Coincheck: World's biggest ever digital currency 'theft'

One of Japan's largest digital currency exchanges says it has lost some $534m (£380m) worth of virtual money in a hacking attack on its network.

Coincheck suspended deposits and withdrawals for all crypto-currencies except Bitcoin as it assessed its losses in NEM, a lesser-known coin.

If the theft is confirmed, it will be the largest involving digital currency.

Another Tokyo exchange, MtGox, collapsed in 2014 after admitting that $400m had been stolen from its network.

The stolen Coincheck money was said to be kept in a "hot wallet" - a part of the exchange connected to the internet. That contrasts with a cold wallet, where funds are stored securely offline.

Coincheck says it has the digital address of where the money was sent and is going to do what it can to compensate investors.

Global register lists alien species

The first global register of alien species shows that a fifth of 6,400 plants and animals catalogued are causing harm. 

Some of the biggest factors in their spread are ballast water in ships for marine species and trade in ornamental plants on land, say scientists.

They released data for 20 countries this week, with the aim of completing the register by the end of the year.

Invasive species are living things that are not native to an ecosystem.

They can harm the environment, the economy, or human health. For instance, rats can cause bird extinctions on islands, while the crown-of-thorns star fish is smothering parts of the Great Barrier Reef.

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS) provides the first country-wide checklists of introduced and invasive species.

"The GRIIS is not about any single one of these, but about all of them and about the many thousands of species that have become naturalised outside of their historical ranges across the world as a result of human activity," said Melodie McGeoch of the IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group in Rome, Italy.

"Until now there has been highly uneven distribution of knowledge on invasive species globally."

The register will generate information that is publically available on all kinds of invasive species across the world.The number of species catalogued for the 20 countries studied so far range from 77 in Mongolia to 2107 in South Africa.

Of the 6,414 species across the 20 countries, more than 80% had evidence of impact in at least one or two countries.

Cross-border trade and transport are the main drivers of introductions of new species.

Only by accurately identifying and cataloguing animals and plants on land and at sea can biological invasions be managed, say the researchers.

Trump addresses anti-abortion march

US president Donald Trump addressed through video thousands of anti-abortion activists gathered in Washington to take part in the 45th annual March for Life.
Trump spoke from the White House Rose Garden on Friday and marchers watched on giant screens set up on the National Mall.

“We are protecting the sanctity of life and the family as the foundation of our society,” Efe quoted Trump as saying.

            

During his first week in office, Trump signed an executive order prohibiting US government funding for foreign organisations that even provide abortion counselling, a decades-old Republican policy overturned by President Barack Obama in 2009.Earlier this week, the president announced the creation of a new division within the Department of Health and Human Services to extend legal protection to health care  workers who cite religious grounds in refusing to perform abortions or provide treatment  to transgender patients.“Under my administration, we will always defend the very first right in the Declaration of Independence and that is the right to life,” Trump told the activists.Though Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush addressed the March for Life by telephone, Trump is the first president to do so using a video link.

Antioxidant-rich food helps slow down ageing

Slow down ageing, reduce the risk of heart diseases and diabetes-these are some reasons why it is important to consume antioxidant-rich foods like dark chocolates, nuts, kidney beans, cranberries and tomatoes, suggest experts.

Sonia Narang, Wellness Expert at Oriflame India and Mehar Rajput, Nutritionist at Fitpass, share tips:

The reason that antioxidants are often touted as “anti-aging” compounds is because they help protect from age-related diseases, which are caused in part by free radicals and inflammation. Antioxidants such as alpha lipoic and others found in pine bark and green tea. They produce valuable anti-inflammatory results by increasing circulation and cell metabolism.

Different antioxidants benefit different parts of the body: Beta carotene is beneficial to eye health. Lycopene is beneficial for helping prostate health. Flavonoids are beneficial for heart health. Spirulina has a variety of antioxidants and other substances that are beneficial in boosting immunity. It helps in enhancing both the non- specific and specific immune system.

A diet rich in antioxidants is important to keep the level of ageing low and in maintenance of good health.

Anti-inflammatory effects: Antioxidants in your morning tea and coffee may help prevent heart disease. Antioxidant Polyphenol found in tea and coffee helps in preventing oxidation of fats (a process that promotes inflammation and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other ailments).

Immune booster: Antioxidants are present in fruits. Vitamin A, C and E, polyphenols and certain minerals like selenium, that boost immune system are there in fruits.

Prevent risk of cancer: During cancer, the level of antioxidants reduces drastically and consuming food high in antioxidants can help improve the symptoms.

Prevent diabetes: Diabetes is often accompanied by an increase in the formation of free radicals and harmful compounds. The elevated glucose level in the blood can lead to damaged cells because of oxidation. Use of antioxidants can reduce the glucose level and complications of diabetes.

Some of the eatables rich in antioxidants include dark chocolate, pomegranate, pumpkin seeds, cilantro, blueberries, nuts, kidney beans, cranberries, goji berries and tomatoes.

A weekend of weather extremes

Much of North America continues to be in the grip of icy weather, despite a slight rise in temperatures. More snow is expected to spread across the mid-Atlantic region and the east coast before temperatures begin to recover.

On the other side of the Atlantic, snow has hit parts of mainland Spain, bringing travel disruption, while the Mediterranean coasts of France and Spain have been hit by severe storms.

Elsewhere, cold air continues to dominate - although England's cricketers suffered a thrashing by Australia's team on what was the hottest day in Sydney in almost 80 years, and the hottest Ashes Test day in history.

Millions attend world's second-largest Muslim gathering

Ghazipur, Bangladesh - More than two million people from over 130 countries have taken part in the second-largest Muslim gathering in the world.

The annual Biswa Ijtema ("world congregation") event concluded on Sunday with a mass, collective prayer on the banks of the Turag River, about 35km from the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

Over the three-day gathering, Muslim worshippers listened to scholars reciting and explaining verses from the Quran. It is viewed as an opportunity for Muslims to renew their commitment to Islamic values.

Second in size only to Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Muslim holy sites in Saudi Arabia, Biswa Ijtema was first held in 1967.

It is organised by Tablighi Jamaat, a Sunni Muslim missionary movement that began in India and whose members volunteer to spread the Islamic faith.

Biswa Ijtema has been held in two phases since 2011 to accommodate the large number of attendees.

This year's final prayer was given in Bengali, Bangladesh's official language, for the first time since 1980.

ISIL claims attack on Save the Children in Jalalabad

At least three people have been killed in a car bomb and gun attack on the office of the non-governmental organisation, Save the Children, in eastern Afghanistan, according to local officials.

Two security guards and one civilian were killed and at least 25 others were wounded when a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb outside the headquarters of the international charity in Jalalabad early on Wednesday morning.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attack via the group's Amaq website, describing the targets as "British and Swedish institutes".

Al Jazeera's Jennifer Glasse, reporting from Kabul, said 47 people were rescued from the office building after Afghan security forces and the attackers battled each other for more than eight hours.