Note also the British SAS soldier (who was reportedly training the Kenyan special forces from the British army base in Kenya). US Navy seals also took part. This was not a rag tag force.

More photos

Photo 1 shows the aftermath of an avalanche where no one is affected. Doesn't it look beautiful? Yet it is deadly. 90% of avalanche victims can be recovered alive if they are dug out within the first 5 minutes. However, after 45 minutes, only 20-30% are still alive - after two hours, almost no one is alive. See survival time chart.

Photo 2 shows another restaurant in Austria hit by an avalanche.

Photo 3 shows a bus overturned by an avalanche in the past 48 hours.

Photo 4 Shows another bus, this time flipping on its side in Austria in dangerous conditions. Many were taken to hospital.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdujlpdOJKo

A machete-wielding man was Tasered on a railway station platform as "terrified" rush hour commuters looked on.

Police pinned the man - filmed waving a "massive" blade at Tulse Hill station in South London - to the ground shortly after 18:30 GMT on Monday.

Witnesses described "chaos" as he chased people with the weapon.

A 59-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and possessing an offensive weapon, police said.

Many people have also taken to social media to praise police for their quick action.

Mattvan Pricey said: "Congratulations to the officers who responded to last night's incident at Tulse Hill completely professional in managing a volatile situation in a safe manner."

Social media user Caroline said: "Well done as always to the police - you do a great job all the time and thank you for preventing fatalities and injuries - my husband at Tulse Hill at the time."

British Transport Police (BTP) said there were no reported injuries and what happened was not believed to be terror-related.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-46871219

Algerian1:
Roman runes

This to me is a fantastic photo. Your imagination can run wild thinking about what such a city would have been like 2,000 years ago, all being ruled from Rome. Credit to Algeria for keeping it in such good condition, I'm sure the tourism it generates (as well as national pride) is well worth it.

I'd like to do a thread on the Carthaginian Empire one day. Let's face it, it is among Egypt, Mali and Timbuktu as tone of the African great empires.

With snow roads must close. The following pics come from southern Germany and Switzerland.

It seems that the snow continues in some places so some more amazing photos to share.

But first it is kind of sad that the last pic I uploaded was of a man clearing his roof of snow in Austria as "a worker, clearing snow off a roof has died after being swept away as the snow began to slide off in Austria. The 47-year-old man and three others were pushed off the six-meter (20-foot) roof in Faistenau, near Salzburg, on Monday and buried in the snow. Two others were hospitalised." RIP.

Now for the pics. Mostly it seems the oyibos have non-stop manual labour to make access to their homes and cars. Even the kids are set to work. The following photos are from Switzerland. Check out the icicles on the last upload - those have been known to kill people when falling off. Deadly.

raphieMontella:


Oga.. dark side is just the name given to the side not facing earth...

it actually receives sunlight..

Thanks, I was clearly living on a different planet when I wrote that.

Perhaps it is viewing it on a phone screen, but the pics still look like a bad computer game. Again, not saying I don't believe it, but it looks like a computer mock up.

It's not that I don't believe them, but this thread is misleading. There's no way those are real pictures, look at how bright the 'dark side of the moon' is. They look like CGI.

...

More pictures from today, Sunday 13th January


Pic 1: Fallen tree in Unterstmatt, southern Germany
Pic 2: A rural scene in Nesutychi, 140 km (87 miles) west of Minsk, Belarus, one of the poorest countries in Europe (note horse and cart)
Pic 3: Hospental, Switzerland
Pic 4: Man clearing snow from Unken, Salzburg State, Austria,

More from Germany:

Here is one story of tragedy from many:

Max's final minutes: How Australian family desperately battled to free their son, 16, with their bare hands after he was buried alive by an avalanche during tragic European skiing trip


The helpless family of an Australian teenager watched in horror as he was buried under a mountain of snow in a deadly avalanche in the Austrian alps.

Max Meyer, a 16-year-old Sydney International Grammar School student, was killed while skiing with his parents and 14 year old brother in St Anton am Arlberg on Wednesday.

When the avalanche hit the popular ski resort, Max's family could do nothing but dig with their bare hands.

They had no emergency supplies - not even a shovel.


The tragedy began when the family, who were all experienced skiers, became stuck in 'rough, untracked and very steep terrain' at about 4.40pm local time.

They made an emergency call, but were soon hit by an avalanche as they waited for rescuers to arrive.

Max and his mother were covered with snow. The 55-year-old was able to free herself.

Mountain Rescue team member Kurt Huettl told Nine News it was explained to the family that Max could not be saved, before the survivors were guided out on skis.

'We got them out, but it was the hard way out. We had to pass some trees and there is a river, there are rocks and so it was difficult to get them out,' he said.

'Sadly we could not bring the young boy out this way, we had to use ropes to bring him him up.'

Rescuers retrieved the boy's body in two metres of snow 20 minutes after arriving and were unable to revive him.

The teenager's German father and younger brother were uninjured in the avalanche.

Tributes have poured in for the 16-year-old, with a parent of a child at his high school describing him as 'such a bright boy' who was 'always excited to learn new things'.

It was 'such an enormous loss', the parent said.

A fellow student wrote on Facebook: 'He was an absolutely buzz to be around and so smart, especially in languages.

'He was always first to participate in initiatives at school and always striving to be more involved. Absolutely heartbreaking. He will missed by all of his peers.'

Parents at the school were told counsellors and senior staff would be on hand at the school today.

'Max Meyer was about to enter Year 11, and his life has been tragically cut short,' the principal, Shauna Colnan, said.

An autopsy will determine the exact cause of death, which is still the subject of ongoing police investigations.


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6579775/Maxs-final-minutes-Australian-family-desperately-battled-free-son-16-bare-hands-buried-alive-avalanche-tragic-European-skiing-trip.html

Photo of Australian boy, including when he was on Australian TV 2 years ago showing a solar plant watering system he designed. The final picture is the scene of the tragedy.

In Switzerland, an avalanche hit a hotel restaurant, injuring three people. Local reports said the avalanche had been 300m in width when it came down the Schwägalp.

Rescuers searched the area on Friday in case anyone near the Hotel Säntis had been caught up in the avalanche.

Cars were left buried in the snow and even a bus was left partly submerged.

One guest in the hotel restaurant said that initially he thought snow was falling from the roof.

"There there was a gigantic noise, and the back area of the restaurant was engulfed in masses of snow," the guest told Tagblatt.

Some hotel guests were taken to safety on Thursday night and the remainder were moved on Friday, Swiss reports said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46835677

More photos

Continued

Heavy snowfalls brought chaos to parts of Germany and Sweden on Friday, leaving roads blocked, trains halted and schools shut.

The Red Cross helped drivers stuck on a motorway in the southern German state of Bavaria and a nine-year-old boy was killed by a falling tree.

The front of a Swiss hotel was hit by an avalanche and a winter storm made roads impassable in Sweden and Norway.

Austrian rescuers had to battle through chest-deep snow to reach a snowboarder.

The 41-year-old Pole had lost his way after going off piste at the resort of Schlossalmbahn.

There was some respite in Austria on Friday, after three metres (10ft) of snow fell in some parts in previous days. Seven people have died in the past week and two hikers have been missing since Saturday.

"Such quantities of snow above 800m altitude only happen once every 30 to 100 years," said Alexander Radlherr from Austria's Central Institution for Meteorology and Geodynamics.

The Austrian military sent helicopters to blow snow off treetops to reduce the risk of trees falling on roads and rails.

In Sweden wintry storms ravaged parts of the north. One area recorded winds of 49.7m per second (111mph) as Storm Jan ravaged Stekenjokk near the Norwegian border.

In northern Norway, a lorry driver described on Friday morning how he and other drivers had been stuck on a mountain road since 17:00 (16:00 GMT) on Thursday. Magnar Nicolaisen told public broadcaster NRK that he had slept in his cabin overnight while others had had to stay in their cars.

Conditions on Friday were particularly treacherous in Bavaria, where the local broadcaster said snowfalls were paralysing public life.

Rail services were worst hit in the south and east of the state and roads were cut off by drifts and falling trees.

A boy of nine was killed near Munich when a tree collapsed under the weight of snow. It was 40 minutes before he was found and emergency services were unable to revive him.

Two sections of the big A8 autobahn were closed in the south-east, as drivers spent Thursday night at a standstill near Rosenheim. The Bavarian Red Cross and a government agency came to the aid of the drivers.

Roads in the Berchtesgaden area close to the Austrian border were blocked and the army sent up to 200 soldiers to help hundreds of people caught up in the snow.

There was a let-up in the weather on Friday ahead of expected further snowfalls on Saturday night. However, some 90 flights were cancelled in Munich while some flights in Frankfurt were also hit.

Prosecutors are calling for a suspended €5,000 (2,000,000 Naira) fine for French rapper Nick Conrad, who is on trial for incitement to murder in Paris after he published an online video entitled "Hang White People".

The music video shows the rapper acting out the kidnap, torture and hanging of a white man.

The lyrics, which sparked outrage, call for white babies to be killed.

Mr Conrad denies the charge, and says the song is a comment on racism.

The nine-minute video, first published on YouTube in September, was quickly suspended for violating the company's terms of service.

It depicts a white man being shot and tortured by the rapper and an accomplice. He is forced to bite the pavement and is kicked in the head before being hanged.

One section of the lyrics reads: "I go to the nurseries, I kill the white babies. Catch them quick and hang their parents!"

Who is Nick Conrad?

The 35-year-old French rapper of Cameroonian descent was virtually unknown to the French public before he released his video four months ago.
Anti-racism groups have called the clip an incitement to violence and racial hatred.

He was raised in the suburbs of Paris, and worked as a receptionist at a five-star hotel on Avenue de l'Opera until he lost his job recently. "Nick Conrad" is a pseudonym.

The charge against Mr Conrad could result in up to five years in prison and €45,000 in fines. Prosecutors have requested a suspended fine of €5,000, saying he has "already to a certain extent paid the consequences".

The rapper told the court on Wednesday that the video was obviously a fictional depiction of racism, designed to shock by inverting roles, and therefore not to be taken at face value.

The scenes are said to be a reference to the film American History X, where white neo-Nazis subjected a black man to similar violent acts.
The prosecution countered this, saying there cannot be exceptions - incitement to violence does not stop just because the intended victim is white.

The trial continues on 19 March.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46821421



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnD-s5ZSNYo

Redomi:
Someone want to assist me to get to Brazil to hustle and make money, with promise that I will pay back the cash spent on all the traveling process.
Please people with more experiences, I have never been out of the country in my life. Should I accept the offer?

Do you speak Portuguese? It will be very hard out there if you don't.

https://www.facebook.com/nicolas.derely/videos/10217811401547677/

From this link you can watch 19 year old Bruno being treated, 7,400ft high on the Anterne Pass in the Alps before being winched off to the helicopter.

Footage has emerged of the heart-stopping helicopter rescue of a group of skiers from the Pass of Anterne in the French Alps.

One of the skiers was struggling with a knee injury, and was able to call for help using a mobile phone.

The pilot said the rescuers chose to perform the manoeuvre, known as a "skate support", because of the weather conditions during the incident, which took place on 2 January.

Judge for yourselves on the skill of the pilot.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wPOd7-VezM

https://www.facebook.com/nicolas.derely/videos/10217811401547677/

TobiAbuja:




That and clear indiscipline.

You wouldn't see this happening with an African leader though, a child of 2 would be a great grandchild of our leaders given their average age so probably not even at the ceremony.

Let's also not forget that California's economy is the 5th largest in the world. They are basically a superpower within a superpower.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u935ULhrwtQ


Monday was a big day for California's new governor, Gavin Newsom, as he delivered his inaugural address to the crowd — but though he'd risen to the highest executive office in one of the country's most populous states, he was soundly upstaged during his speech.

His son stole the show during his inauguration speech in Sacramento. Two-year-old Dutch wandered onto the stage, much to the audience's delight.

Added: crazy video of gold steak being prepared. 'Greatest showman' comes to mind.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHZlTT1RbbI

Bayern issued the following statement:



FC Bayern Munich has fined Franck Ribéry for his choice of words used on social platforms. The decision was revealed by sports director Hasan Salihamidzic at the training camp in Doha today, who said that the player "used words which we as FC Bayern Munich cannot accept and which Franck as a role model, as a player of FC Bayern, must never use. I spoke to Franck for a long time yesterday and told him he would receive a hefty fine. He has accepted this punishment."

As part of an advertising campaign, Ribéry had been invited to try a steak in a restaurant during his holiday in Dubai. Afterwards, it was falsely claimed that he had paid 1,200 euros for the steak, whereupon he and his family were "savagely attacked" (Salihamidzic) on social media. Ribéry then publicly "stood up for his family and fought back", but in a manner not approved of by FC Bayern.

Bayern Munich have issued Franck Ribery with a “hefty fine” for a foul-mouthed tirade at his critics on social media following his visit to a steak restaurant in Dubai during the club’s winter break.

The 35-year-old former France international, who has a turbulent history of clashing with the media, caused a furore in Germany and France by eating a gold-covered Tomahawk steak presented by the restaurant’s owner Nusret Gokce, better known as Salt Bae.

The steak can reportedly cost in excess of £1,000 and, after some criticism of his extravagance, the veteran winger hit back with a vengeance “in a manner not approved of by FC Bayern”.

On social media, Ribery posted in French: “For 2019, let us dot the i’s and cross the t’s… Let’s start with the jealous, the haters, those probably born from a broken condom: f*** your mothers, your grandmothers and even your family tree.

“I owe you nothing, my success is above all thanks to God, me, and those close to me who believed in me, for the others, you’re only pebbles in my socks!”

A statement issued by the Bundesliga giants on Sunday, read: “FC Bayern Munich has fined Franck Ribery for his choice of words used on social platforms.

“The decision was revealed by sports director Hasan Salihamidzic at the training camp in Doha today (Sunday), who said that the player ‘used words which we as FC Bayern Munich cannot accept and which Franck as a role model, as a player of FC Bayern, must never use’.”

Salihamidzic added: “I spoke to Franck for a long time yesterday and told him he would receive a hefty fine. He has accepted this punishment.”

Ribery, who retired from international duty in 2014, is in his 12th season with Bayern.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHZlTT1RbbI


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-6562625/Franck-Ribery-fined-response-Salt-Bae-criticism.html

Front paged again :/

There is little evidence screen use for children is harmful in itself, guidance from leading paediatricians says.

Parents should worry less as long as they have gone through a checklist on the effect of screen time on their child, it says.

While the guidance avoids setting screen time limits, it recommends not using them in the hour before bedtime.

Experts say it is important that the use of devices does not replace sleep, exercising and time with family.

It was informed by a review of evidence published at the same time in the BMJ Open medical journal, and follows a debate around whether youngsters should have time on devices restricted.

Meanwhile, a separate study has found that girls are twice as likely to show signs of depressive symptoms linked to social media use at age 14 compared with boys.

'No evidence of being toxic'
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), which oversees the training of specialists in child medicine, has produced the guidance for under-18s.

It said there was no good evidence that time in front of a screen is "toxic" to health, as is sometimes claimed.

The review of evidence found associations between higher screen use and obesity and depression.

But the college looked at this and said it was not clear from the evidence if higher screen use was causing these problems or if people with these issues were more likely to spend more time on screens.

The review was carried out by experts at University College London, including RCPCH president Prof Russell Viner.

The college said it was not setting time limits for children because there was not enough evidence that screen time was harmful to child health at any age.

Instead, it has published a series of questions to help families make decisions about their screen time use:

Is your family's screen time under control?
Does screen use interfere with what your family want to do?
Does screen use interfere with sleep?
Are you able to control snacking during screen time?

Dr Max Davie, officer for health promotion for the RCPCH, said phones, computers and tablets were a "great way to explore the world", but parents were often made to feel that there was something "indefinably wrong" about them.

He said: "We want to cut through that and say 'actually if you're doing OK and you've answered these questions of yourselves and you're happy, get on and live your life and stop worrying'.

"But if there are problems and you're having difficulties, screen time can be a contributing factor."

How much screen time is 'too much'?

Dr Russell Viner, president of the RCPCH, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme "screens are part of modern life", adding: "The genie is out of the bottle - we cannot put it back."

He said: "We need to stick to advising parents to do what they do well, which is to balance the risks and benefits.

"One size doesn't fit all, parents need to think about what's useful and helpful for their child."

Parents should consider their own use of screens, if screen time is controlled in their family, and if excessive use is affecting their child's development and everyday life, he added.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-46749232

Roger Federer's Switzerland beat Serena Williams' USA as the two tennis greats met on court for the first time at the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia.

Federer and Belinda Bencic beat Williams and Frances Tiafoe 4-2 4-3 (5-3) in a mixed-doubles contest to secure a 2-1 win in the round-robin tie.

Federer and Williams, both 37, earlier won their respective singles matches.

"It was great fun. I really enjoyed playing against Serena. What an honour," said Federer.

"I was nervous returning because people talk about her serve so much. I know why they say it now, she has a wonderful serve.

"She's a great champion, you see how focused she is and I love that about her."

Federer and Williams have won a combined 43 Grand Slam singles titles, and have spent a combined 621 weeks at world number one.

The match had been described as the most anticipated contest involving a male and female player since the 'Battle of the Sexes' in 1973, when 39-time Grand Slam champion Billie Jean King beat former men's world number one Bobby Riggs in straight sets.

"It was a great experience. I'm sad it's over, I was just warming up," said Williams.

"It was so fun to do this at the pinnacle of our careers.

"The guy is great. He's the greatest of all time. There's a reason why he is so great. He has a killer serve. I've watched him all the time but I never realised how good it was. Maybe I could get some tips from him later on."

Before the mixed-doubles contest, Federer beat Tiafoe 6-4 6-1 before Williams levelled the tie with a 4-6 6-4 6-3 victory over Bencic.

The Hopman Cup comprises two singles and a mixed doubles match between nations in a round-robin format with two groups of four. The winners of each group will contest Saturday's final.

Defending champions Switzerland play Greece in their final round-robin match on Thursday while the USA face Great Britain's Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter.


https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/46728912

I know, it makes no sense how clubs can charge that kind of money. At least the big ones are setting an example and giving it away for free.

US Strategic Command, which oversees America's nuclear arsenal, has apologised for a tweet that said it was ready to "drop something much, much bigger" than New York's Times Square ball.

The message, posted on New Year's Eve, was accompanied by a video showing a B-2 bomber dropping weapons.

Strategic Command later deleted the tweet, saying it was "in poor taste", and replaced it with an apology.

The incident sparked outrage online.

The previous tweet read:

"#TimesSquare tradition rings in the #NewYear by dropping the big ball...if ever needed, we are #ready to drop something much, much bigger."

It was posted online hours before the annual "ball drop" on top of One Times Square, a New York skyscraper, which marks the start of the new year. The tradition began in 1907, and sees a brightly-lit ball on a special flagpole descend 43m (141ft) in the 60 seconds before midnight, coming to rest as the new year begins.

Critics were quick to condemn Strategic Command's take on the event.

Former head of the US Office of Government Ethics, Walter M Shaub Jr, tweeted: "What kind of maniacs are running this country?"

Joe Cirincione, author of 'Nuclear Nightmares, Securing the World before it is too late', said: "At first, I did not believe this could be real. But it is. It is an industry ad doubling as a sick, bragging joke by our Strategic Command. Disgraceful."

US Strategic Command is one of 10 unified commands in the US Department of Defense. It is based at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. The command slogan is "Peace is Our Profession", which was also used in hashtag form in the controversial tweet.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46727991



See tweets below:

Meanwhile, in the Championship (English second tier), Swansea City Football Club are getting panned in the media for charging a whopping £478 (₦221,000) for a kid to be a mascot with them:


Only three teams in the Premier League charge more, while the experience is free at most of the top clubs. Cardiff City charge £255.

Swansea City said prices were reduced this year following relegation.

Consumer groups have branded the higher prices as "outrageous".

For many youngsters, the chance to walk out onto the pitch with their football heroes is a dream come true.

Indeed many clubs tell parents the package is the "ultimate gift your child will never forget".

Yet while many of the biggest clubs in the country, including Premier League champions Manchester City, do not charge for the opportunity, others are cashing in more than £700 per child.

Most packages include full kit, match tickets, photographs and autographs as well as walking onto the pitch before kick-off.

But a £270 deal at Fulham does not include kit while a £185 package at Bournemouth does not come with a ticket to the game.

Martyn James, of consumer website Resolver, said: "It's absolutely outrageous that some richer kids can effectively buy their way to the top of the mascot list.

"When I was younger, being a mascot was a reward for super loyalty or for having been through a great deal.

"Charging any money for these packages is unacceptable - and it's pretty unknown too.

"It makes a mockery of all the things that our national game is supposed to represent."

Supporters on fan forums have slammed the prices as "unfair" and "scandalous".

Swansea City said the "truly once in a lifetime experience" includes four hospitality places, a meal and half-time penalty competition on the pitch.

A spokesman added: "We've reduced prices this year following relegation, from £450 plus VAT to £399 plus VAT for weekend, and £349 plus VAT for weekday matches.

"We also give one space free to charity every match and this was brought in this season."

Mascots at the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United are picked at random from their junior fan club and are free.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-46526716