Briefly

INDIA

Court upholds legality of 2016 currency ban

India's top court ruled on Monday that the government's surprise decision in 2016 to demonetize high-value bills was legal and taken after consultation with India's central bank. In November 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise TV announcement that all 500-rupee and 1,000-rupee notes would be withdrawn immediately from circulation. The government defended the decision by saying it would root out illegally hoarded cash, fight corruption and crack down on money laundering and terrorist financing. The government eventually released new currency notes worth 500 and 2,000 rupees. However, the sudden decision caused losses for small businesses and manufacturers, bringing on an economic slump and months of financial chaos.

SYRIA

Damascus airport out of service after attack

The Israeli army carried out a missile strike on Damascus International Airport on Monday that killed four people, including two Syrian soldiers, according to a human rights monitor. The attack — which occurred around 2:00 am local time — put the airport out of service, according to Syria's state news agency SANA. Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against its neighbor, targeting government troops as well as allied militia forces and fighters from Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah. The last time the airport was out of service was in June — also after Israeli strikes.

AUSTRALIA

4 die as helicopters collide over beach

Two helicopters collided midair killing four people on Monday in Australia's Gold Coast, officials said, with images showing one of the aircraft's rotors lying on a sand bank. Three other people are in critical condition, police said. One helicopter lay flipped over on the sand a few feet from the shore. Its rotors lay a short distance away, images from public broadcaster ABC showed. The other chopper appeared to be largely intact at the accident scene, which is near the popular Sea World marine theme park. A bright yellow rescue helicopter had landed on the sand nearby, its rotors spinning, images of the aftermath showed, as scores of rescuers spread around the area.

Agencies - Xinhua