But such successes aren’t a pattern.

According to another tradition, men get a kiss if they allow women to cut off their ties or shoelaces. On this day, kisses are famously exchanged not just among partners, but strangers as well.In cities like Cologne, Düsseldorf, Bonn and Mainz, Karnevalisten — as the revelers are called in German — threw confetti, toasted with beer and swayed together on the streets. In addition to typical German brass band music, the sound of samba was in the air, too.

Bakeries sell vast quantities of jelly donuts during carnival — the so-called fifth season of the year — which lasts from Fat Thursday to Ash Wednesday ahead of Lent in the traditionally Roman Catholic Rhineland.Across the region, police increased their presence following a recent series ofState Interior Minister Herbert Reul said that 9,900 police officers were on duty in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia — 2,500 more than on a regular Thursday, German news agency dpa reported.

But despite the recent attacks that have scared many in Germany, Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker called on the revelers to celebrate without fear.“Nobody will succeed in intimidating us in Cologne,” she said. “We will not let terrorists or Islamists take away our joy of life.”

and critically wounded by a far-right extremist in Oct. 2015, while campaigning for the office of mayor. She was elected the following day while in an induced coma and took office about a month later.

NUUK, Greenland (AP) — About 90% of the 57,000“I feel incomparable pride and accomplishment to go to space for my country again,” Chen Dong told reporters on Wednesday. “Each journey to space is unparalleled, I’m looking forward to gaining more experience and more breakthroughs through this flight.”

Chen Dong led construction of the space station during the Shenzhou 14 mission.While in space, the astronauts will carry out experiments in space medicine, and space technology; perform extravehicular trips; and make improvements to the space station.

owing to U.S. national security concerns over the control of the country’s space program by the People’s Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party.China’s space program has grown rapidly in recent years. The space agency has