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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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
SYDNEY , Australia (AFP) — A rock flake found in Australia is believed to be from the world’s oldest known axe and likely dates from just after humans arrived in the country around 50,000 years ago, scientists said Wednesday. The fragment, about the size of a thumbnail, was found in Western Australia’s sparsely populated Kimberley region and its age indicates that early indigenous technology was novel and inventive. “This is without doubt the oldest axe […]
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (Reuters) — Fully equipped with armor and weapons, men and women from all over the world traveled back in time for the World Championships in Full Contact Medieval combat. The participants use weapons from the Middle ages in the championship, held in the Czech capital this year. The goal is to recreate the rawness of the medieval battle. Replicas of historical weapons like swords, axes or halberds are needed. The only difference […]
SAN ISIDRO, Davao Oriental, May 6 — President Benigno S. Aquino III led the inauguration of the Mount Hamiguitan World Heritage Park in Davao Oriental, which has been declared by UNESCO as the country’s first natural science park. The President unveiled the marker at the foot of the mountain, symbolizing the official opening of the heritage park as a tourist destination in the Davao region. The 27,714-hectare park is the natural habitat of the Philippine […]
QUEZON CITY, Apr. 29 — Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje has congratulated the province of Albay on being named a biosphere reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Paje said the designation gives due recognition to the province’s commitment to climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. “Albay’s recognition as a UNESCO biosphere reserve is a tribute to the outstanding efforts of […]
QUEZON City, Philippines (April 24) – Other than providing a great backdrop for photos, what can these windmills in Pililla, Rizal, possibly be useful for? As it turns out, these windmills are actually very important. They are part of the Alternative Energy initiative of the government of the Philippines. The Philippines is no stranger to wind power. For years, the windmills in Bangui, Ilocos Norte reigned supreme and was a popular tourist spot. But aside from […]
