Stomach cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in the world, and about one million people died from it in 2021. Yet its mortality rates have fallen in many countries over recent decades. The decline is linked to several factors, including reduced salt intake, refrigeration that lowered reliance on salted and smoked foods, and better treatment. A major factor is the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which infects the stomach lining and raises the risk of cancer. Control of this infection, along with improved screening and surgery in some places, has helped bring rates down. The progress is uneven, however, with rates still high in parts of East Asia and Eastern Europe. The data shows how public health changes can cut the toll of a common cancer over time.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.