Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
by Jeremie RICHARD Agence France-Presse STYKKISHOLMUR, Iceland (AFP) — On a remote island in Breidafjordur Bay off the west coast of Iceland, a thousand-year-old harvest takes place — the hunt for elusive eiderdown, used to make some of the world’s best duvets and quilts. The handpicked down sells for thousands of euros (dollars) a kilo, catering to those looking for exclusive products. Every summer, nearly 400 Icelandic farmers comb through hollow surfaces in the rock, on […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India is investigating its first documented human death from bird flu after an 11-year-old boy succumbed to the disease earlier this month, the health ministry said. The boy lived in Gurgaon outside New Delhi and was also suffering from leukaemia and pneumonia. He was admitted to hospital in the capital on July 2 and died 10 days later from multiple organ failure. Genome sequencing and virus isolation is in […]
by Harumi OZAWA TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — It’s a neighbourhood watch with a difference. A clean-nosed crew, sniffing out trouble and keeping the streets safe for school kids: meet the pups of Tokyo’s real-life Paw Patrol. They might not have the gadgets and gear of their beloved cartoon counterparts, but the dogs of the Wan-Wan (bow-wow) Patrol are firm favourites in Tokyo’s Karasuyama neighbourhood. Twelve-year-old Yurika Igarashi counts on seeing Sakura, a fluffy toy poodle, […]
MANAS, India (AFP) — A dozen of the world’s smallest pigs have been released into the wild in northeastern India as part of a conservation programme to boost the population of a species once thought to have become extinct. The pygmy hog, which has the scientific name porcula salvania, lives in tall, wet grasslands and was once found along plains on the Himalayan foothills in India, Nepal and Bhutan. Its population declined in the 1960s, […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A panda at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo gave birth to twins on Wednesday, weeks after news of Shin Shin’s pregnancy sent stocks in nearby restaurants soaring. They were born in the early hours of Wednesday, the zoo said in a statement, adding that it had not yet confirmed the sex of the pair. Zoo director Yutaka Fukuda said the twin birth was a first for the Ueno facility. “When I heard the […]
COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AFP) — Animal activists in Bangladesh have warned of a growing crisis among horses used for tourism during the country’s coronavirus lockdown, after owners said Wednesday that five more had died of starvation in a popular resort town. Twenty-one horses that used to carry tourists along Cox’s Bazar beach in southeastern Bangladesh died in one month, their owners said, after a lockdown imposed from April 14 saw visitors to the scenic spot […]
by Andrew LEESON DUBBO, Australia (AFP) — After surviving years of crippling drought, farmers in eastern Australia are locked in a months-long battle with hordes of mice that are pouring through fields and devouring hard-earned crops. Farmer Col Tink uses a broom to skittle hundreds of roving mice toward a makeshift industrial trap — essentially a large tub of water where they drown. It is a brutally simple attempt to slow the plague that has […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — One of the many Republican candidates vying to replace the governor of California in an upcoming vote caused a stir Tuesday by bringing a bear to his political rally. John Cox is campaigning on the theme of “beauty and the beast” — the “beauty” being current Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, known for his primped appearance in the state that is home to Hollywood. Cox has cast himself as the […]
by Susan NJANJI PRETORIA, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa on Sunday revealed plans to ban the breeding of lions in captivity for trophy hunting or for tourists to pet, advocating a more “authentic” experience for visitors. The decision was in response to recommendations contained in a government study into the controversial practice. The panel studied the rules governing the hunting, trade and keeping in captivity of lions, elephants, rhino and leopards. Environment Minister Barbara […]
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — Breeding elephants trampled a suspected rhino poacher to death at the weekend in South Africa’s famed Kruger National Park, an official said Monday. Rangers on routine patrol spotted three poachers who ran into the elephant herd while trying to flee. The rangers later discovered a “badly trampled” man who had succumbed to his injuries, according to South African National Parks (SANParks) spokesman Isaac Phaahla. Another man was also attacked […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization on Tuesday called for a halt to the sale of live wild mammals in food markets to prevent the emergence of new diseases. The WHO said that while traditional markets play a central role in providing food and livelihoods for large populations, banning the sale of live wild mammals could protect the health of market workers and shoppers alike. It said some of the earliest known cases […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Rescuers were racing Monday to save dozens of pilot whales that beached on a stretch of New Zealand coast notorious for mass strandings, wildlife officials said. The Department of Conservation (DOC) said the pod of 49 long-finned pilot whales was found early Monday at Farewell Spit, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of the South Island tourist town of Nelson. By mid-afternoon, nine of the whales had died and […]
