events

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15 December 2018
Trump's surprise visit to Arlington in the rain
On Saturday, Trump arrived around 2.15pm at Arlington National Cemetery unannounced for wreath laying, which decorates the graves of fallen troops for Christmas.

19 December 2018
independent.co.uk Trump orders full and immediate withdrawal of US troops from Syria
The US has more than 2,000 troops in Syria. US officials said on Wednesday that a full withdrawal had been requested by Mr Trump. One official told Reuters that the pullout could take up to 100 days. Shortly after news of the plans emerged, the president appeared to tweet confirmation.

*update*
21 December 2018
BBC Trump to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan
The Trump administration is planning to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan, US media say. Reports, citing unnamed officials, say about 7,000 troops - roughly half the remaining US military presence in the country - could go home within months. The reports come a day after the president announced the country's military withdrawal from Syria.

24 December 2018  read more »

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Today in 1941, carrier-based Japanese aircraft staged a surprise attack on U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor. The next day, the United States officially entered World War

Fat Man, the 10,300-pound atom bomb that convinced the Japanese Empire to end the war after 8/9/1945
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Photo courtesy National Air and Space Museum and @AHMalcolm

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Survivors' story: Jeff Evans' Home Survived Camp Fire Nov 8 2018
"I inherited 11 dogs... my world changed pretty dramatically. I can't leave with 11 dogs. So I stayed here" in the Evacuation Zone.
59-year-old Jeff Evans and his parents, who live with him, told me his house survived unscathed, but his neighbors were not so lucky.
The Camp Fire in Northern California incinerated entire towns. More than 13,000 single-family homes were destroyed in the blaze.

California Camp Fire ravages town of Paradise, destroying more than 6,500 structures
Homes destroyed by the Camp Fire in Paradise, California.
Trees survived.

Fierce winds picked up in the Sierra foothills that morning, fueling the most destructive fire in California history, which has burned nearly 10,000 homes, killed at least 71 people and left more than 1,000 unaccounted for.

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Photo courtesy NPR and Newsweek

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A hero Battle of Britain pilot has taken to the skies at the tender age of 99 for the last time - in a Spitfire.
World War II ace Archie McInnes is one of only six surviving RAF pilots who took part in the vital Battle of Britain - known as The Few.

The war hero took to the skies above Kent last week in a refurbished Second World War Spitfire - accompanied by the plane he flew during the war.

The flight was organised and photographed by pal Jonny Cracknell, working alongside the Battle of Britain Museum. Jonny said: 'There are only eight Battle of Britain airmen left, and out of them, Archie is the most active.

There are only six pilots and two aircrew left out of the thousands of heroes who risked everything to protect Britain from the Nazis.

Archie joined the RAF in 1938, the year before the war, and completed pilot training in August, 1940.

After the Battle of Britain ended, on Ocotber 31, 1940, Archie's illustrious career took him on board HMS Victorious - where he was part of the team that hunted the Bismarck.

Archie then took part in the North African campaign, where he was shot down and lost his arm.

Pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain are known as 'The Few' after an iconic speech by then-PM Winston Churchill: 'Never was so much owed by so many to so few.'

The flight was organised ahead of the 78th anniversary of Battle of Britain Day, on September 15.

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Bloemencorso is a Dutch word meaning "flower parade." In the springtime, usually from about mid to late-April, you will find 2018 Netherlands flower parades towns, villages, and regions throughout the country. Neighboring Belgium celebrates the end of the long winter in a similar way. "Bloemen" means flower, and "corso" means parade, and these celebrations feature the flowers for which the Low Countries, particularly Holland, are so famous. While spring is the prime flower viewing time, the Low Countries grow and import many other flower varieties, and the parades occur periodically through about mid-September.

The first Bloemencorso in Holland coincides with the glorious flowering of a number of different bulb flowers - hyacinth and daffodils, lilies, narcissus, dahlias, and caladiums. But it is the tulip that is most prominently featured. All of these flowers can be viewed at in magnificent cultivated landscapes at beautiful Keukenhof Gardens, located about halfway between Amsterdam and The Hague. The bulb growing area (Bollenstreek) provides the oldest and most famous 2018 Netherlands flower parade mid-April. It winds its way from Noordwijk to Haarlem, a distance of about 25 miles, and passes Keukenhof Gardens in the late afternoon. Visitors to the gardens are allowed to leave the grounds as the parade passes and re-enter afterwards without paying an additional admission.

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The world's longest train route spans more than 8,000 miles, crosses through eight countries, and is long enough to stretch from Florida to Washington state 3 times.

The China-Europe Block Train begins in the city of Yiwu in China's east and crosses through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, and France before reaching its destination 21 days later in the Spanish capital of Madrid.

Also called Yixinou, the route surpasses the world's second- and third-longest routes, the Trans-Siberian railway (5,772 miles) and the Moscow-to-Beijing (4,340 miles) train.

The Silk Railroad - Episode I: World's longest rail link, from Yiwu to Madrid
An international freight railway network is connecting China to cities across Europe, dubbed the new "Silk Railroad." Two thousand years ago, commodities from China would need a year to reach Europe, along the ancient Silk Road. But today, Chinese consumer goods can reach London by rail in just 14 days.

Yiwu railway station - a massive freight terminus, began transporting cargoes overland to Europe in 2014. It's part of the multi-billion-US-dollar Belt and Road Initiative to boost international trade.

The Yiwu-Madrid railway is the longest rail link in the world. It spreads across 13,000-kilometers through France, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan. Along the way, the train transfers three times due to different track gauges in China, Europe, and Russia.

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Image courtesy Skye Gould / Business Insider

A True Fairytale Wedding
Imagine being the wedding photographer in this scenario. You know you’ve got a hilarious photo opportunity, but you can’t really interrupt the proceedings because you don’t want to ruin the moment. Would you just shoot this and let the couple be surprised when you deliver the final set of photos?

THIS. IS. SPARTA!!!
Oh, bird fights—so tiny, hilarious, and cute. These two are different species, and it looks like they’re well aware of it. Why else would you boot someone who’s just trying to enjoy a seedy little snack? Mother Nature is beyond tough when you really think about it.

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Cargo Overboard
This cargo ship came so close to toppling over. The drivers of the rescue boats don’t look too concerned. Maybe the ship was more controlled than it looks to be in the picture. Believe it or not, it didn’t flip. No one was hurt, but it made for some insane photos. Unbelievably, only four of those large shipping containers ended up in the water.
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Photo courtesy livestly.com