The Frame

LUCKNOW, India (AP) -- Residents in India's largest state began voting Wednesday in a monthlong local election with repercussions for the whole nation.
A large re-election victory for Mayawati, the chief minister who goes by one name, could project her regional, caste-based party onto the national stage. She was facing off against the Samajwadi Party, which she ousted from power five years ago.
A strong third-place showing for India's ruling Congress Party could make it a kingmaker in Uttar Pradesh and help it gain a new partner to stabilize its fragile national coalition.

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Indian voters stand in a queue to cast their votes outside a polling station, in Ayodhya, India, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. Residents in India's largest state began voting Wednesday in a monthlong local election with repercussions for the whole nation. The state of Uttar Pradesh is so large, with 200 million people, that voting is spread over seven phases and will last until March 3. Results will be declared March 6. AP / Manish Swarup

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DHARMSALA, India (AP) -- Chinese repression has lead to the self-immolations of nearly two dozen Tibetans and deadly clashes with Chinese authorities, the head of Tibet's government-in-exile said Wednesday.
"Tibetans inside Tibet are giving up their lives. They're saying, 'I choose to die,'" Lobsang Sangay, the leader of the self-declared exile government, said after an afternoon prayer vigil at the main temple in this Indian hill town.
China on Tuesday vowed to crack down on unrest in Tibetan areas and accused overseas activist groups and the Dalai Lama of fomenting the recent violence.
More than a dozen monks and nuns have set themselves on fire in ethnic Tibetan areas of Sichuan over the last year. Most have chanted for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
Early Wednesday, hundreds of Tibetan activists marched through the streets of New Delhi, calling for freedom for their homeland and decrying Chinese rule. The government-in-exile had called for vigils to be held Wednesday amid the immolations and clashes.
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Tibetan monks and supporters throw dust in the air in honor of the dead monks and protesters self-immolated or killed in clashes with Chinese security forces during a vigil in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. Lobsang Sangay, the head of Tibet's government-in-exile, called for worldwide vigils on Wednesday, following a series of self-immolations and bloody clashes between Tibetans and Chinese forces. AP / Wally Santana

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The traditional Lantern Festival was celebrated Monday, Feb. 6. It marks the 15th and final day of the Spring Festival celebrations, the annual celebration of the beginning of Chinese Lunar New Year.
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Under a shower of sparks from fireworks, people perform the dragon dance during a celebration of the Lantern Festival at a park in Chongqing, China in southwest China, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. ZUMA24.com Chen Cheng

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Hundreds of thousands of devout Hindus bathe at the confluence of the Ganges River in India during the astronomically auspicious period of over 45 days celebrated as 'Magh Mela.' The pilgrims take dips in the river, some hoping to wash away sins and others to secure a fine spouse, during the festival.
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Indian Hindu holy men perform a ritual by burning dried cow dung cakes in earthen pots overhead in their quest for salvation at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, during the Basant Panchmi festival that falls during the annual traditional fair of Magh Mela in Allahabad, India, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. AP / Rajesh Kumar Singh

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BBritain's annual Tough Guy event took place on Sunday in Perton, England. Tough Guy claims to be the world's most demanding one-day survival ordeal. First staged in 1986, it has been widely described as "the toughest race in the world," with up to one-third of the starters failing to finish in a typical year.
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A competitor crosses an obstacle at the annual Tough Guy event, Perton, England, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. AP / Jon Super

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India celebrated Republic Day on Thursday, January 26. Republic Day commemorates the date on which the Constitution of India came into force replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India on 26 January 1950. - Wikipedia
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Indian paratroopers march down Rajpath during the main Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. India is marking its 62nd Republic Day with military parades across the country. AP / Saurabh Das

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STOCKHOLM (AP) -- A storm from the broiling sun turned the chilly northernmost skies of Earth into an ever-changing and awe-provoking art show of northern lights on Tuesday.
Even experienced stargazers were stunned by the intensity of the aurora borealis that swept across the night sky in northern Scandinavia after the biggest solar flare in six years.
U.S. space weather experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday evening that so far they had heard of no problems from the storm that triggered the auroras, which made it as far south as Wales, where the weather often doesn't cooperate with good viewing.
It was part of the strongest solar storm in years, but the sun is likely to get even more active in the next few months and years, said physicist Doug Biesecker at the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.
"To me this was a wake up call. The sun is reminding us that solar max is approaching," Biesecker said. "A lot worse is in store for us. We hope that you guys are paying attention. I would say we passed with flying colors." (8 images)

You can view a NASA video of the storm at the Bee's photo blog, Exposures.

This image taken by NASA on Sunday night, Jan. 22, 2012, shows a solar flare erupting on the Sun's northeastern hemisphere. Space weather officials say the strongest solar storm in more than six years is already bombarding Earth with radiation with more to come. The Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado observed a flare Sunday night at 11 p.m. EST. Physicist Doug Biesecker said the biggest concern from the speedy eruption is the radiation, which arrived on Earth an hour later. It will likely continue through Wednesday. It's mostly an issue for astronauts' health and satellite disruptions. It can cause communication problems for airplanes that go over the poles. AP / NASA

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BEIJING (AP) -- Millions of ethnic Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese across Asia are ringing in the new Year of the Dragon with fireworks, feasting and family reunions.
From Beijing to Bangkok and Seoul to Singapore, people hoping for good luck in the new year that began Monday are visiting temples and lighting incense, setting off firecrackers and watching street performances of lion and dragon dances.
For many, the Lunar New Year is the biggest family reunion of the year for which people endured hours of cramped travel on trains and buses to get home.
In ancient times the dragon was a symbol reserved for the Chinese emperor, and it is considered to be an extremely auspicious sign.
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Performers take part in a dragon dance during a night parade in Hong Kong Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, celebrating the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year. According to the Chinese zodiac, the year 2012 is called the Year of the Dragon. AP / Vincent Yu

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Thousands of Orthodox Christians plunged into icy rivers and ponds on Thursday in Russia, Belarus and elsewhere to celebrate Epiphany, cleansing themselves with water deemed holy for the day.
Christians worldwide celebrate the feast of Epiphany as Jesus' revelation to the world as the son of God. While Western Christians mark it as the day the biblical Magi are said to have arrived to view the baby Jesus, Orthodox Christians commemorate Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River.
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Orthodox priest conducts a service at the ice hole of a lake on the eve of Russian Orthodox Epiphany in Minsk, Belarus, late Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. Orthodox Church believers celebrate Epiphany on Jan. 19. AP / Sergei Grits

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SEATTLE (AP) -- An ice storm followed heavy snow in western Washington, bringing down trees that killed one person and knocked out power for about 100,000 homes, and sending cars and trucks spinning out of control.
The tree fell on a person backing an all-terrain vehicle out of a shed Thursday morning near Issaquah, said King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West. The ATV rider died at the scene in the first fatality of the storm.
"Tree branches have been falling all over the place because of the weight of the ice," West said.
Gov. Chris Gregoire declared a state of emergency because of the freezing rain.
"This is purely a precautionary move," said spokeswoman Karina Shagren. "At this point, we have not received any requests from cities or counties for state help, but we know weather conditions are changing rapidly so we want to be prepared."
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A winter snow inspires Lincoln neighborhood residents to take an early morning walk Wednesday Jan. 18, 2012 in Vancouver, Wash. The Columbian / Troy Wayrynen

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