Donald Trump arrives in Washington on eve of historic inauguration
Twenty-four hours before he takes the oath of office as the 45th US president, Donald Trump arrived in Washington on Thursday (Jan 19), determined to transform American politics over the next four years.
The Republican billionaire's arrival caps an extraordinary and improbable run for the White House that, once he takes the reins from President Barack Obama, will launch the United States into a new era.
"The journey begins and I will be working and fighting very hard to make it a great journey for the American people," Trump tweeted before leaving Trump Tower, his Manhattan home.
The 70-year-old president-elect travelled aboard an official government jet to a military base near Washington with his wife Melania. The pair exited the plane and headed into the nation's capital for a day of pre-inaugural festivities.
Michelle Obama tweets poignant photo in final message
Michelle Obama tweeted a poignant photo of herself and US President Barack Obama in a touching final message as First Lady.
Addressing 6.5 million followers on Twitter, she thanked supporters for the "honour of a lifetime".
Mrs Obama shared a picture of herself and Mr Obama enjoying the views from the White House's Truman balcony.
At least 20 firefighters killed in Teheran building collapse: Mayor
At least 20 firefighters were killed when a 17-storey Teheran commercial building collapsed on top of them as they tried to put out a blaze, Iranian state television quoted the city's mayor as saying on Thursday (Jan 19).
Soldiers, sniffer dogs and rescue workers were searching the ruins of the Plasco building after it crashed down in a giant cloud of dust. The collapse was shown live on state television and one witness described it as "like a horror movie".
"At least 20 firefighters who were trapped under rubble have died," Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said. "They are martyrs. They lost their lives when trying to help people."
Video captures moment lightning strikes tree at Sim Lim Tower carpark
They say lightning never strikes twice, but it did in Singapore.
A rare video of lightning striking a tree at the Sim Lim Tower carpark was uploaded on Facebook by delivery driver Fahrol Razi on Wednesday.
The video has since been viewed more than 130,000 times.
Anyone know who this guy is? Comedian goes viral with Nick Cave tweet
A comedian from New Zealand has gone viral after posting a selfie with Nick Cave on Twitter and asking his followers to identify him.
Clueless 22-year-old James Malcolm posted two pictures of the iconic Bad Seeds musician after seeing other people approach him at what appeared to be an airport waiting area.
"Can someone please tell me who this celeb is? Everyone was asking him for pics and I didn't wanna feel left out," Malcolm wrote. James is a stand-up comedian and has been nominated for awards in New Zealand, so this may be his most successful joke yet.
