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  • Wedding dress to draw record crowds to London palace

    I guess there is no limit to the interest in this wedding.

    As Reuters reported:

    Buckingham Palace expects record crowds this summer, when up to 650,000 people are set to file into Queen Elizabeth's London residence and past the dress worn by Kate Middleton at her wedding to Prince William.

    The ivory and white garment, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, won over the fashion press and public when Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge and a future queen, walked up the aisle of Westminster Abbey in April.

    In the run-up to the fairytale wedding, details of the outfit were a closely guarded secret, known only to the handful of people who worked on the dress.

    Hundreds of millions of viewers admired it on television and the Internet, and now hundreds of thousands will see it for themselves, unprotected on a raised oval stage in the ornate palace ballroom where state banquets are held.

    Reflecting the surge in interest in the royals after the marriage and the newlyweds' recent trip to North America, advanced ticket sales for the summer tour of Buckingham Palace have hit 126,000, up 107 percent on the same point last year.

    Read the full story here. Watch video of the exhibit below.

    Pool / Reuters

    Caroline de Guitaut, curator of the exhibition display adjusts the wedding dress of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, at Buckingham Palace, in central London, on July 20, 2011. It was the best kept secret of the royal wedding, but now the Alexander McQueen dress worn by the Duchess of Cambridge when she married Prince William is being put on public display for all to admire. Catherine's ivory and white satin-gazar dress, designed by Sarah Burton, goes on show at Buckingham Palace on Saturday as part of the annual summer opening, where hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to flock to see it. One million people lined the streets of London to see William and the former Kate Middleton marry on April 29, but few will have got close enough to appreciate the intense effort that went into the stunning gown.

    Lewis Whyld / AFP - Getty Images

    The first cut made by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the royal wedding cake is pictured at Buckingham Palace, in central London, on July 20.

     


    The wedding dress worn by the Duchess of Cambridge at her marriage to Prince William will go on display Saturday at Buckingham Palace. NBC's Michelle Kosinski gets a sneak peek.

    Lewis Whyld / AFP - Getty Images

    The Cartier "Halo" tiara worn by Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, on her wedding day is pictured at Buckingham Palace, in central London, on July 20.

    Lewis Whyld / AFP - Getty Images

    The wedding dress of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, is pictured at Buckingham Palace, in central London, on July 20.

     

     

  • African tortoise back on his feet after some help from hardware store

    Nicholas K. Geranios / AP

    An African tortoise moves across pavement outside the Washington State University veterinary teaching hospital on Thursday, July 21 in Pullman Wash. The artificial limb put on the tortoise at didn't come from a high tech prosthetics lab. It came from an Ace Hardware store. The caster style wheel cost around $7, according to the two veterinarians who installed it on the tortoise after amputating a damaged front leg.

    Maybe this is what Congress has in mind to cut health care costs.

    Veterinarians at the Washington State University veterinary teaching hospital use epoxy to attach the caster-style wheel to the African tortoise's shell. Alex Witt reports.

  • Mike Segar / Reuters

    Tiger, an American Pit Bull Terrier, cools off as he splashes in an open fire hydrant on 134th street in the Washington Heights section of upper Manhattan in New York City July 21. Temperatures were expected to reach near record levels Thursday as a heat wave spread east from the nation's midsection.

    Summer swelter moves into Eastern US

    These are really the dog days of summer. Full story.

    Slideshow.

  • India's 'recycled' school teaches environmental lessons

    Vivek Prakash / Reuters

    Students eat their lunch inside a classroom constructed from mud and old cement bags at the Aman Setu school in Pune on Wednesday. , about 118 miles from Mumbai, on Wednesday, July 20.

    Vivek Prakash / Reuters

    Students play at the window of a classroom constructed from mud, old cement bags and recycled wood at the Aman Setu school in Pune on Wednesday.

    Vivek Prakash / Reuters

    A student wearing a pink dress enters a classroom through a miniature door constructed specially for children at the Aman Setu school in Pune on Wednesday.

    Vivek Prakash / Reuters

    Children sit on cloth mats as they study inside a classroom constructed from mud and old cement bags at the Aman Setu school in Pune on Wednesday.

    Vivek Prakash / Reuters

    Students walk on a garden pathway past a classroom constructed from mud and old cement bags at the end of the school day at the Aman Setu school in Pune on Wednesday.

    Reuters reports:

    PUNE, India - On a regular school day, four-year-old Kush Bhattacharya can leave his mathematics class to run barefoot on grass, hide from his friends in a cave made of cow dung and return to recite nursery rhymes in a red bus that doubles up as a classroom.

    Kush is a student at the Aman Setu school in Pune, an educational and technological hub three hours drive from Mumbai.

    Almost every part of the school premises is made out of recycled material, including roofs made out of old hoardings, walls built from plastic bottles and hand-stitched uniforms made out of eco-friendly 'khadi', or handspun, cloth. Continue reading.

  • NASA via EPA

    The space shuttle Atlantis, appearing like a bean sprout against clouds and city lights, on its way home, as photographed by the Expedition 28 crew of the International Space Station on Thursday, July 21. Airglow over Earth can be seen in the background. The Atlantis returned to Earth marking the end of the space shuttle era when its wheels touched down for the last time at the Kennedy Space Center.

    Unprecedented view of the Atlantis photographed by the Expedition 28 crew

    What a shot!

    Related content:

  • Tough Tour de France stage sharpens view of race leaders

    Nicolas Bouvy / EPA

    BMC team rider Cadel Evans of Australia, Europcar team rider Thomas Voeckler of France, Europcar team rider Pierre Rolland of France, Liquigas-Cannondale team rider Ivan Basso of Italy, cycle in the Alps during the 18th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Pinerolo in Italy and Col du Galibier, France, 21 July 2011.

    Lionel Bonaventure / AFP - Getty Images

    Luxembourg's fans cheer on stage winner Luxembourg's Andy Schleck climbing Galibier pass (2.645 meters) in the 200,5 km and eighteenth stage of the 2011 Tour de France cycling race run between Pinerolo and Galibier Serre-Chevalier ski resort on July 21, 2011. This year is the celebratation of the centenary of the first crossing of the Galibier pass by a cyclist on July 1911 during the Chamonix/Grenoble stage of the Tour.

    Laurent Cipriani / AP

    Johnny Hoogerland of The Netherlands sprays himself with water as he climbs Izoard pass during the 18th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 200.5 kilometers (124.6 miles) starting in Pinerolo, Italy, and finishing on Galibier pass, Alps region, France, Thursday July 21, 2011.

    Stefano Rellandini / Reuters

    Europcar rider Thomas Voeckler of France reacts at the finish line during the 18th stage of the Tour de France 2011 cycling race from Pinerolo to Le Galibier-Serre Chevalier July 21, 2011. Voeckler, who finished fifth, keeps the leader's jersey.

    Stage 18 saw Andy Schleck get within striking distance of the yellow jersey, as prior Tour winner Alberto Contador effectively lost the race. Full story. 

  • Shrine no more: Bones of Hitler aide exhumed

    David Ebener / EPA

    This combination image shows a photo dated Oct. 30, 2010, above, and a picture taken Thursday, July 21, below, after former Nazi Rudolf Hess's tombstone was razed and his grave filled in Wunsiedel, Germany.



    AP file

    Deputy to Adolf Hitler, Rudolph Hess, gives a salute during the celebrations in Munich on Jan 11, 1933, of the 14th anniversary of the formation of the Nazi Party.

    Reuters reports:

    WUNSIEDEL, Germany — The remains of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess have been exhumed from a grave in Bavaria after it became a pilgrimage for thousands of right-wing extremists.

    A church official in the southern town of Wunsiedel said Thursday the tomb had been razed and its headstone removed after consulting with Hess's family over how to handle the grave site.

    "The bones were removed and brought to the crematorium, and the ashes are to be scattered at sea," Peter Seisser said. Continue reading.

  • Shuttle photographers capture last landing of Atlantis

    Bill Ingalls / NASA via EPA

    Space shuttle Atlantis lands at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, July 12, 2011. The Atlantis landing marked the end of the space shuttle era when its wheels touched down for the last time at the Kennedy Space Center. "After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle has earned its place in history. It‘s come to a final stop," Atlantis commander Chris Ferguson said.

    Pierre Ducharme / Reuters

    Space shuttle Atlantis lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, July 21, 2011. The space shuttle Atlantis glided home through a moonlit sky for its final landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, completing a 30-year odyssey for NASA's shuttle fleet.

    David J. Phillip / AP

    Johnson Space Center employees Shelley Stortz. lelft, and Jeremy Rea, right, hold hands as they watch space shuttle Atlantis land Thursday, July 21, 2011, in Houston.

    It's hard to photograph something far away in darkness, but photographers still managed to make some beautiful images of the last landing of the shuttle this morning.

    More shuttle photos on PhotoBlog

    Full story

  • Guatemalan woman finds huge sinkhole under bed

    It's worse than monsters in the dark or something creeping under your bed. Guardian.co.uk reports that a sinkhole appeared in the home of a woman in Guatemala City.

    Johan Ordonez / AFP - Getty Images

    A man inspects measures the depth of a sinkhole in Guatemala City on July 19.

    Johan Ordonez / AFP - Getty Images

    A man inspectas a sinkhole formed in a house on July 19, 2011 in the north of Guatemala City. When neighbors heard the loud boom overnight they thought a cooking gas canister had detonated. Instead they found a deep sinkhole the size of a large pot inside a home in a neighborhood just north of Guatemala City. The sinkhole was 12.2 meters (40 feet) deep and 80 centimeters (32 inches) in diameter, an AFP journalist who visited the site reported. Police, members of the country's natural disaster office and water utility company officials came to visit the site. Sinkholes, formed by the natural process of erosion, can be gradual but are often sudden.

    Guatemala City, built on volcanic deposits, is especially prone to sinkholes, often blamed on a leaky sewer system or on heavy rain. AFP PHOTO / Johan ORDONEZ (Photo credit should read JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Franck Robichon / EPA

    Bill and Julia Hawker, parents of murdered British woman Lindsay Hawker, delivering a statement outside the court house in Chiba, Japan, on July 21. Tatsuya Ichihashi was sentenced to life imprisonment at a district court for raping and murdering Lindsay Hawker in 2007.

    Parents mourn British teacher murdered by her student in Japan

    Reuters reports from CHIBA, Japan:

    A Japanese man was sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday for raping and killing Briton Lindsay Ann Hawker and burying her naked body in a sand-filled bathtub in a case that horrified Japan and sparked a media frenzy. Continue reading.

    Related content:

  • The pleasures and frustrations of summer in Paris and London

    Situated just a couple of hundred miles apart, the great cities of Paris and London have long savored a rivalry built on their historic differences. One thing they share, though, is summer weather which might charitably be described as changeable.

    On Thursday, gray skies and mediocre temperatures greeted the launch of two ventures conjured up with rather better conditions in mind. In Paris, the pleasures of the urban beach, and in London, the chance to mess about in boats on the roof of a famed Oxford Street department store. As a resident of London, I'm just hoping that there will be better days to come before the summer is out.  

    Matthew Lloyd / Getty Images

    Event curators Harry Parr, left, and Sam Bompas sit in paddle boats in the Truvia Voyage of Discovery installation on the roof of Selfridges department store in London, England, on July 21. Selfridges is opening its roof to the public for only the second time since WWII to host the installation, which includes a boating lake with dyed water and bar.

    Forecast for London, Thursday. Highs of 66 degrees Fahrenheit. 30% chance of rain.

    Eric Gaillard / Reuters

    A child lies on a beach mattress as "Paris Plages" (Paris Beaches) opens along the banks of the Seine river in Paris, France on July 21. Paris Plages, the yearly transformation of a section of the Seine river into a man-made beach, opened today for its 10th anniversary and will run from July 21 to August 21 with the aim of bringing the beach atmosphere to the French capital.

    Forecast for Paris, Thursday. Highs of 69 degrees Fahrenheit. 60% chance of rain.

  • Space shuttle Atlantis makes historic final landing

    Joe Raedle / Getty Images

    Space Shuttle Atlantis lands at Kennedy Space Center on July 21 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, ending the 30 year shuttle program.

    msnbc.com's Alan Boyle reports from CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.:

    The space shuttle Atlantis touched down before dawn on Thursday, marking the sunset of NASA's 30-year space shuttle program.

    Landing came right on time at 5:56 a.m. ET, less than an hour before sunrise at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where NASA's last operating shuttle will make its home in retirement. The weather was perfect for landing — "severe clear," in the words of mission commentator Rob Navias. Continue reading.

    The space shuttle Atlantis lands at Kennedy Space Center, marking the end of NASA's 30-year space shuttle program. NBC's Tom Costello reports.

  • Ryan Pierse / Getty Images

    Thant Zin Oo of Myanmar kicks over the net against Lai-Fu Chen of Chinese Taipei on day one of the ISTAF Sepaktakraw World Cup on July 21 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    A flying kick at the sepaktakraw World Cup

    I must admit I hadn't heard of the sport of sepaktakraw - also known as kick volleyball - until now. According to Wikipedia, the sport is native to the Malay-Thai peninsula and has been played since at least the 15th century.

    You can read more about the World Cup at this official website.

  • Desperate protest against demolition of homes in Wuhan, China

    Disputes over land are increasingly common in China. On Wednesday, an operation to demolish illegally built shelters on a former dump site in the city of Wuhan led to an impassioned protest by one woman. EPA reports that the city plans to demolish illegal buildings at over 200 sites this month.

    Soaring property prices are a major source of official and consumer concern in China with apartment costs rising out of the reach of many people and threatening to spark social unrest, AFP reports.

    AFP - Getty Images

    A protester being held by enforcement officers as a group of illegal buildings is demolished in Wuhan, in central China's Hubei province, on July 20. Soaring property prices are a major source of official and consumer concern in China with apartment costs rising out of the reach of many people and threatening to spark social unrest in the country of more than 1.3 billion.

    AFP - Getty Images

    Enforcement officers watch a woman, right, protesting against the demolition of a group of illegal buildings in Wuhan on July 20.

    Li Lun / EPA

    A law enforcement officer stands guard during a mission to demolish illegally built shelters on a former dump site in Wuhan on July 20. The city plans to demolish illegal buildings at over 200 sites this month to kick off a facelifting "revolution of urban administration" which will last through 2013.

    See more images of China on PhotoBlog.

  • Bert Hardy / Getty Images

    18th August 1951: Cyclists competing in the Tour de France riding through the French Alps.

    Tour de France celebrates 100 years of climbing the Alps

    Tomorrow's stage 18 of the Tour de France is a killer that includes two "out of category" climbs and the highest finish elevation in Tour history at 8,678 feet. The New York Times has an excellent story on the rich history of the race in the Alps.

    Previous PhotoBlog Tour de France posts.

  • Fishermen in Libya catch fish with dynamite

    Sergey Ponomarev / AP

    A fisherman gives an explosive device to his fellow outside the rebel-held town of Benghazi, Libya on July 20. Libyan fishermen use dynamite as one of the easiest ways since the country is flooded with explosives from four months of fighting between rebels and Libyan dictator Gadhafi's forces.

    Sergey Ponomarev / AP

    A fisherman with an improvised explosive device searches for fish on July 20.

    Sergey Ponomarev / AP

    The underwater blast from the explosive used for fishing.

    View more pictures in our slideshow, Conflict in Libya

  • YONHAP

    The North Korea flood photo that isn't

    From poynter.org:

    The Assoicated Press killed a Photoshopped image over the weekend after an employee mistakenly put it on the wire. The photo originated with Korean Central News Agency, North Korea’s state-run media. It shows men walking through a flooded street, but they’re surprisingly dry. AP spokesman Paul Colford told me that unlike another Photoshopped image pulled from the wire last week, this one was detected quickly and wasn’t supposed to be distributed. But due to miscommunication at one of the AP’s bureaus, “it got on the wire inadvertently” Saturday night. The AP issued a “kill notice” early Sunday morning.

    Read the full story ...

  • Ladder Company 3 fire truck lowered into September 11 Memorial Museum

    I can't wait to see the National September 11 Memorial Museum when it opens.

    As NBCNewYork.com reported:

    A fire truck used during the World Trade Center evacuation on 9/11 returned to ground zero on Wednesday where it was lowered into exhibition space for the National September 11 Memorial Museum.

    The truck is from the fire department's Ladder Company 3, which carried 11 firefighters from the firehouse in the East Village to the burning trade center site on the morning of the attacks. All 11 members died.

    The front of the truck was sliced off when the towers collapsed. A door and a bumper from the truck are now displayed at the firehouse as a tribute to those who died.

    The truck has been stored and maintained at an airport hangar for several years and was escorted to ground zero on Wednesday by the current Ladder 3 truck.

    Previous World Trade Center PhotoBlog posts.

    Seth Wenig / AP

    The Fire Department of New York's Ladder Company 3 fire truck is lowered by crane into the National September 11 Memorial Museum, in front of One World Trade, in New York, Wednesday, July 20. This fire truck was used to evacuate people from the World Trade Center towers during the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

     


    Pool / Getty Images

    Firefighters and other dignitaries watch as the Fire Department of New York's Ladder Company 3 fire truck is lowered by crane into the National September 11 Memorial Museum July 20 in New York City. The truck was used in the evacuation of people from the World Trade Center towers during the terror attacks on September 11, 2001. All 11 firemen aboard the truck when it responded were killed when the towers collapsed.

    Seth Wenig / AP

    The Fire Department of New York's Ladder Company 3 fire truck is lowered by crane into the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York, Wednesday, July 20. This fire truck was used to evacuate people from the World Trade Center towers during the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

    A fire truck used by firefighters in the 9/11 rescue efforts was moved on Wednesday from storage into the underground portion of the museum at Ground Zero, which is still under construction. Brian Williams reports.

  • Petros Karadjias / AP

    A boy passes by the graves of Greek and Cypriot soldiers who were killed in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus at the Tymvos Macedonitissas military cemetery in the divided capital of Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, July 20. Greek and Cypriot soldiers were killed in 1974 during the Turkish invasion and subsequent occupation of the northern part of the island of Cyprus. July 20, is 37th anniversary of Turkish invasion. Cyprus was split into Greek Cypriot south and Turkish Cypriot north in 1974 when Turkey invaded in response to a coup by supporters of union with Greece.

    Tension still high on 37th anniversary of Turkish invasion of Cyprus

    Cyprus has a fascinating history, and the conflict between Greece and Turkey continues to this day, as the Greek financial crisis threatens the balance between the two sections of the island.

    Related: Cyprus may need bailout after blast

  • Gianluigi Guercia / AFP - Getty Images

    Relatives and fellow fighters mourn as they carry the coffin of one of eight Libyan rebel fighters killed the day before during the battle for the control of the oil rich town of Brega at the main cemetery in the Libyan rebels stronghold city of Benghazi on Wednesday.

    Libyan troops kill 8 rebels near eastern oil town

    Full story here.

    Related content:

  • Eric Miller / Reuters

    Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is handed a bill to sign that will eliminate the state's $5 billion budget deficit and reopen state government and services that have been shut down for three weeks, in St. Paul, on Wednesday.

    Minn. governor signs budget, ends state shutdown

    The AP reports:

    ST. PAUL, Minn.Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed a new budget Wednesday, ending the nation's longest state government shutdown in the past decade.

    Dayton's signature came just hours after lawmakers gave their own approval to the deal after meeting in special session that started Tuesday afternoon and lasted until early Wednesday morning. All sides formalized an agreement that Dayton struck with leading Republicans late last week. Continue reading.

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