Jump to January 2012 archive page: 1 ... 18 19 20

  • Blowing up a dummy to practice investigating suicide bomb scenes

    Gerry Broome / AP

    In this photo taken on Thursday, instructors rig a dummy suicide bomber to explode during the operator advance course at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School at Fort Bragg, N.C. A scene of stomach-clenching gore confronted the special operations troops: The shredded remains of a suicide bomber, scattered around the checkpoint. But the blood and body are fake, like the Hollywood-style explosion that began a classroom exercise designed to teach these students to look past the grisly mess for the evidence that could lead to those who built the bomb.

    Gerry Broome / AP

    A student collects evidence at the scene of a suicide bombing during a mock exercise at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School at Fort Bragg, N.C.

    Gerry Broome / AP

    A student investigates the scene of a suicide bombing during a mock exercise at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School at Fort Bragg.

    In the news today: Three explosions kill 11 in southern Afghanistan

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  • Huntsman skips Iowa to focus on New Hampshire

    Matt Rourke / AP

    Republican presidential candidate, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman looks on as students explore new iPads leased from iSchool during an event at Strong Foundations Charter School, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012, in Pembroke, N.H.

    Matt Rourke / AP

    Student Bryanna Valley holds on to an iPad autographed by Republican presidential candidate, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman during an event at Strong Foundations Charter School, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012, in Pembroke, N.H.

    While the other Republican presidential candidates have chosen to focus their energies on the Iowa caucuses, Jon Huntsman chose to skip them to instead focus on New Hampshire.

    AP reports:

    After drawing about 150 people to his first stop [in New Hampshire], Huntsman told reporters Iowa plays an important role in narrowing the field, and said Rick Santorum's recent rise there shows that traditional grassroots campaigning is still important.

    But it will be New Hampshire that "will set the standard going forward," he said.

    "Electability isn't going to come out of Iowa, electability is going to come out of New Hampshire," Huntsman said later in Franklin.

    Huntsman says the results of the Iowa caucuses will be forgotten within days, but that could be wishful thinking on his part — especially if former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney wins in Iowa and then heads to New Hampshire, where he has long been the front-runner. Read the full story.

    For the latest information from the campaign trail visit our FirstRead blog.

  • Nigerian protest over fuel prices turns violent

    Akintunde Akinleye / Reuters

    Protesters hold placards and shout slogans on Ikorodu road in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, Jan. 3, 2012. Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets to protest the recent increase in fuel prices after a government subsidy was removed.

    Sunday Alamba / AP

    A man walks past a fire burning on a major road during a fuel subsidy protest in Lagos, Nigeria, Jan. 3, 2012. Angry mobs of protesters stopped gas station owners from selling fuel Tuesday while others lit a bonfire on a major highway in an attempt to thwart the government's removal of a cherished consumer subsidy that had kept gas affordable for more than two decades.

    Akintunde Akinleye / Reuters

    Policemen beat up a protester during a rally against the removal of the fuel subsidy in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos Jan. 3, 2012. Hundreds of demonstrators in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos shut petrol stations, formed human barriers along motorways and hijacked buses on Tuesday in protest against the shock doubling of fuel prices after a government subsidy was removed.

     AP reports:

    An angry mob protesting spiraling fuel prices assaulted a soldier Tuesday and one man was killed at a demonstration elsewhere, signs of growing unrest over the government's hugely unpopular decision to end a subsidy program that had kept gas costs down for more than two decades.

    An Associated Press reporter at the scene in the megacity of Lagos said the protest had started with activists wielding signs and walking down a major expressway, but before long angry protesters lit bonfires and vandalized at least three gas stations. A wounded man later ran along the road shouting: "The police shot me, take me to hospital!"

    In the central city of Ilorin, another violent protest where policemen fired tear gas left a man dead. The National Labor Congress accused the police in a statement Tuesday of shooting the "antifuel hike protester." Continue reading...

  • High winds cause travel and power outages in the U.K.

    Scott Heppell / AP

    A child walks along the beach as the sand is blown around in the high winds in Seaburn, England, Jan. 3, 2012.

    Matt Cardy / Getty Images

    People take photographs of waves crashing against the harbor wall on Jan. 3, 2012 in Porthcawl, Wales. High winds gusting up to 95mph and heavy rain have been affecting many parts of the country disrupting travel and causing damage to buildings.

    Scott Heppell / AP

    A lady holds on to a lamp post during strong winds at South Shields, England, Jan. 3, 2012.

    Parts of the U.K. are again being battered by gale force winds.

    The BBC is reporting that winds have reached over 100mph and thousands of people are without power. Rail, ferry, bus and air travel has been disrupted. More from the BBC.

    BBC weather news from:

  • Macedonians mourn their first president

    Boris Grdanoski / AP

    A young man with a portrait of the former Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov, walks in front of the funeral procession at a cemetery in Macedonia's capital Skopje, on Jan. 3, 2012. Gligorov, who narrowly survived an assassination attempt in 1995, was buried Tuesday in his family's grave in the capital of Skopje. About 100 people took part in the private, non-religious ceremony. Macedonians marked a national day of mourning Tuesday for Gligorov, their first democratically elected president who shepherded the tiny Balkan nation through a bloodless secession from the former Yugoslavia.

    Full story.

  • Amr Abdallah Dalsh / Reuters

    A boy looks up at his mother while she votes during a third round of voting in parliamentary elections in Toukh, El-Kalubia governorate, northeast of Cairo, Jan. 3, 2012. Egyptians voted in the third round of a parliamentary election on Tuesday that has so far handed Islamists the biggest share of seats in an assembly that will be central in the planned transition from army rule.

    A young Egyptian watches as voting continues

  • Clashes as Cambodian authorities try to evict families in real estate dispute

    Samrang Pring / Reuters

    A riot police officer fires tear gas at residents during a forced eviction at the Borei Keila complex in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Jan. 3, 2012.

    Mak Remissa / EPA

    A resident looks at her destroyed house at a squatter area in Phnom Penh on Jan. 3, 2012. More than 200 houses were demolished.

    Reuters reports:

    Cambodian human rights group Licadho said that police officers and residents were injured in a face-off when hundreds of armed authorities tried to evict families from their homes in Borei Keila, Phnom Penh, as part of a long running dispute with a local real estate firm well-connected with the government.

    The firm, Phanimex, plans to convert the residential complex into a commercial building. Licadho said that at least 12 people had also been detained following the violent clashes. 

     

    Samrang Pring / Reuters

    A riot police officer throws stones at residents during clashes that erupted in the midst of a forced eviction at the Borei Keila complex on Jan. 3, 2012.

    Samrang Pring / Reuters

    A woman cries as an excavator demolishes her home during a forced eviction at the Borei Keila complex on Jan. 3, 2012.

    The Phnom Penh Post has more on the background to the dispute:

    In 2003, Phan Imex Company signed an agreement with the government to construct 10 six-floor buildings on two hectares of land to house 1,776 displaced families, in exchange for the right to develop the remaining 2.6 hectares.

    The company has constructed only eight buildings, leaving nearly 400 families without housing. Read the full story.

  • Soe Than Win / AFP - Getty Images

    Relatives react upon the release of a prisoner, center, from Insein prison in Yangon, Myanmar, on Jan. 3, 2011.

    Some prisoners freed, but Myanmar's clemency falls short of expectations

    The Associated Press reports from YANGON, Myanmar:

    Myanmar began releasing some prisoners on Tuesday, but activists and relatives said a government clemency fell short of national reconciliation promises and showed that political prisoners may remain behind bars for a long time.

    President Thein Sein signed a clemency order on Monday marking this week's 64th anniversary of independence. He said the sentence reductions were "for the sake of state peace and stability" and on "humanitarian grounds." Continue reading.

    Previously on PhotoBlog:

  • Stanford's Luck runs out as Oklahoma State wins Fiesta Bowl and Blackmon gets the girl

    Donald Miralle / Getty Images

    Justin Blackmon #81 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys celebrates with a cheerleader after his team won 41-38 in overtime against the Stanford Cardinals during the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2, 2012 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

    Matt York / AP

    Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck (12) watches a missed field goal attempt to end regulation of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game against Oklahoma State on Jan. 2, 2012, in Glendale, Ariz. Oklahoma State won 41-38 in overtime.

    Read more about Oklahoma State's victory at NBC Sports.

  • Scott Olson / Getty Images

    Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum leaves a campaign rally held at the Pizza Ranch restaurant in Newton, Iowa on Jan. 2, 2012.

    Rick Santorum gets used to a little more attention

    By David R Arnott, NBC News

    For a long time, Rick Santorum's campaign seemed to be going nowhere. There was even an occasion when just one person showed up to one of his campaign events, according to The New York Times.

    How times can change. Now that he is running higher in the polls, he can't even sit in his car without being buzzed by the media. And on Monday evening, he was bestowed with the somewhat tarnished honor of a tweeted endorsement from Rupert Murdoch.

    Will Santorum's star burn ever brighter, or will it fizzle out like those of several candidates before him? Stay tuned to NBC Politics in the days to come.

    Related content:

  • Passer-by shoots out window, rescues children from upside-down car in icy Utah river

    Former police officer Chris Willden didn't hesitate when he realized children were trapped in an upside down car in an icy Utah river. He pulled his handgun, pushed it up against the submerged windows and shot out the glass.

    Then he reached inside.

    "I was trying to grab arms, but I couldn't feel anything," Willden said. "I'm thinking ... what are we going to do?'"

    Jim Urquhart / AP

    From left, Kenya Wildman, Mia Andersen and Baylor Andersen pose for a photo Monday, Jan. 2, 2011 in Logan, Utah. The girls were rescued from an overturned car that was submerged in an icy river outside Logan, Utah, on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011.

    "I remember thinking to myself, 'You're going to see some dead kids, get ready.' I've got three of my own and it was going to be (an awful) start to the New Year," he added.

    Willden said he tried unsuccessfully to open windows and doors. He then used his firearm just as he had done in training for his current job as a bodyguard and Department of Defense contractor.  Read the full story.

    Chris Willden / AP

    A car rests in the Logan River in Utah Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011, after it was flipped upright by rescuers who saved three children trapped inside. The car had plunged off an embankment into the river and Willden shot out the car's window with a handgun and cut a seat belt to help free the children after the accident.

    AP

    Chris Willden in 2006.

     

  • Andy Clark / Reuters

    Bags of popcorn sit outside the Saddledome rink before being loaded into the building during the 2012 IIHF U20 World Junior Hockey Championship in Calgary, Alberta, Jan. 2, 2012.

    Do you want butter with that? Giant bags of popcorn await crowd at World Jr. Hockey Championship in Calgary, Alberta

    By Jim Seida

    Suddenly that $5 bag of popcorn they sell at sporting events isn't quite so appetizing.

  • Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers trade tackles, touchdowns at 2012 Rose Bowl

    By Jim Seida

    No. 6 Oregon and No. 9 Wisconsin combined for the highest-scoring first half 28-28 in Rose Bowl history on Monday. They also combined for 637 yards from scrimmage. Read about the game here.

    Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

    Wide receiver Nick Toon #1 of the Wisconsin Badgers is tackled by Terrance Mitchell #27 of the Oregon Ducks in the first quarter.

    Danny Moloshok / Reuters

    Wisconsin Badgers running back Montee Ball (28) bowls over Oregon Ducks safety Eddie Pleasant (11) to score a second quarter touchdown during the 98th Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 2, 2012.

    Jeff Gross / Getty Images

    An infared camera was used to create this image at the 98th Rose Bowl Game between the Oregon Ducks and the Wisconsin Badgers on Jan. 2, 2012 in Pasadena, Calif.

     

  • Snow blankets parts of Midwest and mid-South

    Terry Prather / The Ledger Independent via AP

    Emergency workers try to remove a motorist trapped inside his vehicle Monday, Jan. 2 near Maysville, Ky.

    Cory Olsen / AP

    Megan Harwood, 5, tries to pack some snow for a snowman in Zeeland, Mich., on Monday, Jan. 2

    Amy Sancetta / AP

    A lone walker braves falling snow at the Cleveland Metroparks South Chagrin Reservation in Bentleyville, Ohio as high winds and heavy snow were expected throughout northeast Ohio much of the day on Monday, Jan. 2.

     

  • Like father, like son: Kim Jong Un looking at things

    By Jonathan Woods, msnbc.com

    After the death of Kim Jong Il, the flow of obscure images of North Korea's late leader looking at things came to a halt. Thanks to his son, hope has been restored for those who take joy in viewing North Korea through the window of state-controlled media.

    But less than three weeks after his passing, and much to my delight, his son and successor Kim Jong Un has picked up where his father left off.

    These images were issued by North Korea's government-run news service, and were accompanied by a seemingly loosely-related message: "North Korea called on its people to rally behind new leader Kim Jong Un and protect him as "human shields" while working to solve the "burning issue" of food shortages by upholding the policies of his late father, Kim Jong Il."

    Korean Central News Agency via Reuters

    North Korea's new leader Kim Jon Un visits the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su 105 Guards Tank Division of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang on Jan. 1, 2012. North Korea called on its people to rally behind new leader Kim Jong Un and protect him as "human shields" while working to solve the "burning issue" of food shortages by upholding the policies of his late father, Kim Jong Il.

    Korean Central News Agency via Reuters

    North Korea's new leader Kim Jong Un visits the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su 105 Guards Tank Division of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang on Jan. 1.

    Korean Central News Agency via Reuters

    North Korea's new leader Kim Jong Un visits the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su 105 Guards Tank Division of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang on Jan. 1.

    Korean Central News Agency via Reuters

    Kim Jong Un visits the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su 105 Guards Tank Division of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang on Jan. 1.

    Related content:
    Slideshow: Funeral and reaction to death of Kim Jong Il
    Slideshow: Daily life in North Korea
    Photographer talks about looking for the familiar in isolated North Korea
    Slideshow: Journey into North Korea

     

  • Inside Iowa: Voters describe what they want in a candidate

    By Evan Vucci, Associated Press

    There's nothing quite like the political spectacle that gets put on here in Iowa every four years. You spend endless hours driving to small town coffee shops, firehouses, and American Legion halls chasing the candidates that are vying for the Presidency.

    Evan Vucci / AP

    Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, accompanied by his wife Callista, makes remarks during a campaign stop in Independence, Iowa, Monday, Jan. 2.

    There is a saying that "You can't fake Iowa." Iowans expect politicians to get out and meet them face to face, shake hands, and answer questions. The best moments covering campaigns happen when the façade of the campaign breaks down, and real interactions take place. I was curious about what Iowans are looking for in a year when one candidate hasn't broken away from the pack. Watch the video below to see what I found. (Follow Evan Vucci on Twitter)

    Related stories:

    Real estate prices soar for farmland in Iowa

    What matters most to you this election season?

    Iowa Republicans describe what issues most influence their vote

  • Barely-clothed coeds queue for clothes in Spain

    Denis Doyle / Getty Images

    Semi-nude shoppers stand outside in cool temperatures for free clothes during a promotion by a Spanish clothes outlet on Jan. 2, in Madrid, Spain. The first one hundred semi-nude shoppers were alllowed free clothes on the first day of the January sales.

    Paco Campos / EPA

    Shoppers in underwear rush into Desigual in dowtown Madrid on Jan 2.

    Paco Campos / EPA

    Youngsters in underwear shop inside Desigual in dowtown Madrid, Spain on Jan. 2, during the first day of the winter sales in the Spanish capital. The first 100 customers who arrived to the store in their underwear were allowed to choose an outfit free of charge.

  • Ranger fatally shot at Mount Rainier National Park, armed gunman still at large

    Dean J. Koepfler / The News Tribune via AP

    Emergency vehicles speed to the scene of a shooting of a Mount Rainier National Park ranger as another ranger redirects traffic in Mount Rainier, Wash., Jan 1. The ranger, Margaret Anderson, was fatally shot following a New Year's Day traffic stop and authorities believed the gunman was still in the woods with an assault rifle.

    AP

    Park Ranger Margaret Anderson.

     

    AP reports:

    Park superintendent Randy King said that Anderson is a mother of two young daughters who has served as a park ranger for about four years. King said Anderson's husband also was working as a ranger elsewhere in the park at the time of the shooting.

    "It's just a huge tragedy — for the family, the park and the park service," he said.

    Read the full story.

  • Occupy Wall Street protesters return to Zuccotti Park, scuffle with police on New Year

    Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

    Occupy Wall Street protesters stand on barricades they took down and piled inside Zuccotti Park in the Manhattan borough of New York, Jan. 1.

    By Jonathan Woods, msnbc.com

    Just as a record crowd ushered in the new year in New York's Times Square, Occupy Wall Street protesters returned to Zuccotti Park by the hundreds to reclaim the park and the area around it. 

    After taking down metal barricades, piling them up and scuffling with police, protesters were soon kicked out of the park. Smaller groups splintered and started marching through the streets after being shoed from lower Manhattan. Police used pepper spray on protesters and a number of them were arrested.

    Into the wee hours of the morning, groups of protesters marched north. Some hurled orange traffic barrels into the street, blocking traffic, though most of the demonstrations were peaceful. A seemingly high ratio of police to protesters monitored the groups' movement, keeping them on sidewalks and from obstructing traffic.

    Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

    An Occupy Wall Street protester hurls barrels into the middle of Broadway near Zuccotti Park in the Manhattan borough of New York, Jan. 1.

    Scores of officers on foot, on scooters and in sundry vehicles closed streets to keep up with the group as traffic snarled.

    There was a bizarre contrast between protesters and revelers out in force for New Years' celebrations. The group marched through Manhattan's West Village, an upscale neighborhood, loaded with as many drinking establishments as quiet residential streets.

    By 3:00am, demonstrators had zig-zagged their way to the East Village.

    Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

    Police monitor a group of Occupy Wall Street protesters that marched to the West Village after being barred from Zuccotti Park in the Manhattan borough of New York on Jan. 1.

    Polly Smith, 30, of Brooklyn, was celebrating New Years with friends and witnessed the roving band of police and protesters as they marched east towards 2nd Ave. 

    "I was really surprised at the volume of the police response for what seemed like a relatively small organized protest. It was surprising to see [the protest] in that neighborhood. You would expect to see that in Times Square or downtown, but not right in the heart of a more low-key neighborhood."

    For more from AP, read here.

    Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

    Police push back Occupy Wall Street protesters after they were cleared from Zuccotti Park in the Manhattan borough of New York, Jan. 1.

     

     

  • Fallout from firecrackers in Philippines: 500 injured, homes gutted by fires, flights delayed

    Rolex Dela Pena / EPA

    Filipinos return to their burned homes to look for usable items after a pre-dawn fire in Pasay City, south of Manila, Philippines, Jan. 1. One person died as Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) firefighting units responded to at least 12 fires of varying degrees in the National Capital Region starting in the early hours of the new year. At least three of the incidents were believed to be related to firecrackers amid ongoing New Year's Eve celebrations, the BFP said.

    Aaron Favila / AP

    A Filipino man carries a burned bicycle after houses caught fire on New Year's day, Jan. 1, in Manila, Philippines. The fire broke out shortly after and left about 100 families homeless.

    AP reports:

    Many Filipinos, largely influenced by Chinese tradition, believe that noisy New Year's celebrations drive away evil and misfortune. But they have carried that superstition to extremes, exploding huge firecrackers and firing guns to welcome the new year despite threats of arrest.

    Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo said at least 65 people were arrested for using illegally large firecrackers.

    Read the full story.

    Jay Directo / AFP - Getty Images

    An elevated highway in the financial district of Manila is enveloped by smog caused by pyrotechnics and firecrackers the morning after New Year's celebrations on January 1. Hundreds of Filipinos were injured by firecrackers and stray bullets while fires gutted homes in the capital as revellers celebrated the new year.

     

  • Dancing the night away: Vienna ball season opens

    Dieter Nagl / AFP - Getty Images

    Ceremonially dressed young dancers give a compliment to their ladies as the Vienna ball season opens on Dec. 31, with the imperatorial 'Kaiserball' (Emperorball) at the Hofburg castle in Vienna.

    Dieter Nagl / AFP - Getty Images

    Young couples dance as the Vienna ball season opens on Dec. 31.

     

  • Iran test fires medium-range missile near Strait of Hormuz

    Reuters TV / Reuters

    An Iranian warship launches a missile in this still image taken from footage released by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) on Jan. 1.

    The exercise covers a 1,250-mile stretch of water beyond the Strait of Hormuz, including parts of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

    The drill could bring Iranian ships into proximity with U.S. Navy vessels that operate in the same area.

    Read the full story.

    Reuters TV / Reuters

    Iranian warships take part in a naval drill in this still image taken from footage released by Islamic Republic of Iran News Network on Jan. 1.

     

  • New Year's swimmers brave freezing waters

    By msnbc.com staff and news services

    Tony Gentle / Reuters

    Marco Fois of Italy dives into the Tiber River from the Cavour bridge, as part of traditional New Year celebrations in Rome Sunday.

    Thousands of people across Europe celebrated the arrival of the New Year by jumping into chilly seas, rivers and lakes Sunday.

    In Italy, several people dived into the River Tiber in a New Year's tradition that stretches back to 1946.

    In Netherlands, thousands of people were said to have run into the icy waters of the North Sea near The Hague.

    Peter Dejong / AP

    Despite temperatures of around 52 degrees Fahrenheit, thousands of people celebrate the New Year by running into the North Sea at Scheveningen, near The Hague, Netherlands.

    Further north in Scotland, scores of people took part in the annual "Loony Dook" (which roughly translates as mad dive or "ducking" in the water) event in the Firth of Forth, an estuary leading to the North Sea.

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    New Year revelers, many in fancy dress, braved freezing conditions in the River Forth in front of the Forth Rail Bridge during the annual "Loony Dook" swim Sunday.

    And in Germany, New Year's day swimmers in a Berlin lake included a group known as the "Berlin Seals."

    Maurizio Gambarini / AFP - Getty Images

    A winter bather of the "Berlin Seals" poses in near-freezing water of the Orankesee lake during a New Year's swimming event Sunday.

    Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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