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  • Southern Sudan suffers several bouts of deadly violence

    Pete Muller / AP

    A survivor of a massacre by rebel forces on the town of Fangak displays a bullet in front of burnt houses in Fangak, southern Sudan Thursday, April 7. The attack by rebel leader George Athor happened February, and officials said 241 people died, most of them civilians. Athor, a former high-ranking officer in the southern army, launched an insurrection after losing his bid for governor of Jonglei state last April.


    Pete Muller / AP

    A Southern Sudanese solider practices martial arts on the banks of the Sobat River in the town of Canal, currently filled with southern soldiers, many of whom are involved in military operations against rebel leader George Athor. Communities living in the swampy territory within the "no-go areas" where the southern military is pursuing the rebel forces largely lack access to basic services such as health care and clean water. (AP Photo/Pete Muller)

    Pete Muller / AP

    A young boy untangles fishing nets on the banks of the Sobat River in the town of Canal.

    Pete Muller / AP

    A young river taxi driver dons a mask on the banks of the Sobat River in the town of Canal.

    Pete Muller / AP

    A survivor of a massacre by rebel forces, whose home was destroyed when it was struck by a rocket propelled grenade, is seen in Fangak, Southern Sudan.

    Pete Muller / AP

    Deng Choul Padol, a senior Dinka chief, is seen in the town of Khorfulus, Jonglei state, Southern Sudan.

    Pete Muller / AP

    A mother and her children who recently fled heavy fighting stand inside a schoolroom that has been transformed into a makeshift camp for displaced persons in the town of Khorfulus, Jonglei state, Southern Sudan.

     The AP says: Helicopter gunships and tanks have been deployed by Sudan's military near the disputed region of Abyei, a region that could spark renewed conflict between the north and south, a U.S. group said Thursday. Thirteen people died elsewhere in tribal violence.  Read the full story here.

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  • Mary Altaffer / AP

    A subway construction worker, known as a "sandhog" works on the tracks in the Second Avenue subway construction project on April 7, 2011 in New York. The south-bound track has been completed to 65th Street and the north-bound track is expected to be completed to 65th Street by the end of the year. The Second Avenue subway line will run from 125th Street to the Financial District in Lower Manhattan.

    The secret world of New York City subway construction workers

    From wikipedia.org
    When the subway debuted in 1904, the typical tunnel construction method was cut-and-cover. The street was torn up to dig the tunnel below before being rebuilt from above. This method worked for digging soft dirt and gravel near the street surface.

    However, mining shields were required for deeper sections, all of which used rock or concrete-lined tunnels.

    About 40% of the subway system runs on surface or elevated tracks, including steel or cast iron elevated structures, concrete viaducts, embankments, open cuts and surface routes. All of these construction methods are completely grade-separated from road and pedestrian crossings, and most crossings of two subway tracks are grade-separated with flying junctions.

  • Primitive equipment helps boxers pack a punch

    Nacho Doce / Reuters

    Aspiring boxer Joilson Santos (nicknamed "Talent") uses a mallet and a truck tire for muscle conditioning during a training session in the Mooca neighborhood of Sao Paulo on March 16, 2011.

    Nacho Doce / Reuters

    Aspiring boxer Chibata uses a truck shock absorber to strengthen his upper body during a training session at a gymnasium under the Alcantara Machado viaduct in the Mooca neighborhood of Sao Paulo on March 28.

    Nacho Doce / Reuters

    Aspiring boxers Joilson Santos, left, and Valdir Aparecido (nicknamed "Gorilla"), use a rope during a training session at a gymnasium under the Alcantara Machado viaduct in the Mooca neighborhood of Sao Paulo on March 25.

    Nacho Doce / Reuters

    Aspiring boxer Valdir Aparecido (nicknamed "Gorilla") throws a ball at the torso of Joilson Santos (nicknamed "Talent"), while training at a gymnasium under the Alcantara Machado viaduct in the Mooca neighborhood of Sao Paulo on March 24.

    Nacho Doce / Reuters

    Aspiring boxer Ryan Martins uses a discarded plastic jug as a punching bag during a training session at a gymnasium under the Alcantara Machado viaduct in the Mooca neighborhood of Sao Paulo on March 24, 2011.

    By Elena Grothe

    Reuters moved this selection of images today shot last month at a gymnasium beneath the Alcantara Machado viaduct in Sao Paulo. 

    According to Reuters: The Boxing Academy of Garrido, founded by Brazilian former pro boxer Nilson Garrido, adopts primitive training equipment that he developed himself during his years as a coach, in a project whose goal is to take the sport to the poor and marginalized population.

    See more boxing-related images on PhotoBlog here.

  • 'Magic Places' exhibit opens today at the Gasometer museum in Germany

    Ina Fassbender / Reuters

    A sculpture of a rain forest tree is pictured at an exhibition in the Gasometer museum in Oberhausen on Wednesday.

    Ina Fassbender / Reuters

    A sculpture of a rain forest tree is pictured at an exhibition in the Gasometer museum on Thursday.

    By Elena Grothe

    According to Reuters: The exhibition 'Magic Places' runs until December 30, 2011. For the 100-meter high air space of the Gasometer, Wolfgang Volz created the 40-meter high sculpture 'Rain forest tree'.

    Read more about the Gasometer here.

  • Bridging time in a bottle: 5-year-old's note surfaces after 24 years

    Viktor Guseinov / AP

    In this Friday, March 11 photo, Daniil Korotkikh holds a bottle with a letter he found on a beach at the village of Morskoye on the Curonian Spit, 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Kaliningrad, Russia. The 13-year-old Russian, was walking with his parents on a beach when he saw something glittering lying in the sand. It was a bottle with a letter sent by German boy 24 years ago in the Baltic Sea.

    By Jim Seida

    As a child, I always hoped I'd find something like this.  It's a remarkable story.  According to AP:  A 13-year-old Russian, Daniil Korotkikh, was walking with his parents on a beach when he saw something glittering lying in the sand.

    "I saw that bottle and it looked interesting," Korotkikh told The Associated Press. "It looked like a German beer bottle with a ceramic plug, and there was a message inside."  His father, who knows schoolboy German, translated the letter, carefully wrapped in cellophane and sealed by a medical bandage.

    Viktor Guseinov / AP

    The letter read: "My name is Frank, and I'm five years old. My dad and I are travelling on a ship to Denmark. If you find this letter, please write back to me, and I will write back to you."  The letter, dated 1987, included an address in the town of Coesfeld.  The boy in the letter, Frank Uesbeck, is now 29. His parents still live at the letter's address.

    "At first I didn't believe it," Uesbeck told the AP about getting the response from Korotkikh. In fact, he barely remembered the trip at all; his father actually wrote the letter.  The Russian boy and the German man met each other earlier this month via an Internet video link.

    Reuters TV

    A photo of a young Frank Uesbeck on board a ship, holding a bottle containing a letter shortly before he threw it into the sea, is seen in Coesfeld in this still image taken from recent video footage.

    The Russian boy said he does not believe that the bottle actually spent 24 years in the sea: "It would not have survived in the water all that time," he said.  He believes it had been hidden under the sand where he found it — on the Curonian Spit, a 100-kilometer (60-mile) stretch of sand in Lithuania and Russia.

    In the web chat earlier this month, Uesbek gave Korotkikh his new address to write to and promised to write back when he receives his letter.  "He'll definitely get another letter from me," the 29-year-old said.
    Uesbeck was especially thrilled that he was able to have a positive impact on a life of a young person far away from Germany.

    A 13-year-old Russian boy discovers a bottle with a message written in 1987 by a 5-year-old German boy and is able to connect online with the now 29-year-old author. TODAY.com's Dara Brown reports.

     

  • Lee Jin-man / AP

    Hotel guests check their mobile phones for earthquake news after they evacuated the building following an aftershock, in Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, on Friday, April 8. Japan was rattled by a strong aftershock and tsunami warning Thursday night nearly a month after a devastating earthquake and tsunami flattened the northeastern coast.

    Aftershock rattles Japan causing second tsunami scare

    By Elena Grothe

    Full story from the AP here. Slideshow here.

  • Several children killed in Rio school shooting

    Antonio Lacerda / EPA

    Anxious parents and locals watch as events unfold outside the school after the shooting in Rio de Janeiro.

    A gunman opened fire Thursday in a public elementary school in Rio de Janeiro, killing at least 10 people before taking his own life, officials said.

    Victor R. Caivano / AP

    A woman reacts after a shooting at a school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, April 7. Brazilian authorities say a gunman opened fire inside the school leaving at least 13 dead.

    Terrified parents rushed to the school and television images showed them crying and screaming for information about their children.

    Victor R. Caivano / AP

    Police guard the perimeter of a school after a shooting in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.

    The dead included nine children between the ages of 12 and 14, the O Globo news website in Rio de Janeiro reported.

    The gunman, identified as Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, was a 23-year-old former student at the school. Continue reading...

  • Nicklaus and Palmer kick off a picture-perfect Masters

    Two old champions with 10 green jackets between them strolled up to the first tee to get the Masters going, then stepped aside to let the real contenders take their place in the Georgia sun.

    Robyn Beck / AFP - Getty Images

    Arnold Palmer hits his ceremonial first tee shot during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday, April 7.

    The Bear and The King, as they have come to be known, struck ceremonial tee shots shortly after sunrise Thursday at Augusta National, the traditional start to the tournament, now in its 77th year.

    John G. Mabanglo / EPA

    Arnold Palmer reacts after teeing off at the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

    David Cannon / Getty Images

    Jack Nicklaus hits his ceremonial first tee shot.

    With the overnight chill still lingering, the 81-year-old Palmer hit a little fade that stayed in the fairway. The 71-year-old Nicklaus went next, ripping one right down the middle about 30 yards past his longtime rival. Read more...

    John G. Mabanglo / EPA

    Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Masters Chairman Billy Payne stand on the first tee at Augusta National Golf Club.

    Related Content:
    Live scoreboard from Agusta National Golf Club

  • Ahn Young-Joon / AP

    South Korean students holding umbrellas go home amid fears that the rain may contain radioactive materials from the crippled nuclear reactors in Japan at Midong elementary school in Seoul, South Korea on April 7.

    Fears of radioactive rain prompt South Korean schools to close

    AP reports: More than 100 South Korean schools have canceled or shortened classes over fears that rain falling across the country may include radiation from Japan's stricken nuclear plant.

    The Education Office of Gyeonggi province says it allowed schools to decide whether to open Thursday.

    The prime minister's office says radiation levels in the rain are low and pose no health threat.

    Still officials say that 126 schools in Gyeonggi province shut down and 43 others shortened class hours as a precaution. The province is near Seoul.

    Nuclear safety experts have said that radiation leaking into the air and water from Japan's crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex does not pose a health threat outside the evacuation zone around the plant, which now stands at 12 miles.

  • AP

    U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman rides a Harley-Davidson motorbike cruise around town in Shanghai, China on April 7. Huntsman is in Shanghai to deliver a farewell speech at the Barnett-Oksenberg Lecture before heading back to the U.S. later this month.

    Revved and ready: Jon Huntsman rides a Harley on farewell visit to Shanghai

    By David R Arnott, NBC News

    Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman has suggested that he is open to running for the Republican nomination for president. As we reported last month, when he returns home he can step right in to a campaign that is described as "revved and ready".

  • Residents of Filipino city forced to start over after fire guts their homes

    Ted Aljibe / AFP - Getty Images

    A resident swims among debris and rubbish looking for recyclable materials after a fire gutted an informal settlement overnight in Malabon City, suburban Manila, the Philippines on April 7. Around a thousand residents were affected by the fire, but no casualties were reported.

    Ted Aljibe / AFP - Getty Images

    Residents look for recyclable materials among debris and rubbish on April 7 after a fire gutted their settlement in Malabon overnight.

    By David R Arnott, NBC News

    This is the fourth time in as many months that we have reported on a devastating fire affecting the residents of slum housing in the Philippines. Last year, the East Asia Forum published an article on the challenges of providing better-quality housing for low-income Filipinos, reporting that public expenditure on housing is less than 0.1 per cent of the country's GDP. Without sustained investment, desperate scenes like those occuring in Malabon this morning seem likely to be repeated again and again.

  • Taiwanese president acts tough

    Sam Yeh / AFP - Getty Images

    Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou (center, front row) raises his fist with government representatives and members of Taiwan's navy while posing for photos during a ceremony to launch a squadron of locally manufactured ships with missile capabilities at a naval base in the northeastern city of Suao on April 7. President Ma Ying-jeou, who presided over the ceremony, vowed to continue a military buildup amid China's perceived military threat despite the fast warming ties between Taipei and former bitter rival Beijing since he came to power in 2008, beefing up trade links and allowing in more Chinese tourists.

  • 'I'm the guy', shooting suspect tells photographer

    Todd J. Van Emst / AP

    Opelika police take a suspect into custody at Southern Union Community College on April 6 in Opelika, Ala. The unidentified man was arrested after he walked up to reporters and told them he was the person police were seeking in connection with a shooting on campus. The shooting at the college killed a 63-year-old woman, wounded two other women, ages 36 and 94, and injured a 4-year-old who was hit with flying glass.

    OPELIKA, Ala. — Journalists covering a deadly shooting became part of the story when the man police say is the main suspect calmly walked up to them and told them he was the person authorities were after.

    Thomas Franklin May, 34, was charged with capital murder and attempted murder and was being held without bond, Opelika Police Chief Tommy Mangham said.

    He said Wednesday's parking lot shooting at a community college campus in eastern Alabama was related to a domestic problem and was preplanned.

    One woman was killed and May's estranged wife and another woman were wounded, police said.

    About three hours after the shooting, when city officers already had left campus, a man driving a white Jeep Liberty with the same tag number police had released as the suspect's pulled into the blood-splattered parking lot where the shootings happened and spoke to the news media.

    Todd van Emst was taking photos for The Associated Press on the Southern Union Community College campus when May came up to him and asked to use his cell phone.

    Van Emst said May gestured and said he "did all this."

    "I said, 'Are you the shooter? He said, 'Yes.'" Continue reading.

  • When a mother goose loses her lifelong mate, a friendly deer appears to step in

    WGRZ.com reports: "In an unlikely twist of fate, an adult deer has befriended the mother goose, taking over the role of protector."

    What do you think?  Is this a match made in heaven, or just a weird animal kingdom coincidence?

    Craig Cygan courtesy of WGRZ.com

    A deer seems to protect a mother goose who lost her mate in a cemetary in Buffalo, NY.

    Read the full story from WGRZ here, and watch the video below.

    Craig Cygan courtesy of WGRZ.com

    A deer seems to protect a mother goose who lost her mate in a cemetary in Buffalo, NY.

    A goose that lost her mate has found a friend in a deer that guards her nesting place. Msnbc.com's Keva Andersen reports.

  • Bolivian miners protest with dynamite

    David Mercado / Reuters

    A Bolivian mine worker with a stick of dynamite on his helmet attends a protest rally in La Paz, Bolivia April 6. Thousands of Bolivian miners marched through La Paz on Wednesday to protest against President Evo Morales' government because they believe that a ten percent rise in their wages is insufficient.

    Gaston Brito / Reuters

    A Bolivian mine worker throws sticks of dynamite during a protest rally in La Paz.

    David Mercado / Reuters

    Bolivian mine workers cover their ears from the noise from dynamite explosions during a protest rally in La Paz.

    David Mercado / Reuters

    An ice cream cart is seen during a protest rally in La Paz.

     

    Jorge Bernal / AFP - Getty Images

    A miner hurls a stone at a riot police van during a protest called by Bolivia's Workers Central (COB) in demand of a salary rise superior to the 10 percent announced by the government of Bolivian President Evo Morales for the Armed Forces,

  • Protesters urge government spending cuts on Capitol Hill

    Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images

    Protesters demonstrate in front of the Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on April 6, urging for government spending cut. Republican US House Speaker John Boehner told US President Barack Obama he was "hopeful" that talks on sweeping spending cuts would reach a deal to avert a partial government shutdown at week's end. Boehner reiterated that the House's goal is to prevent a government shutdown and make real cuts in spending, which the Speaker has argued is necessary to support private-sector job creation and boost confidence in the nation's economy." US lawmakers and the White House are racing to make a midnight Friday deadline to have an agreement on legislation funding government operations through October 1, failing which key federal agencies will shut down.

    J. Scott Applewhite / AP

    House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, right, accompanied by Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 6, after meeting to work on a budget deal and avoid a government shutdown.

    Evan Vucci / AP

    Visitors gather in the main entrance of the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, Wednesday, April 6. The White House warns of a temporary cutoff in pay for troops in war zones if the budget impasse brings a partial government shutdown. The IRS wouldn't be able to process some tax refunds, and there also could be a holdup in mortgage applications and small business loans. National parks and museums would be closed, too.

     NBC's Nomenico Montanaro says:

    "The president isn't leading," House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) charged, noting first that he liked the president personally and that they "get along well."

    He criticized the president for not implementing any of his own fiscal commission's recommendations in his budget.

    And he upped the ante, saying House Republicans were prepared to go forward with a bold one-week continuing resolution that would cut a whopping $12 billion in spending but continue to fund the Pentagon through September.

    Read the rest of Montanaro's story in First Read.

  • A-changin' times: Bob Dylan plays his first-ever concert in China

    AP

    American folk icon Bob Dylan, right, performs with his band in his China debut in Beijing on Wednesday, April 6.

    Liu Jin / AFP - Getty Images

    Fans cheer as American music legend Bob Dylan performs onstage during his concert at The Worker's Gymnasium in Beijing on Wednesday.

    Liu Jin / AFP - Getty Images

    American music legend Bob Dylan, right, performs onstage with his band during his concert at The Worker's Gymnasium in Beijing on Wednesday.

    AP

    American folk icon Bob Dylan performs with his band in his China debut in Beijing on Wednesday. The 69-year-old American legend was expected to meet resistance from Chinese censors considering his association with U.S. protest movements in the 1960s.

    By Elena Grothe

    Full story from Reuters: Bob Dylan gets rapturous reception at China concert

  • Outside the frame: Waiting, and waiting, and waiting again for the President

    Matt Rourke / AP

    A workman steams a U.S. flag in preparation for a planned visit by President Barack Obama Wednesday, April 6, 2011, at wind turbine manufacture Gamesa Technology Corporation in Fairless Hills, Pa.

    AP photojournalist Matt Rourke shares his experience photographing President Barack Obama during his visit today to a town hall meeting in Philadelphia.

    When you’re a photographer covering the president — and, like me (and unlike AP’s White House photographers), you’re not in the White House press pool — much of your time involves waiting. Arriving early and waiting to stake out a position. Waiting for security sweeps. Waiting in multiple lines, including more security, to re-enter the venue. And finally waiting for the president to arrive. During all this time — like today, as I wait for Barack Obama to appear in Fairless Hills, Pa. — you may, if you’re lucky, run into a photo.

  • Jorge Dan Lopez / Reuters

    Puerto Rican singer and Latin Grammy winner Ricky Martin (R) reacts as a female fan is restrained by security during a promotional event for his "Music + Soul + Sex" tour in Mexico City April 5, 2011.

    Oh Ricky, you're so fine: Overeager Ricky Martin fan gets carried away by security in Mexico City

    By Carissa Ray

    Mr. Martin looks amused at the attention. For more entertainment images, check out today's Celebrity Sightings slideshow.

  • A boy plays in the wreckage of Ishinomaki, Japan

    Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP - Getty Images

    A boy plays with a toy car while a real car balances behind him in the debris of tsunami in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture on April 6.

    By John Makely, NBC News

    This image makes me wonder how these tragic events will affect the children who survived the earthquake and tsunami. While the crisis is still ongoing and the authorities are striving to meet the immediate needs of food and shelter, I hope that steps will be taken to assist the survivors on an emotional level as well.

    For more images of the crisis in Japan click here.

  • Libyan rebels try to retake the northeastern oil port of Brega

    Maurizio Gambarini / EPA

    Libyan rebels drive their vehicle to the font line near Ajdabiya, in Benghazi, eastern Libya on April 6. Libyan rebels trying to retake the northeastern oil port of Brega were pushed back to the city of Ajdabiya by Muammar Gadhafi's armed forces. The rebels were coming under heavy shelling some 30 kilometres outside Adjabiya, located between Brega and the rebel stronghold of Benghazi in the east, one source in Benghazi told the German Press Agency dpa. EPA/MAURIZIO GAMBARINI

    By John Makely, NBC News

     For more images of the fighting in Libya click here.

  • Bilal Hussein / AP

    A Lebanese protester whose relative is a Roumieh inmate, clashes with riot policemen who guard the main entrance of the compound of the central Roumieh prison, in Roumieh east of Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday April 6. Lebanese security officials say police have stormed the country's largest prison to halt a day long riot by the inmates, and that two prisoners died during the operation. The rioting started on Saturday by prisoners demanding improved conditions. They later set a fire inside one of the prison buildings.

    Lebanese protester confronts riot police outside Roumieh prison in Beirut

    For more on this story click here.

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