• Lava fountain, ash cloud erupt from Alaska volcano

    Theo Chesley / Alaskan Volcano Observatory via AP

    The Pavlof volcano erupts on May 16, 2013, as seen from the air from the southwest in Cold Bay, Alaska.

    Rachel Kremer / Alaskan Volcano Observatory via AP

    Lava fountaining is visible near the summit of the Pavlof Volcano on May 16, 2013, and steam and ash clouds rise from the northwest flank where a lava flow advances down the slope.

    A remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, spewing lava and ash clouds.

    The Alaska Volcano Observatory said Thursday a continuous cloud of ash, steam and gas from Pavlof Volcano has been seen 20,000 feet above sea level.

    John Power, the U.S. Geological Survey scientist in charge at the observatory, estimates the lava fountain rose several hundred feet into the air.

    Onsite seismic instruments are picking up constant tremors from the eruption at Pavlof, located about 625 miles southwest of Anchorage. Read the full story.

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  • The Week in Pictures: May 9 - 16

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    Jose Jacome / EPA

    Volcano's mighty power - The erupting Ecuadorian volcano Tungurahua, seen from the village of Cotalo on May 8, keeps generating explosions and expelling incandescent boulders, which roll down its flanks.

     

    Lucas Jackson / Reuters

    A miracle survivor is pulled from Bangladesh's rubble, an explosion rocks Turkey's border, the pope releases a dove, a large rubber duck floats off Hong Kong, and more.

     

  • 'Life in plastic is not fantastic': Germans protest Barbie Dreamhouse

    Sean Gallup / Getty Images

    A topless FEMEN protester with an inscription on her body that reads "Life In Plastic Is Not Fantastic" holds up a burning cross with a Barbie doll attached to it outside the Barbie Dreamhouse Experience on May 16, 2013 in Berlin.

    Sean Gallup / Getty Images

    Protesters outside the Barbie Dreamhouse.

    By Andy Eckardt, Producer, NBC News

    BERLIN – It is possibly the German capital’s most visible new tourist attraction, but the opening of the bright pink Barbie Dreamhouse Experience was picketed Thursday by women’s groups protesting the “cliché of the female role in society.”

    About a dozen activists - including a man in a pink dress and a wig and a sign around his neck that said "Do you like me now?" - gathered in front of the attraction Wednesday. Read full story

    Barbara Sax / AFP - Getty Images

    A man in a dress protests in front of the Barbie Dreamhouse after its opening near the Alexanderplatz in Berlin on May 16, 2013.

    Jens Kalaene / EPA

    A Barbie doll is burned on a cross outside the Barbie Dreamhouse.

    Sean Gallup / Getty Images

    A male protester wearing a wig and a dress.

    Jens Kalaene / EPA

    A life-sized house offers visitors a chance to tour the famous doll's home and even try on Barbie's clothes in her walk-in closet.

    Video: Barbie Dreamhouse draws kids and protesters

     

  • Homemade robot looks ready for world domination

    Suzie Wong / Reuters

    Chinese inventor Tao Xiangli modifies the circuits of his self-made robot at his house in Beijing on May 15. Tao, 37, spent about 150,000 yuan ($24,000) and more than 11 months to build the robot out of recycled scrap metal and electric wires that he bought from a second-hand market. The robot is just over 6 and-a-half feet tall and weighs over 500 pounds (480 kilograms).

    Suzie Wong / Reuters

    Chinese inventor Tao Xiangli welds a component of his self-made robot in the the yard of his house in Beijing on May 15

    Philippe Desmazes / AFP - Getty Images

    Today's robots are rapidly gaining skills to help at home or in the factory, from flipping pancakes to slithering behind dangerous machinery. Some can even jam on the guitar.

  • 12 killed, vehicles torn apart in Kabul suicide attack

    Anja Niedringhaus / AP

    An Afghan fireman stands next to the debris of a car at the scene where a suicide car bomber attacked a NATO convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on May 16.

    Anja Niedringhaus / AP

    A U. S soldier secures the area where a suicide car bomber attacked a NATO convoy in Kabul on May 16.

     By Atia Abawi and Fazal Ahad, NBC News

    KABUL, Afghanistan -- Six Americans were killed when a suicide bomber targeted a convoy carrying foreign troops in Kabul on Thursday, according to a NATO source. The victims included two soldiers and four civilian contractors, the source added. Officials said at least six Afghan civilians had also died. Full story

    Anja Niedringhaus / AP

    A U.S. soldier arrives at the scene where a suicide car bomber attacked a NATO convoy in Kabul on May 16.

    Anja Niedringhaus / AP

    An Afghan man directs his children away from the scene of the attack.

    S. Sabawoon / EPA

    A U.S. soldier inspects the scene.

    More stories from Kabul on PhotoBlog

    At least six Americans and six Afghan citizens were killed after a convoy carrying two American soldiers and four contractors was targeted by a suicide bomber. NBC's Atia Abawi reports.

  • Celebration and devastation as Chelsea defeats Benfica in the Europa League final

    Peter Dejong / AP

    Left: Benfica's Oscar Cardozo, from Paraguay reacts after losing the Europa League final soccer match between Benfica and Chelsea at ArenA stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands on May 15, 2013. Chelsea won 2-1. Right: Chelsea's Frank Lampard celebrates at the final whistle after winning.

    Rafael Marchante / Reuters (left), Neil Hall / Reuters (right)

    Left: Benfica's fans react after watching their club lose their Europa League final soccer match against Chelsea, on a giant screen in downtown Lisbon. Right: Chelsea fans react as they watch their team play on a screen at a pub near Chelsea's Stamford Bridge ground in west London.

    Christof Koepsel / Getty Images

    Left: Dejected Lorenzo Melgarejo, Luisao, Lima, Eduardo Salvio and Artur of Benfica look on after defeat. Right: Branislav Ivanovic of Chelsea celebrates scoring their second and winning goal with Juan Mata, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea.

    Tiago Petinga / EPA (Left), Martin Meissner / AP (Right)

    Left: Dejected Benfica coach Jorge Jesus after his team lost against Chelsea. Right: Chelsea's coach Rafael Benitez, from Spain, lifts the trophy after winning the Europa League final soccer match.

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  • Border security improvements create new deadly route for illegal immigrants

    By Eric Thayer, Reuters
    I’m running through the desert outside a tiny town called Encino with a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter flying above me. As I move through trees and bushes, the sand is soft and every step is an effort. It feels like I am running on the spot as I hold my cameras close so they don’t swing into my sides. Border Patrol agents are all around me and the only noises are the helicopter above, my own labored breathing and the sound of footsteps in the sand.

    Eric Thayer / Reuters

    U.S. Border Patrol agent Daniel Tirado from the Rio Grande Valley Sector looks out at the Rio Grande river in Hidalgo, Texas March 28.

    In south Texas, the Rio Grande River separates the U.S. from Mexico. It is a brown river that varies between 50 to 100 yards across. On the surface, the water looks calm as it meanders through the brush, but it hides swirling currents – just one of the many hazards faced by those who cross. The line between the two countries is imaginary here, but if you could see it as it appears on a map, it would be right in the middle of the river.

    Eric Thayer / Reuters

    A U.S. Border Patrol agent from the Rio Grande Valley Sector searches for a group of illegal immigrants who crossed the Rio Grande River in Mission, Texas March 28, 2013. Brooks County has become an epicenter for illegal immigrant deaths in Texas. In 2012, sheriff's deputies found 129 bodies there, six times the number recorded in 2010. Most of those who died succumbed to the punishing heat and rough terrain that comprise the ranch lands of south Texas.

    At this moment, the border is about 60 miles south. I’m with the U.S. Border Patrol after a report from a local rancher of a group of people crossing over his land. If they make it across the river, through the brush and past the Border Patrol there are vehicles that will take them north. From this part of Texas, there is basically just one checkpoint left, called Falfurrias. If they are able to bypass that, they can move up into other parts of the state and to the rest of the country.

    Eric Thayer / Reuters

    The border fence is seen in Mission, Texas March 28, 2013. Most of those who died crossing the border succumbed to the punishing heat and rough terrain that comprise the ranch lands of south Texas.

    Ahead of me, a Border Patrol agent chases four men and I dash to keep up. They are running from a country, from a war and towards a better life. They are running for freedom. But sometimes it’s not that simple. That’s the thing about it down here – nothing is simple about this.

    The border has always fascinated me. It’s a line on a map, but when you’re down by it sometimes you can’t even tell it’s there. Other times it’s glaringly obvious, marked out by fences, walls, checkpoints and security cameras. Continue reading

    Eric Thayer / Reuters

    People are taken into custody by the U.S. Border Patrol near Falfurrias, Texas March 29, 2013.

    Eric Thayer / Reuters

    People sit on a couch at Casa del Migrante in Reynosa April 1, 2013. Casa del Migrante provides housing, food, clothing and medical care to people who are planning to cross the border, and to those who have been deported from the United States.

    Eric Thayer / Reuters

    A man receives a haircut at Casa del Migrante in Reynosa April 1, 2013.

    Eric Thayer / Reuters

    The unidentified grave of a person whose remains were found in the desert is seen in Falfurrias, Texas April 1, 2013.

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  • Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli police on Nakba Day

    Abbas Momani / AFP - Getty Images

    A Palestinian sets fire to a tire during clashes between hundreds of Palestinians and Israeli soldiers outside the Ofer prison after a march marking the 65th Nakba day or "Day of Catastrophe" on May 15, in Betunia near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

    Jack Guez / AFP - Getty Images

    A mounted Israeli policeman tries to disperse Palestinian protesters waving their national flag during clashes as demonstrators gathered outside Damascus gate in Jerusalem on May 15, to mark the 65th Nakba or "Day of Catastrophe"

    Mohamad Torokman / Reuters

    A Palestinian protestor holds a Molotov cocktail and a lighter, ready to be used against Israeli security forces during clashes to mark Nakba Day near the West Bank city of Ramallah May 15. Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and at East Jerusalem on Wednesday during demonstrations to mark 65 years since what they call the Nakba (Catastrophe) when Israel's creation caused many to lose their homes and become refugees.

    Abed Al Hashlamoun / EPA

    Palestinian protesters are stopped by Israeli soldiers during clashes after a rally marking Nakba Day in the Beit Omar village, north the West Bank city of Hebron, on May 15. Nakba Day is the annual day of commemoration of the displacement of Palestinians after the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948.

    Clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli forces on Nakba Day, a day when Palestinians commemorate the loss of their homes in the 1948 war that resulted in the creation of Israel. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

  • Wisconsin wildfire burns through nearly 50 structures

    Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources via AP

    This May 14 photo provided by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shows a smoky wildfire in northwestern Wisconsin that has consumed 8,700 acres, destroyed nearly 50 structures and forced dozens from their homes. The DNR says the wildfire in Douglas County is about 90 percent contained Wednesday morning, meaning firefighters have stopped most of the fire from spreading.

    Clint Austin / AP

    A structure burns along Sutfin Road east of Comminsky Road in Highland Township, Wis., east of Solon Springs, Wis., on May 14. Crews from Wisconsin and Minnesota were trying to control a rapidly growing wildfire in northwestern Wisconsin that forced evacuations of the sparsely populated area. Several structures were destroyed in a mostly rural and wooded area east of Solon Springs as the forest fire grew to 9 square miles, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said. No injuries had been reported.

     

  • Life-saving surgery for baby with swollen head brings parents joy, relief

    Sajjad Hussain / AFP - Getty Images

    Doctors prepare Roona Begum, a 15-month old girl suffering from hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid inside the skull that leads to swelling, for surgery at a hospital in Gurgaon, near New Delhi, on May 15, 2013.

    Roberto Schmidt / AFP - Getty Images

    Roona Begum's parents Abdul Rahman and Fatima Khatun wait in anticipation as their daughter is taken for an MRI exam at a hospital in Gurgaon on April 17, 2013.

    Doctors carried out life-saving surgery Wednesday on an Indian baby suffering from a rare disorder that caused her head to swell to nearly double its size, in a case that aroused sympathy worldwide.

    "The surgery went perfectly, much better than expected," neurosurgeon Sandeep Vaishya said after carrying out a procedure to drain fluid from the head of 15-month-old Roona Begum, who was born with hydrocephalus.

    The condition had caused Roona's head to swell to a circumference of 38 inches, putting pressure on her brain and making it impossible for her to sit upright or crawl.

    "My wife and I were both so worried this morning," said Roona's father, 18-year-old Abdul Rahman. "But now when the doctor says everything went well, I feel hugely relieved."

     

    Arindam Dey / AFP - Getty Images

    Fatima Khatun kisses the head of her daughter, Roona Begum, at their mud hut in Jirania village, Tripura, on April 13, 2013. Roona's father, Abdul Rahman, told AFP at the time that he was praying for "a miracle" to save his only child.

    Roberto Schmidt / AFP - Getty Images

    Roona Begum is wheeled to an operating room moments before she had a drain valve in her head changed at a hospital in Gurgaon on May 2, 2013. Publication of pictures taken by an AFP photographer prompted the hospital, run by the private Fortis Healthcare group, to offer to treat Roona for free.

    Roberto Schmidt / AFP - Getty Images

    Roona Begum's father caresses the arm of his daughter moments after she was brought out of the operating theater after doctors changed a drain valve on May 2, 2013.

    Sajjad Hussain / AFP - Getty Images

    Doctors prepare Roona Begum for surgery on May 15, 2013.

    Sajjad Hussain / AFP - Getty Images

    Roona Begum's parents greet her after surgery on May 15, 2013.

    Roberto Schmidt / AFP - Getty Images

    Roona Begum's mother sits with her daughter at a hospital in Gurgaon on April 17, 2013.

    Related:

    AFP Correspondent blog: A new life for baby Roona

    Hope for girl born with hair covering half her face

  • Giant rubber ducky's not-so-lucky ending

    Vincent Yu / AP

    A worker stands on a deflated rubber duck created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor Wednesday, May 15. The 16.5-meter (54-foot)-tall inflatable rubber duck which attracted visitors to the harbor, has been deflated since Tuesday evening.

    Tyrone Siu / Reuters

    A deflated Rubber Duck by Dutch conceptual artist Florentijn Hofman floats on Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour, with the island skyline looming at the background, May 14. The 16.5-meter-high inflatable sculpture, which made its first public appearance in the territory on May 2, will be shown at the Ocean Terminal for a month. The Rubber Duck was deflated after some of its parts broke.

    Bobby Yip / Reuters

    Students watch as Rubber Duck by Dutch conceptual artist Florentijn Hofman floats near Ocean Terminal at Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour on May 2. The 16.5-meter-high inflatable sculpture, which made its first public appearance in the territory on Thursday, will be shown at the Ocean Terminal for a month.

    A six-story-tall duck is floating in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor to "bring a message of peace and harmony." NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

     From AP:  Hong Kong- A worker stands on a deflated rubber duck created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor Wednesday, May 15. The 16.5-meter (54-foot)-tall inflatable rubber duck which attracted visitors to the harbor, has been deflated since Tuesday evening.

    See more pictures of the giant, rubber duck on PhotoBlog

  • Angry Maserati owner hires men to smash up his $420,000 supercar

    AFP - Getty Images

    Men using sledgehammers on a Maserati car outside the Qingdao International Convention Center in Qingdao, Shandong province, on May 14, 2013.

    AFP - Getty Images

    A wealthy Chinese Maserati owner hired four sledgehammer-wielding men to smash up his $420,000 supercar in protest at poor customer service, Agence France-Presse reports.

    The owner staged the dramatic intervention outside a convention center in Qingdao where a major auto show was being held. Local newspapers reported that his dispute with a Maserati dealership began when he took the car in for repairs and was charged for a new spare part even though a used part had been fitted.

    In 2011, the city saw a similar stunt when the owner of a Lamborghini ordered the destruction of his vehicle after a service failed to get it running smoothly.

    AFP - Getty Images

    Crowds looking at the badly damaged Maserati.