Close Up: Photographer Natacha Pisarenko

AP Photographer Natacha Pisarenko was born in Buenos Aires and studied photography at the city’s School of Photographic Arts. Pisarenko currently works out of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Peru’s Illegal Gold

Photos by Rodrigo Abd In a surprise raid, about 1,500 police and troops dynamited $20 million worth of heavy machinery as Peru’s government dialed up a crackdown on illegal gold mining that has badly scarred the ecologically rich southeastern jungle region of Madre de Dios.

Today In History: Ali refused to be inducted into the Army

On April 28, 1967, boxing champ Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the Army after being drafted by the U.S. Armed Forces.

Syrian Refugee Life

Photos by Khalil Hamra Life in Jordan’s Zaatari camp is getting harder for 130,000 Syrian refugees, most of whom have fled fighting in southern Syria.

Ukraine Unrest

Russia’s economy felt the sting of the Ukrainian crisis Friday as a ratings agency cut its credit rating to near junk and Moscow hiked interest rates to keep its sliding ruble from fueling inflation.

Today In History: Hubble Telescope Launched

On April 24, 1990, the space shuttle Discovery blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., carrying the $1.5 billion Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into orbit on April 24, 1990, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. It was named after American astronomer Edwin Hubble, who is considered one of the most important observational cosmologists

Archivist Update: Early Air Pollution

In this addition of Archivist Update, we highlight an image depicting a college student wearing a gas mask as he “smells” a magnolia blossom in City Hall Park on Earth Day, April 22, 1970, in New York.