MIAMI, United States (AFP) – Amazon founder Jeff Bezos unveiled plans Monday for a massive rocket called New Glenn designed to launch people to space and propel satellites into orbit, raising the ante in the US commercial space industry. Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post, said the rocket has been in the works for the past four years, and will be launched by decade’s end. At 270 feet (82 meters) high for the two-stage […]
Life
Body politics: famous preserved corpses
Beijing, China (AFP) — The embalmed body of Mao Zedong lies at the symbolic centre of the Chinese Communist Party, an object of veneration for loyal cadres, and of fascination for foreign tourists. As China marks the 40th anniversary of the death of the Great Helmsman, here are some of the world’s most famous preserved cadavers. Egyptian mummies Say “Ancient Egypt” to any schoolchild and the first thing they’ll think of is the mummies — […]
Curiosity’s work on Mars
Sony unveils new Playstation 4 PRO
Sony reveals two new Playstation 4 video game consoles and provides details on its Playstation VR system before the headset hits shelves next month. The stage is set for the battle over which video game console will dominate this holiday season. Both models will hit store shelves in time for December’s holiday season, but it’s the PRO version that will give Sony a technological head start over rival Microsoft. The pro will play games in […]
90-year-old Chilean grandmother scrapes a living by pedalling into town to sell eggs
CERRILLOS, Chile (Reuters) — This Chilean grandmother is putting the limits of old age to the test, pedalling hundreds of kilometres every week to sell her hen’s eggs in town to scrape a living. Elena Galvez is 90 and lives alone with her hens in the dusty rural suburb of Cerillos. With poverty rife in the neighbourhood, she collects eggs and whatever she can muster from her four cows and calf to sell in town. […]
US warns against using Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on planes
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Federal Aviation Administration strongly urged passengers Thursday not to turn on or charge Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on aircraft following recent reports of explosions from faulty batteries. The South Korean smartphone maker last week suspended sales of the “phablet” and recalled 2.5 million units following the reports. “In light of recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices, the Federal Aviation Administration […]
There are four species of giraffe, not one: scientists
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — There are actually four species of giraffe, not one as previously believed, researchers said Thursday in a discovery that could change conservation efforts for the world’s tallest mammal. The study in the journal Current Biology is based on DNA evidence from skin biopsies of 190 giraffes across Africa. Giraffe populations have dropped dramatically in Africa over the past few decades, going from about 150,000 to less than 100,000. But giraffes have […]
U.N.’s Ban urges ASEAN to ratify Paris climate agreement
(Reuters) — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, addressing the ASEAN summit on Wednesday (September 7) in the Laotian capital Vientiane, urged member countries to ratify the Paris agreement. In Paris last December, nearly 200 countries agreed on a binding global compact to slash greenhouse gases and keep global temperature increases to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius. While 180 countries have now signed the agreement, 55 nations – covering at least 55 percent of global emissions […]
Raise breast cancer awareness? Challenge accepted!
QUEZON City, Philippines (September 8) – Social media is full of change challenges, and there is every indication that they are here to stay. A fairly recent example is the black and white photo challenge that went viral in Facebook. The challenge is simple enough. Once a friend tags you with a black and white photo, you have the choice ito either accept or decline the challenge. You will then replace your Facebook profile page with […]
Marilyn Monroe’s dress from JFK birthday performance up for auction
NEW YORK, United States (Reuters) — The skin-tight dress Marilyn Monroe wore for her sultry rendition of “Happy Birthday” before then U.S. President John F. Kennedy at a 1962 gala will go on sale at an auction in November, the company behind the event said on Wednesday (September 07). Jean Louis designed the dress covered in sequins that Monroe, one of the 20th century’s most famous sex symbols, wore when she shed her fur coat […]
Australia police capture giant cattle-eating croc
An “angry” giant saltwater crocodile hunting cows at a northern Australia cattle station has been captured and relocated to a breeding farm, authorities and reports say.
International Space Station
An American astronaut who set the US record for cumulative time in orbit safely returned to Earth early Wednesday along with two Russian cosmonauts after a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station. https://youtu.be/JVSpjf6Huqc
