Life

China smartphone maker Xiaomi buys Microsoft patents

    SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Upstart smartphone maker Xiaomi has bought nearly 1,500 patents from US technology giant Microsoft, the companies and reports said, as part of a “global partnership” that will help the Chinese firm expand outside its home market. The patents cover wireless communications, video, cloud and multi-media technologies, Bloomberg News quoted a Xiaomi spokeswoman as saying. “This will help ease of operation in new markets,” spokeswoman Kaylene Hong said. Besides the patent […]

The Legend of the Seas visits the Philippines again

MANILA, June 1 — The Philippines continues to establish its position as one of the emerging cruise destinations in this part of the world, as the Legend of the Seas, the huge luxurious cruise ship of the Royal Caribbean International (RCI), made its way to Manila last 6 May 2016. Over 2,000 passengers were greeted with the warmth and enthusiasm unique only to Filipinos. The local music of Banda Kawayan and performances by the Ati-atihan dancers provided […]

Beijing’s smoke busters point the way for national ban

by Becky Davis BEIJING, China (AFP) — Wielding an “inspector” badge, volunteer Liu Li follows his nose as he sniffs out violators of China’s toughest-ever tobacco control law, enacted a year ago on Wednesday, as Beijing fights to keep its air smoke free. China has more smokers than any other country, but Liu’s efforts partly explain the relative success of the capital’s ban on smoking in public spaces. “We’re very sensitive. We can tell from […]

World’s longest rail tunnel set for grand opening

by Ben Simon ERTSFELD, Switzerland (AFP) — The world’s longest train tunnel will officially open on Wednesday, nearly seven decades after the initial design was conceived. Switzerland’s 57-kilometer (35-mile) Gotthard Base Tunnel runs under the Alps from Erstfeld in the central canton of Uri, to Bodio in the southern Ticino canton. The rough design for a rail tunnel under the Gotthard Pass was first sketched by Swiss engineer Carl Eduard Gruner in 1947. But bureaucratic […]

‘Baby dragons’ in Slovenia poised for rare hatching

by Bojan KAVCIC POSTOJNA, Slovenia (AFP) –The strange, slithery creatures inside Slovenia’s Postojna cave were once considered living proof that dragons existed, prompting locals to give it a wide berth. Now large crowds from all over the world queue up to witness the extremely rare hatching of the mysterious olms — ancient underwater predators, which can live up to 100 years and only breed once in a decade. Found primarily in Balkan cave rivers, the […]

Koala makes his debut at Miami zoo

MIAMI, Florida (Reuters) — Male koala “Milo” made his public debut at the Miami Zoo on Tuesday (May 31) and could be seen jumping between branches inside his enclosure. Milo, a five-year-old koala, was brought to the Miami Zoo from the San Diego Zoo earlier this month. Zoo staff have spent the past few weeks helping Milo acclimate to his new home. Zoo officials say they’d like to eventually bring in a female koala to […]

Close encounter between Mars and Earth

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) –Mars and Earth got unusually cozy Monday night, drawing closer to each other than they have in more than a decade. The two planets passed at 120.7 million kilometers (75 million miles) away from each other, which NASA said will not happen again until July 31, 2018. The average distance between Earth and Mars is 225 million kilometers (140 million miles), with the neighboring planets sometimes reaching distances as far as […]

Kalibo Airport, one of the busiest gateway for foreign visitors

QUEZON City, Philippines – The Kalibo International Airport grabbed the 3rd spot as the most busiest gateway of the Philippines for foreign visitors.The airport recorded 52, 903 visitors or 10.4% of the total foreign visitors that went to the Philippines last March. Kalibo is one of the most visited spot in the Philippines due to Boracay. (Eagle News Service Described by Jay Paul Carlos, Video Editing by Dexter Magno, Uploaded by MRFaith Bonalos)

FDA warns against fake hepatitis medicine

QUEZON City, Philippines – The Food and Drug Administration warned the public against fake hepatitis C medicines which came from Alexandria, Egypt. Any who will be caught selling will be charged with violation of the Food and Drug Act of 2009. (Eagle News Service Described by Jay Paul Carlos, Video Editing by Dexter Magno, Uploaded by MRFaith Bonalos)

Diamond-encrusted Hermes handbag sold for record $300,000

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A diamond-encrusted crocodile-skin Hermes handbag with white gold details has broken the record for the world’s most expensive ever sold at auction, fetching nearly $300,000 at a Hong Kong sale. The rare Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Birkin 30 went to an unknown phone bidder late Monday for HK$2.32 million ($298,655), beating a pre-sale estimate of $2 million, the auction house Christie’s said. “It was the world record price for any […]