Other News

US revokes ICC prosecutor’s visa over Afghan probe

  THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — The United States has revoked the visa for the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, her office said Friday, over a possible investigation of American soldiers’ actions in Afghanistan. Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda would continue to pursue her duties for the Hague-based court “without fear or favour” despite the ban, her office said in a statement. The move against Bensouda, a Gambian national, comes weeks after US Secretary of […]

Russian Ambassador highlights importance of promoting Russian-PHL relations during EBC’s “The Forum” at New Era University

(Eagle News) — Russian Ambassador to the Philippines H. E. Igor Anatolyevich Khovaev, highlighted the importance of exploring and strengthening bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and Russia, in his recent visit to the New Era University main campus in Quezon City. Ambassador Khovaev was the main speaker in Eagle Broadcasting Corporation’s “The Forum” held at the NEU campus on March 27, 2019. “We need to explore all possible opportunities how to promote our bilateral cooperation,” […]

Watch: 5G mobile network technology explained

  5G, or fifth generation mobile network technology, represents a technological revolution and is likely to have a significant impact on our lifestyles, propelling us into the era of connected objects. While 4G is based on the use of longer airwaves, 5G uses millimetre waves, super-high frequencies in theory capable of multiplying the speed by 20. The result: no more buffering while watching a video, as downloading a Giga octet file will take just a […]

Sandiganbayan finds ER Ejercito guilty of graft

  (Eagle News)– The Sandiganbayan has found former Laguna Governor ER Ejercito guilty of graft for approving an insurance deal without public bidding when he was mayor of Pagsanjan. Apart from convicting him for one count of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the Sandiganbayan’s fourth division sentenced Ejercito to six to eight years in prison, and sanctioned him with perpetual disqualification from public office. Several councilors at that time […]

World’s first 5G phone released in South Korea

  by Claire Lee Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Telecom giant Samsung Electronics on Friday released the Galaxy S10 5G, the world’s first available smartphone with built-in fifth-generation communications, as South Korea seeks to build a lead in the transformative technology. On Wednesday the South became the first country to launch nationwide 5G services, with three superfast networks going live offering data speeds that allow users to download entire movies in less […]

Judge orders psychiatric test for Christchurch shooting suspect

  by Chris Foley Agence France Presse CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AFP) — The man accused of shooting dead 50 Muslim worshippers in a Christchurch mosque sat impassively Friday as a New Zealand judge ordered him to undergo tests to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial for murder. Survivors and relatives of those killed in the March 15 attacks packed into a Christchurch courtroom as alleged gunman Brenton Tarrant appeared via audio-visual link […]

Google disbands artificial intelligence ethics board

  by Glenn Chapman Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Google on Thursday confirmed that it has disbanded a recently assembled artificial intelligence ethics advisory panel in the face of controversy over its membership. The end of the Advanced Technology External Advisory Council (ATEAC) came just days after a group of Google employees launched a public campaign against having the president of conservative think-tank Heritage Foundation among its members. Another member of […]

The end is coming: How ‘Game of Thrones’ broke all records

PARIS, France (AFP) — The most expensive, most watched, most pirated and most award-festooned fictional television series in history… As “Game of Thrones” starts its eighth and final season on April 14, AFP looks back on its record-breaking run. Massive ratings First broadcast in 2011 on the US cable channel HBO, “Game of Thrones” — or GoT to its fans — was not an overnight phenomenon. But its audiences have never stopped growing and by […]

George R.R. Martin: father of ‘Game of Thrones’

by Andrea GRAELLS TEMPEL PARIS, France (AFP) — George R.R. Martin, the 70-year-old writer behind HBO’s blood-spattered epic “Game of Thrones”, has created a multitude of fantasy worlds spanning medieval pasts to distant sci-fi futures. Portly, with a white beard, glasses and usually wearing a cap, Martin has been described as “America’s Tolkien” and says he was inspired by the British fantasy master’s “The Lord of the Rings” as a teenager. He grew up poor […]

ICC begins preliminary examination of NUPL communication vs Duterte over drug war

(Eagle News)—The International Criminal Court has begun its preliminary examination of the communication for crimes against humanity filed against President Rodrigo Duterte by the National Union of People’s Lawyers. This as the tribunal based in The Netherlands said in a letter to the NUPL that the communication, which was filed over the drug war,  “relates to a situation already under preliminary examination by the Office of the Prosecutor.” The ICC was apparently referring to the […]

Japan probe sends ‘impactor’ to blast asteroid

by Miwa SUZUKI TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Japanese probe on Friday launched an explosive device at an asteroid, aiming to blast a crater in the surface and scoop up material that could shed light on how the solar system evolved. The explosive mission is the riskiest yet attempted by the Japanese space agency’s Hayabusa2 probe that aims to reveal more about the origins of life on Earth. Hayabusa2 released the so-called “small carry-on impactor” […]

One dead in South Korea blaze: Yonhap

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — An enormous fire erupted Thursday in the South Korean border town of Goseong, leaving at least one dead, destroying dozens of homes and forcing more than 3,000 people to evacuate, the Yonhap news agency reported. Strong winds fanned the flames in the town, located in mountainous northeastern Gangwon province near the frontier with North Korea, the report said, citing fire officials. The National Fire Agency mobilised about 2,700 emergency personnel, […]