31 July 2014

10 Things to See: A week of top AP photos

A young Honduran migrant, who hoped to find work in the U.S., wears a balaclava provided by a volunteer group aiding migrants, as he shields himself from cold and rain, while waiting for a northbound train beside a garbage dump in Huehuetoca, outside Mexico City, Wednesday, July 30, 2014.
A young Honduran migrant, who hoped to find work in the U.S., wears a balaclava provided by a volunteer group aiding migrants, as he shields himself from cold and rain, while waiting for a northbound train beside a garbage dump in Huehuetoca, outside Mexico City, Wednesday, July 30, 2014.

29 July 2014

John Kerry

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry turns to wave as he boards a plane to New Delhi, India, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Tuesday, July 29, 2014.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry turns to wave as he boards a plane to New Delhi, India, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Tuesday, July 29, 2014.  

Ramadan (Pakistan)

Pakistani girls show their hands painted with henna ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, July 28, 2014. Pakistani Muslims will celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Pakistani girls show their hands painted with henna ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, July 28, 2014. Pakistani Muslims will celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.  

Ramadan (Sri Lanka)

Sri Lankan Muslim girls pray as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, July 29, 2014. Millions of Muslims across the world are celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan.
Sri Lankan Muslim girls pray as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, July 29, 2014. Millions of Muslims across the world are celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan.  

Ramadan (India)

Indian Muslims offer Eid al-Fitr prayers near the Quli Qutub Shahi tombs in Hyderabad, India, Tuesday, July 29, 2014. Millions of Muslims across the world are celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan.
Indian Muslims offer Eid al-Fitr prayers near the Quli Qutub Shahi tombs in Hyderabad, India, Tuesday, July 29, 2014. Millions of Muslims across the world are celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan.  

Pope to visit Sri Lanka, Philippines Jan. 12-19

In this Nov. 17, 2013 file photo, a Filipino man prays during a Mass at Santo Nino church, which was damaged by Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban, Philippines. The Vatican confirmed Tuesday, July 29, 2014 the dates for Pope Francis' second trip to Asia, a weeklong visit Jan. 12-19 to Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Francis had already announced his intention to visit Sri Lanka and meet with victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which killed some 6,300 people, left another 1,060 missing and devastated parts of the central Philippines last year.
In this Nov. 17, 2013 file photo, a Filipino man prays during a Mass at Santo Nino church, which was damaged by Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban, Philippines. The Vatican confirmed Tuesday, July 29, 2014 the dates for Pope Francis' second trip to Asia, a weeklong visit Jan. 12-19 to Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Francis had already announced his intention to visit Sri Lanka and meet with victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which killed some 6,300 people, left another 1,060 missing and devastated parts of the central Philippines last year.

Indian senior community part of growing niche

In this June 25, 2014 photo, Ram Chandran demonstrates his prayers in his bedroom at ShantiNiketan, a retirement community for people from India, in Tavares, Fla. Chandran leads a Hindu group prayer for residents at a small temple in the community. ShantiNiketan is one of a growing number of niche retirement communities aimed at people of specific ethnic backgrounds, hobbies or collegiate allegiances.
In this June 25, 2014 photo, Ram Chandran demonstrates his prayers in his bedroom at ShantiNiketan, a retirement community for people from India, in Tavares, Fla. Chandran leads a Hindu group prayer for residents at a small temple in the community. ShantiNiketan is one of a growing number of niche retirement communities aimed at people of specific ethnic backgrounds, hobbies or collegiate allegiances.  

Commonwealth Games

Sathish Sivalingam of India wins gold in the Men's Weightlifting 77kg category at Scottish Exhibition And Conference Centre during day four of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games on July 27, 2014 in Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Sathish Sivalingam of India wins gold in the Men's Weightlifting 77kg category at Scottish Exhibition And Conference Centre during day four of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games on July 27, 2014 in Glasgow, United Kingdom. 

Ramadan

An Indian Muslim girl displays her henna decorated hands at a roadside stall ahead of the Muslim festivities of Eid al-Fitr, in Mumbai on July 28, 2014. Muslims around the world are preparing to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
An Indian Muslim girl displays her henna decorated hands at a roadside stall ahead of the Muslim festivities of Eid al-Fitr, in Mumbai on July 28, 2014. Muslims around the world are preparing to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

28 July 2014

Pakistan

Pakistani police officers examine a house of a family belonging to the Ahmadi sect, which was torched by angry mob in Gujranwala, Pakistan, Monday, July 28, 2014. A Pakistani mob burned down several homes belonging to the minority sect in the country's east, killing a woman and her two granddaughters in riots following rumors about blasphemous postings on Facebook, police said Monday.
Pakistani police officers examine a house of a family belonging to the Ahmadi sect, which was torched by angry mob in Gujranwala, Pakistan, Monday, July 28, 2014. A Pakistani mob burned down several homes belonging to the minority sect in the country's east, killing a woman and her two granddaughters in riots following rumors about blasphemous postings on Facebook, police said Monday.  

US companies increasingly fish for growth overseas

In this June 26, 2012 file photo, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Co., Muhtar Kent, right, and President and CEO of Coca Cola India and South West Asia Atul Singh pose for photos holding bottles of Coca-Cola before the start of a meeting in New Delhi, India. An increasing thirst for Coca-Cola products in China, India and the Middle East helped boost the company's international sales by 3 percent in the second quarter while volume remained flat in North America.
In this June 26, 2012 file photo, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Co., Muhtar Kent, right, and President and CEO of Coca Cola India and South West Asia Atul Singh pose for photos holding bottles of Coca-Cola before the start of a meeting in New Delhi, India. An increasing thirst for Coca-Cola products in China, India and the Middle East helped boost the company's international sales by 3 percent in the second quarter while volume remained flat in North America. 

27 July 2014

AP PHOTOS: North Korea marks war anniversary

North Korean war veterans express varying degrees of emotion as they watch a parade celebrating the anniversary of the Korean War, Sunday, July 27, 2014, in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Koreans gathered at Kim Il Sung Square as part of celebrations for the 61st anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War.
North Korean war veterans express varying degrees of emotion as they watch a parade celebrating the anniversary of the Korean War, Sunday, July 27, 2014, in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Koreans gathered at Kim Il Sung Square as part of celebrations for the 61st anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War.  

Nigeria death shows Ebola can spread by air travel

A man reads a local newspaperson a street with the headline Ebola Virus kills Liberian in Lagos, in Lagos Nigeria, Saturday, July 26, 2014. An Ebola outbreak that has left more than 600 people dead across West Africa has spread to the continent's most populous nation after a Liberian man with a high fever vomited aboard an airplane to Nigeria and then died there, officials said Friday. The 40-year-old man had recently lost his sister to Ebola in Liberia, health officials there said. It was not immediately clear how he managed to board a flight, but he was moved into an isolation ward upon arrival in Nigeria on Tuesday and died on Friday.
Nigerian health authorities raced to stop the spread of Ebola on Saturday after a man sick with one of the world's deadliest diseases brought it by plane to Lagos, Africa's largest city with 21 million people.
The fact that the traveler from Liberia could board an international flight also raised new fears that other passengers could take the disease beyond Africa due to weak inspection of passengers and the fact Ebola's symptoms are similar to other diseases.

26 July 2014

MH17 victims' family: Airline lacking compassion

In this undated photo released by the Calehr family, Miguel Panduwinata, left, Mika Panduwinata, Samira Calehr, second from right, and Shaka Panduwinata, right, pose for a photo. Shaka Panduwinata and his brother Miguel Panduwinata were killed aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which was shot down over eastern Ukraine.
The family of two brothers killed in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 called the carrier rigid and bureaucratic Saturday, saying it has offered them no professional grief counselling in more than a week and refused to organize a flight home to Houston for the boys' grandmother.
Harun Calehr, the uncle of victims Miguel and Shaka Panduwinata, said the family's frustration has grown as they felt they had to haggle for help from the airline in the days after the Boeing 777 was shot down over Ukraine on July 17.

24 July 2014

10 Things to See: A week of top AP photos

Ellisha Flagg, sister of Eric Garner, cries during a vigil demanding justice for Eric Garner, a Staten Island man who died while being arrested by New York City police, Tuesday, July 22, 2014, in New York. Demonstrators gathered at a park Tuesday, near where police attempted to arrest Garner on suspicion of selling untaxed cigarettes.
Ellisha Flagg, sister of Eric Garner, cries during a vigil demanding justice for Eric Garner, a Staten Island man who died while being arrested by New York City police, Tuesday, July 22, 2014, in New York. Demonstrators gathered at a park Tuesday, near where police attempted to arrest Garner on suspicion of selling untaxed cigarettes.  

Tragedy

A relative of a victim cries at the site of a train that crashed into a school bus in Medak district in the southern Indian state of Telengana, Thursday, July 24, 2014. Twelve children were killed Thursday when the train crashed into a school bus at an unmanned railroad crossing in southern India, police said. There are hundreds of unmanned crossings across the country, especially in remote areas.
A relative of a victim cries at the site of a train that crashed into a school bus in Medak district in the southern Indian state of Telengana, Thursday, July 24, 2014. Twelve children were killed Thursday when the train crashed into a school bus at an unmanned railroad crossing in southern India, police said. There are hundreds of unmanned crossings across the country, especially in remote areas.

Hercules is an upcoming American adventure film directed by Brett Ratner and starring Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, Reece Ritchie, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Joseph Fiennes, and John Hurt.

Vikramadithyan is an upcoming 2014 Malayalam coming-of-age drama film directed and produced by Lal Jose.

12 children, man die in train-bus crash in India

A relative of a victim cries at the site of a train that crashed into a school bus in Medak district in the southern Indian state of Telengana, Thursday, July 24, 2014. Twelve children were killed Thursday when the train crashed into a school bus at an unmanned railroad crossing in southern India, police said. There are hundreds of unmanned crossings across the country, especially in remote areas.
Twelve children were killed Thursday when a train crashed into their school bus at an unmanned railroad crossing in southern India, police said.
The bus driver also died while another 16 children ages 7 to 14 were injured and hospitalized, said police officer Ravi Nallamala.

Taiwan airline suspects bad weather caused crash

Seen in a raining downpour, a vehicle is covered in rubble from the wreckage from a Taiwan domestic airline that crashed while attempting to land in typhoon weather on the Taiwan island of Penghu, 150 kilometers, (93 miles), off Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and mainland China, late Wednesday, July 23, 2014. Local officials say the domestic airline carrier Trans Asia flight GE 222 crashed on landing with many people feared dead and some injured.
An airline said Thursday it suspected typhoon weather caused one of its planes to crash land on a small Taiwanese island, killing 48 people.
The ATR-72 operated by Taiwan's TransAsia Airways was carrying 58 passengers and crew when it crashed into houses on the Penghu island chain in the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and China late Wednesday, authorities said. The plane was on a flight from the city of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan.

40 bodies from jet solemnly returned to Dutch soil

Pallbearers place a coffin into a hearse during a ceremony to mark the return of the first bodies, of passengers and crew killed in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, from Ukraine at Eindhoven military air base, Netherlands, Wednesday, July 23, 2014. After being removed from the planes, the bodies are to be taken in a convoy of hearses to a military barracks in the central city of Hilversum, where forensic experts will begin the painstaking task of identifying the bodies and returning them to their loved ones.
Victims of the Malaysian jetliner shot down over Ukraine returned at last Wednesday to Dutch soil in 40 wooden coffins, solemnly and gently carried to 40 identical hearses, flags at half-staff flapping in the wind.
The carefully choreographed, nearly silent ceremony contrasted sharply with the boom of shells and shattered glass in eastern Ukraine as pro-Russian rebels fought to hang onto territory and shot down two Ukrainian fighter jets. The bold new attack showed the separatists are not shying away from shooting at the skies despite international outrage and grief at the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.

23 July 2014

Jakarta governor wins Indonesian presidency

Police rest near the KPU (Indonesian General Election Commission) as the final day of counting continues in the presidential election in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. The results of the Indonesian presidential race between candidates Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto should be known later in the day.
Jakarta Gov. Joko Widodo, who captured the hearts of millions of Indonesians with his common man image, was declared the winner Tuesday of the country's presidential election, calling it a victory for all of the nation's people.
A former furniture exporter known to most as "Jokowi," Widodo was the first candidate in a direct presidential election in Indonesia with no ties to the former dictator Suharto, who ruled for 30 years before being overthrown in 1998.

22 July 2014

11 parents of Nigeria's abducted girls die

In this Monday, May 19, 2014 file photo, Martha Mark, the mother of kidnapped school girl Monica Mark cries as she displays her photo, in the family house, in Chibok, Nigeria. At least 11 parents of the more than 200 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls will never see their daughters again. Since the mass abduction of the schoolgirls by Islamic extremists three months ago, at least 11 of their parents have died and their hometown, Chibok, is under siege from the militants, residents report. Seven fathers of kidnapped girls were among 51 bodies brought to Chibok hospital after an attack on the nearby village of Kautakari this month, said a health worker who insisted on anonymity for fear of reprisals by the extremists. At least four more parents have died of heart failure, high blood pressure and other illnesses that the community blames on trauma due to the mass abduction 100 days ago, said community leader Pogu Bitrus, who provided their names.
About a dozen parents of the more than 200 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls will never see their daughters again.
Since the mass abduction of the schoolgirls by Islamic extremists three months ago, at least 11 of their parents have died and their hometown, Chibok, is under siege from the militants, residents report.

Rebels release train with bodies from downed jet

A pro-Russian rebel speaks on the phone as a refrigerated train loaded with bodies of the passengers departs the station in Torez, eastern Ukraine, 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, Monday, July 21, 2014. Another 21 bodies have been found in the sprawling fields of east Ukraine where Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed last week, killing all 298 people aboard. International indignation over the incident has grown as investigators still only have limited access to the crash site and it remains unclear when and where the victims' bodies will be transported.
Bowing to international pressure, pro-Moscow separatists released a train packed with bodies and handed over the black boxes from the downed Malaysia Airlines plane, four days after it plunged into rebel-held eastern Ukraine.
With body parts decaying in sweltering heat and signs that evidence at the crash site was mishandled, anger in Western capitals has mounted at the rebels and their allies in Moscow. Their reluctant cooperation will soothe mourning families and help investigators, but may do little to reconcile the East-West powers struggling over Ukraine's future.

Going for the kill: Fat pay packet triggers hangmen's rush in Kerala

Kerala has gone for the kill with a fat pay-packet for the man who does the dirty job – hang the death row convicts. 
Facing an acute shortage of jail hangmen, the jail department submitted a suggestion to hike their fee from Rs. 500 to Rs. 2 lakh.
The move has virtually opened the floodgates.
In the state 16 convicts are facing gallows now and it is the duty of the jail department to keep hangman ready.
"According to 1957 jail manuals a hangman gets Rs. 500 for a single execution. Since it wasn't renewed all these years a suggestion was given to renew it substantially.  It really triggered a massive response," said Kannur central jail superintendent  Ashokan Arippa.

21 July 2014

India Couture Week

Indian Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu presents jewellery during the closing show of India Couture Week 2014 in New Delhi on July 20, 2014.
Indian Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu presents jewellery during the closing show of India Couture Week 2014 in New Delhi on July 20, 2014.

Armed bandits demand water in dry northern India

Armed bandits in drought-stricken northern India are threatening to kill hundreds of villagers unless they deliver 35 buckets of water each day to the outlaws in their rural hideouts.
Since the threats were delivered last week, 28 villages have been obeying the order, taking turns handing over what the bandits are calling a daily "water tax," police said Monday.

AP PHOTOS: As Ramadan fast ends, the feasts begin

This Sunday, July 6, 2014 photo, shows an Iraqi family waiting to break their fast during the hold month of Ramadan in Basra, Iraq. For the millions of Muslims abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset every day during Islam’s holiest month of Ramadan, that first sip of water after a grueling fast is by far the most anticipated moment of the day.

This Sunday, July 6, 2014 photo, shows an Iraqi family waiting to break their fast during the hold month of Ramadan in Basra, Iraq. For the millions of Muslims abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset every day during Islam’s holiest month of Ramadan, that first sip of water after a grueling fast is by far the most anticipated moment of the day.

Iraqi PM condemns jihadis' targeting of Christians

An Iraqi man inspects the site of a bomb attack in the Jihad district in Baghdad, Saturday, July 19, 2014. A series of bombings, including three over a span of less than 10 minutes, killed and wounded dozens of people across Baghdad on Saturday, shaking the fragile sense of security the capital has maintained despite the Sunni militant offensive raging across northern and western Iraq.
Iraq's prime minister on Sunday condemned the Islamic State extremist group's actions targeting Christians in territory it controls, saying they reveal the threat the jihadists pose to the minority community's "centuries-old heritage."
The comments from Nouri al-Maliki come a day after the expiration of a deadline imposed by the Islamic State group calling on Christians in the militant-held city of Mosul to convert to Islam, pay a tax or face death. Most Christians opted to flee to the nearby self-rule Kurdish region or other areas protected by Kurdish security forces.

19 July 2014

Outrage after Indian girl, 6, raped at her school

An angry protester points her finger towards the Bangalore police chief during a protest against alleged police inaction after a six-year-old was raped at a school, in Bangalore, India, Saturday, July 19, 2014. More than 4,000 parents and relatives of children who attend the school shouted slogans against the school's administration Saturday and demanded that police arrest those involved in the July 2 incident, which was reported only this past week.
Thousands of people angry over alleged police inaction after a 6-year-old girl was raped at her school in southern India rallied Saturday to demand that authorities arrest those responsible for the attack.
More than 4,000 parents and relatives of children who attend the school in Bangalore, India's technology hub, shouted slogans against the school's administration and demanded that police arrest those involved in the July 2 incident, which was reported only this past week.

AIDS conference attendees on downed Malaysian jet

People walk by the venue of the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne. Australia, Friday, July 18, 2014. Several passengers on board a Malaysian jetliner shot down over Ukraine were world-renowned researchers heading to an international AIDS conference in Australia, officials said Friday.
A prominent researcher, two activists and at least three others headed to an AIDS conference in Australia were on the Malaysian jetliner shot down over Ukraine, news that sparked an outpouring of grief across the scientific community.
Among the passengers were a former president of the International AIDS Society, Joep Lange, a well-known researcher from the Netherlands, and World Health Organization spokesman Glenn Thomas, based in Geneva.

AP PHOTOS: Images from Israeli assault in Gaza

Israeli soldiers patrol near the Israeli and Gaza border, Friday, July, 18, 2014. Israeli troops pushed deeper into Gaza on Friday to destroy rocket launching sites and tunnels, firing volleys of tank shells and clashing with Palestinian fighters in a high-stakes ground offensive meant to weaken the enclave's Hamas rulers. Israel launched the operation late Thursday, following a 10-day campaign of more than 2,000 air strikes against Gaza that had failed to halt relentless Hamas rocket fire on Israeli cities.
Israeli soldiers patrol near the Israeli and Gaza border, Friday, July, 18, 2014. Israeli troops pushed deeper into Gaza on Friday to destroy rocket launching sites and tunnels, firing volleys of tank shells and clashing with Palestinian fighters in a high-stakes ground offensive meant to weaken the enclave's Hamas rulers. Israel launched the operation late Thursday, following a 10-day campaign of more than 2,000 air strikes against Gaza that had failed to halt relentless Hamas rocket fire on Israeli cities.

18 July 2014

AP PHOTOS: Malaysia plane carrying 298 shot down

Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai speaks about Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 during a press conference at a hotel next to Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, July 18, 2014. The Malaysia Airlines jetliner that went down in war-torn Ukraine did not make any distress call, Malaysia's prime minister said Friday, adding that its flight route had been declared safe by the global civil aviation body.

Woman loses relatives in 2 Malaysia air disasters

People walk amongst the debris, at the crash site of a passenger plane near the village of Grabovo, Ukraine, Thursday, July 17, 2014. A Ukrainian official said a passenger plane carrying 295 people was shot down Thursday as it flew over the country and plumes of black smoke rose up near a rebel-held village in eastern Ukraine. Malaysia Airlines tweeted that it lost contact with one of its flights as it was traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur over Ukrainian airspace.
In an almost incomprehensible twist of fate, an Australian woman who lost her brother in the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 learned on Friday that her stepdaughter was on the plane shot down over Ukraine.

Ukraine: Pro-Russia rebels downed Malaysian plane

This Wednesday, June 30, 2010, file photo shows the Buk M2 missile system at a military show at the international forum "Technologies in machine building 2010" in Zhukovsky, Russia, outside Moscow. There are several models of Buk Missile Systems used by multiple countries, including both the Russian and Ukrainian government military. Anton Gerashenko, an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister, said Thursday, July 17, 2014, on his Facebook page that a Malaysia Airlines plane was flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters (33,000 feet) when it was hit by a missile from a Buk launcher, which can fire up to an altitude of 22,000 meters (72,000 feet).
Ukraine accused pro-Russian separatists of shooting down a Malaysian jetliner with 298 people aboard, sharply escalating the crisis and threatening to draw both East and West deeper into the conflict. The rebels denied downing the aircraft.
American intelligence authorities believe a surface-to-air missile brought the plane down Thursday but were still working on who fired the missile and whether it came from the Russian or Ukrainian side of the border, a U.S. official said.

AP source: Missile took down jet in Ukraine

People walk amongst the debris at the crash site of a passenger plane near the village of Grabovo, Ukraine, Thursday, July 17, 2014. Ukraine said a passenger plane carrying 295 people was shot down Thursday as it flew over the country, and both the government and the pro-Russia separatists fighting in the region denied any responsibility for downing the plane.
American intelligence authorities believe a surface-to-air missile took down a passenger jet in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, a U.S. official said, but the Obama administration was still scrambling to confirm who launched the strike and whether there were American citizens killed in the crash.

Glance: Airliners that have been shot down

In this Sept. 27, 1983 file photo, a soviet mini-submarine used to search for debris from Korean Air Lines flight 007, shot down Sept. 1, 1983 near Sakhalin Island, rests on the deck of a conventional tender vessel in Nevel'sk, Sakhalin Island, in the East Sea off Russia. The plane, with 269 passengers and crew, was shot down by a Russian fighter jet west of Sakhalin Island as it strayed into prohibited Soviet airspace. The plane was en route from New York to Seoul on Sept. 1, 1983, following a route that took it over Alaska before crossing the Pacific Ocean.
As unthinkable as shooting down an airliner with hundreds of passengers is, it has happened before. Among the most notable cases in recent decades were an Iranian plane shot down by the U.S. Navy and a South Korean airliner destroyed by a Russian fighter jet.

17 July 2014

10 Things to See: A week of top AP photos

A U.S. helicopter flies during clashes between Taliban fighters and Afghan government forces in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, July 17, 2014. Gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on the Kabul International Airport in the Afghan capital on Thursday.

A U.S. helicopter flies during clashes between Taliban fighters and Afghan government forces in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, July 17, 2014. Gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on the Kabul International Airport in the Afghan capital on Thursday.

After hybrid success, Toyota gambles on fuel cell

In this June 26, 2014 photo, a visitor looks at Toyota Motor's new fuel cell vehicle (FCV) on display at the company's showroom in Tokyo. Buoyed by its success with electric-gasoline hybrid vehicles, Toyota is betting that drivers will embrace hydrogen fuel cells, an even cleaner technology that runs on the energy created by an electrochemical reaction when oxygen in the air combines with hydrogen stored as fuel.
Rocket science long dismissed as too impractical and expensive for everyday cars is getting a push into the mainstream by Toyota, the world's top-selling automaker.
Buoyed by its success with electric-gasoline hybrid vehicles, Toyota is betting that drivers will embrace hydrogen fuel cells, an even cleaner technology that runs on the energy created by an electrochemical reaction when oxygen in the air combines with hydrogen stored as fuel.

Buzz Aldrin: Where were you when I walked on moon?

In this July 20, 1969 file photo provided by NASA shows astronaut Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. posing for a photograph beside the U.S. flag deployed on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Aldrin and fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong were the first men to walk on the lunar surface. The trio was launched to the moon by a Saturn V launch vehicle at 9:32 a.m. EDT, July 16, 1969. They departed the moon July 21, 1969.
On July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin was "out of town" when the world united and rejoiced in a way never seen before or since.
He and Neil Armstrong were on the moon.
They missed the whole celebration 45 years ago this Sunday. So did Michael Collins, orbiting solo around the moon in the mother ship.
Now, on this Apollo 11 milestone — just five years shy of the golden anniversary — Aldrin is asking everyone to remember where they were when he and Armstrong became the first humans to step onto another heavenly body, and to share their memories online.

16 July 2014

Typhoon kills 12 in Philippines, spares Manila

A father and his son evacuate to safer grounds as Typhoon Rammasun battered Manila, Philippines, Wednesday, July 16, 2014. Rammasun left at least seven people dead and knocked out power in many areas but it spared the Philippine capital and densely populated northern provinces from being directly battered Wednesday when its fierce wind shifted slightly away, officials said.
A typhoon left at least 12 people dead, knocked out power in many areas, damaged a parked plane but spared the Philippine capital on Wednesday when its fierce wind shifted, officials said.
Still, Typhoon Rammasun's winds of 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour and blinding 185-kph (115-mph) gusts brought down trees, electric posts and ripped off roofs across the capital of 12 million people, shutting government offices and schools. More than 370,000 people moved from high-risk villages to emergency shelters in six provinces.

BRICS nations agree to create own development bank

Leaders of the BRICS nations, from left, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, China's President Xi Jinping and South Africa's President Jacob Zuma, pose for a group photo during the BRICS summit in Fortaleza, Brazil, Tuesday, July 15, 2014. The leaders of the BRICS nations are expected to officially create a bailout and development fund worth $100 billion. It's meant to be an alternative to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which are seen as being dominated by the U.S. and Europe.
The leaders of five emerging market powers said at a summit Tuesday that they gave final agreement to creating their own development bank worth $100 billion that will have its headquarters in China.
The first president of the New Development Bank will be from India and the position will rotate every five years among Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — the so-called BRICS nations, a joint statement from the leaders said.

15 July 2014

Rush-hour Moscow subway derails: 21 dead, 136 hurt

Paramedics and a police officer carry an injured man out from a subway station after a rush-hour subway train derailment in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, July 15, 2014. A rush-hour subway train derailed in Moscow Tuesday, killing about dozen people and injuring at least 106, emergency officials said. Several cars left the track in the tunnel after a power surge triggered an alarm, which caused the train to stop abruptly.
A subway train derailed Tuesday deep below Moscow's streets, twisting and mangling crowded rail cars at the height of the morning rush hour. At least 21 people were killed, Russian officials said, and 136 were hospitalized, many with serious injuries.
The Russian capital's airports and transit systems have been a prime target for terrorists over the past two decades, but multiple officials vigorously dismissed terrorism as a possible cause.