Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
LONDON, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – UK public health officials on Monday said they had confirmed a first human case of a swine flu strain similar to one that has been circulating in pigs. The variant of the H1N2 virus was confirmed in an individual who had been tested by their doctor after experiencing respiratory symptoms. It has not previously been detected in humans in the country, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. “This […]
WASHINGTON, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – In an age where forces from AI to Donald Trump have left Americans doubting the truth, US dictionary Merriam-Webster says that 2023’s most looked-up word was “authentic.” The venerable publisher, whose dictionary is especially popular online, said the trend was driven by people reading and talking about artificial intelligence, celebrity culture, identity and social media. “Authentic” beat out other contenders such as “deepfake,” “rizz” (young-people speak for charisma) and […]
BEIJING, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – Chinese tech giant and TikTok owner ByteDance is slashing hundreds of jobs in its gaming unit, a source familiar with the matter told AFP on Monday. The move marks a retreat from the competitive video gaming sector. Nuverse, a video game publisher that is a subsidiary of Beijing-based ByteDance, is currently conducting a round of layoffs that will affect “several hundred people”, said the source. “We regularly review our […]
MOSCOW, Nov 24, 2023 (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the West had a “dangerous” monopoly over artificial intelligence and Russia needed to rival “biased” Western chatbots with its own technology. The race to develop AI has heated up since the breakout launch of the ChatGPT generative chatbot last year, with Russia and China spending billions to rival the United States’ dominance in the field. “I think you are well aware that […]
Japan’s new tallest building opened in Tokyo on Friday, taking the title from an Osaka skyscraper. The 330-metre-high Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower is not Japan’s highest structure, which is still the Tokyo Skytree, a broadcasting and observation tower in the capital’s east, which stands at 634 metres. But it does have a 30-metre advantage over the Abeno Harukas building in Osaka, previously Japan’s tallest building. The JP Tower and its surrounding facilities have an […]
The European Space Agency’s Ariane 6 rocket successfully completed a dress rehearsal on Thursday, test-firing its engine in preparation for a maiden voyage scheduled for 2024. The final results of the ignition test, which involved firing up the Vulcain 2.1 engine and running it for more than seven minutes, will not be released until November 30, pending a full analysis. But manufacturer ArianeGroup already called the rehearsal “successfully completed”. The hot-fire test at Europe’s Spaceport […]
Venice announced on Thursday that it would introduce a fee for day tourists to enter the city’s overcrowded historic centre on 29 days next year as it seeks to come to grips with overtourism. Day visitors will need to pay five euros ($5.45) to enter the city centre between 8:30 am to 4:00 pm during the peak tourist season from April 25 to May 5. The fee will also apply for the rest of the […]
The Peruvian Andes’ mountaintop ice, which represents most of the world’s tropical glaciers, has lost more than half of its area due to climate change, the Ministry of Environment said Thursday. To wit, the glaciers have receded by 1,348 square kilometers (520 square miles) since 1962, according to the latest measurements, the National Institute of Glacier and Ecosystem Research reported. Mount Pastoruri, which at some 5,250 meters (17,200 feet) in the northern Ancash region is […]
By Ludovic EHRET BEIJING, Nov 23, 2023 (AFP) – China has reported no ‘unusual or novel pathogens’ in a respiratory illnesses spreading in the north of the country, the World Health Organization said Thursday. Northern China has recorded an increase in “influenza-like illness” since mid-October when compared to the same period in the previous three years, said the WHO, which had requested more information on the situation. China’s National Health Commission told reporters last week […]
A prolonged heatwave that hit Madagascar in October would not have occurred without human-caused climate change, a scientific study said on Thursday. Scientists from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group said the heatwave in the Indian Ocean island, which affected millions of people, “would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change”. The study by 13 researchers looked at three variables to investigate the heatwave: the island’s average temperatures over October and the seven-day minimum […]
The World Health Organization has asked China for more data on a respiratory illness spreading in the north of the country, urging Chinese to take steps to reduce the risk of infection. Northern China has reported an increase in “influenza-like illness” since mid-October when compared to the same period in the previous three years, according to the WHO. “WHO has made an official request to China for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses […]
Plagues of “bold as hell” rats have overrun tropical fishing towns in northern Australia, where residents are clearing piles of “smelly” dead rodents off the beach every morning. The native long-haired rats have been steadily marching towards the coast after a bumper wet season in inland Australia, spreading hundreds of kilometres in their hunt for new crops to nibble on. Now they have reached the gulf towns of Karumba and Normanton in the state of […]
