LOS ANGELES , United States (Reuters) — The outbreak of the Zika virus is expected to reach the continental United States in the coming weeks as temperatures rise and mosquito populations multiply. In Los Angeles County, the Vector Control District is trying to limit the impact of the virus with local initiatives to eliminate the breeding sources of mosquitoes. “Zika is a real threat for Los Angeles County and for residents in areas where the […]
Life
World’s oldest Olympic champion Sandor Tarics dies at 102
BUDAPEST, Hungry (AFP) — The oldest living Olympic champion Sandor Tarics, who was a member of Hungary’s gold-medal winning waterpolo team at the 1936 Games, has died aged 102. Tarics, who was born in 1913 in Budapest, passed away at his home in San Francisco, according to a statement by the Hungarian Olympic Committee (MOB) Saturday. A keen mathematician from an early age and an engineer by profession, he left Hungary after the Communist Party […]
Global life expectancy up five years since 2000: WHO
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Global life expectancy increased by five years between 2000 and 2015, the World Health Organization said Thursday, crediting progress in Africa against HIV, AIDS and malaria. The gains made over the last 15 years are the largest since the 1960s, when the world — especially Europe and Japan — saw broad socio-economic improvements linked to the recovery from World War II, WHO said. On average, a child born in 2015 can […]
Yellow fever outbreak ‘serious’ but not global health emergency: WHO
by Nina LARSON GENEVA , Switzerland (AFP) — A deadly yellow fever outbreak in Angola and Congo is of great concern but does not amount to a global health emergency, the World Health Organization said Thursday. The UN health body said an emergency meeting of experts had determined that “the urban yellow fever outbreaks in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a serious public health event which warrants intensified national action and […]
‘Now or never’ to save Barrier Reef: scientists
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s Great Barrier Reef could be beyond saving in five years without “now or never” funding to improve water quality as climate change ravages the World Heritage-listed site, scientists warned Thursday. The world’s biggest coral reef ecosystem is under pressure from not only climate change, but farming run-off, development and the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish. The biodiverse side off the Queensland state coast is also suffering its worst bleaching in recorded history […]
Mega-tsunamis sculpted Mars surface: study
by Marlowe HOOD PARIS , France (AFP) — Monster tsunamis caused by meteor impacts swept across the northern plains of Mars more than three billion years ago, radically re-sculpting the edges of the Red Planet’s ancient seas, according to a study published Thursday. The findings, based on geological mapping, could provide new clues in the search for life. They also bolster the theory that massive floods 3.4 billion years ago transformed Mars’ northern lowlands into […]
Lincoln documents expected to fetch millions in NY
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 […]
Stolen Christopher Columbus letter returned to Italy
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 […]
After conservative meet, Zuckerberg says Facebook open to ‘all ideas’
SAN FRANCISCO , United States (AFP) — Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday that conservatives are an important part of the social network after a meeting aimed at defusing concerns it is politically biased. “We’ve built Facebook to be a platform for all ideas,” Zuckerberg said on his Facebook page after a meeting at the company’s California headquarters to discuss allegations in a news article that Facebook was suppressing conservative voices in its “trending” news […]
Record $31mn sale of biggest vivid pink diamond at Geneva auction
GENEVA , Switzerland (AFP) — A 15.38-carat vivid pink diamond, the biggest of its kind to go on auction, was sold for a new record total of $31.56 million (27.88 million euros), Sotheby’s auction house said Tuesday. Two telephone bidders battled for the prized jewel before some 150 people attending the auction held at a luxurious hotel in Geneva. “It’s a new world record… It’s the highest price ever paid for a fancy vivid pink […]
Twitter to free room for links and photos: report
SAN FRANCISCO , United States (AFP) — Twitter plans to let people fire off links or pictures without eating into the 140-character limit set for posts at the one-to-many messaging service, Bloomberg reported on Monday The change could take place by the end of this month, according to a Blomberg report that cited someone familiar with the matter. Twitter declined to comment, but the move would come as the San Francisco-based company strives to ramp […]
Restaurant serves edible balloons for dessert
QUEZON City, Philippines – A fine dining establishment in Chicago, United States of America serves edible balloons for dessert. The edible balloons were made of green apple taffy filled with helium. (Eagle News Service Described by Jay Paul Carlos, Video Editing by Jericho Morales, Uploaded by MRFaith Bonalos)