30 December 2016

Benefits of Indian cash overhaul elusive as deadline passes

Indians stand in a queue outside a bank in New Delhi, India, Friday, Dec. 30. 2016. India yanked most of its currency bills from circulation without warning, delivering a jolt to the country's high-performing economy and leaving countless citizens scrambling for cash. Still, as Friday's deadline for depositing old 500- and 1,000-rupee notes draws to a close, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has called the demonetization drive a great success in drawing out tax dodgers and eliminating graft.
Fifty days ago, India yanked most of its currency from circulation without warning, jolting the economy and leaving most citizens scrambling for cash. As the deadline for exchanging the devalued 500- and 1,000-rupee notes for new ones hit on Friday, many Indians were still stuck waiting in long bank lines.
Empty ATMs and ever-changing rules prevented people from withdrawing money, and many small, cash-reliant businesses from cinemas to neighborhood grocery stores suffered huge losses or went under.

Benefits of Indian cash overhaul elusive as deadline passes

In this Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016 photo, an Indian woman, who had come to deposit money, argues with a bank officer in New Delhi, India. On Nov. 8, India yanked most of its currency bills from circulation without warning, delivering a jolt to the country’s high-performing economy and leaving countless citizens scrambling for cash. Still, as Friday’s deadline for depositing old 500- and 1,000-rupee notes draws to a close, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has called the demonetization drive a great success in drawing out tax dodgers and eliminating graft.
Fifty days ago, India yanked most of its currency from circulation without warning, jolting the economy and leaving most citizens scrambling for cash. As the deadline for exchanging the devalued 500- and 1,000-rupee notes for new ones hits Friday, many Indians are still stuck waiting in long bank lines.
Empty ATMs and ever-changing rules are preventing people from withdrawing money, and many small, cash-reliant businesses from cinemas to neighborhood grocery stores are suffering huge losses or going under.

27 December 2016

Vera Rubin, who did pioneering work on dark matter, dies

In this image taken in the 1970s and provided by the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Vera Rubin uses a measuring engine. Rubin, a pioneering astronomer who helped find powerful evidence of dark matter died Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016. She was 88.
Vera Rubin, a pioneering astronomer who helped find powerful evidence of dark matter, has died, her son said Monday.

She was 88.
Allan Rubin, a professor of geosciences at Princeton University, said his mother died Sunday night of natural causes. He said the Philadelphia native had been living in the Princeton area.
Vera Rubin found that galaxies don't quite rotate the way they were predicted, and that lent support to the theory that some other force was at work, namely dark matter.

Cheetah numbers decline as African habitat shrinks

In this Aug. 22, 2012 photo, a cheetah is photographed in the Tamboti Game Resrve, near Lephalale, South Africa. Amid population declines for many wildlife species in Africa, conservationists are sounding alarm bells for the cheetah, the fastest animal on land, where there are an estimated 7,100 cheetahs remaining across Africa and in a small area in Iran.
Amid population declines for many wildlife species in Africa, conservationists are sounding alarm bells for the cheetah, the fastest animal on land.
An estimated 7,100 cheetahs remain in the wild across Africa and in a small area of Iran, and human encroachment has pushed the wide-ranging predator out of 91 percent of its historic habitat, according to a study published on Monday.

26 December 2016

Israel: humbled Netanyahu places hopes in Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, second right, arrives for a weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016.
The Israeli government's furious reaction to the U.N. Security Council's adoption of a resolution opposing Jewish settlements in occupied territory underscores its fundamental and bitter dispute with the international community about the future of the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that there is nothing wrong with his controversial policy of building Jewish towns in occupied areas that the Palestinians, with overwhelming world support, claim for their state. But Friday's U.N. rebuke was a stark reminder that the rest of the world considers it a crime. The embattled leader is now placing his hopes in the incoming administration of Donald Trump, which is shaping up as the first major player to embrace Israel's nationalist right and its West Bank settlements.

25 December 2016

Sri Lanka claims world's tallest artificial Christmas tree

A Sri Lankan family takes photographs standing near an enormous artificial Christmas tree as others gather around it in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016. Sri Lanka has unveiled a towering Christmas tree, claiming to have surpassed the world record for the tallest artificial Christmas tree.
Sri Lanka unveiled a towering Christmas tree, claiming to have surpassed the world record despite constructions delays and a shorter-than-planned finished product.
The 73-meter (238-foot) artificial tree in capital Colombo is 18 meters (59 feet) taller than the current record holder, organizers said. The tree's steel-and-wire frame is covered with a plastic net decorated with more than 1 million natural pine cones painted red, gold, green and silver, 600,000 LED bulbs and topped by a 6-meter (20-foot)-tall shining star.

Thousands of faithful celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem

A Christian worshipper prays after lighting a candle on Christmas Eve at the Church of the Nativity, built atop the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, in the West Bank City of Bethlehem, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016.
Thousands of pilgrims and tourists from around the world together with local Christians gathered in the biblical town of Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas Eve in the traditional birthplace of Jesus, with spirits lifted by a slowdown in recent violence and cool, clear weather.
Security was tight in Bethlehem after recent deadly attacks on Christian targets in neighboring Egypt and Jordan by Islamic extremists.

23 December 2016

Deutsche, Credit Suisse to compensate consumers post-crisis

This Aug. 1, 2014 file photo shows a logo of Swiss bank Credit Suisse in Zurich, Switzerland. Credit Suisse says Friday, Dec. 23, 2016 it has reached a settlement totaling nearly US dollar 5.3 billion with U.S. authorities in connection with its mortgage-backed securities business during the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis.
Nine years after the collapse of the U.S. housing market sent shockwaves through the global economy, two European banks have agreed to offer American homeowners and borrowers billions of dollars' worth of help under a settlement related to the sale of risky securities that helped spark the 2008 crisis.
Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse said Friday they agreed to the tentative settlements with the U.S. Justice Department over their dealings in mortgage-backed bonds.

22 December 2016

Death toll in alcohol poisoning in Russia climbs to 72

Local health officials in Russia's Siberia say the number of people who have died from drinking a bath lotion that contained methanol has climbed to 72.

The health ministry in the Irkutsk region said on its website Thursday that another 33 were still in hospital while six others have been discharged.

9 December 2016

CBI arrests former IAF chief S.P. Tyagi

The CBI on Friday arrested former Indian Air Force (IAF) chief S.P. Tyagi on charges of corruption in its ongoing probe into the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal.
S.P. Tyagi was taken into custody from Delhi along with his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi alias Julie Tyagi and a Delhi-based lawyer, Gautam Khaitan.

7 December 2016

Isro launches PSLV C36 remote sensing satellite

The Indian Space Research Organisation launched its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C36 Resource Sat-2A at 10.25 am on Wednesday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Resource Sat-2A is a remote sensing satellite developed by the space agency. The 1,235 kg Resource Sat-2A was placed on the 817-km polar sun synchronous orbit 18 minutes after it took off.  

6 December 2016

Thousands mourn beloved leader Jayalalithaa in south India

Hundreds of thousands of people thronged the southern Indian city of Chennai on Tuesday to honor their late beloved leader, Jayaram Jayalalithaa, a former film actress and popular politician.

Jayalalithaa, chief minister of Tamil Nadu state, died overnight following a heart attack a day earlier.

Indian actress-turned-politician Jayaram Jayalalithaa dies

Supporters of Indian southern state of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa hold her photograph as they pray for her health at a temple in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 5, 2016. Thousands of Jayalalitha supporters and well wishers across India prayed for her speedy recovery after she was readmitted to the hospital in Cheanni following a cardiac arrest on Sunday evening.
Jayaram Jayalalithaa, the hugely popular south Indian actress who later turned to politics and became the highest elected official in the state of Tamil Nadu, died Monday. She was 68.

The Apollo Hospital in the southern Indian city of Chennai said Jayalalithaa died at 11:30 p.m. local time Monday after undergoing surgery following a heart attack on Sunday night.

Known by her followers as "Amma," which means "Mother" in the Tamil language, Jayalalithaa inspired intense loyalty among film fans and political supporters alike.

26 November 2016

Secrecy shrouded details of Fidel Castro's health

In this April 19, 2016 file photo, Fidel Castro sits as he clasps hands with his brother, Cuban President Raul Castro, right, and second secretary of the Central Committee, Jose Ramon Machado Ventura moments before the playing of the Communist party hymn during the closing ceremonies of the 7th Congress of the Cuban Communist Party, in Havana, Cuba. Castro has died at age 90. President Raul Castro said on state television that his older brother died late Friday, Nov. 25, 2016.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro would always laugh off speculation about his health.

With an athletic build, and physical stamina that lasted deep into his 70s, it seemed he would continue to rule for many more years.
Castro's own physician, a specialist in longevity, even suggested in 2004 that the leader could live to 140. "I am not exaggerating," Dr. Eugenio Selman said.

Fidel Castro clung to socialism, mentored new leftists


In this 1960 file photo, Cuba's revolutionary hero Ernesto "Che" Guevara, center, Cuba's leader Fidel Castro, left, and Cuba's President Osvaldo Dorticos, right, attend a reception in an unknown location in Cuba. Castro has died at age 90. President Raul Castro said on state television that his older brother died at 10:29 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25, 2016.
Fidel Castro's revolution was slowly dying — or so it seemed.

Communism had collapsed in Europe, and Cuba's Soviet lifeline was severed. Food was in short supply. Power outages silenced TV sets normally tuned to a nighttime soap opera. Factories rusted in the tropical heat.
The title of an American book seemed just right: "Castro's Final Hour." That was in 1992.

Cuba's Fidel Castro, who defied US for 50 years, dies at 90

In this April 19, 2016 file photo, Fidel Castro attends the last day of the 7th Cuban Communist Party Congress in Havana, Cuba. Fidel Castro formally stepped down in 2008 after suffering gastrointestinal ailments and public appearances have been increasingly unusual in recent years. Cuban President Raul Castro has announced the death of his brother Fidel Castro at age 90 on Cuban state media on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016.
Former President Fidel Castro, who led a rebel army to improbable victory in Cuba, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 U.S. presidents during his half century rule, has died at age 90.
With a shaking voice, President Raul Castro said on state television that his older brother died at 10:29 p.m. Friday. He ended the announcement by shouting the revolutionary slogan: "Toward victory, always!"

Quotes from Fidel Castro across more than 5 decades

In this June 1972 file photo, Cuba's leader Fidel Castro, center, attends the signing of a bilateral agreement between the German Democratic Republic and Cuba. Castro has died at age 90. President Raul Castro said on state television that his older brother died late Friday, Nov. 25, 2016.
Quotes from Fidel Castro:
___

"Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me." — Oct. 16, 1953, at his trial for rebel attack that launched Cuban Revolution.
___

"I am not interested in power nor do I envisage assuming it at any time. All that I will do is to make sure that the sacrifices of so many compatriots should not be in vain, whatever the future may hold in store for me." — Jan. 1, 1959, upon triumph of the revolution.

A look at the life of Fidel Castro

NAME: Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz.

TITLES: Former president of Council of State and Council of Ministers, first secretary of Communist Party of Cuba, commander in chief of Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces. Before resigning Feb. 19, 2008, he was the world's longest-ruling head of government, and leader of one of world's last five communist states. Had been off public stage for year and half after provisionally ceding power to his brother Raul following emergency intestinal surgery.

Key dates in Fidel Castro's government in Cuba

In in this Feb. 6, 1959 file photo, Cuba's leader Fidel Castro speaks to a crowd during his triumphant march to Havana after the fall of the Batista regime. Former President Fidel Castro, who led a rebel army to improbable victory in Cuba, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 U.S. presidents during his half century rule, has died at age 90. The bearded revolutionary, who survived a crippling U.S. trade embargo as well as dozens, possibly hundreds, of assassination plots, died eight years after ill health forced him to formally hand power over to his younger brother Raul, who announced his death late Friday, Nov. 25, 2016, on state television.
Key events in Cuba under Fidel Castro:

Jan. 1, 1959 — Castro's rebels take power as dictator Fulgencio Batista flees Cuba.

June 1960 — Cuba nationalizes U.S.-owned oil refineries after they refuse to process Soviet oil. Nearly all other U.S. businesses expropriated by October.

October 1960 — Washington bans exports to Cuba, other than food and medicine.

Fidel Castro has died at age 90, brother says

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has died at age 90, his brother, President Raul Castro announced late Friday on state television.

24 November 2016

Sudden currency move spoils business at Indian food market

In this Friday, Nov. 18, 2016 photo, a laborer sits on his cart waiting for work at Azadpur Mandi, one of Asia's largest wholesale market for fruits and vegetables in New Delhi, India. Business at the massive New Delhi market is evaporating, the food spoiling and wasted, two weeks after the government's surprise currency move made more than 80 percent of India's banknotes useless. By withdrawing all 500- and 1,000-rupee notes from circulation, the government is trying to clean India's economy of "black money," or untaxed wealth. Its success remains to be seen, but for now the move has created serpentine queues outsides banks and ATMs of people replacing their rupee notes or making small withdrawals.
The scale of India's cash economy can be seen in the Azadpur Mandi wholesale fruit and vegetable market. Trucks bring load after load of fresh produce to its grimy lanes every day. Then a complex web of wholesale merchants, smaller traders and retailers delivers the produce to most of north India.
Almost every transaction, like most in India, is done in cash. And business at the massive New Delhi market is evaporating, the food spoiling and wasted, two weeks after the government's surprise currency move made more than 80 percent of India's banknotes useless.

21 November 2016

Search for bodies at Indian train crash site ends; 146 dead

Rescuers work at the site after 14 coaches of an overnight passenger train rolled off the track near Pukhrayan village in Kanpur Dehat district of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, India, Monday, Nov. 21, 2016. Dozens died and dozens more were injured in the accident.
The death toll from India's worst train accident in years rose to 146 on Monday after rescuers used cranes to lift the last of the twisted metal wreckage to check for bodies underneath.
About 2,000 workers were clearing the tracks and checking for damage to the rail line in hopes of resuming traffic through one of India's busiest railway junctions by Monday evening, railway official Amit Kumar said. The government called for an investigation into what caused the accident, promising to punish anyone found responsible.

20 November 2016

Train derails in north India, killing 104; many trapped

In this image made from video, India's security forces personnel gather at the site of a train accident near Pukhrayan, about 270 kilometers (168 miles) from Allahabad, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016. Rescue workers used gas cutters to pull out survivors after 14 coaches of a passenger train rolled off the track in northern India early Sunday, police said.
At least 104 people were killed when 14 coaches of an overnight passenger train rolled off the track in northern India early Sunday, with rescue workers using cutting torches to try to pull out survivors, police said.
Daljeet Chaudhary, a director general of police, said the death toll was likely to rise because rescue workers had yet to gain access to one of the worst-damaged coaches. About 150 people were injured, he said.

18 November 2016

The effects of India's currency reform? "Chaos" say analysts

In this Nov. 17, 2016 file photo, Indians stand in a queue to deposit and exchange discontinued currency notes outside a bank on the outskirts of Allahabad, India. The sudden withdrawal of 86 percent of India's currency has left cash in short supply, retail sales stumbling and wholesale markets in turmoil.
The sudden withdrawal of 86 percent of India's currency has left cash in short supply, retail sales stumbling and wholesale markets in turmoil.
That's just the immediate fallout from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise effort to stamp out corruption by making cash hoards in large denomination bills worthless. But what lies ahead could be even worse, some analysts say.

17 November 2016

Bollywood actress tear gassed during botched Paris robbery

In this May 23, 2015 file photo, actress Mallika Sherawat poses for photographers upon arrival for the screening of the film Macbeth at the 68th international film festival, Cannes, southern France. The Paris prosecutor's office says Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat and partner Cyrille Auxenfans were the targets of a botched robbery attempt involving tear gas in a posh area of the French capital.
Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat and partner Cyrille Auxenfans were the targets of a botched robbery attempt involving tear gas in a wealthy area of Paris, the Paris prosecutor's office said Thursday.
Suspected robbers attacked the couple last Friday night in the building where Auxenfans lives in Paris' 16th arrondissement but fled empty-handed, according to spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre.

15 November 2016

India struggles as millions throng banks to swap currency

Indians stand in queues at a bank to exchange or deposit discontinued currency notes in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016. Chaotic scenes played out across India with long lines growing even longer and scuffles breaking out, as millions of anxious people tried to change old currency notes that became worthless days earlier when the government demonetized high-value bills.
India's government said Tuesday it will use indelible ink to mark the fingers of people swapping scrapped currency notes at banks as authorities struggle to deal with the bedlam caused by the sudden demonetizing of the country's highest-denomination bills.

14 November 2016

Brightest moon in almost 69 years lights up sky around globe

The moon rises behind the castle of Almodovar in Cordoba, southern Spain, on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016. The Supermoon on November 14, 2016, will be the closest a full moon has been to Earth since January 26, 1948.
The brightest moon in almost 69 years is lighting up the sky in a treat for star watchers around the globe.

The phenomenon known as the supermoon reached its peak luminescence in North America before dawn on Monday. Its zenith in Asia and the South Pacific was Monday night. Across the international dateline in New Zealand, it was to reach its brightest after midnight Tuesday local time.

13 November 2016

Global gov'ts: Make tobacco firms liable for smoking harm

In this Nov. 3, 2016 file photo, an Indian man smokes a cigarette in New Delhi, India. A global conference on tobacco control has pledged to hold the tobacco industry legally liable for health consequences of smoking and protect public health policies from the influence of tobacco companies.Representatives from around 180 countries participating in the World Health Organization's global tobacco control treaty negotiations on Saturday adopted a declaration in which they also vowed to prohibit or regulate the sale of e-cigarettes.
A global conference on tobacco control has pledged to hold the tobacco industry legally liable for health consequences of smoking and protect public health policies from the influence of tobacco companies.
Representatives from around 180 countries participating in the World Health Organization's global tobacco control treaty negotiations on Saturday adopted a declaration in which they also vowed to prohibit or regulate the sale of e-cigarettes.

11 November 2016

Japan, India sign agreement on civil nuclear power

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shake hands after signing a joint statement at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Friday, Nov. 11, 2016. After their bilateral meeting, both countries signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement that will allow Japan to export nuclear plant technology to India.
Japan signed a pact Friday in which it agreed to sell India civil nuclear power equipment and technology, as the Japanese nuclear industry seeks markets overseas because of shrinking business at home since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, also agreed during talks to advance business and security cooperation.

9 November 2016

It's Trump! Stunning outsider victory for 45th president

President-elect Donald Trump smiles as he arrives to speak at an election night rally, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016, in New York.
Donald Trump claimed his place Wednesday as America's 45th president, an astonishing victory for the celebrity businessman and political novice who capitalized on voters' economic anxieties, took advantage of racial tensions and overcame a string of sexual assault allegations on his way to the White House.
Trump's triumph over Hillary Clinton, not declared until well after midnight, will end eight years of Democratic dominance of the White House. He'll govern with Congress fully under Republican control and lead a country deeply divided by his rancorous campaign against Clinton. He faces fractures within his own party, too, given the numerous Republicans who either tepidly supported his nomination or never backed him at all.

India scraps high currency notes overnight to fight graft

Indians crowd a gas station, one of the few places still accepting the high denomination 1000 and 500 currency notes, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. India's highest-denomination currency notes are being withdrawn immediately from circulation, the country's prime minister said Tuesday night, a surprise announcement designed to fight corruption and target people who have stashed away immense amounts of cash. As of midnight Tuesday, 500- and 1,000-rupee notes, worth about $7.50 and $15, will have no cash value, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a televised address.
India scrapped its highest-denomination currency notes overnight, delivering a blow to black-market money launderers but plunging hundreds of millions of common citizens holding cash savings into fear and uncertainty.
Within hours of Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing the surprise move in a televised address, people thronged to ATMs, standing in long lines in hopes of grabbing bills that might still be in circulation on Wednesday.

7 November 2016

UN chief urges Cyprus leaders to seize peace deal chance

A Turkish, left, and Turkish Cypriot breakaway flag fly at a Turkish military guard post in the divided capital Nicosia in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. Past efforts to solve the ethnical division of Cyprus have failed, but the leaders are heading to the Swiss resort of Mont Pelerin for meetings next week that could be the precursor to one last summit to sort out the final details of a deal.
The United Nations chief on Monday urged the rival leaders of ethnically divided Cyprus to seize the opportunity for a reunification deal that he said is within their grasp.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the two leaders are at a "critical juncture" in talks now taking place in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland, and encouraged them to make the most of the moment.

India, Britain talk trade and investment during May's visit

British Prime Minister Theresa May, left, and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, attend the India-U.K Tech Summit in New Delhi, India, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. The two prime ministers have begun wide-ranging talks aimed at deepening ties between their two countries and boosting trade and investment as the U.K. plans to leave the European Union. May arrived in New Delhi late Sunday on her first bilateral visit overseas since she became prime minister in July.
British Prime Minister Theresa May and her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, held talks Monday aimed at deepening ties between their countries and boosting trade and investment as the U.K. prepares to leave the European Union.
May arrived in New Delhi late Sunday on her first trip outside of Europe since she became prime minister in July. She was accompanied by trade officials and a large business delegation consisting predominantly of small and medium-sized businesses.

Justin Bieber wins 3 MTV EMA Europe music awards

In this Nov. 7, 2015 file photo, Justin Bieber arrives at the Cannes festival palace in Cannes, southeastern France. Justin Bieber could add another five MTV EMA European music awards to the five he won last year. Bieber is tied with Beyonce for the most nominations at the awards show Sunday, Nov. 6, 2018, in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam.
Justin Bieber's "Beliebers" helped turn him into the biggest winner Sunday at the MTV EMA European music awards. Again.
Bieber, who carried away the most silverware at the MTV EMAs last year with five awards, won Best Song this time around for his smash "Sorry," and also took away the title of Best Canadian Act. His army of so-called Beliebers earned him his third crown of the night, Biggest Fans, in online voting via Twitter and Instagram that closed shortly before the show started.

6 November 2016

Delhi shuts schools, halts construction to tackle pollution

An Indian girls holds a banner during a protest against air pollution in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. The Delhi government has ordered that all city schools be shut, construction activity halted and all roads be doused with water as crippling air pollution has engulfed the Indian capital. The city, one of the world's dirtiest, has seen the levels of PM2.5 soar to over 900 microgram per cubic meter on Saturday, more than 90 times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization and 15 times the Indian government's norms.
India's capital announced a slew of measures Sunday to combat the crippling air pollution that has engulfed the city, including closing down schools, halting construction and ordering that all roads be doused with water to settle dust.
New Delhi, one of the world's dirtiest cities, saw levels of PM2.5 — tiny particulate matter that can clog lungs — soar to over 900 micrograms per cubic meter on Saturday. That's more than 90 times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization and 15 times the Indian government's norms. The severe weekend pollution followed a week of constant gray smog.

5 November 2016

50 years after flood, damaged Renaissance painting restored

This black and white Nov. 5, 1996 file photo shows the square in front of the Basilica of Santa Croce after the banks of the River Arno overflowed and flooded the city. A Renaissance painting, Giorgio Vasari's “The Last Supper”, that was badly damaged in a 1966 flood in Florence, will be reinstalled in the basilica and unveiled to the public on Friday, Nov. 4, 2016 after years of painstaking restoration.
A 16th-century painting by Renaissance artist Giorgio Vasari that was badly damaged in a 1966 flood in Florence was unveiled to the public Friday after years of painstaking restoration.
Vasari created "The Last Supper" for a convent of cloistered nuns. Because the nuns eschewed contact with men, and because the work was large — 6.6 meters by 2.6 meters (21 ½ feet by 8 1/2 feet) — Vasari painted it in his studio on five wood panels that could be easily transported and recomposed in the convent.

31 October 2016

2 billion children breathe toxic air worldwide, UNICEF says

In this photo taken Friday, Oct. 28, 2016, an Indian national flag flies as a thin layer of smog envelops the city skyline before Diwali festival in New Delhi, India. As north Indian cities enter the season of high air pollution, a new report is warning about the dangers to children.
As Indians awoke Monday to smoke-filled skies from a weekend of festival fireworks, New Delhi's worst season for air pollution began — with dire consequences.
A new report from UNICEF says about a third of the 2 billion children in the world who are breathing toxic air live in northern India and neighboring countries, risking serious health effects including damage to their lungs, brains and other organs. Of that global total, 300 million kids are exposed to pollution levels more than six times higher than standards set by the World Health Organization, including 220 million in South Asia.

23 October 2016

Junko Tabei, 1st woman to climb Everest, dies at 77

In this May 27, 2003, file photo, Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Mount Everest in 1975, receives a gift from a Kathmandu city official during ceremonies in Kathmandu, Nepal. Tabei, who died Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, at 77, devoted her adult life to scaling peaks, climbing the tallest mountains in more than 70 countries.
The first woman to climb Mount Everest didn't stop there.
Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei, who died Thursday at 77, devoted her adult life to scaling peaks, climbing the tallest mountains in more than 70 countries.
Her philosophy was to live life to the fullest. "I want to climb even more mountains," she said in a 1991 interview with The Associated Press, 16 years after conquering Everest. "To think, 'It was great,' and then die."

22 October 2016

India launches phone app to monitor New Delhi's pollution

A heap of grass and garbage burns in a field on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016. The Indian capital, laboring under the label of being the world's most polluted city, is trying something new to help clean up its air. A smartphone application that allows citizens to report the presence of construction dust or the burning of leaves and garbage in public parks to authorities was launched Friday.
India's capital, laboring under the label of being the world's most polluted city, is trying something new to help clean up its air.
A smartphone application that allows residents to report the presence of construction dust or the burning of leaves and garbage in New Delhi's public parks to authorities was launched Friday.

21 October 2016

Indian bank authorities say 3.2 million debit cards hacked

An Indian woman uses an ATM in New Delhi, India, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Indian banks are scrambling to contain the damage after more than 3.2 million debit cards were feared to have been hacked.
Indian banks scrambled Friday to contain the damage after finding that more than 3.2 million debit cards may have been hacked.
Several banks, including the government-run State Bank of India, advised customers to change their personal identification numbers. The banks have recalled thousands of debit cards and blocked others that they fear have been hacked.

19 October 2016

New Delhi zoo closed temporarily after birds die of bird flu

A sweeper cleans a road inside the closed premises of the National Zoological Park in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016. The zoo has been closed temporarily after nine birds died from suspected bird flu last week, according to a zoo official.
New Delhi's zoo has been closed temporarily after nine birds died from suspected bird flu last week, a zoo official said Wednesday.
Autopsies conducted on the birds confirmed that at least two of them died from H5N1 avian influenza, said Riaz Ahmed Khan, the National Zoological Park's curator.
"We decided to close the zoo for a few days as a precautionary measure," Khan said, adding that the zoo would reopen next week.

7 October 2016

How a patient's 'crazy' request for a new womb made history

In this photo taken Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, professor Mats Brannstrom talks about the revolutionary womb transplant he led that links three generations of a Swedish family at Stockholm IVF fertility clinic in Stockholm, Sweden. Brannstrom has made medical history by becoming the first doctor to deliver babies, five so far, from women with donated wombs, in a stunning advance that could lead to new insights into reproductive medicine and beyond.
When the young Australian cervical cancer patient learned she had to lose her womb in order to survive, she proposed something audacious to the doctor who was treating her: She asked if she could have a womb transplant, so she could one day carry her own baby.
This was nearly two decades ago, when the Swedish doctor Mats Brannstrom was training to be a physician abroad.
"I thought she was a bit crazy," Brannstrom said.