Lee Jin-man / AP
Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and a North Korean soldier look each others at the U.N. Command Military Armistice Commission meeting room at the border village of the Panmunjom (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, April 24.
This image of the Australian Prime Minister and a North Korean soldier is loaded with symbolism: North Korea on the outside looking in at the rest of the world. Full story.
Harry Scull Jr. / AP
Over 5,000 hopefuls take the Buffalo Police exam at the Buffalo Convention Center on Saturday , April 23.
Perhaps it is a sign of our economic times. As AP reported:
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The job of being a police officer in Buffalo is apparently in high demand: About 5,000 have applied to enforce the city's laws.
The streets of downtown were filled with applicants Saturday morning as they waited to take the three-and-a-half hour police department exam. Long lines were seen at the Convention Center.
About 3,300 people applied in 2007, the last time the exam was given.
Police Lt. Kim Beaty tells the Buffalo News that this year's high turnout was a result of the city's public awareness campaign about the exam.
She says they promoted at special events, churches, community centers, as well as college campuses.
The department's website says police salaries are between $48,000 and $64,000.
Jim Urquhart / Reuters
Horses are driven through the town of Three Forks, Montana, during Montana Horses' spring drive, April 23. About 350 horses were involved in the drive.
It's kind of sad that this is only done as something to attract tourists. Of course, if the price of gasoline goes much higher . . .
It's amazing how much damage a tornado can do to a modern airport. Full story.
Johnny Andrews / AP
From left to right, Shaun Jones and Jacob Caldwell of BAM Contracting in St. Louis, work to repair damage to windows in the main terminal of St. Louis' Lambert International Airport, Saturday, April 23. The airport remains closed as of Saturday afternoon due to damage caused by Friday evening's storm.
Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images
A storm-damaged sign hangs upside down at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport April 23 in St. Louis, Missouri. The airport is closed today after tornadoes hit St. Louis last night, causing extensive damage.
Robert Cohen / EPA
Workers view damage to the roof of the main concourse at St. Louis Lambert International Airport caused by a strong Good Friday storm that passed through the area April 23. The airport remains closed after the roofs of homes were blown off, trees smashed into houses, semitrailers blown off highways and numerous windows shattered.
Joel Andrews / AP
Five-tear-old twins Kander Bazor, left, and Kaden Bazor display their personalized Easter egg baskets at Kit McConnico Park April 23, 2011, in Lufkin, Texas.
Jessica Rinaldi / Reuters
Bernadette Saavedre walks along the side of the road as she makes her pilgrimage to El Santuario de Chimayo in Chimayo, New Mexico April 23. Thousands of people walk to the little chapel over Easter weekend, where they believe the dirt inside holds the power to heal, some from as far away as Mexico and Colorado.
Sergei Karpukhin / Reuters
Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin kisses Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill during an Orthodox Easter service in the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow April 23. This year, Orthodox and Catholic churches are celebrating Easter on the same date.
Barry Reeger / AP
Michael Armbrust of Greensburg seeks shelter from the rain drops under an umbrella while selling Easter flowers along North Greengate Road in Hempfield Township. The road side stand will be selling the flowers all weekend long.
Angelika Warmuth / EPA
Spectators are silhouetted as they watch the flames of an Easter Bonfire rising in Hamburg's Blankenese suburb, Germany, on April 23 evening. This ancient, pre-Christian era custom, which originally was aimed at banishing evil demons has survived into the 21st century.
AP
A Libyan rebel fighter looks out from a high building in the besieged city of Misrata, Libya, on Saturday, April 23.
AP
Libyan rebel fighters run across a street in the besieged city of Misrata, Libya, on Saturday, April 23. Government troops retreated to the outskirts of Misrata under rebel fire Saturday and the opposition claimed victory after officials in Tripoli decided to pull back forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi following nearly two months of laying siege to the western city.
Yannis Behrakis / Reuters
Rebel fighters point at captured Gaddafi soldiers in the back of a rebel forces pick-up truck outside a Misrata hospital on April 23. Rebel fighters captured more than a dozen wounded Gaddafi soldiers and carried them to the hospital early Saturday morning.
For more images of the crisis in Libya click here.
Baz Ratner / Reuters
Worshippers hold candles at the Church of Holy Sepulchre during the Christian Orthodox Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem's Old City on April 23.
Abir Sultan / EPA
View looking down from the rotunda inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem that shows the Tomb of Christ as the miracle of the Holy Fire occurs on April 23, the day before Easter. Eastern Orthodox Christians believe the Holy Fire, which emenates from within the Tomb of Christ and quickly spreads around the church and outside to Jerusalem and even to foreign countries, represents the flame of the Resurrection power, as well as the fire of the Burning Bush of Mount Sinai.
Nir Elias / Reuters
A general view of the Church of Holy Sepulchre during the Christian Orthodox Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem's Old City on April 23. Christians around the world celebrate Easter on Sunday.
Oliver Weiken / EPA
The Holy Fire is spread from the rotunda in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where many believe Jesus was buried, during the ceremony of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem, Israel, on April 23.
For more on the ceremony click here.
Harold Cunningham / Getty Images
Visitors look at the titan arum flower, the largest unbranched inflorescence flowering plant in the world, on April 23, 2011 in Basel, Switzerland. The flower, which smells of rotting flesh and is also known as a Corpse Flower, is attracting thousands of curious visitors to the Basel University's Botanical Garden. Originating from Sumatra's tropical rain forest and its humid climate, the flower rarely blossoms even in the wild. There has been only 134 recorded bloom from artificial cultivation and it is the first to blossom in Switzerland in 75 years.
Jeff Roberson / AP
In this aerial photograph, debris is shown strewn around a damaged home on Saturday, April 23, in Bridgeton, Mo., following a Friday-evening tornado in the area.
Jeff Roberson / AP
In this aerial photograph, debris is strewn about a neighborhood Saturday, April 23, in Bridgeton, Mo., following a Friday-evening tornado in the area.
Robert Cohen / St. Louis Post-Dispatch via EPA
A woman standing in front of a house demolished by a tornado that ripped through a home in Maryland Heights, Missouri, April 22. St. Louis Lambert International Airport remains closed after the roofs of nearby homes were blown off, trees smashed into houses, semitrailers blown off highways and numerous windows shattered.
Christian Gooden / St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP
Darrell Peebles, right, walks through storm damage in Berkeley, Mo., after a Friday-evening storm caused extensive damage in and around St. Louis. An apparent tornado tore through a section of St. Louis' Lambert Field on Friday, lifting the roof off a concourse, injuring several people and forcing the airport's closure. Planes were diverted to other locations as emergency crews probed the debris for more wounded. Mayor Francis Slay said Lambert would be shut down "indefinitely."
Tom Gannam / AP
Officers from the St. Louis County police department inspect the remains of a home on Beaverton Drive in St. Louis, Missouri, after what residents believe was a tornado touched down earlier in the evening, Friday, April 22. Gov. Jay Nixon announced late Friday he had declared a state of emergency, allowing state agencies to assist local jurisdictions with their emergency responses to the storm's aftermath.
Jeff Roberson / AP
In this aerial photograph, debris is strewn about a neighborhood Saturday, April 23, 2011, in Bridgeton, Mo., following a Friday-evening tornado in the area. St. Louis' main airport was closed for business Saturday while crews cleaned up after a tornado tore through a terminal, causing several injuries and sending people scurrying for shelter as plated glass shattered around them. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
For more on this story click here.
Jeff Roberson / AP
Storm damage is seen next to a parking garage outside terminal one at St. Louis International Airport Friday, April 22, 2011, in St. Louis. Several people at Lambert Airport in St. Louis were injured Friday after an apparent tornado touched down, spewing debris over the airfield, bursting glass in the concourse and damaging cars atop a parking garage.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Several people at Lambert Airport in St. Louis were injured Friday after an apparent tornado touched down, spewing debris over the airfield, bursting glass in the concourse and damaging cars atop a parking garage.
The tornado was part of a series of strong storms that struck central and eastern Missouri. Unconfirmed tornadoes were reported in several counties in the St. Louis area. Full story
The variety and scale of celebrations across so many cultures makes for beautiful photography. Click here to see other scenes from Easter observances around the world.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, blesses Benilda Tiongco as she enters the Cathedral of St. Matthew for the Good Friday mass April 22, 2011 in Washington, DC. About 200 Catholics followed the Via Crucis, or 'Way of the Cross,' and carried wooden crosses and statues from Our Lady, Queen of the Americas Catholic Church to the cathedral.
Susana Vera / Reuters
Women penitents wearing traditional mantilla scarves wait inside the Royal Palace to start the procession of the 'Santisimo Cristo de los Alabarderos' brotherhood during Holy Week in Madrid, April 22, 2011. Hundreds of Easter processions take place in Spain during Holy Week drawing thousands of visitors.
Chris Seward / The News & Observer via AP
Jeff Thomas endures the rain as he stands on a cross on Glenwood Ave as part of an Easter weekend awareness event for the Northpark Church in Raleigh, N.C. on Friday, April 22, 2011. Members of the church took shifts on the cross for 1/2 - hour or an hour throughout the day.
Esteban Felix / AP
A child dressed as Jesus Christ is carried by a man as they take part in "Los Encadenados," or "The Chained Ones" procession on Good Friday during Holy Week in Masatepe, Nicaragua, Friday, April 22, 2011.
Juan Karita / AP
A man builds a sand sculpture of the face of Jesus Christ during Holy Week celebrations in Arenal de Cochiraya, on the outskirts of Oruro, Bolivia, Friday, April 22, 2011.
Jorge Dan Lopez / Reuters
Inmates take part in the re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday in a jail in Mexico City April 22, 2011.
Andreas Solaro / AFP - Getty Images
Faithful carry the Cross during one of the stations of the Way of the Cross led by Pope Benedict XVI on Good Friday on April 22, 2011 in front of the Colosseum in Rome.
According to Reuters photographer Felipe Caicedo, La Nina rains have led to the displacement of 2.8 million people and hundreds of deaths in the last year.
See more weather images from around the world here
Luis Robayo / AFP - Getty Images
A woman wades through the flooded inside of her home in Cali, department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia, on April 22, 2011. Strong rains battering Colombia have already left 86 dead, and 2,8 million people affected during the last twelve months.
Felipe Caicedo / Reuters
A man carrying a girl and a dog wades down a flooded street in La Dorada April 22, 2011. Downpours due to La Nina have rocked the Andean nation since last year, displacing 2.8 million people and killing almost 400, according to the government.
Felipe Caicedo / Reuters
Residents push a car down a flooded street in La Dorada April 22, 2011. Downpours due to La Nina have rocked the Andean nation since last year, displacing 2.8 million people and killing almost 400, according to the government.
Luis Robayo / AFP - Getty Images
A man collects belongings inside his flooded house in Cali, department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia, on April 22, 2011. Strong rains battering Colombia have already left 86 dead, and 2.8 million people affected during the last twelve months.
Jaime Saldarriaga / Reuters
A man is seen inside a flooded house in Cali April 22, 2011. Rains due to La Nina have rocked the Andean nation since last year, displacing 2.8 million people and killing nearly 400, according to the government.
Paulo Cunha / EPA
People protect themselves from the rain as they watch the Passion of Christ during Easter celebrations in Ourem, Portugal on April, 22, 2011.
Sometimes the reality of what you can see perfectly aligns with what you’re thinking. Those moments make for good pictures.
Click here to see other scenes from Easter observances around the world.
Ricardo Moraes / Reuters
A boy of the Kayapo tribe plays in front of his house on the second day of a medical expedition of the "Expedicionarios da Saude" (Brazilian Health Expeditions) in Kikretum community in Sao Felix, northern Brazil, April 22. The medical expedition of volunteer doctors comes twice a year to build a mobile hospital and provide clinical and surgical treatment for indigenous tribes and residents from different parts of the amazon rainforest.
Khaled Abdullah / Reuters
Anti-government protesters carry a large flag during a rally to demand the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the southern city of Taiz, April 22. Yemenis flooded the streets of Sanaa and Taiz on Friday in rival demonstrations for and against Saleh, who gave a guarded welcome to a Gulf Arab plan for a three-month transition of power.
Muhammed Muheisen / AP
A yemeni boy displays his body painted with the colours of his national flag during a rally in support of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa,on Friday, April 22. Opponents and supporters of Yemen's embattled president are marching in cities and towns across the country in rival rallies. The writing on his body reads " I love you Ali...He will not leave, with our souls and blood... He will not leave".
Guillaume Horcajuelo / EPA
Penitents from 'La Sanch' walk in procession on the street of Perpignan, France, April 22, during Holy Week celebration.
See more images from Good Friday.
Alvaro Barrientos / AP
A masked penitent is comforted by a brotherhood colleague at the end of his penance during the 'Los Picaos' brotherhood Good Friday procession in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, northern Spain, Friday, April 22. Hundreds of processions take place throughout Spain during the Easter Holy Week.
Sebastian Scheiner / AP
Christian pilgrims hold crosses on their way to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, traditionally believed to be the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ, during the Good Friday procession and the Way of the Cross, in Jerusalem's Old City, Friday, April 22. Christian pilgrims from around the world filled the narrow cobblestone streets of Jerusalem's Old City on Good Friday, some carrying large wooden crosses as they followed the route Jesus took on the way to his crucifixion.
Anindito Mekherjee / EPA
Rescued Indian child laborers participate in a candle light vigil near the Indian war memorial, India Gate, in New Delhi, India on April 22. According to the media reports, the protest was organized by Bachpan Bachao Andolan, an anti-child-labor group after reports of the shocking death of 10-year-old child, Moin Khan, who was beaten to death by his employer in the Indian capital.
Hrvoje Polan/ AFP - Getty Images
Franc Grom displays one of his special Easter eggshell drilled with more than 20.000 holes in Stara Vrhnika, Slovenia on April 22. Grom, a 70-year old Slovenian craftsman has drilled holes in Easter eggshells for the last 18 years to make ornaments on them. He drills an approximate number of 2500 to 3500 holes to make a single special Easter eggshell for which he spends usually one week. Grom is the only artist making craftworks on eggshells by drilling this number of holes.
AP reports: At least 24 Filipinos were nailed to wooden crosses to re-enact Jesus Christ's suffering in a local Good Friday rite rejected by Catholic church leaders but witnessed by throngs of believers and thousands of tourists.
Romeo Ranoco / Reuters
Portraying Jesus Christ, Menandro Penafiel, 34, falls to the ground after being whipped and kicked by Roman soldiers to reenact Christ's persecution and death during Good Friday in Boac town, Marinduque island, central Philippines, on Friday.
Ruben Enaje, a 50-year-old sign painter, screamed in pain as villagers dressed as Roman centurions hammered four-inch, stainless steel nails through his palm and set him aloft on a cross under a brutal sun for a few minutes in San Pedro Cutud village in Pampanga province as thousands watched.
Twenty-three other Filipino men were crucified in the rice-growing province, officials said.
It was Enaje's 25th crucifixion. He says surviving nearly unscathed when he fell from a three-story building in 1985 prompted him to undergo the annual ordeal. Aside from thanking God, Enaje now prays for more painting jobs.
"Not a bone in my body was broken when I fell from that building," Enaje said. "It was a miracle."
"Now, I'm praying for good health and more clients," Enaje told The Associated Press.
Erik de Castro / Reuters
Spectators watch as a penitent is nailed to a cross during the Good Friday lenten crucifixion rites in Cutud at San Fernando city of Pampanga province in northern Philippines on Friday, April 22. Nearly two dozen Filipinos were nailed to crosses to re-enact the passion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday, in what they see as an extreme display of devotion which the Roman Catholic church criticizes as a distortion of the Easter message.
Ahead of the crucifixions, throngs of penitents walked several miles (kilometers) through village streets and beat their bare backs with sharp bamboo sticks and pieces of wood, sometimes splashing spectators with blood. Some participants opened cuts in the penitents' backs using broken glass to ensure the ritual was sufficiently bloody.
The gory spectacle reflects the Philippines' unique brand of Catholicism, which merges church traditions with folk superstitions. Many of the mostly impoverished penitents undergo the ritual to atone for sins, pray for the sick or a better life and give thanks for what they believe were God-given miracles.
Erik de Castro / Reuters
Penitent Ruben Enaje grimaces in pain as he is nailed to a cross on Friday.
The most number of crucifixions were staged beside a ricefield in Pampanga's San Pedro Cutud village, where 15 men were nailed to crosses three at a time on a dusty mound as more than 30,000 people, including three European ambassadors, watched and snapped pictures. An ambulance stood by and more than 20 tourists fainted or got dizzy in the heat, officials said.
Amid the festive air — villagers peddled bottled water, food and religious items everywhere — police and marshalls kept order. Some displayed banners with a reminder: "Silence please and take care of your belongings."
Foreigners have been banned from taking part after an Australian comic got crucified under a false name a few years ago near Pampanga. Authorities also suspected that a Japanese man sought to be crucified as part of a porn film in 1996, tourism officer Ching Pangilinan said.
"They made a mockery out of a local tradition," she said.
Erik de Castro / Reuters
Three-inch nails pierce the feet of a penitent crucified during the Good Friday lenten rites in San Juan on Friday.
Church leaders in the Philippines, Asia's largest predominantly Roman Catholic nation, have frowned on the Easter week rituals, saying Filipinos can show their deep faith without hurting themselves.
Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, based in Iloilo Province, said the crucifixions and self-flagellations are an "imperfect imitation with doubtful theological and social significance," adding that only Jesus Christ's death saved mankind.
Pampanga Bishop Pablo Virgilio David said the bloody rites reflected the church's failure to fully educate many Filipinos on Christian tenets.
Enaje and the other penitents said the church should respect their belief.
"When I'm up there on the cross, I feel very close to God," Enaje said. "We grew up with this tradition and nothing can stop us."
Erik de Castro / Reuters
Penitents hang on crosses as they are crucified during Good Friday Lenten rites in Cutud, San Fernando Pampanga in northern Philippines on Friday.
Red Cross officials' concern centered on possible health problems like infection, heat stroke, blood loss and even death from the intense beating. They urged devotees to consider other forms of penance, including donating blood.
San Pedro Cutud village leader Remigio dela Cruz said no major health problem has befallen any penitent since the crucifixions began there in the 1950s. The nails are soaked in alcohol for as long as a year then sprinkled with holy water before use, he said.
Dondi Tawatao / Getty Images
Devout members of the religious sect "25 Mysteries Catholic Lay Missionaries" take part in a panata (or vow) called "Alay Luhod" to mark Holy Week in San Miguel town in Bulacan, Philippines, on Friday.
Some spooky scenes today as residents took advantage of a two-hour window to visit their homes.
Click here for slideshows of the crisis in Japan.
AP
Police officers man a checkpoint close to a no-go zone at Minami Soma, Fukushima prefecture, as vehicles with residents pass by to evacuate or go back to collect belongings on April 21. Later on Thursday the government declared the no-go zone for areas within 12 miles of the radiation-spewing Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.
Sergey Ponomarev / AP
A man wearing a protective suit walks along a street in deserted town of Futaba, inside the evacuation zone, in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, April 21, 2011.
Sergey Ponomarev / AP
A dog stretches on an empty street in deserted town of Futaba, inside the 12-mile evacuation zone, in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, April 21. Japan declared the area evacuated around its radiation-spewing nuclear power plant a no-go zone on Thursday, urging residents to abide by the order for their own safety or possibly face fines or detention.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig doesn't seem to be able to hide his frustration as he explained today why the league took this extraordinary step. It's hard for me to understand how this historic franchise has fallen on such hard times. Of course, owners Frank and Jamie McCourt denied financial problems.
Brendan Mcdermid / Reuters
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig speaks during a news conference in New York, April 21. Major League Baseball (MLB), in an extraordinary move, plans to take control of the day-to-day operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers because of mounting concern over the franchise's financial plight.
Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
A view of pregame ceremonies prior to the Los Angeles Dodgers playing the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium on March 31 in Los Angeles, California.
Matt Mckean / The TimesDaily via AP
Alabama state and local emergency personel and cleanup crews work to raise a semi-tractor and trailer that plunged off the Bluewater Creek bridge into the creek along US 72 early Thursday morning April 21, near Elgin, Alabama. The driver was treated and rleased from a local hospital.
Matt Mckean / The TimesDaily via AP
Emergency personnel and cleanup crews work to raise the semi-tractor and trailer.
An eighteen-wheeler falls from a rural Alabama bridge early Thursday morning after the driver attempts to avoid hitting a deer. Msnbc.com's Al Stirrett reports.
Franck Prevel / Getty Images
'Bouboule', an English bulldog rests in its hotel room at Actuel Dogs in Vincennes, France. on April 19.
Franck Prevel / Getty Images
'Dolche', 'Belle' and 'Flaf' stay their hotel room at Actuel Dogs on April 19.
Franck Prevel / Getty Images
'Ulysse', a labrador stays in its hotel room at Actuel Dogs on April 19.
Franck Prevel / Getty Images
'Bouboule', an English bulldog plays with an olfactory toy in the game room at Actuel Dogs on April 19.
Franck Prevel / Getty Images
Devi Burun welcomes terriers 'Apache,' left, and 'Belle' in their hotel room at Actuel Dogs on April 19.
Franck Prevel / Getty Images
'Flag', a Jack Russell terrier sleeps in bed in its hotel room at Actuel Dogs on April 19.
Franck Prevel / Getty Images
Actuel Dogs hotel owner Stan Burun excercises resident dogs outdoors on April 19.
What an interesting place to stay.
According to Getty: Opened in November 2010 by Devi and Stan Burun, Actuel Dogs is a five star luxury hotel for dogs with two single rooms and two suites. With the aim of meeting the dogs' needs the hotel offers activities including 'doggy rando' and other services such as 'dog massage'. The hotel also caters to the needs of people living in small apartments or who don't have the time to walk their dogs.
Related content:
Parisian luxury hotel for dogs gets tails wagging | PhotoBlog
Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
President Barack Obama is hugged by a supporter after speaking at a DNC fundraiser at Nob Hill Masonic Center in San Francisco, Calif., Thursday, April 21. President Obama is making a West Coast trip aimed at building support for his deficit-reduction plans and raising money for his re-election campaign.
AP's Pablo Martinez Monsivais says:
"When covering events where President Barack Obama is interacting with the public, a photographer has to watch the president’s every move and notice people’s reactions when he’s suddenly inches away. One thing I noticed at this particular rally in San Francisco is that people really wanted to touch him, and a few ended up hugging him. I loved the emotional reaction of the woman you see embracing him in this image — it was as if she and the president were family, and this was some sort of reunion."
President Obama told supporters on Thursday that "change turned out to be a lot tougher than expected." Read the full story here.
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