'Big Ben' bell to fall silent for four years

LONDON - The "Big Ben" bell in the British parliament's famous clock tower will cease its regular bongs at noon on Aug 21, falling silent for most of the next four years while renovation works are carried out, the House of Commons said on Monday.

IN BRIEF

Castro remembered on 91st birthday

HAVANA - Cubans on Sunday commemorated the 91st birthday of their former president Fidel Castro by remembering his legacy of major social and economic changes.

Artist goes virtual as Sunflowers unite for live online show

THE HAGUE - Five versions of Vincent van Gogh's masterpiece painting Sunflowers will be united across three continents for the first time on Monday via a consecutive livestream feed, the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam has said.

Kenyatta harvests grassroots rewards

NAIROBI - Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta won reelection in last week's vote largely due to an enhanced grassroots campaign strategy and gains from the east African country's infrastructure development, experts said on Saturday.

Vote gauges appetite for Fernandez return

BUENOS AIRES - Argentines voted on Sunday in a closely watched midterm primary election that will test their appetite for bringing back former president Cristina Fernandez.

Countries join to condemn Trump's military threat against Venezuela

MEXICO CITY, Mexico - Latin American countries have strongly condemned the United States' threat of military intervention against crisis-stricken Venezuela.

Looters swoop after load falls from ship

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Enterprising thieves near Sao Paulo used small boats to raid dozens of containers that fell from a Brazilian cargo ship containing everything from bicycles to electronics.

Hospital crisis claims 60 children's lives

NEW DELHI - India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh has suspended the head of a hospital where at least 60 children died, while the federal health minister on Sunday vowed action against the culprits, as state and hospital officials traded blame over funding matters.

Emergency teams battle oil spill off Kuwait

KUWAIT CITY - Emergency workers are battling to contain an oil spill near a joint Kuwaiti-Saudi oilfield in the Gulf, an official said on Sunday.

Attack helicopters declared 'unsafe'

CANBERRA - The Australian government said on Sunday that it would "actively monitor" a situation involving its 22 Tiger attack helicopters, after the maker Airbus Helicopters declared all variants to be in an unsafe condition.

World's oldest man, a Holocaust survivor, dies at 113

JERUSALEM - The world's oldest man, Israel Kristal, who lived through both World Wars and survived the Auschwitz concentration camp, has passed away just a month short of his 114th birthday, his family said on Saturday.