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In 2020, AP photographers captured a world in distress
YE Top Photos 2020
One-year-old Yazan has his oxygen mask removed after heart surgery at the Tajoura National Heart Center in Tripoli, Libya, on Feb. 27, 2020. Yazan's perilous trek from his small desert hometown culminated in a five-hour surgery. He is one of 1,000 children treated by Dr. William Novick's group since it first came to Libya after the 2011 uprising. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
A reveler dressed in a Spider-Man costume strikes a pose at the "Ceu na Terra" or Heaven on Earth street party in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Feb. 22, 2020, during the Carnival celebration. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A child wearing a mask to protect against the coronavirus rests on the bank of the Yangtze River in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province on April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A model wears a creation for the Givenchy fashion collection during Women's fashion week Fall/Winter 2020/21 presented in Paris on March 1, 2020. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
People stand in their balconies during a nationwide confinement to counter the coronavirus in Barcelona, Spain on March 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Rescue workers and local residents search for survivors in the wreckage of a plane that crashed with nearly 100 people onboard in a residential area of Karachi, Pakistan, on May 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
Migrants flee from the second fire in two days at the overcrowded Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesbos, Greece, on Sept. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
President Donald Trump holds a Bible as he stands outside St. John's Church across Lafayette Park from the White House in Washington on June 1, 2020, after law enforcement officers used tear gas and other riot control tactics to forcefully clear peaceful protesters from the area. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Josefa Ribas, 86, who is bedridden and suffers from dementia, is attended to by nurse Laura Valdes during a home care visit in Barcelona, Spain, on April 7, 2020. Ribas' husband, Jose Marcos, fears what will happen if the coronavirus enters their home and infects them. "I survived the post-war period (of mass hunger). I hope I survive this pandemic," he said. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Protesters storm the San Francisco de Borja church, which belongs to the Carabineros, Chile's national police force, in Santiago, Chile, on Oct. 18, 2020, the first anniversary of the start of anti-government mass protests over inequality. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Cuban singer Cimafunk hugs a woman during a music conga through the streets of Cuba's Old Havana neighborhood during the 35th Havana International Jazz Festival on Jan. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Sneakers and a Los Angeles Lakers jersey with the number 8 worn by NBA star Kobe Bryant hang at a memorial for Bryant in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, 2020, a week after he was killed in a helicopter crash. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Swarms of desert locusts fly into the air from crops in Katitika village in Kenya's Kitui county on Jan. 24, 2020. In the worst outbreak in a quarter-century, hundreds of millions of the insects swarmed into Kenya from Somalia and Ethiopia, destroying farmland and threatening an already vulnerable region. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
An emergency crew recovers the body of a boy killed in a government airstrike in the city of Idlib, Syria on Feb. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
A woman wearing a mask to protect against infection from COVID-19 is reflected in a tinted chapel window, along with a metal casing said to contain the remains of St. Dimitrie of Basarabov, the patron saint of the Romanian capital, in Bucharest, Romania on Oct. 25, 2020. The feast of St. Dimitrie of Basarabov, which usually lasts for a week and draws up to 100,000 people, was cut way back this year due to the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
1 December 2020, 9:01 pm ·2 min read
Behold, a world in distress:
A 64-year-old woman weeps, hugging her husband as he lay dying in the COVID-19 unit of a California hospital. A crowded refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece, engulfed in flames, disgorges a string of migrants fleeing this hell on Earth. Rain-swept protesters, enraged by the death of George Floyd in police custody, rail against the system and the heavens.
This is the world that Associated Press photographers captured in 2020, a world beset by every sort of catastrophe -- natural and unnatural disaster, violent and non-violent conflict.
And, in every corner of that world, the coronavirus.
There are the living: Women cover themselves head to toe with chadors, protective clothing and gas masks to prepare a body for burial in Iran. An octogenarian couple kiss through plastic in Spain.
There are the dead: Relatives, traveling by night and by boat, travel down a Peruvian river to bring a body home for burial. Row upon row of new graves are dug in the largest cemetery in Latin America.
And there are those who negotiate the grim space between life and death -- among them, 16 Italian doctors and nurses exhausted from their labors, their faces haunted and haunting.
Amid the pandemic, it was sometimes easy to overlook the world's other turmoil -- and its tragedies. A loving uncle carries his 11-year-old niece away from the devastation of a massive explosion in Beirut -- her neck was broken, and her older sister died. In Syria, emergency workers pull the body of a boy killed in a government airstrike from the wreckage.
Wildfires gave the American West an eerie glow; a volcano eruption clouded the sky over Manila.
Across the United States, photographers documented an epic and bilious presidential campaign. An exultant Joe Biden, projected on a massive monitor under fireworks after he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination. A dejected Donald Trump, after a sparsely attended rally in Oklahoma.
And perhaps the most appropriate image of 2020? It was captured during the waves of protests and riots in the aftermath of George Floyd's death. A protester strides past a burning building in Minneapolis; in his hands he holds the American flag.
The flag is upside down -- the international signal of distress.
Paul Pogba produced a moment of magic as Manchester United came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 and reclaim the Premier League lead on Wednesday, ending Manchester City's short stay at the top.
New study says Covid might damage your brain cells
More than a year after Covid-19 emerged, researches are continuing to study its effects. Scientists from Inserm, the Pitié Salpêtrière University Hospitals, the CNRS and the Yale School of Medicine looked at the
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Kosovans Gather by 'Beau Biden Highway' to Celebrate New US President
People gathered near a road in Bibaj, Kosovo, named for Beau Biden, the late son of US President Joe Biden, on the morning of January 20 to celebrate Biden's inauguration.The Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III National Road was named for the former Delaware attorney general in August 2016, in thanks for his work training prosecutors and judges for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) during Kosovo's postwar period. Beau Biden died of brain cancer in May 2015, aged 46.The event in Bibaj was attended by American members of the Kosovo Force (KFOR), the NATO-led international peacekeeping force established in Kosovo in 1999, as well as police and public figures, according to local press reports.Acting President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani congratulated Biden and Kamala Harris on Twitter, calling the inauguration "a special day for the United States and an important one for the world."In 2016, Joe Biden, then vice president, spoke at the highway's dedication ceremony at Camp Bondsteel, a US Army base next to the road. In that speech, he expressed pride over his son's work and thanked the Kosovo government for bestowing the honor. "We are extremely, extremely, extremely grateful and we're humbled beyond words," Biden told the audience. Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via Storyful


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Q: Reactivate PayPal profile after status expired We are implementing recurring payment profile in asp.net. we are using merchant account payment process.
Please advice us to resolve below mentioned scenario:
We have to perform recurring payment process as monthly and also per 6 months. Currently we have started recurring payment for 6 month package.
Below are parameters for recurring payment as listed:
Billing cycle :- 6
Billing Period :- Month
Billing Frequency :- 1.
So as per above parameter my recurring payment will be done on:
1st payment : 23-07-2015
2nd payment : 23-08-2015
3rd payment : 23-09-2015
4th payment : 23-10-2015
5th payment : 23-11-2015
6th payment : 23-12-2015
After 6 month payment, i want to continue my recurring payment for another 6 month package. But the issue is that, after 6 month payment, my total billing cycle is 0 and my profile status become expired. So i can't renew my package for next 6 month. And cannot reactivate my profile as its status is expired.
When i trying to update my profile after 6 month payment, i get response from PayPal is "Profile is not active".
As we have to update profile as active instead of "expired", we have tried multiple methods but no one is working properly. So please let us know by which method we can reactivate the profile. also if possible please provide parameters with method name.
Let me know if any solution for the same. it will be very needful to us.
Thanks in advance.

A: You can use TRIALTOTALBILLINGCYCLES and TOTALBILLINGCYCLES to implement your goal.
For first 6 month package, please use "trial" parameter for CreateRecurringPaymentsProfile API . Like as below,
TRIALBILLINGPERIOD = Month
TRIALBILLINGFREQUENCY = 1
TRIALTOTALBILLINGCYCLES = 6
Then after 6 month payment, it can be started formal payment for 6 month package.
BILLINGPERIOD = Month
BILLINGFREQUENCY = 6
TOTALBILLINGCYCLES = 0 or not specified. (the regular payment period continues until the profile is canceled or deactivated.)
Above operation will help you solve the issue.

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So much happens in such a short amount of time on your wedding day. Laughs and smiles come from so many different directions that remembering everything is next to impossible. Preview the latest examples of our work in the wedding photography gallery below.


Hi loves! Another 3 piece set to show you today, and this time it's from Zoya! PrettyPolish was kind enough to sent me a set of the Zoya Ultra PixieDusts and I swatched them right away because I was very curious about them. If you are too, keep on reading!
They were all swatched over a base of Duri Rejuvacote, obviously no top coat was used.
Zoya Arianna is a medium red shade, quite cool in tone and very appropriate for the holidays. This was the most sheer in formula and I used 3 coats for opacity. The texture appears quickly but the shiny finish remains, making it look like it hasn't dried down yet. The formula is a bit runny and thin so be careful with cuticle pooling.
Zoya Noir stands out the most in shade, being a dark purple jelly base filled with glitter that appears a tad lighter and sometimes even more magenta than purple. It lights up the base! More opaque formula and 2 coats were needed for opacity.
Zoya Oswin is more of a fiery red, almost with a hint of orange in it. This dries down matte, yay! The formula is thicker and more easy to manage as well, 2 coats were needed for opacity and it dries down quickly.
Overall, this collection did not impress me. Just like the Zoya Magical PixieDusts, the addition of larger hex glitter is not doing it for me, and I am quite sure I would've enjoyed these far more as regular PixieDusts. The colors are lovely, especially for Fall! The formula on Oswin was good, the others were not so great. The Zoya bottle and brush is always a pleasure to work with though.
How do you feel about these shades? Something you like or dislike? Tell me in the comments!
PrettyPolish is a European based nail polish stockist that ships internationally. Besides Zoya, they also carry China Glaze, Color Club, SpaRitual, Models Own and many others. For more information check out their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter!
NOTE: For the convenience of my international readers I have linked the .com version of the webshop above. Because of certain restrictions you can only purchase Zoya through the .nl version, which is www.prettypolish.nl.
I like Noir, but I do agree that the normal pixiedusts were prettier!
Amazing swatches but I agree, Oswin looks better because the finish is matte.
Oswin is still my favorite because it dries down to a true matte. I wish the others did too. :/ Amazing swatches love!
Wow, they are all stunning, but Arianna is taking my breath away! GORGEOUS!
Arianna is my fave. Beautiful!
Loving the texture quality of these polishes!
Your swatches actually make me like these!
Arianne is calling my name.
Oswin! I love that one!
I agree with you on this collection. Amazing swatched my dear!
Noir is stunning! Great swatches.
zoya likes to torture me. Noir is my favorite.
Arianna is definitely my fave! I love how pigmented all of them are though.
Noir is... everything. Fab swatches!
Thanks Kerry, and glad you still like Noir :).
Thanks Em! Yeah.. I'm reeeally hoping they'll cut the crap and go back to the original formula :P.
It's sucky huh? But thanks anyway!
Happy to hear they still get some love!
:D I like that one too!
Dark and purple, a great Phyrra shade ;-).
Haha YES on the nails they do show difference!
I'm still not tired of the texture trend :).
Aww, that is so sweet! Thank you!
Didn't Zoya have a promotion right now.. 3 for $15?
Well I am glad there are still people left to impress then ;-)!
And they are having a promotion too I think!
They definitely are, even though some had a more jelly base, there is still a lot of pigment in it.
I really like the finish !
I love the original Pixie Dusts, but haven't tried any of the Ultras yet...Noir is gorgeous!
I am not usually a fan of textured polishes but Noir looks so interesting!
The shade is so deep and dark!
It definitely catches your eye :).
It certainly does, my pictures made it look a bit flat intead of the sparkly matte it is :).


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The Ghostly Story of San Jose's Haunted Winchester Mystery House
Winchester Mystery House has earned a reputation for being one of the most peculiar haunted houses in California. Here's why.
By Blake Stilwell
The famous Winchester Mystery House has earned a reputation for being one of the most peculiar haunted houses in California, but do you know the ghostly history behind this must-see mysterious attraction?
In 1881, firearms magnate William Wirt Winchester, son of Winchester Repeating Arms founder Oliver Winchester, passed away. He left his wife, Sarah, a sizable fortune. She moved from the family home in New Haven, Connecticut, to a small, eight-room farmhouse in San Jose, California. In the 38 years after her arrival, she built more than 150 rooms in the home, complete with 10,000 windows, numerous trap doors, spy holes and stairwells that went to nowhere.
Sarah Winchester was uncomfortable with her $20 million fortune, which adds up to more than a half-billion dollars when adjusted for inflation. Legend has it that she was wracked by the death of her husband, the death of her one-month-old child, and the ghosts of people killed by her husband's rifles. So, she built a home that would not only house their spirits, but also confuse and confound them. She believed that if she ever stopped the "improvements" on the house, she would die, and her 50-percent ownership of the Winchester Arms Company ensured she would be able to continue the work for as long as she wanted.
The Winchester Mystery House gardens feature over 10,000 box hedges and hundreds of varieties of trees and plants.
Without any kind of plan or blueprint, Sarah hired workers to add on to the home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for the 38 years she lived there—and the results were impressive: San Jose's Winchester Mystery House occupies a sprawling 4.5-acre landscape and features a labyrinth of rooms. She designed a house filled with truly bizarre architectural additions, including skylights that cut into the floors above, indoor balconies, doors that open into walls, and other oddities. It's said that the closest Sarah ever came to creating a plan was drawing designs on the backs of napkins that she would hand over to workers, only to remove or reshape them within the same week. (It's also rumored that she never slept in the same room twice.) Work only stopped when she died in 1922.
While some of the changes Sarah desired were strange, others were extraordinary. An avid gardener, she constructed a conservatory with an indoor irrigation system, one where plants could be watered at multiple levels. The conservatory also had a steam-driven, forced-air heating system, indoor plumbing, and heated water in a personal shower. Equally awe-inspiring is the interior of the mansion, which is adorned with gold and silver accents and shimmering chandeliers. Much of it is made with California redwood, though stained with a different color and grain (the lady of the house never liked the look of the redwood).
While the usual hour-long tour isn't currently available due to the pandemic, the Winchester Mystery House is offering 40-minute virtual tours, so you can learn more about the California historical landmark's fascinating past. The only thing you could miss out on during a virtual tour versus an in-person tour is witnessing the incidences of hauntings and spirits throughout—employees have reported strange sounds, crying, icy chills and self-turning door knobs.
What do you think about the Winchester House, and would you dare to visit? Let us know in the comments below.
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