Artificial ovary fertility treatment developed by scientists

Scientists have taken early steps towards developing an artificial ovary that could lead to improved fertility preservation treatments.
The technique is aimed at helping women at risk of becoming infertile, such as those who receive chemotherapy.
The Danish scientists removed parts of the ovary and altered them so they could potentially be transplanted later when the woman wants to conceive.
Experts say the work is "exciting" but human testing is still needed.
Treatments for cancer, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, can often damage the ovaries and leave women infertile.
One way women can preserve their chances of conceiving is with an ovarian tissue transplant, where all or part of the ovary is removed and frozen before it is damaged so that it can be used at a later date.
This is the only fertility preservation treatment available for girls who have not started ovulating.
But there is a small risk that in those with cancer the ovarian tissue may contain cancerous cells, raising the chances of the illness returning when the transplant takes place.
This risk, although "very low", means women with certain forms of cancer, such as leukaemia and those originating in the womb, are unlikely to be offered the transplant.
To eliminate that risk, scientists from the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark, took ovarian follicles and ovarian tissue from patients due to have cancer treatment.
They then removed the cancerous cells from the ovarian tissue, leaving behind a "scaffold" made up of proteins and collagen.
Scientists were then able to grow the ovarian follicles on this engineered scaffold of ovarian tissue.
This artificial ovary was then transplanted into mice, where it was able to support the survival and growth of the ovarian cells.

Experts said the "exciting" technique needed to be tested in humans.
But they said it might have advantages over other fertility treatments.
Stuart Lavery, consultant gynaecologist at Hammersmith Hospital, said the ovarian tissue transplants potentially contained thousands of eggs that would enable women to get pregnant "naturally", as opposed to IVF where an egg is fertilised in a laboratory and then returned to the womb.
Dr Gillian Lockwood, medical director of Midlands Fertility Services, said another advantage of ovarian tissue transplants is that they could enable women to restart their periods after damaging treatments, preventing the need for hormone replacement therapy.
The treatment will need to be tested in humans first - a development expected to take place in the next three to four years.
The research is being presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

India family found hanged from ceiling in Delhi house

Eleven members of an extended family have been found dead in a house in India's capital, Delhi - 10 of them hanging from the ceiling, police say.
A woman in her 70s was the only one found lying on the floor. Most of the dead were blindfolded and gagged with their hands tied behind their backs.
What lies behind the deaths is unclear and police have not ruled out murder.
But they also released a statement saying they had found evidence of "mystical practices" by the family.
The full police statement refers to handwritten notes found in the house which pointed to "definite spiritual and mystical practices" that appear to have some links to the deaths.
They are still waiting for the results of the post-mortem examinations, questioning neighbours and examining CCTV footage of the area.
One police official told the AFP news agency it was "still too early" to know what happened.
"It is an ongoing investigation and we haven't ruled out anything," he said.
The family had lived in the Burari district of Delhi for more than 20 years, although they were originally from Rajasthan. They ran two shops on the ground floor of a three-storey building.
The bodies were discovered by a neighbour when he went to buy milk on Sunday morning.
 When I entered the shop, all the doors were open and the bodies of all the people were hanging from the ceiling with their hands tied," Gurcharan Singh told BBC Hindi.
The dead are thought to include two brothers, their wives and children as well as the elderly woman. The family's pet dog was found alive.
The discovery of the bodies has left the neighbourhood in shock, BBC Hindi reports from the scene.
Residents of the area and relatives have told local media the family were happy and part of the local community.

Germany's migrants: Seehofer offers to resign over migrants

Germany's interior minister has offered to resign over Angela Merkel's EU deal to tackle immigration.
Horst Seehofer heads the Christian Social Union (CSU), a key party in Mrs Merkel's coalition. The two party leaders will hold crisis talks later.
Last week, Mr Seehofer threatened to turn asylum seekers away from Germany's borders unless Mrs Merkel reached an acceptable deal with other EU partners.
His stance put Mrs Merkel's coalition and her political future in question.
A compromise looks unlikely, the BBC's Jenny Hill in Berlin reports.
On Sunday evening Mrs Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) passed a resolution supporting her position on migration. CDU General Secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said the party believed a European solution was necessary.
Then reports emerged from the CSU - the CDU's Bavarian sister party - that Mr Seehofer had offered to resign both as party leader and interior minister.

Mr Seehofer complained during a meeting of top CSU officials that he had held a "conversation with no effect" with Mrs Merkel when they held talks on Saturday about the EU deal on migration, sources said.
Senior figures immediately tried to persuade Mr Seehofer not to step down, including CSU parliamentary group chief Alexander Dobrindt. "This is a decision that I just cannot accept," Mr Dobrindt was quoted as saying.
In the early hours of Monday the party leader then announced he had agreed to hold final talks with the CDU as a "concession" in the interest of the country and the coalition.
Mrs Merkel had previously given a more upbeat account of Saturday's meeting, telling broadcaster ZDF that she had made concessions to Mr Seehofer.
"The sum of all we've agreed is equivalent to what the CSU wants - that's my personal view, but the CSU have to decide for themselves," she said. She also expressed hope that the CDU and CSU could continue working together "because we are a success story for Germany".

Both parties spent Sunday discussing the deal on immigration that Mrs Merkel fought hard to reach at last week's European Union summit.
She said Greece and Spain had agreed to take back migrants stopped at the Bavarian-Austrian border who are proven to have entered their countries first - a move she hoped would allay Mr Seehofer's concerns.
Some 14 EU states had agreed to take back migrants who reached Germany, according to a document circulated by the government in Berlin.
The divisions within the German government over the issue are also being played out in other EU countries, and three countries later said they were not part of the German deal: the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
Correspondents say Mr Seehofer's decision to confront Mrs Merkel over migration appeared linked to state elections in the autumn in which the CSU faces a challenge from the far-right anti-migrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
However, opinion polls have suggested that Bavarians are more satisfied with Mrs Merkel than the CSU leader, weakening Mr Seehofer's position.

Mexico election: López Obrador vows profound change after win

Left-wing candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador has claimed victory in Mexico's presidential election, saying "profound change" is coming.
The ex-Mexico City mayor, known by his initials Amlo, is projected to win about 53%. His rivals have conceded in a crushing defeat for the main parties.
Mr López Obrador's key pledge has been to tackle the "evil" of corruption.
He has also been highly critical of President Donald Trump and ties with the US will now be closely watched.
Relations with Washington have been hugely strained, with Mr Trump strongly criticising Mexico over trade and migration. Mr Trump has sent a tweet of congratulations.

What has López Obrador said?

 

Late on Sunday, the 64-year-old promised to respect civil liberties and said he was "not looking to construct a dictatorship, either open or hidden".
Some opponents have expressed fears that his leftist and populist policies could damage the already sluggish economy and turn Mexico into "another Venezuela", which is suffering a deep economic crisis and rampant inflation.
Hailing a "historic night", Mr López Obrador called on all Mexicans to reconcile and repeated his campaign pledge to review energy contracts for signs of corruption.
"Corruption is... the result of a decadent political regime. We are absolutely convinced that this evil is the main cause of social and economic inequality, and also that corruption is to blame for the violence in our country," he said.
He has insisted that no-one involved in corruption will be spared, not even those he calls "brothers-in-arms".

So what are his other main policies?

On combating Mexico's record levels of violence, much of it related to drug cartels, Mr López Obrador said he would have daily meetings with his security cabinet, which under him, he said, would be under a "unified command".
Sunday's election followed one of Mexico's deadliest campaigns in decades with more than 130 political candidates and party workers killed.

During the campaign Mr López Obrador had often used confrontational language when referring to Mr Trump, but struck a more conciliatory note in his victory speech, saying he would seek "friendly relations".
He also tried to reassure the business sector, saying there would be no nationalisation and that he would respect private business. He also said his government would be fiscally disciplined and taxes would not be raised.
On social policies, he said he would double pensions for the elderly upon taking office on 1 December as a first step to reducing Mexico's disparate income levels.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador - a brief biography

US ambassador to Estonia resigns 'over Trump comments

The US ambassador to Estonia is resigning, reportedly in frustration at remarks made by President Donald Trump about America's European allies.
James D Melville said Mr Trump's comments on Nato and the EU had brought forward his decision to retire, Foreign Policy magazine reports.
The magazine was quoting from a private Facebook post by the envoy.
Mr Trump accuses Europeans of unfairly expecting America to shoulder the costs of the Nato alliance.
He has also imposed trade tariffs on some EU industries.
Other US diplomats left their posts early in recent months:
  • A month earlier, Elizabeth Shackelford resigned from her post in Nairobi where she had worked for the US mission to Somalia, saying she was quitting because the US had abandoned human rights as a priority, Foreign Policy reports
In the private Facebook post seen by Foreign Policy, Mr Melville reportedly told friends: "For the president to say the EU was 'set up to take advantage of the United States, to attack our piggy bank', or that 'Nato is as bad as Nafta [the North American Free Trade Agreement]' is not only factually wrong, but proves to me that it's time to go."
Mr Melville is a career diplomat and took up his position as ambassador in Estonia in 2015 after being nominated by then President Barack Obama.
He had previously held senior diplomatic posts in several European countries and speaks Russian, German and French, according to his biography on the US state department website.

Shark sighted off Majorca: First great white

For the first time in more than 40 years, a great white shark has been recorded swimming off the Spanish Mediterranean island of Majorca.
A wildlife conservation group captured footage of the shark wandering around the Cabrera archipelago.
The last confirmed sighting of such a fish in the Balearic Islands was by a fisherman in 1976.
Great whites can weigh up to two tonnes, grow to lengths of 20ft (6m) and reach speeds of 64km/h (40mph).
"The presence of great white sharks in Spanish waters has been a constant rumour," biologist and documentary maker Fernando López-Mirones told Efe news agency.
"However, we've been unable to document their presence for many years."
Scientists with Spanish conservation group Alnitak recorded the shark for over an hour.
"We watched the shark up close for 70 minutes around three metres from the boat," Mr López-Mirones told Spanish newspaper El País.
According to a documentary from 2007, 27 great whites were caught by fishermen around the Balearic Islands between 1920 and 1976.

Surge in Britons getting EU nationality

There has been a surge in UK citizens acquiring the nationality of another EU country since the Brexit referendum, according to data obtained by the BBC.
In 2017 a total of 12,994 UK citizens obtained the nationality of one of the 17 member states from which the BBC has received figures.
This compares with 5,025 in 2016 and only 1,800 in 2015.
The most frequent new nationality was German, which saw a huge jump from just 594 cases in 2015 up to 7,493 in 2017.
The rise is presumed to be the result of Britons who can meet the criteria seeking to keep their legal rights attached to European Union membership. The 2017 figure is about seven times the 2015 level,
The dramatic increase is consistent across many countries. France was the second most popular nationality, jumping from 320 instances in 2015 to 1,518 last year, and then Belgium, where the increase was from 127 to 1,381.
The number for Ireland rose from 54 in 2015 to 529 in 2017. However, this does not include new Irish passport applications from the much larger number of people who already had entitlement to Irish citizenship, due for example to being born in Northern Ireland.

Their new nationalities will guarantee the recipients the rights to travel, live and work throughout the EU after Brexit, and they may be able to pass these on to their children.
In most cases those involved have also retained their British citizenship and so have become dual nationals.
The BBC has obtained this data for 2017 from 17 of the 27 other EU member states. In the other cases it is not yet ready for publication. These 17 include most of the particularly relevant countries, accounting for over three-quarters of all such new citizenships in 2016.
Only a limited proportion of British citizens would qualify for citizenship of another EU state. The bureaucratic process of applying can be slow and laborious.
The criteria vary from one country to another and are sometimes complex, usually depending on ancestry and family links or residency. In the case of Germany, there is special provision for people whose German ancestors were victims of Nazi persecution.
British citizens who fit a nation's requirements will still be able to apply after Brexit, although for some countries there may be complications. For example, Germany allows dual nationality only with EU states. Unless this changes Britons who become German after Brexit has happened could then find they have to renounce their UK citizenship.

Steel firms Thyssenkrupp and Tata to merge

Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp have agreed a merger that will create Europe's second-biggest steelmaker.
The deal will mean Indian-owned Tata Steel's UK plants are merged into a pan-European venture with annual sales of about £13bn.
These include the UK's biggest steelworks at Port Talbot in Wales, which employs 4,000 people.
Tata said its "ambition" was to not have any compulsory redundancies in the UK as part of the joint venture.
German-owned Thyssenkrupp's supervisory board gave the go-ahead to the merger on Friday - the two companies have been in negotiations for more than a year.
Between them, they employ about 48,000 workers.
The merged group anticipates it will make costs savings of between £350m to £440m a year.
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Steel, said: "This is a significant milestone for Tata Steel and we remain fully committed to the long-term interest of the joint venture company.
"We are confident that this company will create value for all stakeholders."
When details of an initial agreement emerged last September, both sides said they expected about 4,000 jobs would go as a result of the merger, half from administration and half from production.
In Wales, where almost 7,000 people are employed by Tata, unions hope the deal will bring an end to uncertainty for workers.
Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of Community - the steelworkers' union - welcomed the announcement, saying it would have "the potential to safeguard jobs and steel-making for a generation".
But he said the venture would only succeed if there was strategic investment to make sure the business thrived.
Tata announced in 2016 that it wanted to sell off its entire UK operations - before scrapping plans and optioning for a merger deal.

'Important milestone'

Thyssenkrupp chief executive Heinrich Hiesinger has previously said the two companies needed to consolidate and become more efficient because of increasing pressure from imports and an overcapacity within the industry.
More recently, European steel makers have faced 25% tariffs on exports to their biggest market, the US.
"The joint venture with Tata Steel is an important milestone for the transformation of Thyssenkrupp to an industrials and service group and will lead to a significant improvement of the financial figures of Thyssenkrupp," the group said in a statement.
It added that the "signing of the definitive agreement is expected shortly" and that the deal would be subject to clearance in several jurisdictions, including the European Union.
The new company will be called Thyssenkrupp Tata Steel and be based in the Netherlands

Anthony Kennedy: US Supreme Court judge to retire

US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is to retire, giving President Donald Trump the chance to cement a conservative majority on the top court.
The conservative has cast a pivotal vote on many decisions including the 5-4 rulings that decided same-sex marriage and upheld abortion rights.
In his letter to Mr Trump, Justice Kennedy expressed "profound gratitude" for having served in the highest court.
Justice Kennedy, 81, will retire on 31 July, he said in his letter.
He is the second oldest justice on the nine-member US Supreme Court.
The court plays a key role in American life and is often the final word on highly contentious laws, disputes between states and the federal government, and final appeals to stay executions.
In recent years, it has expanded gay marriage to all 50 states, halted President Barack Obama's immigration orders and delayed a US plan to cut carbon emissions while appeals went forward.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said on Wednesday that a vote on Mr Trump's nominee to replace Justice Kennedy - who at times sided with liberal justices and earned a reputation as the court's "swing" vote - would take place by the autumn.





Justice Kennedy said he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Who is Anthony Kennedy?

Justice Kennedy, who was raised in California, was nominated by President Ronald Reagan and began his term in 1988.
He voted conservative on issues of campaign finance, voting rights and gun rights but was considered a swing vote on key rulings.
Justice Kennedy penned the Supreme Court's first major gay-rights decision in 1996, protecting LGBT Americans from discrimination.
In 2015, he authored the landmark opinion which gave LGBT citizens the right to marry, writing: "They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law and the Constitution grants them that right."
As a justice, he routinely favoured personal liberty and the limiting of federal power.
Mr Trump said Justice Kennedy had "displayed great vision" and "tremendous heart".

Timing is everything

Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
Without Anthony Kennedy, the political centre on the Supreme Court will be firmly on the right. Whoever Donald Trump nominates - and he's promised to draw from the same list of candidates from which he picked Neil Gorsuch - will be a person with solid conservative bona fides.
Democrats and liberal activists will howl, rage and do all they can to slow the process, but the timing of Mr Kennedy's retirement makes what happens next all but inevitable. The president will surely offer his choice quickly, and if Republican senators stick together they have the votes to confirm before November's mid-terms congressional elections, let alone when new senators are sworn in next January.
And even if the court vacancy becomes a campaign issue, the open seat in 2016 proved that court vacancies are a much stronger motivating consideration for Republicans - particularly evangelical voters - than they are for Democrats.
File this as yet another entry in the "elections have consequences" scrapbook.
If Hillary Clinton had prevailed in 2016, Democrats would be contemplating a 6-3 liberal Supreme Court majority and an opportunity to reshape the legal landscape for a generation. Instead, on subjects like abortion law and gay rights, the pendulum is swinging the other direction.

US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is to retire, giving President Donald Trump the chance to cement a conservative majority on the top court.
The conservative has cast a pivotal vote on many decisions including the 5-4 rulings that decided same-sex marriage and upheld abortion rights.
In his letter to Mr Trump, Justice Kennedy expressed "profound gratitude" for having served in the highest court.
Justice Kennedy, 81, will retire on 31 July, he said in his letter.
He is the second oldest justice on the nine-member US Supreme Court.
The court plays a key role in American life and is often the final word on highly contentious laws, disputes between states and the federal government, and final appeals to stay executions.
In recent years, it has expanded gay marriage to all 50 states, halted President Barack Obama's immigration orders and delayed a US plan to cut carbon emissions while appeals went forward.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said on Wednesday that a vote on Mr Trump's nominee to replace Justice Kennedy - who at times sided with liberal justices and earned a reputation as the court's "swing" vote - would take place by the autumn.




Justice Kennedy said he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Who is Anthony Kennedy?

Justice Kennedy, who was raised in California, was nominated by President Ronald Reagan and began his term in 1988.
He voted conservative on issues of campaign finance, voting rights and gun rights but was considered a swing vote on key rulings.
Justice Kennedy penned the Supreme Court's first major gay-rights decision in 1996, protecting LGBT Americans from discrimination.
In 2015, he authored the landmark opinion which gave LGBT citizens the right to marry, writing: "They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law and the Constitution grants them that right."
As a justice, he routinely favoured personal liberty and the limiting of federal power.
Mr Trump said Justice Kennedy had "displayed great vision" and "tremendous heart".

Timing is everything

Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
Without Anthony Kennedy, the political centre on the Supreme Court will be firmly on the right. Whoever Donald Trump nominates - and he's promised to draw from the same list of candidates from which he picked Neil Gorsuch - will be a person with solid conservative bona fides.
Democrats and liberal activists will howl, rage and do all they can to slow the process, but the timing of Mr Kennedy's retirement makes what happens next all but inevitable. The president will surely offer his choice quickly, and if Republican senators stick together they have the votes to confirm before November's mid-terms congressional elections, let alone when new senators are sworn in next January.
And even if the court vacancy becomes a campaign issue, the open seat in 2016 proved that court vacancies are a much stronger motivating consideration for Republicans - particularly evangelical voters - than they are for Democrats.
File this as yet another entry in the "elections have consequences" scrapbook.
If Hillary Clinton had prevailed in 2016, Democrats would be contemplating a 6-3 liberal Supreme Court majority and an opportunity to reshape the legal landscape for a generation. Instead, on subjects like abortion law and gay rights, the pendulum is swinging the other direction.

Uber granted short-term licence to operate in London

http://enp1xfxf.top/anf0f92g?key=bd19de2a856ce4da7ff9c68b6c1c5da2
Uber has been granted a short-term licence to operate in London following a court hearing.
Transport for London (TfL) refused to renew the licence when it expired last September, saying the US taxi app was not a "fit and proper" operator.
Uber has now been awarded a licence but it has been put on probation for 15 months.
The company had been seeking a five-year licence when it was refused last year.
Following a two-day hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court, Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said Uber was now considered "fit and proper".
She ordered the company to pay TfL's legal costs of £425,000.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said: "After years of operating poorly in London, Uber has now accepted that TfL's action in refusing to renew their licence was totally justified. Today our stance has been vindicated by the court.
"Uber has been put on probation - their 15 month licence has a clear set of conditions that TfL will thoroughly monitor and enforce."
Tom Elvidge, Uber's UK general manager, said he was pleased with today's decision: "We will continue to work with TfL to address their concerns and earn their trust, while providing the best possible service for our customers."

 

'Disturbing'

One of the areas of concern that TfL highlighted last year was about how Uber reported crime.
The company said that it had made "wholesale" changes to the business since last September.



This includes reporting crimes directly to the police instead of logging criminal complaints with TfL, which caused delays.
During this week's hearing, Helen Chapman, the licensing, regulation and charging director at TfL, said that Uber's behaviour over reporting allegations to police was "very disturbing".

Analysis by Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC technology correspondent

So in the end the humility strategy worked.
When Transport for London denied Uber a new licence last September, the company responded aggressively promising to see the regulator in court over its anti-competitive ruling.
But by the time this week's hearing started it was in full retreat.
http://enp1xfxf.top/anf0f92g?key=bd19de2a856ce4da7ff9c68b6c1c5da2

For much of the hearing, Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot seemed unconvinced - Uber had shown a gung-ho attitude, determined to grow its business come what may.
She wanted reassurance that the people who'd been responsible for statements of questionable honesty in the past had gone and that the culture really had changed. But for the arrival of the "impressive" Laurel Powers-Freeling as non-executive chairman she might have been disinclined to grant a new licence.
So Uber is now free to continue operating in a very important market - but on probation with Transport for London watching its every move.
A taxi-driver who sat through the hearing was unimpressed - "three strikes and you're in" he told me.
But something has changed. Uber once thought it could go round the world ignoring local rules - now other cities may follow London in attempting to clip its wings.
She said: "I think we have had five years of a very difficult relationship where Uber has felt they haven't required regulation and being operated in the same way as everybody else we regulate."
Ms Chapman said that the changes implemented by Uber "could, if applied correctly, enhance public safety".

Public safety

TfL said the way the firm was run had potential public safety and security implications when it decided not to renew its licence to operate in London last year - a decision backed by Mr Khan.
In particular, it highlighted Uber's approach to reporting serious criminal offences, how medical certificates are obtained and background checks on drivers.
Among the changes implemented by Uber, drivers can now only use the app in the region in which they hold a private hire licence and their working hours are more tightly regulated.
A licensed driver on the app has to now take an uninterrupted six-hour break after 10 hours of taking passengers or travelling to pick them up.
The firm also made changes to its app in London to "make it clearer" to passengers that its drivers are licensed by TfL and that it accepts ride requests before allocating drivers.
It also dropped an appeal against a move that would make all its drivers in the city take English language tests.



Spanish church slammed over 'frightening' sculpture restoration

http://enp1xfxf.top/anf0f92g?key=bd19de2a856ce4da7ff9c68b6c1c5da2
A lick of paint can do a lot to lift a drab interior, but when it comes to historic sculptures it turns out the job is best left to experts.
That is what a church in Spain discovered after hiring an arts and crafts teacher to freshen up a 16th century wooden sculpture of St George.
Images shared on social media showed the warrior with a transformed pink face and bright coloured armour.
Cultural officials have blasted the botched attempt as "frightening".
"We cannot tolerate more attacks on our cultural heritage," Spain's art conservation association (ACRE) said in a statement. "It shows a frightening lack of training of the kind required for this sort of job."
The parish priest in the northern town of Estella simply wanted the sculpture to be cleaned and did not intend for it to be restored, the Efe news agency reports.
But the move has enraged local officials who are demanding to know why they were not informed of the church's plans.
"The council wasn't told and neither was the regional government of Navarre," the town's Mayor Koldo Leoz told The Guardian newspaper.
"They've used plaster and the wrong kind of paint and it's possible that the original layers of paint have been lost. This is an expert job it should have been done by experts," he said.
The group in charge of the project - Karmacolor - reportedly uploaded a video to Facebook showing every stage of the project but later deleted it.
"What a great loss," one Facebook user commented underneath a photograph of the sculpture. "Prison sentences would prevent these attacks on our heritage," another said.
http://enp1xfxf.top/anf0f92g?key=bd19de2a856ce4da7ff9c68b6c1c5da2

Others compared it to the now infamous attempt to restore the Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) fresco of Jesus Christ in 2012.
Elderly parishioner Cecilia Gimenez took her brush to the 19th century artwork following years of deterioration due to moisture, but after much ridicule the result was labelled "Monkey Christ".
Some positives did come from her efforts however, as the town drew thousands more visitors eager to see her "restoration" and she even had her own art exhibited.
Gimenez even starred in a music video for a song she inspired which told the story of her attempt from a more sympathetic angle

De Telegraaf attack: Car rams Dutch newspaper offi


The office of one the Netherlands' leading newspapers was attacked at night, in what the prime minister called "a slap in the face" of the free press.
De Telegraaf's office in Amsterdam was rammed twice by a white van before the driver set it on fire, causing significant damage to the entrance.
The suspect then escaped in another car.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Artificial ovary fertility treatment developed by scientists

Scientists have taken early steps towards developing an artificial ovary that could lead to improved fertility preservation treatments. ...