Weak Arctic ice sees 56 polar bears descend on Russia

Moscow: More than 50 polar bears have gathered on the edge of a village in Russia's far north, environmentalists and residents said, as weak Arctic ice leaves them unable to roam. The Russian branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said climate change was to blame, as unusually warm temperatures prevented coastal ice from forming. The WWF said 56 polar bears had gathered in a one-square-km area near the village of Ryrkaipy in Chukotka on the northeastern tip of Russia. The WWF said in statement, "The main reason is the decline of sea ice area due to the changing climate." AFP

British hiker revived after six-hour cardiac arrest

london: A British woman whose heart stopped beating for six hours has been brought back to life in what doctors have described as an "exceptional case". Audrey Schoeman, 34, developed severe hypothermia when she was caught in a snowstorm while hiking in the Spanish Pyrenees with her husband in November. Schoeman, who lives in Barcelona, began having trouble speaking and moving during severe weather in the Pyrenees, later falling unconscious.Her doctor Eduard Argudo said it was the longest cardiac arrest ever recorded in Spain. IANS

China introduces digital courts to deliver justice

hangzhou: Artificial-intelligence judges, cyber-courts, and verdicts delivered on chat apps - welcome to China's brave new world of justice spotlighted by authorities this week. China is encouraging digitisation to streamline case-handling within its sprawling court system using cyberspace and technologies like blockchain and cloud computing, China's Supreme People's Court said in a policy paper. The efforts include a "mobile court" offered on popular social media platform WeChat that has already handled more than three million legal cases. AFP