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Shocking images show how a picturesque North Carolina village was nearly wiped out by Hurricane Helene — as the death toll from the storm rose to almost 100, with desperate rescue missions continuing across the Southwest on Monday. Chimney Rock initially appeared to have escaped Helene’s wrath — until floodwater overwhelmed a dam on Saturday, overruning the area and destroying almost everything in sight, the News & Observer noted. “The village? There’s just nothing left,” rescue crew leader Chris Murray told the outlet. “I’ve never seen concentrated damage like we’ve seen here.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 23, 2009 – As a member of the Navy Supply Corps who works for the Defense Logistics Agency, Navy Capt. Jim Patton is especially attuned to the importance of logistical support for missions. Navy Capt. Jim Patton, director of maritime customer operations at the Defense Supply Center Columbus, Ohio, stands at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania during a January 2009 trip to the highest mountain in Africa. Photo courtesy of Navy Capt. Jim Patton  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. So when he and his wife, Laurie, recently trekked up the side of Mount...

CENSORS in China have banned the screening of Brokeback Mountain because they object to its homosexual content. The film is directed by the hugely popular Taiwanese director Ang Lee, whose 2000 Oscar-winning film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon helped to raise the profile of Chinese cinema internationally. But a report by the official Xinhua News Agency said that the film's "sensitive topic" of gay love meant that it could not be screened. World Trade Organisation rules require China to screen a minimum of 20 foreign films a year. Gay activists in China have regularly complained of harassment and discrimination. Last month,...