The Gilded Years of the late nineteenth century and the start of World War I were a glamorous era in New York City as wealthy families sought to demonstrate their new position by building vast Fifth Avenue mansions. Brownstone town houses were turned into dazzling mansions that became filled with precious objects, important painting collections and hosted elaborate parties and balls. It was the rise of many familiar names that […]

Volunteers in Tacloban in the Philippines arranged the bodies in bags A huge trench had been dug through a cemetery to contain them The vast majority of those buried had not been identified Corpses still lie decaying in the streets while workers rush to remove them before disease begins to spread Meanwhile aid efforts to more remote areas of the country intensified Piled unceremoniously in an ugly trench, almost 400 […]

Two die after light aircraft crashes at Hawarden Airport in Flintshire Dramatic photos show plane hurtling nose-first towards the ground Pilot Gary Vickers, 58, was pronounced dead at the scene, while his female passenger died later in hospital North Wales Police are investigating the incident at 1.10pm yesterday These horrific pictures show the moment a light aircraft crashed into the ground while trying to land – killing both of the […]

Sri Lanka’s government has rejected UK PM David Cameron’s call for an international probe into alleged human rights abuses following the civil war. Mr Cameron urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa to ensure an independent inquiry, or face a UN investigation. But senior minister Basil Rajapaksa said such a probe would “definitely” not be allowed to take place. The abuses are alleged to have been committed mainly against Tamils since the end […]

The unsightly images were compiled on Instagram account cookingforbae They range from pies and casseroles to pancakes that look like pork chops But the vast majority of dishes are utterly unidentifiable With Thanksgiving just around the corner, time is fast approaching for Americans countrywide to show their gratitude for the food on their plates. But then again there may be one or two who’ll be more grateful going hungry on […]

Why should I be scared of the government when electric current doesn’t scare me? asks Loha Singh, who purloins electricity and provides illegal connections for a living in Katiyabaaz (Powerless), a riveting new documentary on power theft in India. Singh, an irascible young man with a gift for invective, is the pivot around whom the film rotates. He snaps off and mangles wires to the main public supply cables for […]

Site compares BlackBerry to Facebook, Microsoft, Apple and Samsung Earnings per second are based on each firm’s official quarterly revenue As each second passes on the site, the amount increases in real-time Samsung tops the list, Apple is in second, while BlackBerry earns the least In the five seconds it has taken you to read this sentence, Samsung has earned a staggering $32,430. This converts to £20,200 and is what […]

Police in Canada say 348 people have been arrested and nearly 400 children rescued during a three-year investigation into child pornography. At the centre of the inquiry was a Toronto-based firm that allegedly sold DVDs and streamed videos of naked children. Azov Films marketed the footage as “naturist” and claimed it was legal in Canada and the US. The films were distributed in 94 countries, police said. In Canada 108 […]

Canada boasts world-class destinations such as the Rockies and Niagara Falls, but it’s missing out on a global tourism boom, costing the economy billions of dollars a year. The number of international visitors to Canada has plunged 20 per cent since 2000 even as global travel soars, according to a sobering report being released Thursday by Deloitte Canada. As recently as 1970, Canada was the world’s second most popular destination, […]

How did an unassuming Varanasi farmer and school dropout come to be sought after by farmers, praised by experts and awarded by the government for his famous seeds? I’m in Varanasi, looking for the house of JP Singh. Spirituality soaks everyone and everything in Varanasi, also called Benares and Kashi – the holiest of seven holy cities in Hinduism. Key to the founding of both Buddhism and Sikhism, home to […]