Life

Thai man narrowly escapes toilet bowl snake attack

PATHUM THANI, Thailand (Reuters) — A Thai man narrowly escaped a snake attack on Sunday (June 5) as a cobra emerged from his toilet bowl in the second such incident reported in Thailand in about two weeks. Twenty-seven year old Pollapat Laokamnerdpetch told local media he spotted the cobra, popping its head out from the toilet bowl. After rescue officials were called in, the cobra managed to disappear in the toilet pipes. It took 30 […]

Down’s syndrome ‘treated’ with green tea: study

by Marlowe HOOD PARIS, France (AFP) — A chemical in green tea has been shown to improve cognitive ability in persons with Down’s syndrome, scientists and doctors said Tuesday. In a year-long clinical trial, the treatment led to improved scores on memory and behaviour tests, they reported in a study, published in the The Lancet Neurology. The positive impact remained six months after the trial ended. Brain scans revealed that the compound, called epigallocatechin gallate, […]

Lung cancer: Mobile app could extend life expectancy

by Jean-Louis Santini CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — A new mobile application could help doctors better provide care to patients with advanced lung cancer, perhaps even extending life expectancy, according to a study presented in the United States Monday. The app, named Moovcare, enables patient-doctor communication even at a distance, using remote monitoring to quickly detect relapses or complications. “This approach introduces a new era of follow-up in which patients can give and receive continuous feedback […]

Filipino artist brews coffee into artworks and sculptures

MANILA, Philippines (Reuters) — A Filipino artist is making a different brew by creating artworks out of coffee beans. Advertising graduate Ella Hipolito combined her love for coffee and art by using different blends to make sculptures and paintings. “The coffee can be arabica, robusta, etcetera, but to create different textures, you need different grounds, like course or fine and then the tone can change depending on the roast, If you want a light, dark […]

Artist uses new technology to bring historic photos to life

An artist living in Jordan is unlocking the mysteries of the past by restoring historical photos of Jordanian and Middle Eastern sites. Kelvin Bown, a self described globe trotter, said he looks for pictures of the region that date back to the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, and uses modern technology to bring the photos back to life. For Bown, restoring the images is more than just art, it is a portal into a time […]

DENR exhorts Pinoys to help save endangered Philippine eagle

QUEZON CITY, Philippines – Environment Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje renewed his call for Filipinos to help in the fight to save and protect the majestic Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), as the nation celebrates the Philippine Eagle Week (PEW) from June 4-10. This developed as the juvenile Philippine eagle earlier rescued after being accidentally caught in a trap in Aurora province was formally turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Thursday, […]

Pakistani father of 35 aims for 100 children

by Maaz KHAN QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) — A Pakistani father of 35 is now searching for a fourth wife as he romps towards his goal of 100 children, a dubious ambition in the conservative Muslim country where polygamy is rare but still practiced. Sardar Jan Mohammad Khilji, 46, says he believes it is his religious duty to have as many children as possible. Insisting it is “very rare” that he mixes up his children’s names, […]

More than 2,000 Indians contract HIV after transfusions

  NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — More than 2,000 Indians contracted HIV over a 17-month period after receiving blood transfusions, data from the national AIDS body showed Wednesday. In response to a Right to Information request filed by Mumbai-based activist Chetan Kothari, the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) said 2,234 people had been infected between October 2014 and March 2016. The reply, which was shared with AFP Wednesday, was sent to Kothari last month after he […]

Urban Exploration — Rediscovering Los Angeles

(Eagle News) — Los Angeles was not always a car town.   In this urban exploration video of Eagle News correspondent Ashlei Joy Latag, EBC’s Southwest California Bureau traced the history of Los Angeles, looking back at LA as a city that once relied on public transportation, and even passageways such as the stairs all around the city that were once used by hillside residents. Now, urban explorers rediscover these stairs and more as the […]

Chinese giant panda gives birth in Belgium

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — A giant panda on loan to Belgium from China has given birth to a cub, a rare event for the endangered species, the Pairi Daiza zoo said Thursday. The zoo and the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda “have the great pleasures to announce the birth of a panda cub”, Pairi Daiza said in a statement. “Less than 2,000 pandas can be found in the wild, making every […]

Believe the hype? How virtual reality could change your life

by Michelle YUN TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Reducing errors made during surgery, bringing school books to life, enabling us to browse shops from the comfort of home — virtual reality is not just about gaming, it will change our lives, according to some tech leaders. “VR” is the buzz industry at Asia’s largest tech fair, Computex, being held in Taiwan’s capital Taipei this week. The island is hoping to become a development hub for virtual […]

Zuckerberg streams live chat with men in space

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg took the leading social network on a new journey Wednesday, with a live-streamed chat with astronauts on the International Space Station. In a Facebook Live video broadcast shown at the NASA page of the social network, Zuckerberg praised the work going on at the station and launched a few questions, some submitted to him online. Zuckerberg effused that while Facebook’s mission has long been to […]