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    13
    Apr
    2012
    6:39am, EDT

    Light show projects image of Titanic onto giant iceberg

    Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter projected pictures of the Titanic on a giant iceberg off Greenland to mark the 100th anniversary of its maiden voyage.

    Mike Kessler / Gerry Hofstetter Marketing via EPA

    A light projection of the Titanic on a 500-meter-long iceberg in the Northern Polar sea of Greenland, during the night of 13 April 2012.

    Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter is one of the best-known light artists working today. He uses light to project huge images in unexpected places, like a cross on the famous Matterhorn peak in the Alps, and hieroglyphics on the outside of the pyramids in Giza. His projects transform monuments, buildings and landscapes into something new. Sometimes his work has a serious tone, as when he projected polar bears on melting glaciers, but he also does fun lightshows for clients for events such as festivals and openings. His goal is to illuminate each of the world’s greatest monuments and sacred places.

    See more of Hofstetter’s work on his website.  

    See photos of a projection in Switzerland by Hofstetter for the Jungfrau railway's anniversary on PhotoBlog.

    Related content:

    • National Geographic features new images of the unseen Titanic
    • Ship sets sail to commemorate Titanic's voyage
    • Titanic memorial cruise diverts due to medical emergency

    Slideshow: Titanic: 100 years later

    Hulton Archives / Getty Images; AFP - Getty Images

    A look at the memorials, museum exhibits and memorabilia that commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, including the photos from 1912 that capture the anticipation and the aftermath around this "unsinkable" ship.

    Launch slideshow

    One century after the Titanic sank during its maiden voyage, the historic day is being commemorated around the world. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.

    Slideshow: Titanic Belfast

    David Moir / Reuters

    The Titanic Belfast Experience is a new visitor attraction location in Belfast's Titanic Quarter, on the original site of the Harland and Wolff shipyard -  birthplace of RMS Titanic.

    Launch slideshow

    57 comments

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  • 20
    Mar
    2012
    10:59am, EDT

    A peek inside Princess Diana's Kensington Palace

    Matt Dunham / AP

    In this picture taken with a fish-eye lens, people stand around the "luminous lace" light sculpture by designers Loop.pH in the Stone Hall during a press preview at what used to be the official residence of the late Princess Diana, Kensington Palace in London, Tuesday, March 20. Kensington Palace has been transformed following a 12 million pounds ($19 million, 14.4 million euro) restoration project timed to be completed for this summer's Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics.

    Andrew Winning / Reuters

    A dress worn by Princess Diana is displayed in Kensington Palace which reopened today after a 12 million pound Sterling (19 million USD) renovation in central London on March 20.

    Oli Scarff / Getty Images

    A woman views an art installation in the Queen's Bed Chamber in Kensington Palace on March 20 in London, England. Kensington Palace is due to reopen to the public on March 26 following an extensive renovation project. The refurbishment has seen the renovation of the King and Queen's state apartments, a display of dresses worn by Diana, Princess of Wales and an exhibition charting the life of Queen Victoria.

    Matt Dunham / AP

    Models dressed as period courtiers pose for photographs on "the King's Staircase" during a press preview at what used to be the official residence of the late Princess Diana, Kensington Palace in London, Tuesday, March 20. Kensington Palace has been transformed following a 12 million pounds (US$19 million, euro14.4 million) restoration project timed to be completed for this summer's Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics.

    Andy Rain / EPA

    Queen Victoria's living quarters are photographed through her devotion screen at Kensington Palace in London, Britain, on March 20. A major new exhibition unveiled as part of a 14 million euro transformation of Kensington Palace explores the life of Queen Victoria, Britain's longest serving monarch, and the palace's most famous resident Princess Diana. The Palace opens to the public on March 26.

    For the first time since a $20 million renovation, Kensington Palace will open to the public with an exhibition of Princess Diana's favorite dresses. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.

     

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

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  • 14
    Mar
    2012
    6:47pm, EDT

    Take a look inside the Titanic Belfast attraction

    Peter MacDiarmid / Getty Images

    The Titanic Belfast attraction nears completion in The Titanic Quarter on March 13 in Belfast. Belfast's Titanic Quarter is a regeneration area on the original site of the Harland and Wolff shipyard - birthplace of RMS Titanic.

    Peter Morrison / AP

    A model-like sculpture of the Titanic on display at the new Titanic Belfast Visitor's Center.

    Northern Ireland's capital, Belfast, scarred by 30 years of Catholic-Protestant violence and mired in Europe's economic doldrums, is gambling on a gleaming new Titanic tourist attraction to bring it fame beyond the Troubles — and a renewed sense of civic pride.

    "What happened to the Titanic was a disaster," said Tim Husbands, chief executive of Titanic Belfast, a 100 million pound ($160 million) visitor attraction due to open March 31, in advance of the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking. "But the ship wasn't."

    Belfast is banking on the global reach of the Titanic name, a fame given new momentum by James Cameron's hit 1997 movie, which set Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio's star-crossed love story aboard the doomed liner.

    -- The Associated Press

    Related link:

    • Belfast wagers on Titanic's unsinkable appeal

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

    Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images

    An employee of The Titanic Belfast attraction stands in front of screens showing computer generated images of a restaurant on The Titanic on March 13.

    Peter Morrison / AP

    A replica of the the famous staircase onboard the Titanic is on display in the new Titanic Belfast Visitor's Center.

    Peter MacDiarmid / Getty Images

    A visitor takes a phone picture of the slipway at the Titanic Belfast attraction on March 13.

    Peter Morrison / AP

    Brett Irwin of the Public Record Office moves old plans of Harland and Wolff ships from the 19th century in the Titanic Drawing Offices.

    Peter Muhly / AFP - Getty Images

    A Titanic related mural is pictured near a Loyalist paramilitary mural in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on March 13.

    2 comments

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  • 14
    Mar
    2012
    3:20pm, EDT

    Views of the Mediterranean from a Greek ferry

    Yannis Behrakis / Reuters

    Sea waves hit the Blue Star Paros vessel during a nine-hour trip to the Greek islands of Paros, Naxos, Ios and Santorini, in the Aegean Sea on March 14, 2012.

    Yannis Behrakis / Reuters

    A Greek passenger seen on the Blue Star Paros vessel during a nine-hour trip to the Greek islands of Paros, Naxos, Ios and Santorini.

    Yannis Behrakis / Reuters

    Foreign tourists admire the volcanic island of Santorini.

    See more images from Greece in PhotoBlog.

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

    1 comment

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    Explore related topics: boat, travel, europe, greece, ferry, world-news, santorini
  • 15
    Feb
    2012
    9:16pm, EST

    Scenes from the old city of Sanaa

    Mohamed al-Sayaghi / Reuters

    Sanaa is an UNESCO World Heritage site and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

    Mohamed al-Sayaghi / Reuters

    A craftsman works outside his shop at the Souq al-Melh market in Sanaa's Old City district in Sanaa on Feb. 15.

    Mohamed al-Sayaghi / Reuters

    A man reads a Koran inside an old mosque in Sanaa's Old City district on Feb. 14.

    Mohamed al-Sayaghi / Reuters

    Men chew qat, a mild stimulant, inside a shop in Sanaa's Old City district on Feb. 15.

    Mohamed al-Sayaghi / Reuters

    A shoe salesman sits inside his shop at the Souq al-Melh market in Sanaa's Old City district in Sanaa.

    Mohamed al-Sayaghi / Reuters

    A vendor selling donkeys waits for customers in his shop at the Souq al-Melh market in Sanaa's Old City district.

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

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    Explore related topics: travel, middle-east, yemen, muslim, world-news, world-heritage-site, sanaa
  • 7
    Feb
    2012
    12:11pm, EST

    A frozen waterfall and other surreal photos from an iced-over Germany

    Winfried Rothermel / AP

    People watch the Triberger waterfalls at the Black Forest in Triberg, southern Germany during temperatures far below zero, on Feb. 7, 2012.

    Anna Schuermann / EPA

    A hiker stands behind icicles as he takes snapshots of a frozen waterfall in Bad Urach, Germany, on Feb. 7. The cold wave sweeping across Europe is expected to bring even more snow and frigid temperatures in the upcoming days.

    Martin Schutt / AFP - Getty Images

    A car drives through the snowy landscape on the Grosser Inselberg mountain in eastern Germany, on Feb. 6. The deadly cold snap that has gripped Europe for more than a week wrought more havoc across the continent, straining emergency services, grounding flights and pushing the death toll past 200.

    Patrick Pleul / EPA

    Packed ice floes are seen from the Stadtbruecke Bridge in Frankfurt Oder, Germany, Feb. 7. The drifting ice has come to a standstill along more than 140 kilometers of the Oder River on the border between Germany and Poland.

    Christof Stache / AFP - Getty Images

    A pedestrian walks between snowy stairways in the Olympic park in Munich, southern Germany, on Feb. 7. Temperatures plunged to new lows in Europe where last two week-long cold snap has now claimed more than 220 lives and forecasters warned that the big freeze would tighten its grip at the next time.

    Malte Christians / EPA

    Young men play ice hockey on the frozen Outer Alster in Hamburg, Germany, on Feb. 7. The frozen Outer Alster could be used at one's own risk since yesterday. In some places the ice is 18 cm thick.

    Uwe Meinhold / AP

    Ice crystals hang from a water wheel at the technical museum in Annaberg-Buchholz, eastern Germany, on Feb. 7, 2012.

    By Natalia Jimenez, msnbc.com

    The extreme weather hitting Europe this winter has caused some surreal and beautiful scenes across the continent. Sadly, the picturesque images of iced-covered towns mask the impact the freezing temperatures have on the people experiencing them. In the Ukraine alone there have been over 130 people confirmed dead, and temperatures as low as minus 22 Fahrenheit are expected to continue for another week. There are now fears of deadly flooding that will follow as the climate warms up.

    Related content:

    • See more images of the severe winter in Europe on PhotoBlog
    • Deadly floods follow in iced-over Europe
    • Slideshow: Winter Wildness

    1 comment

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    Explore related topics: germany, weather, europe, winter, cold, world-news, ice, freezing
  • 6
    Feb
    2012
    1:33pm, EST

    Ice clogs the canals of Venice, Italy

    Marco Sabadin / AFP - Getty Images

    A small boat passes on a canal covered with ice on Monday in Venice, Italy. Temperatures fell to 14 degrees Fahrenheit in Milan on Monday as 59,000 households remained without electricity in Italy and officials declared a gas supply emergency.

    Luigi Costantini / AP

    A view of the Cannaregio channel, partially iced because of unusually low temperatures, in Venice on Monday. Schools will be closed in Rome on Tuesday, as Italy copes with unusually heavy snow for the Mediterranean country. So far, ten deaths have been linked to winter weather, including two people who were crushed under a collapsed roof south of Rome, and a 91-year-old woman in the northeast port of Trieste who was knocked down by strong winds. In the north, rescuers had to pluck people from their homes, as piles of snow reached 3 meters (10 feet) in some areas. In Milan, Italy's fashion and financial capital, temperatures fell to 10 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, and the authorities opened a section of the city subway to shelter some 100 homeless people.

    Manuel Silvestri / Reuters

    A boat floats in a frozen lagoon in Venice on Monday. Bitterly cold weather sweeping across Europe claimed more victims on Sunday, brought widespread disruption to transport services, and left thousands without power with warnings that low temperatures would continue into next week.

    More images from freezing weather in Europe in PhotoBlog.

    Related story: Venice rebels againts cruise ship intrusions

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

    51 comments

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    Explore related topics: weather, italy, europe, winter, cold, world-news, ice, venice
  • 3
    Feb
    2012
    11:11am, EST

    Stilettos in the snow... only in Rome!

    Alessandro Bianchi / Reuters

    Tourists protect themselves with umbrellas from the falling snow in front of Rome's ancient Colosseum on Feb. 3.

    Massimo Percossi / EPA

    A man cycles through a snow storm in Rome, Italy, on Feb 3. Reports state that the severe cold has killed more than 100 people across Europe, where temperatures have in some areas have plummeted.

    Gabriel Bouys / AFP - Getty Images

    Women walk near the Trevi fountain during snowfalls on Feb. 3 in Rome.

    AP reports:

    Thick snowflakes fell in Rome on Friday, a rare occurrence for a capital usually blessed by a temperate climate, and other parts of the country experienced frigid temperatures unseen in years.

    The snowfall prompted authorities to stop visitors from entering the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, the former home of Rome's ancient emperors.

    The last substantial snowfalls in Rome were in 1985 and 1986, though there have been other cases of lighter snow since then, including in 2010.

    Read the full story.

    See recent photos of the harsh winter Europe is experiencing.

    Gabriel Bouys / AFP - Getty Images

    Scooters and motorbikes are covered with snow as they are parked downtown Rome on Feb. 3. A rare mantle of snow blanketed the historic center of Rome on Friday as temperatures in the Alpine region of Piedmont in northern Italy went as low as minus 22 Fahrenheit.

    Tiziana Fabi / AFP - Getty Images

    People walk on St Peter's square covered by snow on Feb. 3 at the Vatican. A rare mantle of snow blanketed the historic center of Rome on Friday.

     

     

    120 comments

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    Explore related topics: weather, italy, europe, winter, snow, cold, world-news
  • 26
    Jan
    2012
    12:14pm, EST

    London's tallest building takes shape amid recession fears

    Lefteris Pitarakis / AP

    Workers wait to enter the Shard, an under-construction high-rise building, in front of a picture, background, showing the Shard over the London skyline, on Jan. 17, 2012.

    By David R Arnott, msnbc.com

    LONDON – Wherever you go in this city these days, it's hard to avoid the Shard. In a city with a mostly low-rise skyline, the 72-floor, 1,016 foot-tall building stands in stark relief, offering a handy navigational aide if you should stray from familiar paths. 

    The Associated Press reports today on the mixed prospects for architect Renzo Piano's ambitious project. Though it is not expected to open until 2013, the Shard is already the tallest building in the European Union (In the continent as a whole, it is eclipsed by Moscow's Mercury City Tower).

    Lefteris Pitarakis / AP

    The Shard, seen under construction on Jan. 17, 2012, is the tallest building in the European Union and looks like a slice of glass balanced on the edge of the financial district.

    The $2.34 billion Shard has been bankrolled by Qatari investors in what one expert in Middle Eastern politics described as a form of "soft diplomacy" on the part of the Gulf state. 

    In addition to offices, restaurants and a posh hotel, the building will house some of London's fanciest apartments, two of which are said to have been reserved for members of Qatar's royal family. 

    A report by Barclays Capital published this month found an unhealthy correlation between the construction of skyscrapers and an impending financial crisis, concluding that ambitious building projects often open just as the economy declines.

    Will London 2013 find itself added to a list that includes New York 1930, Chicago 1974, Kuala Lumpur 1997 and Dubai 2010? With figures out this week showing the British economy moving back into negative territory, that seems a decent wager.

     

    Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

    A view of the Shard on Dec. 5, 2011, towering over other high-rise buildings including Norman Foster's Gherkin, right.

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

     

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  • 24
    Jan
    2012
    11:11am, EST

    One year after revolution Egypt struggles to attract tourists

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Tourists visits the Giza Pyramids and Sphinx in Cairo on Jan. 24 in Cairo, Egypt. The country is struggling with falling tourism figures and rising unemployment following last year's revolution, which ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Tourist visits the Giza Pyramids and Sphinx in Cairo on Jan. 24 in Cairo, Egypt. The country is struggling with falling tourism figures and rising unemployment following last year's revolution, which ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    A young man rides a camel in the Sphinx village on Jan. 24 in Cairo, Egypt. The country is struggling with falling tourism figures and rising unemployment following last year's revolution, which ousted President Hosni Mubarak. The Egyptian parliament, chaired by Mahmoud el-Saqqahm, met yesterday and elected leading Muslim Brotherhood member Saad al-Katatnias as speaker.

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    A vendor sells oranges in the Magra El-Oyoun market on Jan. 24 in Cairo, Egypt. The country is struggling with falling tourism figures and rising unemployment following last year's revolution, which ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

    Khaled Elfiqi / EPA

    A general view shows Egyptian protesters demonstrating one day before the first anniversary of the 25th January uprising in Tahrir square, Cairo, Egypt.

    Muhammed Muheisen / AP

    Egyptian protestors read a local newspaper outside a tent in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 24. Al-Adly, Mubarak and four top security officers are being tried for complicity in the deaths of hundreds of protesters at the hands of security forces during the 18-day uprising, which started one year ago this week. Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11. The six could face the death penalty if convicted.

     Related links:

    • A timeline of the events in Egypt since the revolution started on Jan. 25, 2011
    • Egypt partially lifts state of emergency law

    1 comment

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  • 28
    Dec
    2011
    4:43pm, EST

    Ice Hotel opens in Romania

    All photos by Radu Sigheti / Reuters

    Tourists walk in the snow outside the Balea Lac Hotel of Ice in the Fagaras Mountains, 184 miles northwest of Bucharest on Dec. 28, 2011. Entirely made of ice, the hotel offers accommodation in 10 double rooms with king size beds, where the temperature hovers around freezing.

    The Ice Hotel's website says: The Fagaras Mountains provide a perfect backdrop for the stunning Lake Balea Ice Hotel. Its remote location can be reached only by cable car in the winter making it an exclusive 10-14 room hotel. Set amidst breathtaking scenery the Ice Hotel is rebuilt every year - so no two years are the same.

    Dining at the Ice Hotel is a "must do" experience for anyone visiting the Ice Hotel with 2 courses actually serviced on Ice plates. Read more...

    A waiter serves dinner inside the hotel.

    Tourists visit a room inside the Balea Lac Hotel of Ice. Rooms go for $45.73 per person.

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

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  • 5
    Dec
    2011
    11:01am, EST

    Everett Kennedy Brown / EPA

    The Ishibutai ancient burial mound during a special light performance in the city of Asuka, Nara prefecture, Japan, Dec. 4. The burial mound, made from 30 gigantic stones, is one of the largest stone tombs in Japan. The large central stone on the top of the tomb weighs 77 tons and is the largest stone used in ancient Japanese tombs. The tomb, believed to have been built is in the 7th century, is called 'the Stonehenge of Japan.'

    The 'Stonehenge of Japan' bathed in light

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Natalia Jimenez

Natalia Jimenez is a multimedia editor at msnbc.com. She was previously a photo editor at the Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J.

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David R Arnott

is msnbc.com's Multimedia Editor in London.

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