 267 million users

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Thursday said it is investigating a report that a database containing names and phone numbers of more than 267 million users was exposed online. The database was made available for download last week on an online hacker forum that apparently belonged to a crime group, according to a blog post on the website Comparitech. “We are looking into this issue, but believe this is likely information obtained […]

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US raises tobacco and e-cigarette purchase age from 18 to 21

  by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Congress voted Thursday to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21 across the country, a move intended to stem the rising tide of youth vaping. Passed by the Senate as part of a wider budgetary bill, it will take effect next year and will mean that tobacco and e-cigarettes will join alcohol as substances that […]

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