Indian Woman Killed in Eclipse Stampede

She says she was blinded by glare when she hit pedestrians

(NEWSER) - A San Francisco driver blamed the moon moving in front of the sun for preventing her from spotting the pedestrians moving in front of her vehicle. The 26-year-old woman told cops that she had looked at the "ring of fire" annular eclipse and had been temporarily blinded by its glare before running into a mother and daughter crossing the street, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . The 10-year-old girl suffered a broken arm, while her mother received bumps and bruises. The driver has not been arrested or ticketed, but the eclipse excuse "probably won’t fly," says a police spokesman. More»

Annular solar eclipse visible from western US

(NEWSER) - For the first time this century, the sun will partially disappear behind the moon over the US tonight, leaving a “ring of fire” around the moon in what is known as an annular eclipse. The solar event will be best viewed from 33 national parks that will experience the full effect, the Christian Science Monitor notes, but more than 100 other parks lay in the path of the eclipse and guests will be able to view at least a partial show. But sorry, East Coast: In the US, the Eastern Seaboard will be completely unable to see the event, which starts at 8:24pm—after sunset. More»

Most of the victims were women and children

(AP) - A stampede broke out at a Hindu temple in northern India today as thousands of people jostled one another to get free clothes and food, leaving at least 63 people dead and dozens more injured, officials said. Most of the victims of the stampede, whose force was so great that it knocked down a gate, were women and children. More»

(NEWSER) - Wednesday’s total solar eclipse is eliciting fear and speculation across the Indian subcontinent, AFP reports. A New Delhi gynecologist says caesarian sections scheduled for the day of the eclipse have been canceled. “This is a belief deeply rooted in Indian society,” he said. “Couples are willing to do anything to ensure that the baby is not born on that day.” More»

(NEWSER) - A Stanford computer science professor who mentored Google's founders has drowned in his swimming pool, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Rajeev Motwani, 47, who could not swim, drowned at his Atherton, Calif., home, leaving a wife, two daughters, and many admirers in Silicon Valley. “It's a rare combination to have somebody who is so smart and also such a nice guy,” said Google co-founder Sergey Brin. More»