Travel

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 […]

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 […]

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)

Chinese take on fear of heights at giant glass platform

BEIJING, China (Reuters) — Those suffering from fear of heights in China have a new location to challenge themselves with the opening of what the owners are calling the world’s largest viewing platform. Jutting out into a valley near Beijing, the Shilingxia (Stone Forest Valley) platform offers views of the surrounding countryside and the villages far below. “The suspended bridge is 32.8 meters, 11 meters longer than the one in the U.S.. At present it’s […]

Lava-loving tourists flock to active Nicaragua volcano

by Blanca MOREL MASAYA , Nicaragua (AFP) — Centuries ago, a native Central American people terrified of a witch believed to live deep in the earth used to sacrifice children and young women to Nicaragua’s Masaya volcano. Today, the crater southwest of the capital Managua is an international tourist magnet, where photo-snapping visitors scramble among sulfurous fumes to get views of its bubbling lava — a rare sight. The only volcanoes in the world to […]

Filipino artists create watercolour paintings with polluted river water

MANILA, Philippines (Reuters) — Polluted river water became fresh inspiration for a team of Filipino artists who have made watercolor paintings using dirty water pigments. As part of a social awareness project by advertising agency TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno, nine artists were commissioned to paint images using pigments taken from six contaminated rivers in the Philippine capital. Sediments were extracted from the river water to produce dark, earthy pigments that were sterilized to avoid bacterial contamination. […]

Senate approves measure to declare Batanes a cultural heritage and ecotourism zone

THE Senate has approved on third and final reading a measure seeking to declare Batanes as a cultural heritage and ecotourism zone. House Bill 6152 seeks to promote and protect Batanes’ ecology and environment as well as its natural and cultural heritage.  It was sponsored by Senators Francis “Chiz” Escudero, chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and Loren Legarda, member of the Senate Committee on Tourism. Under the bill, the province […]

Lincoln documents expected to fetch millions in NY

NEW YORK , United States (AFP) — Two documents signed by Abraham Lincoln in his drive to abolish slavery in 19th century America go on auction next week, expected to fetch up to $5 million. Limited edition copies of the Emancipation Proclamation delivered on January 1, 1863 and the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery two years later, were issued by the man whom many still consider the greatest US president. Sotheby’s, which is conducting the […]

Stolen Christopher Columbus letter returned to Italy

WASHINGTON , United States (AFP) — A letter penned by Christopher Columbus in 1493 was returned to its rightful resting place in Italy Wednesday, ending a years-long investigation into its theft and forgery. The Italian explorer wrote the letter to his royal patrons, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, a year after embarking on his historic journey across the Atlantic. The precious document played a key role in expanding Europe’s knowledge of the “New World.” Columbus […]

World’s biggest cruise ship handed over to owners in France

by Anne-Sophie LASSERRE SAINT-NAZAIRE , France (AFP) — The world’s biggest-ever cruise ship, the 120,000-tonne Harmony of the Seas, a luxury home on the waves for 8,500 passengers and crew, was handed over by a French shipyard on Thursday after a 40-month engineering feat. At 66 meters (217 feet), it is the widest cruise ship ever built, while its 362-meter length makes it 50 meters longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower. The floating […]