Among the fish populations that could be harmed by the Xayaburi dam in Laos is the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish, considered by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the world’s largest freshwater fish. The fish, which grows to 650 pounds and about 10 feet long, is only found in the Mekong River. It is migratory, moving between downstream habitats in Cambodia upstream to northern Thailand and Laos each year to spawn. Some experts fear the Xayaburi dam could block the migration and drive the giant catfish to extinction. (Photo by Courtesy of Zeb Hogan/University of Nevada, Reno)

“Atheris is a genus of venomous vipers found only in tropical subsaharan Africa, excluding southern Africa. Confined to rain forest areas, many members have isolated and fragmented distributions. In an interesting example of convergent evolution, they show many similarities to the arboreal pit vipers of Asia and South America”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Atheris squamigera. (Photo by David Williams)

Lasha Pataraia pulls a truck, which weighs 8,250kg (8 tons), with his ear during an event to break the Guinness Book of World Records in Rustavi, outside Tbilisi November 29, 2012. The 32-year-old broke a Guinness record after he managed to pull the truck with his ear for 21,50 metres (70.5 feet), according to organisers. (Photo by Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters)

A woman waits to hear about her sister, a teacher, following a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. A man killed his mother at their home and then opened fire inside the elementary school where she taught, massacring 26 people, including 20 children, as youngsters cowered in fear to the sound of gunshots reverberating through the building and screams echoing over the intercom. (Photo by Jessica Hill/Associated Press)

“Serebro (Серебро, Silver) are a Russian trio, formed in Moscow, Russia in 2006. Serebro is currently one of the most popular Russian bands. They are also famously known as the band who finished third in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki with the song “Song #1”. On 30 July 2011, Serebro premiered their eighth single, “Mama Lover” at Europa Plus Live. It is their third official English language release after “Song #1” and “Like Mary Warner”. On 15 September 2011, the music video for “Mama Luba” (Russian version of “Mama Lover”) was released”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Russian trio «Serebro», 2008

Trainers from Tianjiao Special Guard/Security Consultant Ltd. Co. engage trainees dressed in swimming suits as they crawl on the beach during a training session in Sanya, Hainan province January 8, 2012. (Photo by CHINA DAILY/Reuters)

“MS Herald of Free Enterprise was a roll-on roll-off (RORO) car and passenger ferry owned by Townsend Thoresen. She was one of three ships commissioned by the company to operate on the Dover–Calais route across the English Channel. The ferry capsized on the night of 6 March 1987, moments after leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, killing 193 passengers and crew. This was the deadliest maritime disaster involving a British ship in peacetime since the sinking of the Iolaire in 1919”. – Wikipedia

Photo: The wreck of the Herald of Free Enterprise, which capsized near Zeebrugge on the 6th of March 1987. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images). 1987