Life

Amazon invests in electric vehicle startup Rivian

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Electric vehicle startup Rivian on Friday announced a $700 million investment round led by Amazon, which recently pumped money into a young self-driving car technology firm. Details of Amazon’s stake in US-based Rivian were not disclosed, but the company said it will remain independent. The potential Tesla rival late last year unveiled an electric pickup truck and an electric sport utility vehicle at an auto show in Los Angeles. […]

Moviegoers in Hawaii relate to EBC Films’ “Guerrero”

By Alfred Acenas EBC Hawaii Bureau HONOLULU, HI (Eagle News) – Eagle Broadcasting Corporation’s first full-length movie “Guerrero” held its Hawaii premiere at the iconic Dole Cannery Theaters in Honolulu on Sunday, February 10, 2019. Hundreds gathered at the lobby to purchase tickets for the film, take photos in front of the giant movie poster and sign their names on that very poster. Passers-by there to watch other movies expressed curiosity about the film while some wished they […]

Stars shine as FDCP hosts Film Ambassadors’ Night

By Emily Manuel Contributor, Eagle News (Eagle News) — The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) kicked off “Sandaan”, a celebration of 100 years of Philippine cinema, with a Film Ambassadors’ Night held at the Samsung Hall, in Taguig City last February 10, 2019. The event brought together filmmakers, artists of the industry, special guests, and movers of Philippine cinema. FDCP honored 89 films that received awards from prestigious international film festivals, including Shireen […]

Roblox, the game platform teaching young kids to code

by Julie JAMMOT Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — With its Lego-like avatars and easy-to-learn coding for budding programmers, the online gaming app Roblox has cornered the market in younger gamers, with 80 million monthly users, many of them under 16. Now the platform, which has already taken the United States by storm, is setting its sights on Europe and Asia to become a global giant. Kids log on to the mobile app after school to guide their […]

Tasmania fires may ‘wipe out’ ancient species

HOBART, Australia (AFP) — Tasmania’s ancient rain-forest and alpine flora species face an uncertain future, scientists have warned, after out-of-control bush-fires consumed vast tracts of wild bush land. As authorities downgraded emergency warnings Friday, with wetter weather — and even some snow — bringing respite from more than a month of rolling fires, scientists warned they are still assessing the damage to the island’s unique environment. Wildfires have scorched over 205,000 hectares (500,000 acres) in […]

Alibaba takes stake in Chinese video platform Bilibili

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Alibaba has bought an eight percent stake in Chinese online video sharing and entertainment service Bilibili for an undisclosed amount, state news agency Xinhua reported. Alibaba’s e-commerce arm Taobao will reportedly own 24 million shares in Nasdaq-listed Bilibili, which claims tens of millions of regular users, mainly among young anime, comic and computer game fans in China. Chen Rui, Bilibili’s CEO and chairman, said he hoped the collaboration would help Bilibili […]

Fears flood water runoff could ‘smother’ Barrier Reef

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Runoff from recent floods in northern Australia is flowing onto parts of the Barrier Reef, scientists said Friday, starving coral of light and providing fodder for the predatory crown-of-thorns starfish. Parts of northern Queensland are still reeling after nearly two weeks of unprecedented rainfall that turned roads into rivers and inundated hundreds of homes with floodwater. Scientists at James Cook University say the floods swelled a number of rivers along hundreds […]

Facebook taps user data to defend workers from threat

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) – Facebook gathers intelligence from its platform to identify people who threaten the firm or its workers, the social network said Thursday in response to media reports of the security tactic. CNBC reported that it interviewed more than a dozen former Facebook security employees, some of whom questioned the ethics of what was portrayed as an unclearly defined practice at the leading social network. Facebook spokesman Anthony Harrison told AFP […]

Mt. Daraitan patok na #Pasyalan; Tinipak cave at Tinipak river, tara na’t silipin

(Eagle News) — Isa sa mga kilalang bundok na dinarayo ng mga hiking enthusiast ang Mt. Daraitan na matatagpuan sa border ng Quezon at Tanay, Rizal. Ang Daraitan ay galing sa salitang “dara” na ang ibig sabihin ay limestone at ang “aeta” naman ay ang tawag sa mga lokal na nakatira dito. Upang masiguro ang kaligtasan ng mga hiker, may orientation na isasagawa bago umakyat ng bundok at mayroon ding nakatalagang mga tourist guide sa […]

NASA heading back to Moon soon, and this time to stay

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — NASA is accelerating plans to return Americans to the Moon, and this time, the US space agency says it will be there to stay. Jim Bridenstine, NASA’s administrator, told reporters Thursday that the agency plans to speed up plans backed by President Donald Trump to return to the moon, using private companies. “It’s important that we get back to the moon as fast as possible,” said Bridenstine in a meeting […]

WHO warns of ‘backsliding’ in measles fight as cases soar

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization warned Thursday that efforts to halt the spread of measles were “backsliding”, with case numbers worldwide surging around 50 percent last year. The UN health agency pointed to preliminary data showing that the disturbing trend of resurgent measles cases was happening at a global level, including in wealthy nations where vaccination coverage has historically been high. “Our data are showing that there is a substantial increase in […]