Jan. 8 Daily Brief: Sushi mosaic, several swans a-swimming, silly walk day, Rodman on the PRK court, mannequin factory, big wave surfing
Sushi mosaic, several swans a-swimming, silly walk day, Rodman on the PRK court, mannequin factory, big wave surfing and more in today’s daily brief.
- Mannequin parts are seen at a factory of Koray Vitrin Mankenleri in Ankara. Fikret Gundogdu, 54, is the owner of Koray Vitrin Mankenleri, the sole mannequin-producing company in Ankara. The company makes some 100 units per month and exports to mostly Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia. Some customers request mannequins without heads, adhering to Islamic rules. Koray Vitrin Mankenleri also produces mannequins with headscarves, but there is a limited demand for them, Gundogdu said. There are 80 different mannequin models, priced between $200 to $500, according to the company. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)
- A worker carries a mannequin at a factory of Koray Vitrin Mankenleri in Ankara. Fikret Gundogdu, 54, is the owner of Koray Vitrin Mankenleri, the sole mannequin-producing company in Ankara. The company makes some 100 units per month and exports to mostly Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia. Some customers request mannequins without heads, adhering to Islamic rules. Koray Vitrin Mankenleri also produces mannequins with headscarves, but there is a limited demand for them, Gundogdu said. There are 80 different mannequin models, priced between $200 to $500, according to the company. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)
- Participants arrange sushi to create the largest sushi mosaic in an attempt to break the Guinness World Records during the 10th anniversary of a sushi chain store in Hong Kong. A total of 20,647 sushi pieces were used for a 37-square-metre space to break the record on Wednesday, which was verified and announced by the Guinness World Records at the end of the event. (Bobby Yip/Reuters)
- Supporters of British comedy group Monty Python perform their skills during the International Silly Walk Day in Brno, Czech Republic. More than 100 fans in costumes presented the Silly Walk, based on a sketch from the Monty Python troupe. (Radek Mica/Getty Images)
- A model walks the runway at the Kay Kwok presented by GQ China show during The London Collections: Men Autumn/Winter 2014 in London, England. (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
- A man surfs the Belharra giant waves some two kilometers off the coast of the French basque country town of Urrugne. Thanks to certain climatic conditions in autumn and winter, a strong swell hits the Belharra Perdun underwater spur enabling a 10 to 15 metre wave to form. This wave is only surfed by experts who are towed out by a water scooter. (Gaizka Iroz/Getty Images)
- Dark clouds approach Montevideo from the Rio de la Plata. (Mariana Suarez/Getty Images)
- A participant flies a tiger shaped kite during the International Kite Festival in Mumbai. (Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)
- Flamingos are pictured in their enclosure in Leipzig’s zoo. (Hendrik Schmidt/Getty Images)
- Swans swimming in the Rhine river in front of the cathedral in Breisach, Germany. (Patrick Seeger/Getty Images)
- Seagulls fly past New York’s Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center next to the Hudson River as seen from Hoboken, New Jersey. (Gary Hershorn/Reuters)
- Jennifer Berry watches the sunset from a lifeguard chair at a beach on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. Shortly after daybreak Tuesday in the Twin Cities, thermometers had inched their way up to anywhere from 8 to 13 below zero. The National Weather Service (NWS) said Tuesday’s high is expected to be near zero. A deadly blast of arctic air shattered decades-old temperature records as it enveloped the eastern United States on Tuesday, snarling air, road and rail travel, driving energy prices higher and overwhelming shelters for homeless people. At least eight deaths have been reported across the country because of the polar air mass sweeping over North America during the past few days. Authorities have put about half of the United States under a wind chill warning or cold weather advisory. (Eric Miller/Reuters)
- Former NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman (L) fights for the ball during an international exhibition basketball match between the U.S. and North Korea in Pyongyang, in this photo released by Kyodo. Rodman led an auditorium of North Koreans in singing “Happy Birthday” to their leader on Wednesday, a day after the former U.S. basketball star sparked controversy by appearing to suggest a Korean-American was to blame for his captivity in North Korea. Mandatory credit (Reuters)
- Hot lava from Mount Sinabung volcano hit trees as seen from Berastepu village in Karo district, Indonesia’s North Sumatra province. About 20,000 villagers have been evacuated since authorities raised the alert status for Sinabung to the highest level in November 2013, local media reported on Monday. (Beawiharta/Reuters)
- Students hold candles as they attend a mourning ceremony for Hong Kong media tycoon Run Run Shaw in front of a building donated by Shaw at the University of South China in Hengyang, Hunan province. Hong Kong media mogul Sir Run Run Shaw, who created an empire in Asia spanning movies to television, died on Tuesday at the age of 106, his company said. Shaw is remembered as a philanthropist, especially fondly in Chinese mainland, where he donated a large amount of money, mostly to education, according to Hong Kong media reports. Many school buildings in the mainland are named after him. (Reuters)
- A supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi shouts slogans against the military and interior ministry, while gesturing with four fingers, during a protest in front of riot police outside a police academy, on the outskirts of Cairo. Mursi’s arrival at the Cairo court where he was due to stand trial on Wednesday was delayed by poor weather, state TV reported. Mursi was due to be flown to the Cairo police academy where the court was due to convene. Mursi is currently in a jail near the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. The four-finger “Rabaa” sign is in reference to the police clearing of the Rabaa al-Adawiya protest camp on August 14 last year that killed hundreds of supporters of Mursi who were camped out in Cairo. (Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)
- Protesters set a car on fire near a police vehicle during clashes with riot police at Nasr City district in Cairo. The trial of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi on charges of inciting murder was postponed until Feb. 1 on Wednesday after officials said bad weather had stopped him from being flown to court. (Reuters)
- Laborers install steel frames to a new food factory in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. China’s annual economic growth likely slowed a touch in the fourth quarter, a Reuters poll showed, confirming market views that the world’s second-largest economy lost some vigor at the end of the year as Beijing shifts its focus to reforms. (Jon Woo/Reuters)
- People wear traditional clothes as they sing song and walk during Christmas carnival in western Ukrainian city of Lviv. (Yuriy Dyachyshyn/Getty Images)
- A young Afghan girl slides down a snow-covered hummock during snow-fall in Kabul. As winter sets in across Central Asia, many Afghans struggle to provide adequate food and shelter for their families. (Johannes Eisele/Getty Images)
- Firefighters walk past a cloud of smoke during a forest fire in the rural town of Melipilla at Bollenar area, about 71 km (44 miles) southwest of Santiago. According to local authorities, more than 17,000 hectares of land in central and southern Chile have been burned due to multiple fires, with no deaths or injuries reported currently. (Ivan Alvarado/Reuters)
- Switzerland’s Roger Federer (L) and France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga play a match at Rod Laver Arena during a charity event in Melbourne January 8, 2013. (David Gray/Reuters)