The eighth natural wonder of the World - Halong Bay

Halong Bay is located in Quáng Ninh province, Vietnam. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. The bay has a 120 kilometre long coastline and is approximately 1,553 square kilometres in size with 1969 islets. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, other support floating villages of fishermen, who ply the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks. Another specific feature of Halong Bay is the abundance of lakes inside the limestone islands, for example, Dau Be island has six enclosed lakes. All these island lakes occupy drowned dolines within fengcong karst.

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Beautiful Inspirational quotes About Life

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Sonia Gandhi back in Delhi from US after surgery

Sonia Gandhi, the Congress party chief, returned home on Thursday after undergoing surgery in the United States five weeks ago for an undisclosed condition.

"Sonia Gandhi arrived early this morning, she is doing fine," Congress spokesman Janardan Dwivedi told AFP without giving further details.

Party officials announced on August 4 that Gandhi, 64, had been operated on in the United States, though they have since declined to release any information about her health or where she was admitted to hospital.

Italian-born Gandhi is widely thought to be preparing the ground for her only son Rahul to become prime minister at some stage after Singh, 78, steps down.

Rahul, 41, who sits in the lower house of Parliament, has had joint charge of the Congress party while his mother has been away, but he adopted a low profile during a difficult period for the government.

It struggled to react to a nationwide civil protest movement that sprung up in support of anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare, who went on a 13-day hunger strike at a public venue in the capital New Delhi.

Authorities were heavily criticised for making several blunders in dealing with the hugely popular Hazare after they briefly arrested him and prime minister Singh denounced him in Parliament.

Hazare's campaign claimed victory after lawmakers agreed to consider some of his demands over the strengthening of anti-corruption legislation being drawn up.

The government, which most observers say is guided on many strategic and daily matters by Sonia Gandhi, is also under pressure over security failures after a bomb outside the New Delhi court on Wednesday killed 12 people.

India has been hit by a series of bomb attacks in recent years, many of which remain unsolved.

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Tomato Festival 2011 in Bunol, Spain

Every year on the last Wednesday of August, the townfolk of Bunol, Spain and tourists alike gather together to throw tomatoes. Over 100 metric tons of ripened tomatoes are hurled, lobbed, smashed, and flung in the streets which turn the town into a crimson saucy mess. Bunol has a population of 9,000 local citizens but when the Tomatina festival begins, the population swells by another 20,000 to 40,000 visitors who enjoy the week-long festival and of course, the tomato throwing carnage.

The history of this crazy festival goes way back in 1944. During that year some young men who wished to participate in the parade of gigantes y cabenzudos throwed the tomatoes at the people. They did the same thing in next few years that unofficially established the festival.

It was in 1959 when the town officially approved the festival. Since then La Tomatina has become one of the most popular and attractive event of the year. Thousands of tourists travel to Spain for the annual La Tomatina festival.

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Wildlife photographer goes swimming with elephants to capture incredible images

This daring British wildlife photographer is shown taking a dip with a herd of wild elephants, who are crossing a river delta in Zimbabwe.

Using a floatation device hidden under his clothes, Chris Weston followed the herd into the tributary of the Zambezi River, capturing images that most wildlife photographers can only dream of.

However, the 44-year-old from Weymouth had spent five weeks gaining the trust of the herd during his time in the Ngamo Game Reserve - which meant he was not considered a threat.

Up close and personal: This elephant turns to the photographer, who is in the water with the herd

'I was never really in any danger,' explained Mr Weston.

'Although there is always an element of that when working with animals, especially ones this size.

'But it's key to be able to read their body language and the way they communicate with you.'

The seasoned wildlife photographer, who has travelled all over the world to document large mammals, says he wants to capture the personality of an animal in the same way a portrait artist would with a human subject.

'It's not so much getting as close as possible,' said Mr Weston.

'Lenses change the perspective of the way we see things.

'What I like to do is show it as we see it and the standard lens is 50mm which means you have to get relatively close.

'The idea is to give the viewer an idea of the personality of that individual animal.

'In much the same way as you would take a person's portrait, you can't be standing half a mile away with a long lens.

'You have to get close and establish some kind of relationship.'

Eye-to-eye: Mr Weston takes a picture of one of his animal friends, who watches playfully

Say cheese! The Brit is shown in between two elephants, who are used to his presence

Mr Weston, who has been a professional photographer for 11 years, said he spends a long time building a relationship with his subjects and has returned to shoot the herd five times over the course of around four years.

'Elephants do have good memories,' he said.

'You can tell they remember you because of how they react when they see you.

'Each time I went back I could pretty much start again where I left off the last time.

'Many animals, such as lions, are wary of humans but elephants don't consider us a threat because of their size.

'I also think they have a better capacity to understand and reason than a lion does.

'It's very much like making friends with an animal - and you can only do that when you are relatively close to them.'

Thirsty work: One of Mr Weston's subjects is shown taking in a good gulp of water

Mr Weston used a vehicle to follow the herd but took to the water to get the pictures he needed.

He said: 'They came out of the forest and began crossing the river.

'I was wearing a flotation device under my clothes and was able to get very close to them.

'I hope it gives people a much better idea about elephants in their natural environment.'

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Briefcase bomb at Delhi high court kills 12, injures 62

Twelve people were killed and at least 62 others injured in a powerful blast outside Delhi high court gate number 5 on Wednesday (Today, 07/09/2011) morning.

The blast took place at around 10.15 am. Home secretary RK Singh told reporters the explosives were placed in a briefcase at the high court reception where hundreds of people come through every day to attend court cases.

The government is investigating an email allegedly sent by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami claiming responsibility for the blast at the court.

Television images showed scores of lawyers in black coats running from one of the main gates of the building.

"This appears to be a bomb explosion and it is at least a medium-intensity bomb... The site has been fully secured and Delhi has been put on high alert. Whatever precautions need to be taken are being taken," said home ministry official UK Bansal.

The injured have been taken to AIIMS, RML and Safdarjung hospitals. The Delhi Police have cordoned off the area, not far from Parliament and the Prime Minister's Office. Fire tenders have been rushed to the spot.

Top officials of Delhi Police including Special Commissioner (law and order) Dharmendra Kumar and Joint Commissioner of Special Cell RS Krishnaiah have rushed to the spot.

Jt Commissioner (Crime) Sandip Goyal and Special Commissioner PN Aggarwal also joined them.

Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2pm to allow government collect information and make its statement on bomb blast outside Delhi High Court.

The blast was the second explosion at the high court this year. On May 25, a small explosion that appeared to be a failed car bomb hit the court parking lot.

A high alert in the capital has been sounded and security tighten at public places.

DELHI HIGH COURT BLAST LIVE UPDATES

01:31pm: MHA sources say an IED was used for the blast
01:20pm: Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit visiting RML hospital to see the injured
01:15pm: Home minister visits blast site, on way to hospitals to see the injured
01:06pm: PM sends condolences to the family members of those killed
01:06pm: PM calls the Delhi blast a cowardly attack
01:05pm: Prime Minister makes first statement on Delhi blast from Dhaka
12:52pm: Delhi Lt Governor condemns blast, says Delhi 'lucrative' target for terrorists
12:49pm: LK Advani says, "We are all united in this moment of crisis"
12:48pm: LK Advani condemns Delhi blast
12:46pm: Senior BJP leader LK Advani makes statement
12:44pm: Home minister confirms 9 dead, 47 injured
12:43pm: Home minister calls the Delhi blast a terror attack
12:40pm: Home minister P Chidambaram makes statement in Parliament
12:08pm: So far 9 people confirmed dead. Casualties may go up
12:06pm: At least 50 injured people brought to RML Hospital
11:57am: Blast helpline numbers: Safdarjung Hospital - 011-26707444, RML Hospital - 011-23744721
11:52am: All metros put on high alert
11:50am: Home minister to make statement at 12:30pm
11:48am: Reports say death toll now stands at 11
11:45am: 9 killed, 45 injured
11:43am: Home secretary calls for emergency meeting on the blast
11:38am: Police confirms 27 injured
11:29am: NSG squad reaches spot
11:25am: 9 people confirmed dead
11:22am: Home minister to make statement in Parliament
11:20am: Home ministry assesses situation
11:12am: Police say blast took place outside the court premises
11:10am: Police sources say bomb was kept in briefcase
10:59am: At least 4 people are reported killed
10:46am: Delhi police commissioner reaches blast site
10:45am: Injured rushed to nearby hospitals like Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital
10:35am: Entire area cordoned off
10:28am: Sources confirm at least 20 people are injured
10:23am: At least 7 people reported injured
10:20am: Many people reported injured
10:15am: Blast outside Delhi high court

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