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Voice of America
Giugno 2012
(280 foto)


A member of Thailand's People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) scuffles with police near Parliament House in Bangkok. Thai politics has shifted its focus to the streets again after thousands of protesters have deterred lawmakers from deliberating a bill they claim could whitewash politicians' wrongdoing and bring back ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra. (AP)

Traders look at screens at the Madrid bourse. Yields on safe-haven government bonds hit fresh record lows on Friday after a weak U.S. jobs report added to growing fears of a worldwide economic slowdown that on top of Spain's difficult finances sent investors scurrying for safety. (Reuters)

Rights activists wear chains on their hands during a protest outside the home of President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi in Sanaa, Yemen. Protesters gathered to show solidarity with Yemeni journalist Abdulelah Haidar Shai, jailed over alleged links with al-Qaida. (Reuters)

Kenyan army soldiers march past the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi to attend the 49th Madaraka Day or independence from British rule celebrations (AP)

A Kosovo Serb talks to German KFOR soldiers blocking a bridge during clashes in the town of Zvecan, Kosovo. At least five Kosovo Serbs and a NATO soldier were wounded in a gunfight on Friday, as peacekeepers tried to dismantle Serb roadblocks blocking traffic, a witness said. (Reuters)

A shopkeeper greets U.S. Army Captain Kelvington in the town of Senjaray, Zahri district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan. Afghan and U.S. Army soldiers were invited to dinner with one of the local elders in Senjaray. (Reuters)

A Libyan youth holds his national flag with other protesters during a demonstration in support of unity and democratic transition at Martyrs' Square in Tripoli. (AFP)

Nick D'Arcy, of Australia, competes in a preliminary heat of the 100-meter butterfly at the Santa Clara International Grand Prix swim meet in Santa Clara, California. (AP)

Larry the Downing Street cat sits with bunting in the garden of Number 10 Downing Street in London. Four days of celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne will start on Saturday. (Reuters)

People observe a Mitshubishi Miev before the start of an electric car rally from Tallinn to Monte-Carlo in Tallinn, Estonia. The rally lasts for 10 days, during which electric cars will cross 10 countries and cover a distance of more than 3,300 km (2,050 miles). (Reuters)

A child plays inside a balloon float on water at Chaoyang park during International Children's Day in Beijing, China. (AP)

Young anti-Mubarak protesters chant outside of the Cairo courthouse where former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak awaiting a verdict in his trial, June 2, 2012. (VOA/Y. Weeks)

People attend a street party to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee at Primrose Hill in London, June 2, 2012. Queen Elizabeth gets four days of celebrations to mark her 60 years on the British throne. (Reuters)

Boys play games at a makeshift club in Islamabad's slums on June 1, 2012 in Pakistan. (AP)

A policeman reacts as a woman shouts inside a Bankia bank branch during an anti-eviction protest in Madrid, June 1, 2012. (Reuters)

David Lee Roth, bottom, and Alex Van Halen of the band Van Halen perform during the band's concert in Los Angeles, June 1, 2012. (AP)

The Russian aerobatic group Russkiye Vityazi (Russian Knights) fly their Sukhoi SU-27 jet fighters during a local airshow in Pushkin military airport outside St. Petersburg, Russia, June 2, 2012. (AP)

John Wes Townley (09) spins in front of Bryan Silas (99) and Jeff Agnew (70) during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series auto race at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware, June 1, 2012. (AP)

People hold placards during the Baltic Gay Pride parade on June 2, 2012 in Riga, Latvia. (AFP)

Members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Aviation Security Group use an improvised bomb to blast through the main door of a building during an anti-terrorism drill inside the police headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa at Taguig city, south of Manila, June 1, 2012. (Reuters)

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, right, arrive at Chelsea Pier in London, before boarding the royal barge to participate in the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant. More than 1,000 boats will sail down the River Thames in a flotilla tribute to Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne. (AP)

John McAlpine carries the Olympic torch to Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, Northern Ireland, during its tour of Britain prior to the London 2012 games. (AP)

People participate in the Ducasse - Doudou folkloric festival in Mons, Belgium. In 2005, UNESCO declared the Doudou festival a masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. (AFP)

Lebanese army soldiers on patrol in the northern port city of Tripoli, Lebanon. Clashes between pro and anti-Syria gunmen on June 2, 2012, left many people killed and injured. (AP)

Oman's goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi (L) jumps to block a header from Japan's Keisuke Honda (2nd R) during their 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match in Saitama, north of Tokyo. (Reuters)

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a Mass in Bresso, near Milan, Italy. (AP)

U.S. DJ Skrillex performs on stage during the music festival 'Rock am Ring' (Rock at the Ring) at the Nuerburgring, Germany. (AP)

MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo from Spain, left, helps to mix chemicals to make a foam explosion as he celebrates after winning the Spanish Motorcycling MotoGP Grand Prix at the Montmelo racetrack near of Barcelona, Spain. (AP)

People attend a candlelight vigil at Hong Kong's Victoria Park to mark the 23rd anniversary of the Chinese military crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Beijing. The background shows a picture taken from Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989. (AP)

Paramilitary police officers march in front of Duanmen Gate of the Forbidden City, north of Tiananmen Square, in Beijing. China's censors blocked internet access to the terms 'six four', '23', 'candle' and 'never forget' on Monday, broadening extensive efforts to silence talk about the 23rd anniversary of China's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. (Reuters)

Iraqi's search for survivors amid rubble following a car bomb attack in the central Bab al-Muadham area of Baghdad. A suicide bomber detonated explosives outside the main religious affairs office for Shiite Muslims, tearing down part of the three-story building and killing at least 23 people, wounding scores of others. (AP)

People stand on top of a house viewing the site of a deadly plane crash in Lagos, Nigeria. A passenger plane carrying more than 150 people crashed in Nigeria's largest city on Sunday, killing all on board and possibly more on the ground in a densely-populated neighborhood . (AP)

Buddhist monks pray during a ceremony on Vesak Day, an annual celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death, at the Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok, Thailand. This year marks the 2,600th anniversary of Buddha's enlightenment. (Reuters)

Protesters wave Egypt's flags during a demonstration against the verdict for deposed leader Hosni Mubarak at Tahrir Square in Cairo. On Sunday Egyptian pro-democracy campaigners called for a new uprising, saying justice was not served by the trial. (Reuters)

Triple Crown hopeful I'll Have Another, led by Benjamin Perez, pauses to look out a window following a morning workout at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. I'll Have Another will attempt to become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win racing's coveted Triple Crown when it runs in the 2012 Belmont Stakes June 9. (Reuters)

People are reflected on a commercial advertisement as they line up outside an unemployment registry office in Madrid, Spain. The Labor Ministry reported a drop of 30,313 people claiming benefits, to a total of 4.71 million unemployed people in May. (AP)

Angelika Wagner, from the U.S. state of Ohio, sits on the Mall while waiting for the start of a pop music concert at Buckingham Palace to help celebrate Britain's Queen Elizabeth II's 60-year reign during Diamond Jubilee celebrations in London. (AP)

Married Hindu women devotees are seen through sacred threads being tied around a banyan tree (a divine wishing tree) in a ceremony considered to bring good luck during the Hindu religious festival of Vata Savitri Purnima in Ahmedabad, India. (Reuters)

A girl reacts as a wave splashes over her on a seawall at a Manila bay. Typhoon Mawar, locally known as Ambo, continued to move away from the country, leaving at least 16 people hurt while five remain missing in the wake of floods and rain from the storm. (Reuters)

Revelers on the Mall in London watch Britain Queen Elizabeth II appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony as part of the four-day Diamond Jubilee celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne. (AP)

Ukrainian riot police officers clash with opposition activists during a protest rally in Kiev. Several thousand flag-waving activists staged a noisy protest outside the parliament building, protesting the bill that would keep Ukrainian as the only official language in the country, but Russian could be used in courts, hospitals and other institutions in Russian-speaking regions. (AP)

A man sits in front of a mural depicting people who died during Egypt's revolution at Tahrir Square in Cairo. Activists urged Egyptians to turn out for a big protest on Tuesday. (Reuters)

Members of the Afghan Security Group, a local militia force, watch over the Kunar River Valley from Observation Post Mustang in Afghanistan's Kunar Province. (Reuters)

Members of a Chinese honor guard prepare for the arrival of Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov, who will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing. (AP)

Kim Jung-young bows at the gravestone of her husband Ahn Myung-ho, who died during the 1950-1953 Korean War, at the National Cemetery in Seoul on the eve of South Korea's Memorial Day (AP)

A worker sorts used plastic bottles at a recycling center in Mumbai, India. World Environment Day is celebrated June 5 every year by the United Nations to stimulate global awareness on environmental issues. (AP)

Children use cardboard eclipse glasses as they prepare to watch the transit of Venus in Allahabad, India. Stargazers around the world are setting up special telescopes and passing out cardboard glasses to view the once-in-a-lifetime celestial cameo of Venus passing in front of the sun. (AP)

A cleaner wears a face mask as she works at Beijing's Tiananmen Gate. A senior Chinese official demanded on Tuesday that foreign embassies stop issuing air pollution readings, saying it was against the law and diplomatic conventions, in pointed criticism of a closely watched U.S. embassy index. The level of air pollution in China's capital varies, but a cocktail of smokestack emissions, vehicle exhaust, dust and aerosols often blankets the city in a pungent, beige shroud for days on end. (Reuters)

Women drink cups of Kirin's frozen beer at a beer garden in Tokyo. While Japan struggles to generate enough electricity to keep air conditioners humming through its steamy summer, brewer Kirin is offering relief - a pint of ice cold draft beer topped with frozen froth. (Reuters)

Canadian sea otters swim at the zoo in Amnville, eastern France. (AFP)

The planet Venus makes its transit across the Sun as seen from Kathmandu, Nepal. The planet Venus made a slow transit across the face of the sun on Tuesday, the last such passing that will be visible from Earth for 105 years. (Reuters)

South Sudanese families wait for their flight at Khartoum airport. An airlift of around 12,000 South Sudanese concluded Wednesday, but hundreds of thousands of ethnic southerners are still believed to be living in Sudan in legal limbo. The International Organization for Migration arranged dozens of flights for southerners who had been ordered to leave the way station of Kosti, where they were stranded on their way to South Sudan. (Reuters)

Workers set a huge placard representing the Euro 2012 trophy on a building in Kyiv, Ukraine, ahead of the football championships. (AP)

An Egyptian woman holds a picture of Khaled Said during a silent protest marking the second anniversary of his death at the hands of Egyptian police in Cairo, Egypt. Khaled Said's death in Alexandria in June, 2010 captured the attention of millions in Egypt and helped spark the 18-day uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak. (AP)

French President Francois Hollande, right, shakes hands with WWII veterans of Kieffer's Commando during a ceremony commemorating the 68th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of France, in the British war cemetery of Ranville, western France. (AP)

Jewish settlers wave Israeli flags during a protest against the proposed decision to evacuate a West Bank outpost in the Ulpana neighborhood, in the West Bank settlement of Beit El near Ramallah, outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem. (AP)

Jockey Mario Gutierrez for Triple Crown hopeful I'll Have Another stands under a tree after morning workouts at Belmont Park, New York. I'll Have Another drew barrier 11 for Saturday's $1 million Belmont Stakes at the post position draw. The three-year-old, bidding to become the first horse in 34 years to win the Triple Crown, drew the second widest post-position in the 12-horse field. (Reuters)

Protesters wear anti-nuclear headbands at a rally against a possible restart of nuclear reactors in Tokyo. Nuclear power supplied nearly 30 percent of Japan's electricity needs before last year's earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima plant. All of the country's 50 reactors have since been taken offline for checks. (Reuters)

Citta, the elephant from the Krakow Zoo predicts the result of the opening game of the Euro 2012 soccer championships between Poland and Greece. The elephant picked the melon pointing to Poland as the winner of the game on June 8. (AP)

A Thai fisherman catches freshwater white tilapia at a fish farm in Samut Prakarn province. The price per kilo of white tilapia fish has decreased to almost half the price it was before historic floods hit Thailand last year. (Reuters)

The space shuttle Enterprise passes New York's lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center (under construction) as it makes the final leg of its journey by barge to its new home on the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. The U.S. space agency, NASA, ended its shuttle program last year. (AP)

A man performs as the 'newspaper man' living statue near the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid. Since the beginning of Spain's economic crisis, the number of living statues has increased. (AFP)

A protester from the activist organization Avaaz wearing a mask of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad holds up hands covered in red paint during a demonstration outside the U.N. headquarters in New York. (Reuters)

Chelsea Pensioners, all British veteran soldiers, stand to attention for inspection as others drive mobility scooters past Sophie, Countess of Wessex, standing at the base of a statue of King Charles II during the annual Founder's Day Parade at the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London. (AFP)

A nun holds her head during the Corpus Christi celebration in Krakow, Poland. (AP)

A Russian honor guard soldier keeps watch during the funeral ceremony of Russian singer Eduard Khil in St. Petersburg. (AP)

A woman walks in front of the installation, Return the world (2012), of Argentine artist Adrian Villar Rojas at the dOCUMENTA art exhibition in Kassel, Germany. (AP)

Maria Sharapova of Russia serves to Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic during their women's semi-final match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris. (Reuters)

A Polish soccer supporter carries a young boy on his shoulders outside the soccer stadium in Warsaw one day ahead of the Euro 2012 opening match between Poland and Greece. (Reuters)

A pig called Funtik is seen in its cage in the Euro 2012 fanzone in Kiev, Eukraine. Funtik, a psychic pig, is set to take over where Paul the Octopus left off at the 2010 World Cup by predicting the results of matches during the Euro 2012 football championships. (AFP)

Two rescued pangolins sit in a basket during a news conference in Bangkok, Thailand. (AP)

A protester writes a message using sand and bottle caps that reads in Arabic 'The revolution continues, free Egypt, down with military rule' after Friday prayers in Cairo's Tahrir Square. (Reuters)

A Pakistani man reacts after learning of the death of his brother at the site of a bus explosion on the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan. A bomb tore through a bus carrying government employees and other civilians, killing several people. (AP)

Supporters of Nepal's opposition parties shout slogans as they participate in a protest rally in Katmandu. Opposition parties gathered thousands of protesters in Nepal's capital to demand Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai resign. (AP)

A man looks at a 12th century Romanesque cloister on private property in Palamos, Spain. Catalonia archaeologists are now studying it, compared to the Santo Domingo de Silos cloister, considered the most important example of Spanish Romanesque architecture. (Reuters)

An Israeli security officer holds tear gas canisters during clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian protesters at a demonstration against the nearby Jewish settlement of Kdumim, in the West Bank village of Kfar Kadum, near Nablus. (Reuters)

Riders await the start of the fifth stage of the 64th Dauphine cycling race, at Saint-Trivier-sur-Moignans-Rumilly, central France. (AP)

An anti-government protester holds a placard during a demonstration in the village of Sitra, south of Manama, Bahrain. Dozens of people marched on the streets asking for the release of jailed protesters. Nabeel Rajab is a prominent rights activist who was arrested for publishing a series of tweets after the verdict for former Egyptian President Mubarak asking PM Khalifa bin Salman to step down. (Reuters)

A child inspects cow sculptures on display in Shanghai, China. (AP)

Fans, wearing the colors of their teams on their faces, cheer as they wait for the opening match of the Euro 2012 football (soccer) championship Group A match between Poland and Greece in Warsaw, Poland. (AP)

A horse and its rider are seen in silhouette during early morning workouts at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. (Reuters)

This picture shows the Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft, Long March-2F rocket, and escape tower that will be transferred to the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu province, June 9, 2012. China will launch its Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft sometime in mid-June to perform the country's first manned space docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab according to the Xinhua News Agency.

This image made available by LOCOG shows Blair Marquis holding the Olympic Torch on Loch Ness, Scotland during Day 22 of the Torch Relay. (AP)

Buddhist women hold sharpened bamboo sticks as they guard their homes after fighting between Muslim and Buddhist communities in Sittwe, Burma. Burma sent troops and naval vessels to the western state of Rakhine on Saturday after seven people died in the worst fighting in years between minority Muslim Rohingya and Buddhists.

Balinese girls harvest onions on they field in Kintamaini valley in Bali, Indonesia, June 9, 2012. (AP)

An Indian child looks for coins that Hindu devotees throw into the water of the Yamuna River in New Delhi, India. (AP)

Eliza McCalmont pets Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another during a news conference at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY, June 8, 2012. (AP)

Bill Baehr, left, and Dea Stratton, right, participate as presenters along with the 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Reactivated, during The Civil War Medical Encampment at the Illinois historic Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, June 8, 2012. (AP)

Cast members Tom Cruise (R), Russell Brand (C) and Paul Giamatti pose at the premiere of Rock of Ages at the Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California June 8, 2012. (Reuters)

Demonstrators holding posters of relatives missing or killed during the dictatorship of late Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet (1973-90) are repressed by riot police in front of the Caupolican Theater in Santiago. (AFP)

Croatia fans unfold a giant Croatian flag ahead of the Euro 2012 soccer championship group C match between Croatia and Ireland, in Poznan, Poland. (AP)

Protesters wearing white clothes march in a downtown street to mourn Chinese labor activist Li Wangyang's death in Hong Kong. Li, imprisoned for two decades, died in a hospital one year after being released from jail. (AP)

A Polish child tries to sleep as Pope Benedict XVI leads the Angelus prayer from the window of his private apartment at the Vatican. (Reuters)

Fiberglass sculptures of divers adorn the Waterfall, a 24 metre (26 yard)-tall water feature, at the Dubai Mall, a shopping complex in Dubai, UAE, June 9, 2012. (Reuters)

Children pay their respect at the Lidice Memorial during a remembrance ceremony honoring the 70th anniversary of the destruction of Lidice village by Germans forces, in Lidice, Czech Republic. (Reuters)

A woman leaves her house through a decorated doorway during Corpus Christi day in Zahara de la Sierra, southern Spain. The village of Zahara de la Sierra celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi (or Body of Christ in Latin) by covering the streets and facades of houses with the branches of trees and grass. (Reuters)

People surf near a ship that ran aground in 2009 at Bloubergstrand near the city of Cape Town, South Africa. (AP)

Teenagers fight with pillows during their flash mob at Marsovo Pole square in central St. Petersburg, Russia. (AFP)

Participants from Lombok province perform in a parade during the 34th Bali Art Festival in Denpasar on Indonesia's resort island of Bali. (AFP)

A Shih-Tzu dog with a German cap waits prior the competition at the International Dog and Cat Exhibition in Erfurt, central Germany. 4,000 dogs representing 250 breeds from 16 countries are taking part in the exhibition. (AP)

Spain's Rafael Nadal holds the cup after defeating Serbia's Novak Djokovic in their men's final match in the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP)

Rohingya Muslims fleeing sectarian violence cry as they try to cross the Naf river into Bangladesh in Teknaf. Bangladesh border guards and coastguard patrol teams pushed back eight boats carrying more than 300 Rohingya Muslims, mostly women and children, fleeing religious violence in Burma, a border guard said. (AFP)

Residents gather near a damaged passenger bus which was hit by a bomb attack in Mastung, on the outskirts of Quetta, Pakistan. (Reuters)

An ethnic Miao minority man balances himself on the blades of knives as he performs 'Shang Dao Shan' (climbing up a mountain of knives) during an acrobatics show in Guiyang, Guizhou province, June 10, 2012. (Reuters)

A coal miner throws rocks on a barricade during a protest against government spending cuts in the mining sector in Cinera, northern Spanish province of Leon. (Reuters)

Kirsty Wade hold the Olympic Flame as a lone piper plays at the Calanais Standing Stones in Callanish on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. (AP Photo/LOCOG)

Smoke and flames encroach upon homes on the eastern front of the High Park fire near Laporte, Colorado, USA, June 10, 2012. A wind-driven wildfire burning in the rugged Colorado canyon spread out of control, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate, officials said. (Reuters)

France's Alou Diarra (2R) goes for a header against England's Steven Gerrard during the Euro 2012 Group D soccer match at Donbass Arena in Donetsk, Ukraine. (Reuters)

Naginah Sadiq, 5, a Pakistani girl who works in a brick factory, rests on a bed next to her sister Shahzadi, 8 months, sleeping in a hammock attached to the bed on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, on World Day Against Child Labor. Naginah earns 250 Rupees ($2.77) per day according to her father. (AP)

Opposition activists carry a model of a prison cell with the cut-out figure of President Vladimir Putin during rally against his third term in Russia's second city of Saint Petersburg. (AFP)

Honor guards pay tribute to war veterans at the Heroes Pantheon as a dog walks past them in Asuncion. Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo commemorated the 77th anniversary of the signing of the peace treaty that ended the Chaco War between Paraguay and Bolivia from 1932 to 1935. (Reuters)

A car is caught in a flood caused by torrential rainfall in Taipei, Taiwan. (Reuters)

Two Haflinger studs stand in a Haflinger farm in Meura, Germany. The farm has more than 350 of this precious blood Haflinger studs. (AP)

Army soldiers man a checkpoint on a road leading to the southern Yemeni city of Zinjibar after the army retook the city from al-Qaeda-linked militants. (Reuters)

Crown Prince Philippe (R) of Belgium and Japanese Emperor Akihito (2nd L) look on as Belgian Crown Princess Mathilde (L) is greeted by Japanese Empress Michiko upon the Belgian royal couple's arrival for a dinner at the Imperial Residence on the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan. (REUTERS/Imperial Household Agency of Japan)

An Indonesian scavenger collects valuable waste from the river for resale in Jakarta, Indonesia. (AFP)

French actor Francis Huster jokes during a photocall at the 52nd Monte Carlo Television Festival in Monaco, June 11, 2012. (Reuters)

Nine-time world champion Orlando Duque of Colombia dives 23 meters from a helicopter next to Ashford Castle during a training session in build up to the 2012 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Cong, West of Ireland, Ireland. The series begins in Corsica, France on June 24. (AFP/Red Bull)

An Indian firefighter extinguishes smouldering stacks of paper at the Khanna Paper Mill in the outskirts of Amritsar. The fire, which broke out June 12 in one of the largest paper mills in the country, incurred losses estimated at 1.5 billion rupees (USD 27 million). (AFP)

Mexican faithful dressed in traditional costumes attend Pope Benedict XVI's weekly general audience in Paul VI's Hall at the Vatican. (Reuters)

Members of the European Parliament take part in a voting session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. (Reuters)

Residents gather at the site of a bomb attack in Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters)

People gather around a humpback whale that beached itself in White Rock, British Columbia, June 12, 2012. The whale, with signs of injuries on its body, was alive when fisheries officials arrived but died soon after. (Reuters)

Afghan soldiers dressed in traditional clothes dance during an army graduation ceremony at the Kabul Military Training Center in Kabul. (Reuters)

Czech Republic Vaclav Pilar signs autographs after a training session in Wroclaw during Euro 2012 football championships. (AFP)

A child wearing a Spider-Man costume waits for arrival of cast members at the world premiere of 'The Amazing Spider-Man' in Tokyo, Japan. (Reuters)

The Duchess of Cambridge meets members of the public during a visit to Nottingham, England, as part of the Diamond Jubilee tour of Britain. (AP)

A close-up view of of a dress sculpture knitted from shredded comic books and magazines by Hong Kong Chinese artist Movana Chen displayed during a media preview of Espace Louis Vuitton Singapore's new art exhibition 'The Art of Dress' in Singapore. (AFP)

People look at a solar powered electric vehicle during the 'Intersolar' Europe trade fair in Munich, Germany. The solar car can reach speeds of around 120 km per hour (74 mph), weights 320 kg (705 lbs) and was developed by students of the Bochum university. (Reuters)

A worker stands on a crane at a construction site at Keihin industrial zone in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, Japan. (Reuters)

Firemen climb over damaged Parmesan cheese inside a collapsed storage in Rolo, near Modena. A special firemen force called 'The Angels of Parmesan' has been called in to rescue thousands of cheese damaged in recent earthquakes in northern Italy. (Reuters)

Anti-Shafiq protesters react angrily after the Egyptian court ruled that Ahmed Shafiq can run in this weekend's presidential elections. (Yuli Weeks/VOA)

France's President Francois Hollande pays his respects during a solemn funeral ceremony at Invalides in Paris, for four French soldiers killed in Afghanistan. (AP)

Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi receives a gift from Swiss apprentices on the train between Geneva and Bern on her first trip to Europe since 1988 to formally accept the Nobel Peace Prize. (AP)

South Korean army soldiers pay a silent tribute after excavating the remains of 11 South Korean soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War from a ridge of Mount Seorak in Sokcho. (AP)

An army tank drives on a road near the southern Yemeni city of Zinjibar. (Reuters)

A child plays in between two cartoon military statues on display outside a shopping mall in Beijing, China. (AP)

Irish fans drink beer while sitting on a bench with a Polish woman ahead of the Euro 2012 soccer championship Group C match between Ireland and Spain in Gdansk, Poland. (AP)

Match referee Bjorn Kuipers (R) of Nederlands sends Ukraine's and France's players to the dressing rooms after suspending the Group D Euro 2012 soccer match due to heavy rain at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk, Ukraine. (Reuters)

An Egyptian protester chants slogans during a demonstration against Supreme Constitutional Court rulings that set the stage for the military and remnants of the old regime to stay in power, Alexandria.

Bahraini riot police arrive to the scene of an anti-government protest after Friday prayers in the Manama coastal suburb of Karbabad. (AFP)

Wu ping, spokesperson for China's manned flight program, appears in a video camera monitor at a press conference at the Jiuquan satellite launch center in western China's Gansu province. (AP)

A man from the Pataxo tribe attends an assembly at the Kari- Oca village where indigenous groups are staying during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP)

Shiite pilgrims mourn at the shrine of Imam Mussa al-Kadhim to mark the anniversary of the death of the saint, in the Shiite district of Kadhimiya in Baghdad, Iraq. (AFP)

Singer Justin Bieber (L) performs on NBC's Today show in New York. (Reuters)

Polar bear Vicks plays with a plastic bowl in its enclosure at the Blijdorp Zoo, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. (AFP)

Four-year-old South Sudanese girl Nyot Koang Gai looks out from a bus window as a woman writes 'I Love You' on it, before its departure to Ben Gurion airport from Tel Aviv's central bus station. Israel launched a high-profile deportation drive against African migrants with an airlift of South Sudanese. (Reuters)

An Egyptian woman fills in her ballot at a polling station in Cairo. Egyptians were voting in the second and last day of a highly divisive run-off presidential election between Islamist Mohamed Morsi and the former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq. (AFP)

Protesters face police at an underground station during a demonstration in Brussels, Belgium. Police arrested more than a dozen demonstrators after they disrupted a peaceful demonstration on fundamentalism and extremism. (AP)

Ethnic Kyrgyz shepherds herd goats in the Tianshan mountains, Wensu county, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China, June 16, 2012. (Reuters)

People vote inside booths during the elections in Thessaloniki, Greece. Greeks voted for the second time in six weeks in their country's most critical election in 40 years. (AP)

Workers sit in gondolas as they perform tests on the new cable car link across the River Thames in London. (Reuters)

A protester holds fake money next to a wall of sandbags built during a protest against financial speculations in front of Frankfurt's stock exchange, Germany. (Reuters)

A girl looks in at the hole of an art at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan. (AP)

Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro N1 driven by German Andre Lotterer crossing the finish line first, Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro N2 driven by Danish Tom Kristensen crossing second, are congratulated by their teammates, after 378 laps of the 80th edition of Le Mans 24 hours endurance race in Le Mans, western France. (AFP)

Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate Mohamed Morsi celebrate at Tahrir square in Cairo. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said its candidate won the country's first free presidential election. (Reuters)

Papuan tribal warriors armed with bows and arrows and improvised shields move into position as tribal clash erupted between two tribes in Kwamki Lama village in Mimika district located in Indonesia's restive Papua province. (AFP)

Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi with singer Bono (L) of the band U2 while she speaks to officials, as she arrives at Dublin airport in Ireland. (Reuters)

Supporters from the opposition Nepali Congress party shout slogans during a protest in Katmandu. Hundreds of supporters demanding Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai's resignation gathered outside the Tribhuwan International Airport in Katmandu and attempted to block his motorcade. (AP)

Kashmiri Muslim women raise their arms after seeing a relic of Prophet Mohammad during Meeraj-un-Nabi celebrations at Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, India. (Reuters)

Farmers herd a flock of ducks along a street towards a pond as residents drive next to them in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, China, June 17, 2012.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip walk in the grounds of Windsor Castle to attend the annual Order of the Garter Service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, Windsor, England. The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry existing in England. (AP)

Art work made with wrought iron and jasmine plants, 'Pavillon ', by Portuguese contemporary art painter Joana Vasconcelos, outside the Palace of Versailles, France. The exhibition 'Joana Vasconcelos Versailles', will be running from June 19 to September 30, 2012. Vasconcelos will be the first woman and the youngest artist to show her work in the setting of Versailles. (AFP)

A man transports fodder on his bullock cart on the outskirts of Faisalabad, Pakistan. (Reuters)

Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate Mohamed Morsi celebrate and shout slogans against the military council, at Tahrir square in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters)

Michael Tikili of New York places a Robin Hood-style hat and mask on a statue of Benito Juarez in Bryant Park, in support of the Robin Hood tax, in New York. The proposed plan would tax stocks, bonds, derivatives and currencies, in an effort to generate more income for the federal budget. (Reuters)

A man arranges bread on a life-sized model of a tank at Morro Santa Marta, the first 'pacified' favela, ahead of the Rio+20 conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The installation by the World Future Council organization symbolizes the use of military expenses to fund social needs and calls for the governments taking part in the Rio+20 conference to work towards disarmament for sustainable development. (Reuters)

A robot is seen as Buddhist monks walk for a mass alms-offering ceremony at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang in Bangkok, Thailand. The ceremony was held to mark the 2,600th anniversary of the enlightenment of Lord Buddha. (Reuters)

Public and private residential blocks on a hillside in Hong Kong (Reuters)

A shipyard worker chains himself in front of the government building in Seville in a protest against the economic crisis in Spain. (AFP)

Smoke billows from the High Park Fire west of Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, June 18, 2012. The wildfire has burned about 90 square miles and destroyed more than 180 homes. (AP)

Workers sort palm fruits at a palm oil processing plant in Lebak, Indonesia. (AP)

Flamingos fly over other flamingos in the waters of a reserve at a flamingo valley near the town of Manaure, Guajira province, Colombia. (Reuters)

A Lebanese soldier stands under a national flag as smoke billows from burning tires at the entrance of the Palestinian Ain al-Helweh refugee camp, on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, during the funeral of a Palestinian, killed in clashes with the army the previous day. (AFP)

An art installation of 857 empty school desks stands at the National Mall, near the Washington Monument, in Washington. Each of the desks represents an American student who drops out every hour of every school day, according to the College Board which set up the installation. (Reuters)

An Afghan refugee girl sits on a jerrycan while other refugees collect water in a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, on World Refugee Day. (AP)

Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and the Dean of Westminster John Hall attend a service entitled 'A Moment of Prayer and Reflection' at Westminster Abbey in central London. (Reuters)

Taxis parked at the compound of a taxi company, after drivers halted their operations to attend a nationwide strike in Seoul, South Korea. Private and public taxi drivers, as well as the management of taxi companies, launched a 24-hour nation-wide strike to demand the government to hike taxi fares and lower the price of gas. (Reuters)

People put together a jigsaw puzzle of a self portrait of Albrecht Duerer in front of the state historical museum in Manezh Square outside the Kremlin in Moscow. The 300-square-meter puzzle will be set up on the occasion of the 'German Year' in Russia. (AP)

Two local residents pick up driftwood as waves crash against the coast in Chung-yun fishing harbour at Linyuan district, in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. (AFP)

Former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky arrives at the Center County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, USA. Sandusky is charged with 51 counts of child sexual abuse involving 10 boys over a period of 15 years. (AP)

A salvage platform floats in front of the wreckage of capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia near the harbor of Giglio Porto, Italy. (Reuters)

A toddy tapper walks on a rope as he crosses between coconut palm trees in order to collect sap to make palm wine, or toddy as it is locally known, in Wadduwa. (AFP)

A man runs on Botafogo beach near a huge sculpture made from plastic bottles, back-dropped by a silhouette of Sugarloaf mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP)

Participants take part in a mass yoga class to mark the summer solstice on Times Square in New York. (AFP)

People gather during the summer solstice at Stonehenge, near Salisbury. Rain-sodden crowds welcome a spectacularly rainy summer solstice at Stonehenge in true British fashion. (AP)

Drummers from South Korea perform during a commemoration ceremony in the south Lebanese town of Tayr Dibba, held in honor of all those who fought in the Korean war (1950-1953). (AFP)

Indian employees are evacuated as smoke billows after the Maharashtra state government building caught fire in Mumbai. More than two dozen fire engines battled a major fire that raged for more than three hours in the country's financial and entertainment capital. (AP)

Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (C) smiles as she leaves after addressing both Houses of Parliament, in Westminster Hall, in the Houses of Parliament, central London. (Reuters)

Long-tailed mayflies fly over the surface of the Tisza river near Tiszainoka, 135km (84 miles) southeast of Budapest, Hungary, June 20, 2012. Millions of these short-lived mayflies engage in a frantic rush to mate and reproduce before they perish in just a few hours during 'Tiszaviragzas' or Tisza blooming season from late spring to early summer every year. (Reuters)

Indonesian military personnel investigate the site where an air force plane crashed, in Jakarta. The Fokker F-27 turboprop plane crashed into homes during a routine training flight in the capital, killing at least six people. (AP)

A boy opens his mouth wide while running through a wall of water at Yards Park in Washington, D.C. Heat index values are expected to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit across the northeast, according to the National Weather Service. (AP)

A group of people look at the horizon standing on the rocky crest filled with astronomical markers at the megalithic observatory Kokino in Macedonia, soon after sunrise on the day of the Summer solstice. (AFP)

A man shouts for water as a shanty town is engulfed in flames in New Delhi, India. A fire swept through a slum in the Indian capital, destroying hundreds of shanties where residents had collected scrap plastic and rubber for resale. (AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside Moscow's Kremlin Wall, to mark the 71th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. (AP)

Demonstrators wearing masks depicting French President Francois Hollande (L-R), German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti (R) simulate playing a soccer match to protest against the eurozone debt crisis, in front of the Chigi palace in Rome, Italy. (Reuters)

Afghan children pose for a photograph beneath graffiti of a pistol, with writing underneath that reads, 'freedom,' in Kabul. (AP)

Kashmiri Muslims pray as the head priest, unseen, displays a relic of Islam's Prophet Muhammad at the Hazratbal shrine following Mehraj-u-Alam, believed to mark the ascension of Prophet Mohammed to heaven, in Srinagar, India. (AP)

A racegoers' hat flies off in strong winds on the fourth day of racing at Royal Ascot, southwest of London. (Reuters)

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officials carry recovered elephant tusks and illegal firearms from poachers at their headquarters in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. Since January to May this year, KWS has lost 133 elephants and 11 rhinos to poaching. (Reuters)

A visitor takes a photo at the Leeum Gallery in Seoul, South Korea. (Reuters)

A child adjusts his rice dumpling-shaped hat while performing during the opening of the Duanwu Festival in Beijing, China. Rice dumplings are traditionally eaten during the festival, also known as the Dragon Boat festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar. (AP)

A child cools off in a fountain on a hot summer day in downtown Donetsk, Ukraine. (Reuters)

Jessica Ennis clears the bar on her way to winning the High Jump competition at the British Olympic athletics trials at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, England. (Reuters)

Tribal children play with a bicycle tire near a brick factory on the outskirts of the eastern Indian city of Bhubaneswar, India. (AP)

A member of the Hamas security forces inspects the damage to a Hamas security building following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City. (AP)

A reveler reacts during a glow paint party in the early hours in Madrid, Spain. (AP)

The World's Ugliest Dog contestants, Boolah and Isaboo (L to R), wander around the stage after the 2012 World's Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California, June 22, 2012. (AFP)

A child runs through a city fountain on a warm morning in Donetsk, Ukraine. (AP)

Hindu holy men queue up to register for the annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine, in Jammu, India. (AP)

A man dressed up as the Statue of Liberty participates in the Christopher Street Day parade in Berlin. (AP)

Malang Jan, 65, combs his beard after a bath on the outskirts of Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP)

Burmese bodybuilders compete during a ceremony to mark ' Olympic Day 2012 ' organized by Myanmar Bodybuilding Federation at Myanmar Convention Center (MCC) in Rangoon, Burma. (AP)

Rowing enthusiasts participate in a dragon boat race near Hong Kong's Aberdeen Island as part of celebrations marking the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, held throughout Hong Kong.

Colombian tango dancers Alejandra Sanchez (R) and Alex Moncada perform during the second World Tango Championships semifinals as part of the International Tango Festival in Medelln, Colombia, June 22, 2012. (AFP)

Devotees covered with mud and dried banana leaves pray in front of a cross during a religious ceremony that celebrates the feast day of their patron Saint John the Baptist, in the village of Bibiclat, Nueva Ecija, north of Manila, Philippines. (Reuters)

Supporters of Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate Mohamed Morsi celebrate his victory at Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters)

An E-2C Hawkeye lands onto the deck of U.S. aircraft carrier USS George Washington during joint military drills between the U.S. and South Korea in the West Sea, southwest of Seoul. (AP)

Israeli police detain an activist during a social protest in Tel Aviv. Israeli police say 85 protesters were arrested after clashing with officers and vandalizing banks in Tel Aviv. (AP)

A reveler carries a woman on his back while he walks on burning embers during the night of San Juan in San Pedro Manrique, Spain. (AP)

Workers show off the baby pandas at the Giant Panda Research Base in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province to attract visitors for the Duanwu festival or better known as the Dragon Boat festival. (AFP)

Moroccan horsemen perform on the occasion of the Gnaoua World Music Festival in Essaouira, June 23, 2012. (AFP)

A member of the Samaritan sect holds up a Torah scroll during their traditional pilgrimage marking the holiday of Shavuot, atop Mount Gerizim, near the West Bank city of Nablus. (Reuters)

The evening sky glows orange as smoke and flames from the Waldo Canyon Fire near Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, June 23, 2012. Wildfire has consumed 2500 acres west of Garden of the Gods. (AP)

A baby lies on a giant waterlily leaf during a photo shoot for babies aged under 1 at the National Botanic Garden of Meise, near Brussels, Belgium. (Reuters)

A man watches an old-fashioned tall ship and laser show on the Neva River in St. Petersburg during the 'Scarlet Sails,' a romantic holiday to honor graduated students of high schools. (AFP)

Signatures of officials and construction workers are written on the final steel beam to be installed on 4 World Trade Center during a ceremony to mark its installation in New York. (Reuters)

Kashmiri residents watch as firefighters try to extinguish a fire at the nearly 200-years-old Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani shrine, popularly known as Ghaus-e-Azam, or Dastgeer Sahab, in downtown Srinagar, India. (AP)

Portugal's Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho attends the debate on the no confidence motion at the parliament in Lisbon, as Minister of Foreign Affairs Paulo Portas talks with Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar. (Reuters)

Workers clean the windows of China World Trade Centre Tower III in Beijing's central business district. (Reuters)

Russia's Elena Vesnina (3rd L) smiles as she watches a BBC TV cameraman take a tumble onto No 2 Court after her match with U.S. player Venus WIlliams on the first day of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament at the All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London. (AFP)

Members of the media take pictures and videos of the home of of Chief Executive-elect Leung Chun-ying in Hong Kong. Leung apologized for letting down the people of Hong Kong, following the controversy over illegal structures at his home. (AP)

A Pakistani carpenter works on a fishing boat at the harbor of Karachi. (AP)

A woman cries for her four children lost in a landslide in Bududa, about 250kms east of Ugandas capital, Kampala. Massive landslides induced by torrential rains destroyed three villages in the mountainous district of eastern Uganda Monday, killing scores of people. (AP)

Young monks gather and pray at Tergar Monastary to celebrate the 28th birthday of Ogyen Trinley Dorje the 17th Karmapa, at Bodhgaya, India. Karmapa, 27, is the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four sects of Tibetan Buddhism, and a possible successor to the Dalai Lama. (AFP)

Deputies arrive to elect the president of Frances National Assembly during the opening session in Paris. Lawmakers returned to the Assembly for the first time since the elections with a packed agenda to implement President Francois Hollandes social and economic reforms. (AP)

Police officers stand in front of wall painted with a message that reads in Spanish: Franco, Coupist, referring to Paraguays newly named President Federico Franco, in Asuncion, Paraguay. (AP)

Belgian adventurer and extreme sports athlete Marc Sluszny in action during the 100m vertical run, a world record attempt at the Belgacom tower in Brussels. (AFP)

Schoolchildren wave flags as they await the arrival of Britains Queen Elizabeth to a Service of Thanksgiving at Saint Macartins Cathedral in Ennniskillen, Northern Ireland. (Reuters)

Artist assistants stick coffee beans on a painting, after more than 10 days of work on the creation at the Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure in Moscow. The artwork, that occupies an area of about 30 square meters, has been considered the biggest picture in history made of coffee beans. (Reuters)

Michael Phelps, left, and Conor Dwyer swim in the mens 200-meter freestyle preliminaries at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Nebraska. (AP)

Three Siberian tigers born at Circus Renaissance, which is now located in Leiden, Netherlands. The tigers where born on June 24, 2012 and in good health. The circus now has a total of 12 Siberian tigers. (AFP)

Dozens of homes and much of the downtown area of Live Oak, Florida, are flooded by torrential rains from Tropical Storm Debby. (AP)

Hindu priests offer prayers for monsoon rains in the Osman Sagar Lake on the outskirts of Hyderabad, India. (AP)

Police officers block the street as Boeung Kak lake residents protest in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Lake residents gathered to ask for the release of 13 protesters, who were given prison sentences between 1 and 2.5 years for rebuilding homes and clashing with the police after forced evictions in 2010, during an Appeal Court hearing. (Reuters)

Britains Queen Elizabeth II shakes hands with Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister and former IRA commander Martin McGuinness at the Lyric Theater in Belfast. (AP)

Children play in front of a Catholic church destroyed during the war in Mogadishu, Somalia. (Reuters)

Spanish riot police restrain a member of the Stop Deshaucios (Stop Evictions) social movement during a protest to prevent an eviction in Oviedo, northern Spain. (Reuters)

Archaeologists work at a site to find mammoth bones at an open-pit coal mine in Kostolac, some 100 km (62 miles) southeast of Belgrade, Serbia. Archaeologists say they have discovered a rare mammoth field containing the remains of at least five of the giant beasts that lived here tens of thousands of years ago. (Reuters)

People walk near giant bottles in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on the eve of the inauguration of The Bordeaux Wine Fair. (AFP)

A woman walks past statues in a popular shopping district in Beijing, China. (AFP)

(Front to rear) Switzerlands quadruple scull team Andre Vonarburg, Augustin Maillefer, Nico Stahlberg and Florian Stofer train on the Sarnersee at the Swiss rowing center in Sarnen. (Reuters)

Protesters hold masks of EU leaders as they demonstrate outside an EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium. The group protested to encourage EU leaders not to lose their priorities for development cooperation. (AP)

The Dow Jones tickertape in New Yorks Times Sqaure with news that U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Healthcare Act, President Barack Obamas signature healthcare legislation. Below the ticker is a ad with actor Jeff Daniels from the new upcoming series on HBO, The Newsroom. (AFP)

A Sri Lankan municipal worker walks dow stairs after fumigating a public housing scheme in an attempt to control dengue fever in Colombo. (AP)

An aerial view of homes destroyed by the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Firefighters struggled to beat back a fiercely aggressive wildfire raging at the edge of Colorado Springs that has forced at least 35,000 people from their homes and was nipping at the edges of the U.S. Air Force Academy. (Reuters)

Egyptian President-elect Mohamed Morsi speaks to newspaper editors in Cairo. (AP/Egyptian Presidency)

An activist sits next to mock coffins outside the Kenyan parliament in Nairobi during a protest organized by the Kenya Ni Kwetu lobby group, against what they call a culture of impunity by the members of parliament. (Reuters)

Spains players celebrate after winning the penalty shootout during the Euro 2012 soccer championship semifinal match between Spain and Portugal in Donetsk, Ukraine. (AP)

A Civil Defense member extinguishes a fire at the site of an explosion outside Syrias highest court in central Damascus. The explosion tore through the car park outside the court, torching at least 20 cars, a Reuters witness said. (Reuters)

A three-day-old American Robin chick begs for food in a nest it shares with three other siblings, in Freeport, Maine. (AP)

Australian motocross rider Jack Field flips across the entrance to Luna Park in Sydney. (AFP)

Liu Yang (C), Chinas first female astronaut, waves next to her comrade Jing Haipeng (L) as she comes out of the re-entry capsule of Chinas Shenzhou 9 spacecraft in Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (Reuters)

Camera operators are silhouetted as they film a news conference by U.S. singer Jason Mraz at the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. (Reuters)

A member of Sothebys auction house staff looks at The Shah of Persias Elephant Automation Clock, circa 1780, with a guide price of £1-2 million (1.5-3 million US$), London, England. (Reuters)

Foot imprint of a Nepalese farmer is left on mud during the celebrations of Asar Pandhra or the festival of planting rice in Pokhara, west of Katmandu. (AP)

Twelve-year-old Chatu collects lemons at a wholesale fruit market in Kolkata, India. (Reuters)

Frances Alice Decaux takes the start of the womens 100m hurdles qualifications at the 2012 European Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland. (AFP)

Shar Pei dog Cleopatra breast-feeds one of two adopted tiger cubs in Russias Black Sea resort of Sochi. (AFP)

The wedding of two frogs, arranged by Hindu farmers seeking rainfall, is performed in Nagpur in order to please the Rain Gods and in the hope that the region would soon receive monsoon showers. (AFP)

Construction workers monitor as a steel box girder is slung to be installed on the Jiashao Bridge linking Jiaxing and Shaoxing over the Qiantang River, Zhejiang province. (Reuters)

U.S. gymnast Sabrina Vega competes on the balance beam in this multiple exposure photograph at the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials in San Jose, California, June 29, 2012. (Reuters)

Tom Schaar, 12, loses his board as he competes in the Skateboard Big Air competition during X Games 18 in Los Angeles, June 29, 2012. (Reuters)

Children, who are affected by flooding jostle to receive food distributed by local organizations from a boat in Sylhet, Bangladesh. (Reuters)

A baby beluga whale swims close to her 11 year old mother at Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Tokyo. (AFP)

Anime characters square off at the Los Angeles Convention Center, June 29, 2012. (AP)

Members of Bighorn 209, a hand crew from the Crow Agency in Montana check for hot spots on the Waldo Canyon Fire west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 29, 2012.

A stunt rider of Red Bull X-Fighters, silhouetted against the sun, performs during a show in New Delhi, India. (AP)

Paris Parcours, a group of practitioners of parkour perform prior to the show of Kenzo as part of the Mens Spring-Summer 2013 collection, for the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France. (AP)

Grit Sadeiko of Estonia competes during the long jump event of the womens heptathlon at the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki. (Reuters)