The roof of a shopping mall collapsed in Latvia's capital on Thursday evening, killing four people and trapping dozens of others, officials in the Baltic country said Thursday. The country's national news agency LETA, citing a government official, reported there were four deaths. A toddler was among the injured at the Maxima shopping mall, located on Priedaines Street in western Riga's Zolitude neighborhood, according to LETA. Riga Mayor... [read news]
Bad weather is keeping Britain's Prince Harry and a team of UK veterans stranded in South Africa, their take-off point to Antarctica where they will race U.S. and Commonwealth teams on a trek to the South Pole. Swedish actor and "True Blood" star Alexander Skarsgard is an honorary member of the U.S. team, while Dominic West, perhaps best known for his role as McNulty in "The Wire," joins veterans wounded in combat from the Commonwealth... [read news]
Setting figures big in Barbra Streisand’s “Back to Brooklyn” concert. Recorded over two nights in October 2012 at the Barclays Center, the disc and its accompanying DVD capture Streisand’s first-ever concert in the borough of her birth. Throughout the long evening, Streisand made loving reference to an area of the city she couldn’t wait to escape 50 years ago. Images of her high school (Erasmus), the theater she attended (Loews... [read news]
The good: The Vitamix 7500 was one of the most consistently powerful blenders that we tested. It's also one of the simplest to use. The bad: With no presets and no timer, it might be a bit too simple. Also, it doesn't dominate the cheaper models as much as you'd think. The bottom line: As tempting as that freakishly powerful motor is, it's difficult to justify the $529 Vitamix over some of the more affordable competitors... [read news]
In the latest spasm of violence in Lebanon over neighboring Syria's civil war, two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the Iranian Embassy in southern Beirut on Tuesday. At least 23 people died and 146 were injured, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. On Twitter, a radical Sunni group claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying similar assaults would continue until the Iran-supported Shiite group Hezbollah stops sending... [read news]
The good: The Google Nexus 5 has LTE for multiple carriers, a sleek and solid build, and an excellent price. It makes crystal-clear calls, battery life is long, and integration of Google Now is deep and wide. The bad: The Nexus 5's screen is dimmer than its competitors' and its camera struggles under auto settings. While an important OS update, Android 4.4 KitKat is more conceptual than feature-rich. The bottom line: Strong performance... [read news]
British Prime Minister David Cameron has given Sri Lanka a March 2014 deadline to hold an independent international inquiry into alleged war crimes during the country's 26-year civil war. Cameron held talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa while in the capital of Colombo for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on Friday. The summit opened Friday amid concerns about the rights situation after Sri Lanka's war with the... [read news]
It’s the end of an era -- at least for the current generation of gaming consoles. As patrons impatiently await the release of the Xbox One and the Playstation 4, we’re still preparing ourselves for a world where a forgotten Xbox 360 sits on a shelf and collects dust. As this generation of video games draws to a close, we salute the five best games of 2013. Here are the five most visually stunning, interesting, enthralling and... [read news]
StepJockey, an initiative promoting the health benefits of stair climbing, has launched its official website and mobile app.The Department of Health-funded scheme aims to tackle obesity and encourage fitness activities by labelling the stairs of the world for calorie burn. The StepJockey website allows participants to calculate the calories burnt climbing a specific set of stairs, whether they are located in their home or office, or even a... [read news]
If you aren’t already super-pumped about the upcoming Hunger Games movie (though admit it, you definitely are), you’ve now got a reason. Lorde, the wunderkind best known for her chart-topping single “Royals,” will be on the movie’s soundtrack with her cover of the 1985 Tears for Fears hit “Everybody Wants To Rule The World.” The New Zealand native, who just turned 17, put a modern, dark and gorgeously haunting twist on the... [read news]
