Deprived of an education as children, a handful of Indian women — most of whom are widows and aged between 60 and 90 — are finally fulfilling a life-long dream to become literate through a initiative near Mumbai. https://youtu.be/owI_q4D2f2Y
Life
Pendant device turns your voice into text
LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) — A new Kickstarter funded jewellery-based device makes it possible to convert your ideas into text. Senstone was devised by a team of programmers in the Ukrainian cities of Lviv and Kiev and transforms the user’s voice into notes stored on their phone or tablet. A small pendant with a diameter of 3 centimetres, the Senstone records the user’s voice and modifies it into printed texts sorted by topics created by the […]
Face masks for kids to counter toxic city air
LONDON, England (Reuters) — A London-based designer has developed pollution-busting face masks to protect children from the English capital city’s toxic air. Doodle Masks come in colourful designs, including Disney film themes, designed to attract children, and are sold for £7.50 ($9.41 USD) each online. “The face mask is important because you want to protect your children from taking the pollution into their lungs and affecting them, especially as my son could develop asthma in […]
McCartney gives fashion gentle leathering over animal skins
by Fiachra GIBBONS Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Fashion designer Stella McCartney claimed that fake leather was now as good as the real thing Monday as she charged into the animal cruelty debate that dogs the fashion industry. With fur making a comeback on Paris fashion week catwalks, the British designer known for her label’s ethical principles showed coats and suits made with high quality synthetic suede and leather, which she dubbed “skin-free […]
‘Grandmothers’ school’ in India gives elderly women second chance at education
MAHARASHTRA, India (Reuters) — Aajibaichi Shaala is not your ordinary school in India. The students at “grandmothers’ school” in the village of Phangane, 120 km (75 miles) east of the financial capital, Mumbai, are elderly women who are getting the chance to learn to read. Clad in pink saris, their school uniform, the women walk every afternoon along dusty village paths to their lessons. The women begin class with a prayer and then dive into […]
Is Arctic sea ice doomed to disappear?
by Marlowe HOOD Agence France-Presse PARIS, France – There’s good and bad news for people, and polar bears, threatened by the Arctic’s vanishing sea ice, scientists said Monday. First the good news: summer ice cover is “virtually certain” to survive if average global warming does not rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial era levels, according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. “We estimate there is less […]
World marks women’s day with rights under attack
by Jessica LOPEZ Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — No self-congratulations but calls to action will mark many celebrations of the 40th International Women’s Day on Wednesday, as the fight for equality faces new threats. Murders of women in Latin America, anti-abortion movements in Europe, and machismo talk from men in power are among the growing concerns that have brought millions of women into the streets of world capitals these past few months to […]
Mars astronaut radiation shield set for moon mission trial
(Reuters) — A vest designed to shield astronauts from deadly solar particles in deep space is set for trials on a lunar mission ready for deployment on any manned mission to Mars, its Israeli developers said. The AstroRad Radiation Shield has been devised by Tel Aviv-based StemRad, which has already produced and marketed a belt to protect rescue workers from harmful gamma ray radiation emitted in nuclear disasters, such as Chernobyl and Fukushima. The vest […]
Nissan introduces car ‘camelpower’
(Reuters) — Nissan has launched a new measurement unit for 4×4 cars that they are calling Desert Camel Power. The Japanese firm wants to provide definitive answers to questions about the off-road capabilities of 4×4 cars in the Gulf market. Nissan argues that the traditional definition of horsepower is not an accurate unit of measurement for cars that drive in the desert, since engine power does not necessarily ensure smooth driving on sand. Regional Executive […]
Escolta – a blast from the past! (part 1)
QUEZON City, Philippines (March 6) – Growing up with a family where both of your parents are post-World War II babies, there are these days when they will just burst out with stories on how great Manila is during their generation, how the city exudes pure elegance even after the Battle of Manila in 1945, and how the structures built in downtown Manila became a representation of how rich our culture and history is. In one […]
Another satellite launch for Europe’s Earth monitoring system
Paris, France (AFP)– Europe is set to launch a fourth satellite next Tuesday for its ambitious Copernicus Earth monitoring project to track changing land cover and pollution, launch firm Arianespace said. Dubbed Sentinel-2B, the satellite will blast off on a Vega rocket from Europe’s space port in Kourou, French Guiana, at 0149 GMT, the company said. “The Sentinel-SB Earth observation satellite primarily focuses on monitoring land masses and coastal zones around the world,” Arianespace said […]
Tokyo stocks fall, Nintendo up on new console
Tokyo, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo shares finished lower on Friday after three days of gains, but Nintendo jumped as the videogame giant launched its newest console. Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.49 percent, or 95.63 points, to end the day at 19,469.17, while the Topix index of all first-section issues slipped 0.42 percent, or 6.64 points, to 1,558.05.
