Climate activist Greta Thunberg declines environmental award

STOCKOLM, Sweden —  Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday refused to accept an environmental award, saying the climate movement needed people in power to start to "listen" to "science" and not awards.

The young climate activist, who has rallied millions to her "Fridays for Future" movement, was honored at a Stockholm ceremony held by the Nordic Council, a regional body for inter-parliamentary cooperation.

Thunberg had been nominated for her efforts by both Sweden and Norway and won the organization's annual environment prize.

But after it was announced, a representative for her told the audience that she would not accept the award or the prize sum of 350,000 Danish kroner (about $52,000 or 46,800 euro), the TT news agency reported.

She addressed the decision in a post on Instagram from the United States.

"The climate movement does not need any more awards," she wrote.

"What we need is for our politicians and the people in power start to listen to the current, best available science."

While thanking the Nordic Council for the "huge honor," she also criticized Nordic countries for not living up to their "great reputation" on climate issues.


"There is no lack of bragging about this. There is no lack of beautiful words. But when it comes to our actual emissions and our ecological footprints per capita... then it’s a whole other story," Thunberg said.

Still only 16 years old, Thunberg rose to prominence after she started spending her Fridays outside Sweden's parliament in August 2018, holding a sign reading "School strike for climate."

source: philstar.com

Chill your Netflix habit, climate experts say

PARIS, France — Movie nights once required driving to the local video store to rent, rewind and return the latest blockbuster. Now on-demand video content providers offer countless binge-worthy options at the touch of a finger.

But experts say the ease of streaming services comes with a hefty environmental price tag.

Watching a half-hour show would lead to emissions of 1.6 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent, said Maxime Efoui-Hess of French think tank the Shift Project. That's equivalent to driving 3.9 miles (6.28 kilometres).

Last year, online video streaming produced emissions equivalent to Spain and that amount may double in the next six years, according to the Shift Project.

While most of the online traffic -- 34 percent -- is related to streaming videos, on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, for example, the next biggest sector is online porn.

"Digital videos come in very large file sizes and (are) getting bigger with each new generation of higher definition video," said Gary Cook of Greenpeace, which monitors the IT sector's energy footprint.

"More data equals more energy needed to maintain a system that is ready to stream this video to your device at a moment's notice," Cook told AFP.

Much of the energy needed for streaming services is consumed by the data centre, which delivers data to your computer or device, explained Cook.

The centres contribute about 0.3 percent of all carbon emissions, according to an article by Nature.

Experts remain divided on how much that number will grow. 

'Waste of resources on all levels' 

"For energy consumption to stay flat for the next five to 10 years, significant improvement in IT equipment and data centre energy performance must be made or our appetite for computations must diminish," said Dale Sartor of the Center of Expertise for Data Centers, linked to the US Department of Energy.

Anders Andrae of Huawei Technologies told AFP he estimated they would consume as much as 4.1 percent of global electricity by 2030.

Web-based video traffic is expected to increase four times from 2017 to 2022 and account for 80 percent of all internet traffic by 2022, according to the CISCO Network.

Netflix is continuing to expand globally —- the company reported a 53-percent increase in international revenue for streaming subscriptions between 2017 and 2018. And Disney and Apple are launching their own streaming services this year.

Meanwhile, the equipment used to view videos is getting larger -— the average screen size shot up from 22 inches (55 centimetres) in 1997 to an expected 50 inches by 2021, according to the Consumer Technology Association.

"The changing screen size and related shift to digital video technology has set the stage for higher definition and thus larger file sizes that we are streaming," said Cook.

Screens with 4K resolution use about 30 percent more energy than high-definition screens, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Last year, 8K screens made their debut.

The consequence is "a waste of resources at all levels", added Laurent Lefevre of the French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation.

Experts suggest that viewers disable autoplay and stream over Wi-Fi in lower-definition formats. The worst-case scenario is watching over a 3G connection on a mobile device, said Lefevre.

The Shift Project offers a browser extension that monitors internet use, displaying the amount of electricty used, the CO2 that electricity produces, and how far the user would have to drive to match those emissions.

Cook emphasizes the most impactful change consumers can make is through their wallets.

"Exercising collective responsibility, with individuals demanding internet giants rapidly transition their data centres to renewable energy, has been the biggest driver thus far," he said. 

source: philstar.com

Kanye West releases new album 'Jesus Is King'

HOLLYWOOD — Critically acclaimed rapper, award-winning producer, fashion designer, Donald Trump supporter, Kim Kardashian's husband -- messiah?

Kanye West is a man who wears many hats -- including the Trump campaign's signature red MAGA cap -- but in recent months, he has shed his myriad personas to reveal himself as a born-again weaver of gospel and rap.

After blowing past yet another release time for his long-anticipated album, West finally dropped "Jesus Is King" on Friday, coinciding with the release of its companion IMAX film of the same name.

His new work paints a portrait of the artist as a saved man, coming in a year that's seen West tour with his impromptu "Sunday Service" performances, a church-esque concert series featuring gospel choirs.

The IMAX film, which clocks in at approximately 30 minutes, shows a Sunday Service at Roden Crater in Arizona's Painted Desert.

It primarily features static shots of a choir, and ends on West gently singing a rendition of his song "Street Lights," from 2008's "808s & Heartbreak," to a baby that appears to be his son Psalm.

West's ninth studio album sees the mercurial artist who long imbued his rap with gospel further enmesh the two.

Elements of the old Yeezy appear — clever rhymes, catchy beats, smart samples — but the artist decidedly tilts the balance toward music with a stronger message of evangelical salvation.


"I been working for you my whole life / Told the devil that I’m goin' on a strike," West raps on “Hands On,” the ninth song on the 11-track album that features appearances from jazz saxophonist Kenny G and rapper Ty Dolla $ign.

'The sacred and the profane' 

West's gospel-tinged rap underscores the complex relationship between two seemingly disparate strains of music rooted in black culture.

The genre known as gospel rap emerged in the 1980s, not long after hip-hop itself, but stayed in underground circles and received little formal industry backing.

Josef Sorett, a religion and African-American studies scholar, correlates the hiving off of gospel rap to the emergence of gangster rap, which sees artists boast of violence, misogyny and drug use.

"There is a perception of hip-hop as being fundamentally opposed to religious tradition -- a distinction between the sacred and the profane," the Columbia University professor told AFP.

But largely thanks to West and fellow Chicago artist Chance the Rapper, a new holy hip-hop has re-emerged in the mainstream.

West's overt faith on his 2004 critically beloved hit "Jesus Walks" -- which featured gospel wails and martial beats -- did not prevent its play on non-Christian radio, marking a shift of sorts.

After "Jesus Walks" but prior to West's revivalism, Chance had furthered the mainstreaming of gospel-influenced hip-hop with his much-touted 2016 mixtape "Coloring Book."

$200 sweatshirts

Sorett sees West's efforts to "transcend boundaries" of genre as "less of a gospel aesthetic than maybe a broader sense of an artistic vision."

"It seems to be a notion of personal spirituality -- what is often described as indicative of a new generation that is less tied to institutions or to politics, but to individually driven spirituality."

Some critics have dismissed West's new direction as little more than marketing -- his Sunday Service merch includes sweatshirts in the $200 range and $50 socks.

"Folks often think of commerce and Christianity as opposed, but they've long been entangled, so it sort of makes sense," Sorett said.

Moving target

Some critics link West's biblical shift to his tabloid-perfect outbursts, brush with politics, and struggles with mental health in recent years.

The Grammy-winning performer has openly discussed his battle with bipolar disorder, telling talk show host David Letterman this year: "I feel a heightened connection with the universe when I'm ramping up."

"It's like a sprained brain, like having a sprained ankle. And if someone has a sprained ankle, you're not going to push on him more. With us, once our brain gets to a point of spraining, people do everything to make it worse."

At a recent Sunday Service in Utah, West defended his decision to back Trump; last October, he delivered a lengthy soliloquy to a president who many deem racist, telling him he loved him to the dismay of many Democrats and fellow artists.

On Thursday, he offered another explanation: "For the greatest artist in human existence to put a red hat on was God's practical joke to all liberals. Like, 'No! Not Kanye!'"

In that wide-ranging interview aired with Apple Music, West also said a 10th, "Sunday Service" inspired album could drop on Christmas.

Considering the shambolic "Jesus Is King" rollout, fans probably shouldn't plan a listening session under the tree just yet.

"The more I am in service to God, I just clear my head and just wake up more empty every day and let God do the driving and just use me as he may," West said in the interview.

"You make plans and God laughs."

source: philstar.com

Trudeau's Liberals win Canada vote, will form minority govt

OTTAWA, Canada — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party held onto power in a nail-biter of a Canadian general election on Monday, but as a weakened minority government.

Television projections as of 2 a.m. Tuesday (0600 GMT) declared the Liberals winners or leading in 156 of the nation's 338 electoral districts, versus 122 for his main rival Andrew Scheer and the Conservatives, after polling stations across six time zones closed.

As early as Tuesday, Trudeau will have to form an alliance with one or more smaller parties in order to govern a fractured nation.


The first test of his future government will follow in the coming weeks with a speech to parliament outlining his legislative priorities and a confidence vote.

"From coast to coast to coast, tonight Canadians rejected division and negativity," Trudeau said. "And they rejected cuts and austerity and voted in favor of a progressive agenda and strong action on climate change."


He reassured Quebec that his Liberal government, despite an electoral setback in the French-speaking province, "will be there for you."

He also spoke directly to a growing sense of Western Canada's alienation within the federation, telling those in Saskatchewan and Alberta provinces: "I've heard your frustration."

The 47-year-old former school teacher dominated Canadian politics over the four years of his first term, but faced a grilling during the 40-day election campaign, which he described as one of the "dirtiest and nastiest" in Canadian history.


Trudeau and Scheer exchanged barbs as attack ads and misinformation multiplied.

Trudeau evoked the bogeymen of past and current Tory parties fostering "politics of fear and division" while Scheer called the prime minister a "compulsive liar," "a phony and a fraud."

Going into the election Trudeau's golden boy image had already been damaged by ethics lapses in the handling of the bribery prosecution of engineering giant SNC-Lavalin. His popularity took a further hit with the emergence during the campaign of old photographs of him in blackface makeup.

At one rally, the prime minister was forced to wear a bulletproof vest due to a security threat.

"Trudeau has really lost his halo. It's pretty tarnished," commented Lois Welsh, 77, in Regina, disappointed over the Liberal win.

'Cheap shots' during campaign 

Outside polling stations, Canadians told AFP they had wished for a more positive campaign focused on issues.

"I deplored the cheap shots during the campaign. I think we're better than that," said Andree Legault in Montreal.

In his concession speech, Scheer said, "Canadians have passed judgment on (Trudeau's) Liberal government," noting that the Liberals shed more than 20 seats as well as "support in every region of the country."

"Canada is a country that is further divided," he said, warning that its oil sector, the fourth largest in the world but struggling with low prices and a lack of pipeline capacity, is "under attack."

"We have put him on notice, his leadership is damaged and his government will end soon and when that time comes, the Conservatives will be ready and we will win!"

Some 27.4 million Canadians were eligible to vote in the election, and the turnout was reported to have been large, at almost 65 percent.

A record 97 women were elected to parliament, including Canada's first indigenous attorney general, Jody Wilson-Raybould, who ran as an independent candidate after Trudeau kicked her out of his caucus.

The night also saw Conservative deputy leader Lisa Raitt turfed and Liberal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale lose the seat he held for 26 years.

Scheer, only two years after winning the leadership of his party, struggled to win over Canadians with his bland minivan-driving dad persona and a throwback to the thrifty policies of past Tory administrations.

Social democrats and resuscitated Quebec separatists also chipped away at Liberal support.

The Bloc Quebecois came back from a ruinous 2015 election result, tapping into lingering Quebec nationalism to take 32 seats, while the New Democratic Party (NDP) won 24 seats, according to projections.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, a leftist former criminal defense lawyer, is the first non-white leader of a federal political party in Canada, and will likely emerge as kingmaker.

Michel Mercer in Montreal said he voted for the Liberals, but only to keep the Tories at bay.

"I would have voted NDP but I didn't want to see the Conservatives in power," he told AFP.

The Green Party, hopeful for a breakout, meanwhile managed to add only one seat, bringing its tally to three.

source: philstar.com

Hong Kong democracy activist injured in knife attack

HONG KONG, China — A man handing out leaflets for a Hong Kong pro-democracy protest was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant who slashed his neck and abdomen on Saturday, days after a leading activist was left bloodied in another street attack.

The injured 19-year-old, wearing black clothes and a black face mask, was knifed near one of the large "Lennon Walls" that have sprung up around the city during months of demonstrations, police said.

Local media images showed the man had been severely injured, with his inner organs visible where his abdomen had been cut in the afternoon incident in northeastern Tai Po district.

Footage posted on social media showed another man holding a knife shortly after the attack and shouting: "Hong Kong is part of China... (You) messed up Hong Kong".

Police confirmed a 22-year-old man had been arrested as well as giving the age of the victim, who was conscious when he was rushed to hospital for surgery.


"The man suddenly rushed to my friend and slashed (him) in the neck. Then my friend ran away towards this direction. After that he fell down and was stabbed in the abdomen with a knife," an associate of the injured man told media at the scene.

Plastered in colourful sticky-notes, posters and slogans, "Lennon Walls" have appeared in more than a hundred locations around Hong Kong, often in pedestrian tunnels or near subway stations.

Though the walls are seen as a peaceful protest method, they have also become flashpoints for violence.

In recent months, fights have broken out when groups of men who support the Hong Kong government have tried to tear the posters down, or between people with different political views.

On Wednesday Jimmy Sham -- a leading face of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement -- was taken to hospital covered in blood after being attacked with hammers by unidentified thugs.

The Civil Human Rights Front, which Sham leads, had applied for permission to hold a peaceful rally on Sunday calling for an independent inquiry into police brutality and universal suffrage, but their request was rejected by the police.

However the march is still expected to take place despite the ban.

Hong Kong's more than four months of huge and increasingly violent protests were initially sparked by a now-scrapped bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.

They have since snowballed into a wider movement calling for greater democracy and police accountability after Beijing and local leaders took a hard line.

Multiple pro-democracy activists have been attacked by pro-Beijing supporters in recent months, and Sham was also assaulted in August.

As the violence has escalated, hardcore pro-democracy protesters have also begun meting out their own street justice, beating people who vocally disagree with their goals or are viewed to be government loyalists.

source: philstar.com

Longest non-stop flight to take off from New York to Sydney

SYDNEY, Australia — A plane and its passengers are set to test the mental and physical limits of long-haul aviation when Qantas operates the first direct flight by a commercial airline from New York to Sydney this weekend.

In the first of three "ultra long-haul" test flights planned by Australia's national flag carrier this year, researchers will monitor the effects on passengers of the 19-hour non-stop journey.

Up to 40 passengers and crew—most of them Qantas employees—will be on board the Boeing 787-9 when it departs New York on Friday. The plane is scheduled to arrive Down Under Sunday morning.


Passenger numbers have been restricted to minimize the weight on board and give the plane sufficient fuel range to travel approximately 16,000 kilometers (about 9,500 miles) without re-fuelling, heading west over the Pacific.

No other airline has ever achieved the feat, which Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has called the "final frontier in aviation."

Scientists from two Australian universities will be on board to monitor passengers' sleep patterns, melatonin levels, and food consumption.

Pilots will also wear a device that tracks their brain waves and alertness.

With a 15-hour time difference between New York and Sydney, the impact of jetlag will be closely watched.

"We know from the basic science of circadian rhythms that a bigger time difference between departure and arrival locations, and travelling east rather than west, tends to mean people feel more jetlag," University of Sydney professor Stephen Simpson told AFP.

"But people seem to be wildly different when it comes to the experience of jetlag—and we need more research on what contributes to jetlag and travel fatigue, so we can try and reduce the impact of long-haul flights."

Qantas last year introduced the first direct service from the western Australian city of Perth to London, with the 17-hour journey one of the longest passenger flights in the world.

As well as the New York-Sydney route, Qantas will test a service from London to Sydney in the coming months.

The airline is considering launching commercial services on the marathon routes—if the economics stack up.

A decision will be made on the validity of the flights at the end of the year. Joyce has said it is "ultimately a business decision."

Pilots concerned 

Another hurdle could come from within the organization.

Qantas pilots have raised concerns about the impact of ultra long-range flying on safety standards.

The Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA), which represents Qantas pilots, said the exploratory flights "will produce a limited set of data that will not adequately replicate real-world flying conditions."

AIPA safety director Shane Loney has called for a "scientific long-term study" into the impacts on crew.

"Pilots are concerned about being able to get enough quality rest during ultra long-range flights to maintain peak performance and we believe significant caution should be exercised in the initial operations to make sure there are no unintended consequences," he said.

A Qantas spokesperson said the test flights are "just one part of the work we are doing to assess how to the operate these flights safely".

Both Airbus and Boeing have pitched aircraft for the Qantas ultra long-haul routes. Joyce has said it is not a "foregone conclusion" which company will be chosen.

source: philstar.com

Bella Hadid scientifically found to be 'world's most beautiful woman'

MANILA, Philippines — American model Bella Hadid’s face has been found to have a near-perfect 94 percent match to the ancient Greeks’ Golden Ratio of Beauty, according to cosmetic surgeon Julian De Silva of the London-based Centre for Advanced Facial Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery.

De Silva applied the “Beauty Phi” equation to faces of modern celebrities using digital facial mapping technology. Bella’s results beat other big names in Hollywood like Beyonce, Ariana Grande and Cara Delevingne.

"Bella Hadid was the clear winner when all elements of the face were measured for physical perfection," De Silva told the media in a report published by English news site Newshub.

"She had the highest overall reading for her chin which, with a score of 99.7 percent, is only 0.3 percent away from being the perfect shape."

Apart from having good genes, what is Bella's secrets to being the world's most beautiful woman, according to science?


In a Vogue makeup tutorial, Bella has shared some practical tips on how to look like a million bucks and feel like you’re worth every cent.

Dark circles and a pale complexion are never a match for makeup, the most beautiful women showed in a video tutorial through Vogue. But since a busy, jet-lagged Bella with no proper rest for two months straight still trumps most of us on our best days – hydrated and with complete sleep – the results will still most likely vary.

“Imperfections are still beautiful, right?” the supermodel assures in the video.

Bella’s makeup routine involves concealer, a contour stick, a highlighter, a brow pencil, a lash primer, mascara, eyeshadow, lip gloss, and a hairbrush.

1.  Make-over (makeup all over)
Bella liberally brushes lines of concealer and foundation on her t-zone, underneath her eyes, and pretty much everywhere. “See you just like wing it, you know...Just put it like everywhere,” she advises, before blending the product.

2. Defining beauty
To add further dimension to her well-proportioned face, Bella uses a little bronzer pen as a contour stick to draw two-inch diagonal lines on her cheeks. She blends the bronzer and dabs a little on her jawline. “Definition’s always good," she enthuses.

3. Highlight her’s
She then brushes highlighter all over and rubs a conservative amount under the eyes, exuding a subtle, desired “natural glow.”

4. Drawing the line
Bella’s eyebrows are definitely her own, so there’s no need to draw more.

But she does like to color them in using a brow pencil, bringing out a more pronounced shape.

5. Eye wonder
Bella also accentuates her eyelashes with lash primer and mascara.

She then applies some eyeshadow on top of her eyelids and on the corners of her eyes, opening them just enough to even out the color.

6. Lip service
The world’s most beautiful woman closes her beauty routine with just lip gloss, creating a contrast between the shade and tint of her eye area and the bright tint of her lips.

7. Not a hair out of place
After all the work is done on the face, you have to let your makeup set by brushing your hair properly and tying it back, Bella demonstrated with a bun.

source: philstar.com

Cyber-bullied K-pop star found dead at her home

SEOUL, South Korea — A popular K-pop star who had long been the target of abusive online comments was found dead at her home Monday, South Korean police said.

The body of Sulli, a former member of top girl group f(x), was discovered by her manager at her home on the outskirts of the capital, Seoul.

Police said in a statement that the 25-year-old had been suffering from "severe depression".

The exact cause of her death was still under investigation.

South Korea has one of the world's highest rates of suicide which, according to recent government figures, is among the top causes of death for those under 40.

Sulli, whose real name was Choi Jin-ri, was known for her outspokenness and drive for women's rights, for which she had suffered online bullying and harassment.

She debuted in 2009 for f(x), which quickly became one of the top K-pop girl groups worldwide.

She suspended her career in 2014 after struggling with cyber-bullying and left the group a year later to focus on acting projects.

Sulli was active on social media and recently hosted a TV series where celebrities discussed their experiences with online abuse.

Her death sent shockwaves through the K-pop fan community.

"I always adored and respected you for your boldness. All I can say is rest in peace," a fan commented on Sulli's Instagram account.

"In heaven, you don't have to act strong or pretend everything is okay," another fan said. "I hope you will only think about yourself there."

source: philstar.com

Taiwanese woman fined for wearing string bikini in Boracay

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — For wearing a bikini that was described as “literally a string“ while strolling on a beach in Boracay, a Taiwanese tourist has been fined P2,500.

Personnel of the Malay police said they brought the woman and her boyfriend to the police station a day after photos of her and her boyfriend, also a Taiwanese, on Puka beach went viral on social media.

“What she did was more of a public indecency. We issued her a citation ticket,” Maj. Jess Baylon, Malay police chief, said.


Baylon said the woman violated Section 5 of Municipal Ordinance 203. However, what the provision prohibits is “taking lewd or excessively erotic pictures.”

The ordinance regulates the activities of photographers in Malay.


Baylon said the Taiwanese couple claimed they were models. “She said she was just expressing herself. She didn’t know she was violating something,” he said.

 “I’m confident about myself. It’s just normal for us,” Baylon quoted the woman as saying.

It was learned that the couple arrived in Boracay on Tuesday and left yesterday.

source: philstar.com

UK winner pockets 190 million euro jackpot

PARIS, France — Someone in Britain became 190 million euros ($208 million) richer on Tuesday when they won the maximum EuroMillions jackpot, the lottery company announced.

It is only the fourth time that the maximum prize has been won since EuroMillions — available in nine European countries including France — fixed its winnings cap in 2012, the French branch FDJ said Tuesday evening.

The lucky player now has to come forward and claim their money.


They will also have to decide whether to go public with their new multi-millionnaire status or remain anonymous.

It took a record-breaking run of 18 rollovers, when nobody wins the top prize, to push the booty up to its maximum amount, and it then went another four draws before finally being won.

Tuesday's massive prize still pales in comparison to the $1.537 billion Mega Millions US lottery jackpot won last year by a lucky punter in South Carolina.

That person chose to remain anonymous.

Apart from France, EuroMillions tickets can be bought in in Austria, Belgium, Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.

source: philstar.com