Police in Washington D.C. have fired on a woman in car after she rammed a police vehicle near the U.S. Capitol and tried to mow down several officers on Wednesday. The woman was then arrested and no injuries have been reported. Police are currently investigating her motivation and other details of the incident."Although preliminary, this incident appears to be criminal in nature with no nexus to terrorism; and in addition, the capital complex remains open to the public except for traffic cuts here on Independence Avenue," said Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki.
The U.S. Capitol and its neighboring blocks have been cordoned off in the wake of this incident. White House spokesman Sean Spicer described the incident as "a very troubling instance" at a routine press conference.Police transported the suspect's car and the police vehicle from the crime scene three hours after the attack.The Federal Bureau of Investigation will investigate the incident.So far, police have not published the driver's identification.
At least 12 people were killed March 29in a bus accident near Garner State Park in Texas, according to the Dallas Morning News. The Uvalde County Sheriff told NBC that a small church bus collided head-on with a pick up truck about 90 miles west of San Antonio. Witnesses told NBC that they saw mostly elderly passengers on board the bus. The passengers on the bus were from First Baptist Church in New Braunfels, NBC reported.
The Australian army headed into areas hardest hit by Cyclone Debbie and tens of thousands of homes remained without power as dawn broke on March 29 amid reports of substantial damage in some areas. Debbie reportedly left a trail of destruction through northeast Australia on March 28 as a category four storm, one level below the most dangerous wind speed, before being gradually downgraded through the night to a tropical low.
Thousands of people took shelter as tourist resorts along the world-famous Great Barrier Reef and mainland coastal areas were belted with wind gusts stronger than 260 km per hour (160 mph), while others took to the surf.
There were early reports of significant structural damage to homes and public infrastructure after howling winds, heavy rain and huge seas. Two people were injured, one with serious head injuries after being hit by a falling wall, police said. More than 51,000 homes were without power. Queensland state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it appeared the worst-hit areas were the tourist magnet of the Whitsunday Islands off the coast and Airlie Beach and Proserpine, some 900 km (560 miles) northwest of the Queensland capital, Brisbane.
Wind gusts of 262 kmh, the highest during the storm, were recorded on Hamilton Island, so it was expected to be hit hard, although its resorts were designed to withstand category 5 storms. Cyclone Debbie made landfall at Airlie Beach, north of Proserpine, shortly after midday local time (0200 GMT) on Tuesday, knocking out telephone services. Authorities had urged thousands of people in threatened areas to flee their homes on Monday, in what would have been the biggest evacuation seen in Australia since Cyclone Tracy devastated the northern city of Darwin on Christmas Day, 1974.
The Australian army headed into areas hardest hit by Cyclone Debbie and tens of thousands of homes remained without power as dawn broke on March 29 amid reports of substantial damage in some areas. Debbie reportedly left a trail of destruction through northeast Australia on March 28 as a category four storm, one level below the most dangerous wind speed, before being gradually downgraded through the night to a tropical low. Thousands of people took shelter as tourist resorts along the world-famous Great Barrier Reef and mainland coastal areas were belted with wind gusts stronger than 260 km per hour (160 mph), while others took to the surf.
There were early reports of significant structural damage to homes and public infrastructure after howling winds, heavy rain and huge seas. Two people were injured, one with serious head injuries after being hit by a falling wall, police said. More than 51,000 homes were without power. Queensland state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it appeared the worst-hit areas were the tourist magnet of the Whitsunday Islands off the coast and Airlie Beach and Proserpine, some 900 km (560 miles) northwest of the Queensland capital, Brisbane.
Wind gusts of 262 kmh, the highest during the storm, were recorded on Hamilton Island, so it was expected to be hit hard, although its resorts were designed to withstand category 5 storms. Cyclone Debbie made landfall at Airlie Beach, north of Proserpine, shortly after midday local time (0200 GMT) on Tuesday, knocking out telephone services. Authorities had urged thousands of people in threatened areas to flee their homes on Monday, in what would have been the biggest evacuation seen in Australia since Cyclone Tracy devastated the northern city of Darwin on Christmas Day, 1974.
Firefighters brought a boy to safety, who was stuck in a crevice on the face of a cliff in northwest China's Gansu Province on Sunday. The boy fell off the cliff of around 100 meters high while playing with two boys in the provincial capital city of Lanzhou. Fortunately, he was caught in a crevice 30 to 40 meters above the ground. Firefighters found the cliff was almost vertical, and neither ladder nor any other rescue equipment could directly reach the boy.
One firefighter climbed to the top of the cliff to fix one end of a rope there before descending slowly to reach the boy with the help of the rope. The firefighter fixed the boy with the rope and signaled the firefighters on top of the cliff to lower him and the boy down. The firefighter brought the boy to the ground around 10 minutes later. The boy was scared but not injured.
In northern Peru, residents continue to be rescued by lifesavers after Piura River burst its banks flooding homes, amid Peru's worst flooding disaster in decades. More than 80 people have been killed and 110,000 displaced in rain-related incidents since December, most of them this month after a sudden warming of Pacific waters off Peru's coast unleashed torrential downpours in a damaging local El Nino phenomenon.
Poor Peruvians who have built their homes on affordable land near rivers and ravines have been the hardest hit. In Chiclayo, heavy machinery is being used to clear roads. In parts of Peru, including the capital, Lima, where a third of Peruvians live, school classes have been suspended and running water restricted after treatment plants were clogged with debris from mudslides. Damage to infrastructure has choked off transit and produced food shortages. As rains continue to lash Peru's northern desert region and part of the central Andes, authorities warn flooding may last into April.
Some seven teenagers and one teacher are feared dead and 38 others are injured after an avalanche hit school group during a climbing session near a popular ski resort.
Volcanologists from Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology are using drones, thermal imaging cameras and GPS devices to study the changes on Sicily's Mount Etna following a series of violent eruptions. The volcano, one of the most active in the world, has been largely dormant for the last two years, but it sprung to life on February 28 with repeated explosive eruptions that sent orange plumes of lava into the air. A few weeks later, on March 16, ten people were injured in a volcanic explosion that sent stones and rocks flying into the air. The explosion was the result of a so-called phreatomagmatic eruption, caused by magma hitting water - in this case snow.
Researchers are now seeking to track the causes of the latest eruptions and map their effects on the summit. The results and new imagery will also be used for a 3D construction of the Etna and added to a database of information used to monitor and study volcanic activity, volcanologist Emanuela De Beni said. Etna, at 3,330 meters (10,926 feet), is the highest volcano in mainland Europe and can burst into action several times a year. The last major eruption was in 1992.
A car that conquers any traffic jam by rising up, having its wheels spread wide and rolling over all the other vehicles? Yeah, that’s probably an ad.
A mysterious vehicle called the Hum Rider showed up in Facebook videos this week, and immediately captured the attention of anyone who’s ever sat in traffic (i.e., pretty much everyone). “Stuck in a traffic jam? Hum Rider is here to help,” the video blurb said. “With the push of a button, Hum Rider widens and elevates and lets you drive over cars in front of you. Problem solved.”
Yes, it is a real car that was actually produced. But alas, there’s only one of them. Check out the video to see what they’re really selling. A car that conquers any traffic jam by rising up, having its wheels spread wide and rolling over all the other vehicles? Yeah, that’s probably an ad.
A mysterious vehicle called the Hum Rider showed up in Facebook videos this week, and immediately captured the attention of anyone who’s ever sat in traffic (i.e., pretty much everyone). “Stuck in a traffic jam? Hum Rider is here to help,” the video blurb said. “With the push of a button, Hum Rider widens and elevates and lets you drive over cars in front of you. Problem solved.”
Yes, it is a real car that was actually produced. But alas, there’s only one of them. Check out the video to see what they’re really selling.
Officials of the hostel of Maharani's Arts, Commerce and Management College for Women, Seshadri Road, filed a police complaint on Monday, saying an unidentified person was frequently entering the hostel premises at night and wearing innerwear of students kept for drying.
Hostel officials handed over to police CCTV footage of February 12, which shows him entering the premises nude at the dead of night and wearing the clothes of students. At one point of time, a security guard is seen chasing him but the man escapes.
Principal R Shantakumari told media that the person was seen often but not at regular intervals. "Our girls have seen him jumping from the compound wall and enter the hostel. A few months ago, all the girls had screamed on seeing him and he ran away. There was no news of him since then. All of a sudden, he was spotted in February," she said.
A student said he had stolen at least a dozen of their innerwear. High Grounds police suspected him to be from the same area, Gandhinagar, and were confident of arresting him soon.
Forest police officers released a snow leopard back into the wild last Thursday in northwest China's Qinghai Province.It was captured in a farmer's sheepfold on Wednesday last week after killing a sheep. The sheep's owner was compensated for the loss.The animal is one of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)'s global flagship species and is under China's top-level protection.
The incident happened at around 18:00 when the boy played at the escalator alone. The rescuers inserted an iron bar into the gap of the escalator, trying to pry the gap to be larger enough so as to make the boy’s hand released, but failed. Then they decided to use hydraulic spreader to carry out the rescue. After 20-minute's efforts, the boy was finally rescued and sent to a hospital. According to the hospital's diagnose, the boy got a finger fracture.
"Every year we have to operate such rescues for about ten times on average. Those five to six-year-old children would get their hands or feet stuck in elevators or escalators. Therefore, we want to remind the parents that they should take care of their children when taking elevators or escalators to make sure they are safe," said Tian Zhan, a firefighter from Yangjiaping team of Jiulongpo district fire brigade in Chongqing Municipality.
Pomp and ceremony marked the start of the construction on the world's longest suspension bridge, the 3.7-km (2.3-mile) bridge named "Canakkale 1915", on March 18.Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim oversaw the beach-front groundbreaking ceremony, which coincided with the anniversary of one of the Ottoman Empire's final victories. Yildirim in October last year estimated the construction cost at around 10 billion liras ($2.62 billion). The construction is expected to take around five years to complete.Turkey has forged ahead with ambitious infrastructure projects under President Tayyip Erdogan, including one of the world's largest suspension bridges across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul which opened in August. Other planned megaprojects include the world's biggest airport in Istanbul and a huge canal that would render a large chunk of the city an island.
Striking images continue to come out of Peru Saturday (March 18), with buses stuck in rivers, as a sudden and abnormal warming of Pacific waters off Peru has unleashed the deadliest downpours in decades, with landslides and raging rivers sweeping away people, clogging highways and destroying crops in a potential sign of a global El Nino pattern this year. At least 62 people have died and more than 70,000 have become homeless as Peru's rainy season has delivered 10 times as much rainfall than usual, authorities said Friday.
About half of Peru has been declared in emergency to expedite resources to the hardest hit areas, mostly in the north where rainfall has broken records in several districts, said Prime Minister Fernando Zavala. Peru is bracing itself for another month of flooding. In Peru, apocalyptic scenes recorded on cellphones and shared on social media have broadened the sense of chaos. Bridges have collapsed as rivers have breached their banks, and cows and pigs have turned up on beaches after being carried away by rivers.
In Lima, the capital, classes have been suspended and running water has been restricted after treatment systems were clogged - prompting a rush on bottled water that produced shortages at some supermarkets.The vast majority of people affected by the extreme weather are poor,including many who built makeshift homes on floodplains that had been dry for 20 years, said Chavez.
Using ropes and pulleys, rescue workers evacuated residents one by one from the buildings in Huachipa, some 24 kilometres east of Lima. According to Peru's National Emergency Operations Centre, the number of deaths resulting from flooding so far this year has risen from 50 to 62 in recent days. In February, the government decreed a state of emergency for 60 days in three regions where 4,900 thousand homes collapsed, according to local media reports. The precipitation has been fuelled by unusually warm temperatures in the Pacific that would indicate a strong El Nino if they hold, meteorologists have said.
The floods have already killed 62 people - injured over 140 people - across 24 regions in Peru and displaced almost 550,000 people and it could get worse with more rain predicted until April. About half a million people in Peru live in flood plains, according to a recent report by state water agency ANA.
The Seventh Chengdu International Kite Festival kicked off in the namesake city of southwest China's Sichuan Province on Saturday. Various of elaborately designed kites flew in the sky, attracting a lot of visitors. There were colorful kites in the shape of wolves, butterflies, wheels, and other nontraditional kite design soaring in the sky. A huge "Chinese dragon" kite attracted the most attention. "It is 48 meters long and has attended many competitions across China and has won many prizes. To make such a kite, if I work for eight hours per day, it needs two or three months to finish," said Mr. Deng, the make of the "Chinese dragon". The annual festival attracted kite enthusiasts from across China to participate."This is a rider who is riding a bicycle. He pedals the fan blades with his feet to make the kite run faster. The rider's legs move," said a kite enthusiast.
One panda, Siyunyun, was captured trying to devour bamboo. However, his gesture of eating it was quite strange since the bamboo stem was poking his left eye as he was trying to peel the skin off. Despite being "stabbed" in the eye, Siyunyun didn't even try to find a less painful way to eat the yummy bamboo. Instead, he powered through the awkward situation and succeeded in removing the skin and enjoyed his prize. In another clip, Chengshi, a panda cub, was performing some Tarzan style acrobatic tricks on some dangling vines, when he appeared to have gotten entangled when going for the finish. To the excitement of the crowd, Chengshi freed himself and landed safely on the ground, beautifully finishing his performance. In the last clip, two panda cubs were captured putting on a panda style wrestling match. Chengshi and Fushun began the match shoving each other as they tried to be the first one to climb a tree.
The melting snow has created a wonderful site of 30 meter-high icicle fall in a mountain near Altay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The icicle fall is about around 30 meters high and 15 meters wide. Looking from afar, it looks like a white ribbon falling from the sky. When coming nearer, it looks like millions of small icicles hanging there, making it like a crystal fairy palace or a wonderful maze. When the drops of water were falling down, it created a magnificent sight. Some people have made a special trip to have a look at the wonderland, although it took more than an hour of horse ride to reach there.
A group of mariachi performers gathered outside the US embassy in Mexico City to perform the Star-Spangled Banner to protest against the hardline policies of President Donald Trump on migration.The US President has vowed to build a border wall to make it tougher for migrants seeking a better life in the United States. He has also expedited deportations and pledged to hire more immigration officials as part of his crackdown.
The move has separated migrant parents from their families as well as stoked fears in migrant communities in the United States.
The mariachi protest was organised by a private company that teamed up with migrant activists as a way to extol the virtues of migrants. "What we are doing is that the Mexican mariachi, a symbol of Mexican culture, is going to sing the US national anthem as a gesture for building bridges, a symbolism that culture and art can unite us regardless of our differences," said activist and protest organizer, Pablo Martinez.
According to recent figures from the IMF, immigration has a positive economic impact on receiving countries. And for the United States, many migrants form the backbone of manual labour. "We have always believed that immigration is more than just a problem, it is a way to drive economies. We believe that this is the way that they (economies) can advance. We think it is more than ever necessary to send these messages as there is a tendency to view immigration as something negative," said protest organiser, Kundalini Munoz.
For Mexico Trump's comments on migrants has hit a raw nerve. On the campaign trail, the US leader characterised migrants from Mexico as "rapists" and vowed to make the country pay for his border wall."For me it is something knew, I have never played this (US national anthem) but in regards to the protest I completely agree with people who are against racism, discrimination and the neo-liberal policies of the US government," said mariachi, Ofelio Rodriguez. An estimated 11 million immigrants live in the United States, most of whom come from Mexico and other Latin American countries.
Snow fell in northwest China's Gansu Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in recent two days. A cold wave has brought snow to Gansu Province since Saturday night, leading to the suspension of passenger bus services in many regions.
The snow shrouded the whole Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture from 20:00 on Saturday night. The city of Hezuo and counties of Xiahe, Lintan and Zhuoni even saw snowstorms, with the houses, plants and roads all coated with white snow. Most of long-distance passenger bus services were suspended in Lanzhou, capital city of Gansu Province, due to the adverse weather.
The cold wave also hit Xinjiang in recent two days, causing fog in its northern region, rain and snowfalls in the southern region.
Tacheng Prefecture issued a yellow alert for fog at 09:00 on Sunday, with the visibility in some regions being reduced to less than 500 meters. The fog is expected to disperse before night falls. Several regions in south Xinjiang will embrace rain or snow from Sunday to Tuesday. Akqi County in Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture issued an alert for icy roads and Minfeng County in Hotan City issued a blue alert for snowstorm, calling on the public to pay more attention to travel safety.
Chicago residents were hit by a strong lake-effect snow storm on March 14, which snarled traffic and caused headaches for commuters, local media reported.The snow, falling several inches per hour at times, is a result of the so-called 'lake effect.' Lake effect occurs when frigid air blows over the Great Lakes, gaining moisture and then dumping snowfall on shore, according to meteorologists.
Commuters say it was practically a white-out storm at times, in which visibility is very limited."It was insane. We could barely see. It was not visible at all," said commuter Maria Camacho.The National Weather Service has issued a lake-effect snow warning through Tuesday evening.
A late season winter storm that walloped the U.S. northeast has threatened Washington's D.C. famed cherry blossom trees, a huge tourist draw in the spring season. The overnight storm left the partially-bloomed flowers coated with ice and the National Park Service has asked visitors to let it melt naturally and avoid shaking the branches to prevent damage to the trees.Officials are also keeping a close watch on temperatures this week as the flowers inch closer to peak bloom stage.
Peak bloom refers when 70 percent of the blossoms of Yoshino cherry trees, the most abundant of the 12 species around the Tidal Basin, are in bloom. Once in bloom, the flowers can last four to 10 days.
The Park Service says if temperatures dip below 24 degrees, the cherry blossoms could die - something that hasn't happened in nearly a century.
The Moser family, visiting from Iowa, braved the snow to enjoy what little has already bloomed.
"But we've seen this before back home, you know, the tree are starting to sprout, then we get a freeze too and then it sets things back for a while. Now this is a shame this is probably going to happen. It's so cold, but that's Mother Nature for you," said Iowa resident Jerry Moser on March 14. The blooming of the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin is one of the U.S. capital's major tourist attractions. The city's Cherry Blossom Festival draws thousands of visitors daily and is one of the biggest U.S. springtime parties.This year's festival is still taking place, but has been pushed back a few days to March 25.
A reported murder suspect driving a yellow Corvette led authorities on a car chase that ended when the vehicle lost control and crashed with a sport utility vehicle at an intersection on March 15.Police officers approached the vehicle with their guns drawn. Moments later, they pulled the driver out of the vehicle. They later laid a tarp over the driver who was laying in the intersection.
Local NBC affiliate KPNX reported that police confirmed the driver was injured in the ordeal and that shots were fired, but did not offer details about the extent of his injuries.Local media reported no officers were injured in the ordeal. The suspect's identity was not immediately reported, nor what triggered the police chase.
Heated scenes in Brazil as civil servants, rural workers and labour unions staged nationwide demonstrations on March 15 against President Michel Temer's pension reform plan. Protesters are angry at moves by Temer and his allies in the ruling coalition to cap pension benefits and raising the retirement age. But the government argues that keeping the expenses under control is key to fixing public finances and pulling the country out of its worst recession in more than a century.
Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva joined protesters in Sao Paulo, calling the impeachment against Dilma Rousseff that heralded Temer's presidency as a coup against the people. Lula, who led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, is still one of Brazil's most popular politicians despite a graft scandal.Amidst rumours that Brazil's Workers Party will field Lula for 2018 elections, the former leader rallied the crowd by saying the people will vote out Temer from office.
The demonstrations reflect the deep ideological divide among Brazilians as Temer seeks to pass the nation's most ambitious pension, labour and tax reforms in two decades.Temer has acknowledged the unpopularity of his reforms but stressed the priority is to get the country's economy on a sound footing. Members of Temer's ruling coalition have said there is not much room for changes in the reforms if the country wants to reduce a record budget deficit that has undermined investor confidence.
Chicago residents were hit by a strong lake-effect snow storm on March 14, which snarled traffic and caused headaches for commuters, local media reported.The snow, falling several inches per hour at times, is a result of the so-called 'lake effect.' Lake effect occurs when frigid air blows over the Great Lakes, gaining moisture and then dumping snowfall on shore, according to meteorologists.Commuters say it was practically a white-out storm at times, in which visibility is very limited. "It was insane. We could barely see. It was not visible at all," said commuter Maria Camacho.The National Weather Service has issued a lake-effect snow warning through Tuesday evening.
A 16-year-old survivor from a blaze at a children's home in Guatemala that killed 39 people has recounted her ordeal to Reuters, saying that officials locked the girls in a room whilst the fire spread. The inferno took place in a 16-square (52-feet-) -metre classroom packed with 52 teenagers in the Virgin de la Asuncion home in Guatemala City. According to reports, the girls had been locked in the room and given thin mattresses.
This girl is one of the few survivors to emerge relatively unscathed physically from the blaze. She has since left the shelter and is now back at home with her adopted family in the Mayan town of Santiago Sacatepequez. She recounted the night of the tragedy that saw many minors burnt to death. "They (officials from shelter) had us locked up. There was a little fire, I thought it would just be small but no. Another (official) wanted us dead as well. It started (the fire) as the mattresses were all together so all the mattresses went up in fire. Then they (girls) started to yell and they (officials) thought that they (girls) wanted to get out but when they saw the smoke they reacted and then they went to get water, went to the police officers and started throwing water," said the 16-year-old survivor.
Police and witnesses say the fire appeared to have been started by one of the girls, who set light to a mattress in the room, possibly as a protest after hours inside. The trauma from the tragedy saw this survivor refuse to eat until she was returned to her family.
"I was scared, I went running down (to the floor), I was traumatised, I was sitting on the bed and I didn't want to go outside. My counsellor told me to eat, to eat and I told her no that I wanted to go home," she added.
This survivor had been living in the home for two years. She was admitted into the shelter following problems with alcohol and reported theft of money from her adopted mother. The mother told that it was not God's will for her daughter to die in the blaze. "God did not want her (survivor) to die, thank God she is alive. They (officials) pulled her out, she was hiding under a bed. They pulled her out and hit her with a tube," she said.
Work crews in New Jersey on March 13, pushed sand into temporary berms along the state's scenic coastline, in an effort to protect against storm surge and coastal flooding expected to accompany a blizzard aiming at the northeastern United States. The fast-moving winter storm was expected to hit the northeastern United States, forecasters warned on Monday, prompting airlines to cancel thousands of flights and some mayors to order schools to close on March 14.The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, with forecasts calling for up to 2 feet (60 cm) of snow in places by early Wednesday, with temperatures 15 to 30 degrees below normal for this time of year.
Some 50 million people along the Eastern Seaboard were under storm or blizzard warnings and watches.Airlines preemptively canceled more than 4,000 flights ahead of the storm, according to tracking service FlightAware.com. The airports with the most cancellations were Newark International Airport in New Jersey and Boston Logan International Airport. American Airlines canceled all flights into New York's three metropolitan area airports, Newark, LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport and JetBlue Airways reported extensive cancellations.
New York City and Providence, Rhode Island, canceled public school sessions for Tuesday in anticipation of the storm. The storm comes near the end of an unusually mild winter along much of the East Coast, with below-normal snowfalls in cities such as New York City and Washington, D.C. Winds were forecast to gust up to 60 miles per hour (100 km per hour) in places, with the potential to cause power outages and coastal flooding. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey prepared hundreds of pieces of snow equipment at the three major New York area airports. Thousands of tons of salt and sand were prepared for airport roads, parking lots, bridges and tunnels.
It was a late winter in the Carolinas as snow coated streets and beaches on March 12. In parts of North Carolina it was the first snow in three years, according to NBC. The storm system is expected to move up the East Coast with New York and Boston bracing for heavy snowfall.
Weather forecasters on Sunday put the greater New York City area under blizzard watch, saying there was potential for a major winter storm from Monday night into Wednesday with 12 to 18 inches of snow expected. The storm raised the potential for dangerous travel and power outages with damaging wind gusts up to 50 mph possible across eastern Long Island and southeastern Connecticut, the National Weather Service said.
Meanwhile, in the western United States, the service forecast potentially record-setting heat in the four corners states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, where temperatures were expected into the 90s Fahrenheit in some places.
A house along the shores of Lake Ontario in upstate New York became covered in ice on March 12. Strong winds coupled with low temperatures caused water from the lake to blanket the house. It is part of a Midwest winter storm that is expected to combine with an East Coast system to bring blizzard-like conditions from New York City to Boston this week. The unusual sight gives new meaning to 'Spring thaw.'
Bookmakers Paddy Power stunned London commuters on March 13 with a promotional stunt which involved actors dressed as U.S. president Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, a shirtless Vladimir Putin, on the streets of the city. Londoners were left stunned as the Putin and Trump characters trotted past surprised commuters on horseback ahead of the biggest week in the British horse racing calendar, the Cheltenham Festival.
The bizarre scene was inspired by the famous photos of Putin taken in 2009, which saw the president riding shirtless in Siberia's Tuva region. Actors Karl Greenwood and Doug Devaney spent more than six hours being made up with prosthetics by a team of Hollywood special effect artists to be transformed into the two presidents.
About 60 elephants in Thailand's ancient capital of Ayutthaya were treated to a fruit buffet on March 13, to commemorate Elephant Day, an event that seeks to end their exploitation. Elephant Day started in 1998, initiated by wildlife conservationists to remind Thais of the significance of elephants to the country and support efforts to protect them.Elephants are a symbol of the nation and are respected because soldiers rode them during ancient times.
For many decades, the pachyderms have long been part of the country's tourist attractions as they are trained to perform in shows and give tourists tour rides around cities. "In the future, we plan to reduce the exploitation of elephants as much as possible. At the moment, 30 percent of our elephants at the Ayutthaya Elephant Kraal have stopped going out to work (ferrying people around). Their job now is to let people bathe and care for them. Thais and foreigners who enjoy living with elephants pay for their food and contribute to our development funds," said Laithongrien Meepan, the manager of the Elephant Kraal and Village in Ayuthaya.
There are about 3,700 elephants left in the wild in Thailand and up to 4,000 domesticated ones, according to EleAid, a British organization working for the conservation of the Asian elephant.
Hindus across Pakistan began celebrating 'Holi', the Hindu festival of colours, on March 12. Holi, which is celebrated with the onset of spring, and brings together people as they play with colours, distribute sweets and dance together. In Pakistan's port city of Karachi, around 400 local Hindus gathered in the Swami Narayan Mandir, one of the city's Hindu temples, to playfully splash colors on one another in a joyous welcome of spring.
"The Holi festival is basically the biggest festival of the Hindu community. During this festival people visits each other's houses, distribute sweets, and greet their friends. In the evening, people get together in one place to worship and daub colours on one another. The purpose of sprinkling colours is to paint the entire society in one colour so that the differences in the society can be brought to an end," said a Hindu doctor Pardeep Kumar. Security was exceptionally tight around all Hindu temples across the country, and worshippers had to undergo a thorough search before they entered venues of the festival.
"There was very good security here. We came here without any fear. Security was really great . We are very grateful to Pakistan for making such superb arrangements for us," said Hindu housewife Neelam Baswani. Holi, perhaps the least religious of Hindu festivals, is widely recognized for the throwing and applying of colored water and powders on friends and family, which gives the holiday its common name "Festival of Colors."
This ritual is said to be based on the story of Lord Krishna's playful splashing of 'gopis' (wives and daughters of cowherds) with water, but most of all it celebrates the coming of spring with all its beautiful colors and vibrant life. Holi is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and countries with large Hindu populations, like Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, United States, Mauritius, and Fiji.
According to a statement from Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, Patron-in-chief of Pakistan Hindu Council, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will participate in a Holi festival in Karachi on Tuesday (March 14) to promote interfaith harmony across the country.
Dr. Kumar said this will be first ever participation by any Pakistani Prime Minister in the Holi festivities, adding that "the Hindu community is looking forward to welcoming their beloved Prime Minister." Non-Muslims make up only about three percent of the 190 million population of Muslim-majority Pakistan.
Briton Kris Meeke remained on track for his first victory of the new season after finishing the second day of gravel stages atop the WRC Rally Mexico timesheets March 11. The Citroen driver finished the day's nine stages to bring is leading time to 2 hours, 47 minutes, 33.3 seconds, just over 30 seconds better than second placed French M-Sport Ford driver Sebastien Ogier, who lost time to a spin out on SS13.
Thierry Neuville of France drove his Hyundai to a solid third place, 39.6 seconds back of Ogier but 1:02.1 ahead of fourth placed Estonian M-Sport Ford pilot Ott Tanak. Hyundai's Hayden Paddon sits in fifth place, 3:25.5 back of Meeke, with Finn Jari-Matti Latvala in the Toyota Yaris another minute and 7 seconds further adrift in sixth place. Just two stages are scheduled for the final day of Rally Mexico with a total of 54.9 kilometeres (34.1 miles).
"I'm sorry," several messages said in an extensive blanket, while several women exhorted survivors of the fire not to be silent and to denounce the State. Some of the demonstrators carried black flags in mourning for the victims of the incident. At the same time, some powerful Guatemalan business leaders demanded a profound "investigation" into the deaths of the 38 girls and expressed their solidarity and support to the families of the victims. "There is no doubt that we must demand from the authorities the deep investigation of what happened and the determination of responsibilities for whoever has them," the Committee of Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations (Cacif) said in a statement.
The Attorney General's Office (PGN) confirmed that four fire victims will be transferred to the Galveston, Texas, hospital for medical care. Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has admitted state responsibility for this tragedy and explained that the results of the investigations should be expected to deduce the responsibilities of those who have committed negligence in the case.
Sixteen newlyweds tied their knots in hot balloons over an amazing sea of rape flowers on Saturday in a southwest Chinese county.
They made their lifetime promises in the most romantic way, letting the heaven and the earth witness their most important moment in their lives. The wedding was held in the county of Tengchong, Yunan Province, where spring has already swept the county, turning the field golden yellow, presenting a sharp contrast to north China, where it is still chilly in March.The special wedding made these couples so happy. "I've been here for a while and there are rape flowers all around. But I felt the flowers especially beautiful when in the hot-air balloon," said Zhao Yufan, a new bride. "We've made a special trip here from Myanmar for the wedding, " said a bridegroom.
A cold wave has brought snow to Gansu Province since Saturday night, leading to the suspension of passenger bus services in many regions.The snow shrouded the whole Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture from 20:00 on Saturday night. The city of Hezuo and counties of Xiahe, Lintan and Zhuoni even saw snowstorms, with the houses, plants and roads all coated with white snow. Most of long-distance passenger bus services were suspended in Lanzhou, capital city of Gansu Province, due to the adverse weather.
The cold wave also hit Xinjiang in recent two days, causing fog in its northern region, rain and snowfalls in the southern region.Tacheng Prefecture issued a yellow alert for fog at 09:00 on Sunday, with the visibility in some regions being reduced to less than 500 meters. The fog is expected to disperse before night falls. Several regions in south Xinjiang will embrace rain or snow from Sunday to Tuesday.
Two days after she was reported missing hiker Bethnee Haury was found by rescue teams on March 11 in a deep ravine a short distance away from a main road in Woodside, California. "This is phenomenal. We were worried. It's been two days. We weren't sure what was going to happen. This is incredible," said her husband Ed Haury, who was on vacation with his wife when she went missing. Haury said his wife went hiking on March 9 along with their dog, Camaro, and didn't return to the Airbnb they had rented out, not far from where Bethnee went missing. All through the ordeal, the Haury's dog never left Bethnee's side.
"When we called out for her we heard her yell back and then a couple seconds later we heard the dog bark very clearly so Camaro did his job," said rescue volunteer Mike McKimmie who was among the first group of volunteers to spot the missing hiker and her dog. The hiker was shivering and dehydrated when they found her at the bottom of the ravine, McKimmie said. The 56-year-old woman is considered high risk as she suffers from early onset dementia and has Type-2 diabetes, NBC reported
Protesters lined up as U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visited Kentucky on March 11 to sell the Republican healthcare bill with a vow to "repeal and replace Obamacare once and for all." Supporters and detractors of President Donald Trump were on hand with one person holding a sign saying, "Hate does not make America great." Pence visited an energy services company in Louisville to tout the plan backed by Trump to gut the Affordable Care Act, calling the Obama-era law a "nightmare."
The Republican plan, the American Health Care Act, to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system cleared its first hurdles in Congress on Thursday, but its chances for passage look uncertain with top Republicans scrambling to bring disgruntled conservatives aboard.
In the face of opposition by Democrats, healthcare providers and many conservatives, two House of Representatives committees approved the legislation that would undo much of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, moving it closer to a vote before the full House.
The Chilean Navy rescued on Friday (March 10) a French tourist who had gone missing in Chile's Sarmiento Canal.Frenchwoman Lea Marin Paparone was strapped onto a stretcher and airlifted from the canal by helicopter about a 100 kilometres from the southern port city of Puerto Natales.Paparone had been missing since Thursday (March 9) after she disembarked from a yacht and lost contact with her companions, an Englishman and a Canadian.
"She was alone. She decided to begin walking toward the higher parts of the island to have a better observation point. And finally, when she arrived to the point where she was extracted, she realized that it was practically impossible to return in daylight to her boat had to spend the night in the area, sheltered in a cave that protected her from the wind and precipitation that fell last night in the area of the Sarmiento Canal," said Carlos Rodriguez, Commander of the Puna Arenas Air-Naval Group.
Paparone activated an emergency alarm signal she carried with her and the Punta Arenas Maritime search and Rescue Service launched a search by boat.
The boat didn't locate her, but a Navy plane helping in the search found her. Rodriguez said she was extracted in "good" condition. Paparone did not appear to suffer any major injuries but was transferred to a local hospital for exams.
Several thousand Georgians gathered on March 11 in front of the old parliament building in Tbilisi for a concert organised to celebrate the ruling of the Strasbourg court against the country's supreme court. Europe's human rights court on March 7 again suspended an attempt by Georgia to put the country's biggest independent television station under the control of a close government ally. "The war is not over yet, so we are fighting for freedom of speech, for freedom of expression, and for the development of democracy in Georgia. That was a very important step and thanks to the European Court of Human Rights we are today celebrating, the whole Georgian people, the whole Georgian nation is celebrating this important win," said Nika Gvaramia, the general director of the broadcaster company, as Rustavi 2 allies cheered waving Georgian and the EU flags. Georgia's supreme court last week backed a legal ruling that broadcaster Rustavi 2 should be returned to its former co-owner, businessman Kibar Khalvashi, a move that critics consider an attempt to muzzle the media.
The TV station has been fighting court battles in Georgia since August 2015, when a lower court ruled in favor of Khalvashi, who said he had been forced to give up his controlling stake in the company under the former government of Mikheil Saakashvili.
Government officials have accused the popular TV station of bias, while critics fear Khalvashi - a close supporter of the ruling Georgian Dream party - would silence the only strong media voice critical of the government.
Two people are dead after a train crashed into a truck on a railway crossing last Friday afternoon in the Chilean town of Requinoa, in the O'Higgins region. Dramatic video footage from
In the office of Bangladeshi designer in Dhaka, a group of acid attack survivors are hard at work practicing their moves ahead of a fashion show on the eve of International Women's Day. The fashion show, held on March 7 and hosted by British charity ActionAid, brought together 15 acid attack survivors, including 13 women and two men between the ages of 13 and 43, from across the country. "I just want people to give them opportunity, give them work, so they can live this life with dignity and (feel) they are part of this society," said Bibi Russell, who designed all the clothes in the show. NGOs say acid attacks are a form of gender-based violence that reflects the inequality of women in society. In Bangladesh, such attacks are often used as revenge against a woman who has rejected a marriage proposal or as the result of some sort of conflict related to dowry.
The survival rate is high, but the attack victims are disfigured for life and often need psychological and surgical support to recover. "We all believe that only beautiful women can be models and walk down the ramp, but now I think anybody can be a model, because external beauty is not the main beauty. Being beautiful in the mind is also important," said Nurun Nahar Begum, 37, one of the models. Begum who was attacked due to a family dispute in 1995, travelled from the southwestern district of Satkhira to take part in the show.
"We want everyone to remember the injustice that had been meted out to the acid survivors, and that we don't want to leave anyone behind," said ActionAid country director, Farah Kabir. "They also deserve to enjoy, to laugh, to be happy, to progress, to work, to study, but because of the gender, or because of someone's greed, they were attacked." The youngest participant in the the group, Sonali Khatun, 13, had acid thrown in her face when she was just 17-days-old. She now wants to be a doctor.
"They've come out of that state of despondence as it were, and they've lifted themselves up from that situation, and they're now inspiring us," said one of the show's guests, Syed Refaat Ahmed. In 2002, the Bangladesh government passed acts restricting the import and sale of acid in open markets and instating the death penalty for an acid thrower. Acid attack incidents in Bangladesh peaked in 2002 with 496 cases reported. That figure dropped to 44 last year, according to the Acid Survivors Foundation.
U.S. first lady Melania Trump presided over a luncheon at the White House on March 8 in celebration of International Woman's Day. U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka was among the dignitaries in the audience. Kellyanne Conway, a senior aid to Trump, also attended. But Woman's Day outside the White House struck a different tune. Women across the United States stayed off the job and instead attended anti-Trump demonstrations, including one in Washington, in an effort to seize on the momentum built from the massive marches held a day after President Donald Trump's inauguration.The media was escorted from the luncheon before the first lady delivered her remarks.
Severe droughts gripping Peru have given way to some of the country's most devastating flash floods in decades, catching authorities off guard. Rivers bursting their banks have forced thousands from their homes, with the latest flood in the town of Chincha, located 200 kms (124 miles) southeast of Lima. River Matagente burst its banks leaving 172 families with flooded homes. The sector of Canapay was heavily drenched, local media reported. The overflowing river Matagente continues to wreak havoc in certain areas of Chincha, in the Ica region.
Meanwhile, a cemetery of the district of Asia, located 100 kms (62 miles) to the south of Lima, was flooded by the overflow of Mala river. In the regions of Tumbes, Piura and Lambayeque, located to the north of the country, thousands have been left homeless and six people have died, local media reported, quoting the National Civil Defence Institute, Indeci. The government decreed in February a state of emergency for 60 days in those three regions where 4,900 thousand homes collapsed, according to local media reports.
In the Tumbes - Bellavista sector - located 1,015 km to the northwest of Lima (630 miles), despite having retaining walls, some 30 homes were flooded, as well as some farmland Juan Shapiama, Technical Secretary of Indeci, urged people to get out. "Residents who live where there are floods, it's time to get out, it's time to move to a safer place, a higher place," Shapiama said. The precipitation has been fuelled by unusually warm temperatures in the Pacific that would indicate a strong El Nino if they hold, meteorologist have said. The floods have already killed 43 people across 24 regions in Peru and displaced almost 550,000 people and it could get worse with more rain predicted. About half a million people in Peru live in flood plains, according to a recent report by state water agency ANA.
Robot waiters attract customers to Shanghai restaurant.While many business owners in the catering sector are struggling with labor shortages after the Spring Festival, a restaurant owner in Shanghai has decided to fill his restaurant with robot waiters. The popular restaurant in the city's downtown area employs two types of robots: some navigate their way around on tracks, and others move freely around the restaurant.
In addition to taking orders and serving food, the automated waiters also prove a popular attraction at the restaurant, with diners eager to try the service."It's a new experience. It's the first time I have seen robots serve dishes. I wish they could come to our house and cook for us, or do the dishes," said a customer. The owner of the restaurant said the robots were a good deal for the business: they proved a good investment as each one only requires 200 yuan's worth of electricity charge per year.
After almost a decade, Ram Gopal Varma is coming back with Sarkar 3, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that he is returning with a bang. The film’s trailer is out and we just cannot wait to watch the third one in the Sarkar franchise, on the big screen. Amitabh Bachchan, who plays the lead character, reprises his role as Subhash Nagare, is now old but not helpless. He is a fearless man with the support of his grandson, Amit Sadh, who plays against the rule and not like Subhash’s son played by Abhishek Bachchan. After Big B, it is Amit Sadh who is grabbing eyeballs and remains the standout character in the trailer. He has a mafia/underworld attitude to him, which makes his appearance on the screen look strong and convincing.
This landslide blocked an important road that provides access to the Andes mountains. Several sections of this highway are blocked, according to local media reports. It follows months of heavy rain in the Andean areas of Piura and Puno. So far this year, floods in Peru have already killed 26 people and displaced almost 250,000 people in 24 regions, according to the National Civil Defence Institute (Indeci). In the town of Chosica, some 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) east of Lima, the intense rains caused at least three major streams in the area to overflow, affecting ravines and roads. The ravine La Libertad, located on kilometre 34 of the Central Highway, collapsed and torrents of muddy water were seen crossing the road.
Surprised residents looked on at the dramatic scenes unfolding before their eyes. Local media report that more than 120 homes were without potable water supply. So far this year, four mudslides have hit the area and residents are waiting for help from authorities to clean-up. The town of Piura, located 858 kilometres (533 miles) to the north of Lima, has also been hit by record high rainfall, not seen in the last 30 years, local media reported, quoting official figures. Residents, especially farmers who have lost crops, have asked for help from authorities.
"We are losing our crops with the swollen river waters. I call on presiding authorities to do something for us," said flood victim, Claudio Manrique. Cars and homes have been flooded with residents doing their best to remove water from their homes and trying to salvage their belongings. Meanwhile a horse in the town of Puno, located 866 kilometres (530 miles) to the north-est of Lima, was trapped in a muddy field. Residents and rescue personnel managed to pull the horse to safety. Earlier this month, Peru declared a state of emergency in areas hit by heavy rains after a dengue outbreak in flood-prone areas of the country.Relief is still a long way off for areas hit by the heavy rain. According to Peru's National Meteorological and Hydrological Services the wet weather will continue until April.
A "kick" from a firefighter was all it took to prevent a suicidal woman from going through with her attempt to end her life on Sunday in Ruzhou City of central China's Henan Province. Firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving an emergency call and saw a highly emotional woman sitting outside the window on the ninth floor of a hospital. The commander of the fire brigade decided to set up the air cushion outside the building while at the same time had a firefighter, named Liang Yajian, lowered down from the 10th floor to rescue the woman. Liang hung himself up over the woman until he saw her turn to speak to her family and friends. He then quickly descended to kick her back inside the room. The woman suffered no injuries during the rescue.
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