NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — An outbreak of E. coli linked to romaine lettuce appears to have been traced to crops in California, the US food authority said Monday. American consumers were warned against eating the leafy salad by health officials last week. The outbreak has caused 43 people to become sick in the US and another 22 in Canada, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “Our investigation at this point suggests […]
Life
In Iraq, an ancient board game is making a comeback
by Martin Turner Agence France Presse RANIYE, Iraq (AFP) — After rolling pyramid-shaped dice, Iraqi Kurdish artisan Hoshmand Muwafaq shifted his pebble around an ornate board, his handmade recreation of one of the Middle East’s oldest and most popular games. Originating nearly 5,000 years ago in what would become Iraq, the Royal Game of Ur mysteriously died out — until Muwafaq resurrected it by making his own decorated wooden board. “It is a nice feeling […]
145 whales die on remote New Zealand beach
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Up to 145 pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in a remote part of New Zealand, with authorities saying Monday they made the “heart-breaking” decision to euthanized dozens that lay stricken on the shore. The stranding was discovered by a hiker late Saturday on Stewart Island, 30 kilometers (19 miles) off the southern coast of the South Island. Half of the whales were already dead and due to […]
Cheers as Mars InSight spacecraft lands on Red Planet
by Laurent Banguet / with Kerry SHERIDAN in Tampa Agence France Presse PASADENA, United States (AFP) — Cheers and applause erupted at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Monday as a $993 million unmanned lander, called InSight, touched down on the Red Planet and managed to send back its first picture. The high-drama landing of the waist-high spacecraft capped a nearly seven year journey, from spacecraft design, to launch to eventual touchdown, marking the eighth successful […]
EBC-NET 25’s entry “Kid Kuwento” brings honor to the PHL as it bags award at 2nd Southeast video festival for children
(Eagle News) – NET 25’s entry “Kid Kuwento: Everyone can be a hero” bagged the award for the professional non-fiction category for ages seven and below in the recent the 2nd Southeast Asia Video Festival for Children. This entry from Eagle Broadcasting Corporation bested other entries from other ASEAN member countries which participated in the international children’s video festival, bringing honor to the country as it not only represented EBC, but the Philippines as […]
From parcel delivery to security, Singapore bets big on drones
by Martin Abbugao Agence France Presse SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Hi-tech Singapore is planning to roll out a swarm of drones for tasks that include delivering parcels, inspecting buildings and providing security, but safety and privacy concerns mean the initiative may hit turbulence. Companies have already started testing the devices for commercial use, mainly in an area of over 200 hectares (500 acres) dotted with high-rise buildings and shopping malls, specially designated by the government […]
NBA star Curry escapes serious injury in multi-car crash
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry escaped serious injury Friday morning after being involved in a multi-car smash while en route to the Golden State Warriors’ practice facility. The Warriors guard was westbound on Highway 24 near Oakland at around 9 a.m. PST when his black Porsche Panamera collided with two other vehicles, damaging both the front and back end of his vehicle, US media reported. An Oakland television […]
Before Mars landing, a nail-biting ‘six and a half minutes of terror’
by Kerry SHERIDAN Agence France Presse TAMPA, United States (AFP) — A spacecraft that cost nearly a billion dollars is on course to make a perilous landing Monday on Mars, if it can survive a high-speed approach and the scorching heat of entering the Red Planet’s atmosphere, a process NASA has nicknamed “six and a half minutes of terror.” “There is very little room for things to go wrong,” said Rob Grover, head of […]
The power of dams
Videographic illustrating the role played by the world’s dams. In Quebec province in Canada, four massive hydroelectric dams that will produce “clean energy” for the northeastern United States are nearing completion. https://youtu.be/77P6moLrVRo
Japan’s ‘ama’ grannies cling to their freediving fishing tradition
by Anne BEADE Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A group of Japanese grannies emerges from a boat returning to shore. Clad in black wetsuits and bubbling with energy, they are part of a dwindling community of “ama” — freediving fisherwomen. As they compare the hauls of shellfish they have gathered, the women — who range from 60 to 80 years old — could be mistaken for teenagers underneath the water, gliding gracefully in […]
Germany’s ‘killer nurse’ tells families of over 100 victims ‘sorry’
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — A German former hospital nurse who has admitted to killing more than 100 patients in his care apologized Thursday to victims’ grieving relatives. “If I knew a way that would help you, then I would take it, believe me,” Niels Hoegel, 41, said at his trial, according to national news agency DPA. “I am fully convinced now that I owe every relative an explanation,” said the bearded, heavyset defendant “I am […]
NASA counts down to landing of Martian quake-sensor, InSight
by Kerry SHERIDAN Agence France Presse TAMPA, United States (AFP) — NASA is counting down to a nail-biting touchdown Monday of the $993 million Mars InSight, the first spacecraft to listen for quakes and study the inner workings of another rocky planet. No one is on board the spacecraft, which launched nearly seven months ago and has traveled some 300 million miles (482 million kilometers). But part of its mission is to inform efforts to […]





