Record rain and snow cause historic flooding in California, photos

Spring also makes cities beautiful with the blossoming of trees. In Milan, for example, the magnolias in Piazza Tommaseo are famous. This square was completely redeveloped in 2017 and in its central part houses the Renata Tebaldi gardens, famous 1900 soprano singer.

When spring comes, the magnolias bloom and the whole area turns pink, attracting citizens and tourists who want to capture the spectacle with smartphones and cameras.

The plant's name is a tribute to Pierre Magnol (1638-1715), a French physician and botanist.

Cat rescued in Turkey won't break away from his rescuer: he adopts him (and makes him a social star).

The feline's affectionate appreciation impressed the national mountain bike rider Ali Cakas: named him Enkaz (meaning "Debris") and took him home with him.

After being pulled from the rubble of the earthquake in Turkey, he no longer wanted to part with those who had rescued him.

Although a happy ending, the incident makes it very clear how the emergency in Turkey and Syria also affects thousands of animals.

The melting of glaciers is one of the greatest dangers facing our world in the near future. Indeed, the pouring of immense amounts of fresh water into the ocean, combined with rising ocean levels, could lead to devastating consequences for our world.

Two studies, published in Nature and conducted by scientists of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Cornell University, used the Icefin robot to map the submerged part of Thwaites Glacier, the largest shelf in West Antarctica and called "The doomsday Glacier," with an area of 150 times Rome.

The data collected, unfortunately, do not reveal anything good. In fact, this huge glacier is reportedly melting much faster than expected, and the reason is not high air temperatures.

From Feb. 24 to 28 in the Thai city of Pattaya takes place Pattaya International Kite on The Beach.

Lots of kites, colorful and of different sizes, fly in the sky, fascinating thousands of tourists who arrive to enjoy this spectacle. It is a spectacle that continues even after sunset, as many kites are equipped with LED lights that illuminate the sky.

Although the kite festival is completely free of charge, the event is able to generate an income of more than $4 million, a valuable aid to the local economy.

A bear entered the backyard and frightened a man, David Oppenheimer, who was relaxing in his lawn chair: It happened in Asheville, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina. The man posted the video on his Facebook channel.

The video begins with the man lying in his deckchair, unaware of what is about to happen.

The bear slowly approaches the man, but initially neither of them notices the other's presence. When the bear notices the man's presence it makes a short sound and then runs away, leaving the man with a loud thump in his chest. (Facebook: @David Oppenheimer)

Spring also makes cities beautiful with the blossoming of trees. In Milan, for example, the magnolias in Piazza Tommaseo are famous. This square was completely redeveloped in 2017 and in its central part houses the Renata Tebaldi gardens, famous 1900 soprano singer.

When spring comes, the magnolias bloom and the whole area turns pink, attracting citizens and tourists who want to capture the spectacle with smartphones and cameras.

The plant's name is a tribute to Pierre Magnol (1638-1715), a French physician and botanist.

The Holi Festival, also known as the Festival of Colours, is an Indian religious festival during which people are used to sprinkle themselves with coloured powders to pay homage to a ritual of Indian origin that symbolises both rebirth and reincarnation.

Over time, the Holi Festival has developed into an event in which disco music is also very important and has caught the attention of younger people. 

It is a celebration that is mainly celebrated in India and Nepal, but also in other parts of the world where significant population groups of Indian origin are present.

In the period between February and March, the northern Negev desert is transformed into a carpet of red anemones, tinging the area with a brilliant scarlet that heralds the arrival of spring.

Locals and tourists alike flock to the area to witness this spectacular phenomenon each year, enjoying the many outdoor activities on offer. The festival takes place in the northern Negev area, between Nahal Shikma and Nahal Basor.

The annual Darom Adom (Red South festival), now in its 17th year, is a fixture in the Israeli events calendar and offers a range of activities for families and nature lovers, many of them free of charge.

Carnival is one of those festivals that have united people through folklore for centuries. It is usually celebrated following the Christian calendar, and comes before the period called Lent (the 40 days before Easter). Its history originates from some pagan holidays, such as the Roman Saturnalia or the Greek Dionysia.

Each country, over the centuries, has come to celebrate it in different ways, but in general you can find, everywhere, some things in common: the floats, the masks, the flowers, the dancing and the parties. It is a time when anyone can be whoever they want, and it once served to subvert, momentarily, existing social orders.

The magazine Forbes has compiled a ranking of what are the 8 best carnivals in the world to take part in. Alongside the most famous, we also find lesser-known but equally beautiful festivals.

A tree first sprouted more than 3,000 years before the birth of Christ. This could be the oldest tree in the world, a majestic cypress tree nicknamed 'Great-grandfather'. The analyses are the result of both direct measurements and approximations and assumptions made taking into account the geography and botany of the place.

Alerce Milenario is its name in the Hispanic language, has survived all these years thanks to its location, at the base of a wet ravine, and could help researchers understand the effects of climate change on flora around the world. 

Its incredible record has not yet been officially published, but researchers claim that it is at least 600 years older than the oldest tree thought to be

Every year, on December 31st, a curious New Year's Eve bike race is organized in Switzerland.

The race is open to everyone, even minors, but it is necessary to have a good basic knowledge of cycling, especially for the first part of the route, the steepest and with almost guaranteed snow. The idea of the race is to descend along the snowy ski slopes, from the top of the Roc d’Orsay to the center of the resort of Villars.

Participants are required to dress up as the best costumes will be awarded. And as you can see from the photos of this year's edition, the imagination of the competitors is really great!

With an area of 510.1 million km², more than 7 billion people live on planet Earth, spread over 5 continents, which in turn are divided into smaller and larger nations.

But what are the ten largest countries in the world in terms of area?

Below there is a list of countries in the world in descending order of area. The values are expressed in km².

The surfaces also include the water masses of the mainland (lakes and rivers).

Browse the gallery to find out which are the largest countries in the world in terms of surface.

Japan is the country where people live better and longer. This is what emerges from the latest report of the World Health Organization (WHO) on the countries most "long-lived" on the planet.

In the country of the Rising Sun you can expect to live 74 and a half years in good health.

It is the first time that the WHO speaks of "healthy life expectancy" and not simply "life expectancy".

At the planetary level, the average value is 73.3 years (70.8 years for males and 75.9 years for females). According to 2015 data from the World Health Organization, women live on average longer than men in all countries of the world except Mali and eSwatini