Jump to August 2012 archive page: 1 ... 5 6 7 8 9 ... 17
  • Schooner Mary Day celebrates 50 years of pleasure cruising

    Robert F. Bukaty / AP

    Olivia Trankina of Marietta, Ga., and Liz Archibald of Clarks Summit, Penn., leap from the bowsprit of the schooner Mary Day in Bucks Harbor in South Brooksville, Maine.

    The 90-foot Mary Day, the first schooner in the Maine windjammer fleet built specifically to accommodate passengers, celebrates its 50th season this year.

    Associated Press photographer, Robert F. Bukaty, created these images on Aug. 3, and were made available to NBCNews.com today.

    Robert F. Bukaty / AP

    The schooner Mary Day, right, sails in a schooner race with other members of Maine's windjammer fleet off Rockland, Maine.

    Robert F. Bukaty / AP

    Passenger Paul Ernest of Lynnfield, Mass., left, takes a turn at the helm during a three-day cruise on the schooner Mary Day on Penobscot Bay off Camden, Maine.

    Robert F. Bukaty / AP

    Captain Barry King, on the guitar, joins passengers Sarah Washburn, playing violin, and her husband, Ryan Jesperson, during a musical evening aboard the Mary Day off Ilseboro, Maine.

    Robert F. Bukaty / AP

    The schooner Mary Day sits at anchor in the morning fog off South Brooksville, Maine.

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  • Mothers give birth in an already overpopulated Manila

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    Mothers and their newborns share space on a bed after giving birth in the maternity ward at the government-run Jose Fabella maternity hospital in Manila, Philippines.

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    A woman holds a cross while dealing with labor pains at the government-run Jose Fabella maternity hospital.

    More than 65 babies are born at the government operated Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila, Philippines every day.

    Manila is one of the most densely populated cities in the world and many of the city dwellers are forced to live on every bit of spare land they can find. Poverty causes people to live under bridges, railway lines and even cemeteries.

    Getty Images photographer Paula Bronstein created these images on Aug. 18-20 and made them available to NBCNews.com today.

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    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    A mother is in pain while her newborn baby rests on her chest as she gets surgically sutured after giving birth in a delivery room at the Jose Fabella Hospital.

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    A mother is seen on the operation table next to her new baby moments after a Caesarean operation.

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    Mothers breast feed their babies in a special room at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital.

  • Woman rescued during suicide attempt from roof in China

    China Daily via Reuters

    Rescuers and relatives stop a woman from committing suicide by jumping off a building in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province August 14, 2012.

    A Chinese woman tried to commit suicide over a tragic family dispute.

    According to a local source who did not wish to be identified, the woman whose last name is Luo attempted to jump off a building around 7 a.m. on Aug. 14. The source, who works with the woman's brother, told NBC News that Luo, about 50 years old, had a tense relationship with her sister-in-law.

    According to local media reports, the woman had once felt sick after being served soup by her sister-in-law. As a result, Luo believed she was being poisoned, and decided to take her revenge on her 4-year-old nephew.

    Early one morning, while the other family members were out buying groceries, Luo killed the boy in the bathroom and later disposed of the body. The source said the woman had a history of mental disorder.

    Luo tried to jump off a building belonging to an agricultural company in Zhanjiang city, Guangdong province.  Family members, friends and a police officer named Zhao An tried to talk her out of it. 

    China Daily via Reuters

     

    Around noon, Luo’s daughter tried to persuade her not to jump by threatening her mother that she'd join her and jump off, too.

    While Luo appeared to reconsider her decision, the policeman quickly grabbed her, and in the struggle he was almost thrown off the rooftop. Luo is now under police custody.

    China Daily via Reuters

    Photos of the incident went viral, eliciting varied responses. 

    "The intensification of family conflict could lead to tragedies. As the saying goes, even an upright official will find it hard to settle domestic disputes. The management of family disputes should become an important topic in society," commented one blogger.

    China Daily via Reuters

     

    "The kid was innocent!"  commented another.

    "Nowadays, news is more dramatic than TV dramas," said another.

     

    Editor's note: The photos were taken Aug. 14, and we received them on Monday, Aug. 20, but held off publishing for more information surrounding the circumstances.

    NBC's Lorraine Liu contributed to this report.

  • Filipinos mourn the death of Interior Secretary following plane crash

    Noel Celis / AFP - Getty Images

    Women light candles after a mass for Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo at the Saint Peter's Church in Manila on Aug. 21. The Philippines was in mourning after divers recovered the body of one of its most influential politicians, who died when a plane carrying him and three others crashed into the sea.

    Filipinos gathered at Saint Peter's Church in Manila to mourn the death of Jesse Robredo, the Department of Interior and Local Government secretary, Tuesday, according to Agence France Presse. A plane carrying Robredo, his bodyguard, and two pilots crashed into the sea, Saturday. According to Reuters, only the bodyguard survived. Robredo's body was found about 2600 feet from the shore of Masbate City, 242 miles southeast of Manila, Transportation and Communication Secretary Mar Roxas said. Read the full story.

    Benhur Arcayan / Malacanang Photo Bureau Via EPA

    Police and other local government officials carry the remains of Interior Minister Jesse Robredo from a military plane at the Naga Airport, Camarines Sur province, eastern Philippines, Aug. 21.

    Noel Celis / AFP - Getty Images

    Filipinos attend a mass for Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, at the Saint Peter's Church in Manila on Aug. 21.

    Noel Celis / AFP - Getty Images

    Women light candles after a mass for Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo at the Saint Peter's Church in Manila on Aug. 21.

  • Orthodox Christian pilgrims pray at a rock-cut church in Ethiopia

    Siegfried Modola / Reuters

    Siegfried Modola / Reuters

    Orthodox Christian pilgrims pray at Bet Medhane Alem, a rock-cut church, in Lalibela, Ethiopia, Aug. 19. These pictures were made available to NBCNews.com on Aug. 21. View more photos of churches on PhotoBlog.

     

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  • Syrian violence spills into neighboring Lebanon

    Stringer / Reuters

    A Sunni Muslim gunman takes position behind sandbags in the Sunni Muslim dominant Bab al-Tebbaneh neighborhood in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, during clashes with Alawites, Aug. 21, 2012. The fighting between Sunni Muslims and Alawites in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli are another spillover from the war in neighboring Syria, security and medical sources said on Tuesday.

    Stringer / Reuters

    Smoke rises from a residential building in the Sunni Muslim dominant neighborhood of Bab al-Tebbaneh in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, during clashes between Sunni Muslims and Alawites, Aug. 21.

    Reuters reports:

    Two people were killed and more than 60 wounded in clashes between Sunni Muslims and Alawites in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli in another spillover from the war in neighboring Syria, security and medical sources said on Tuesday.

    Gunmen in the Sunni district of Bab al-Tabbaneh and their Alawite rivals in Jebel Mohsen exchanged gun and grenade fire in sporadic fighting overnight and into the day, despite action by Lebanese army troops deployed in the port city, residents said.

    Chronic Sunni-Alawite tensions in Tripoli have been heightened by the 17-month-old, mainly Sunni, uprising in Syria against President Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite. Clashes in the city killed 15 people in early June. Continue reading the full story.

     

    Omar Ibrahim / Reuters

    Sunni Muslim gunmen fire their weapons in the Sunni Muslim dominant neighborhood of Bab al-Tebbaneh in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, during clashes with Alawites, Aug. 21.

    Omar Ibrahim / Reuters

    Lebanese army soldiers deploy in the Sunni Muslim dominant neighborhood of Bab al-Tebbaneh in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, Aug. 21.

    Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

    After months of protests and violent crackdowns, a look back at the violence that has overtaken the country.

  • Berlin commuter train derails

    Robert Schlesinger / AFP - Getty Images

    Firemen and policemen investigate the scene where Berlin city train (S-Bahn) derailed, Aug. 21, 2012. Five people were injured as the train derailed between the Tegel and Schulzendorf train stations.

    Robert Schlesinger / EPA

    An S-Bahn city train derailed between the Tegel and Schulzendorf train stations in Berlin, Germany, Aug 21.

    At least five people were injured when a Berlin city train (S-Bahn) left the tracks. According to The Local, approximately 50 people were aboard the train when it derailed. Read the full story.

  • Compare and contrast war games in Japan, Israel and North Korea

    Koji Sasahara / AP

    A line of Japan Ground Self-Defense Force tanks flare up a smoke screen during the annual live-firing exercise and demonstration at Higashi Fuji training range in Gotemba, southwest of Tokyo, on August 21, 2012.

    Abir Sultan / EPA

    An Israeli soldier is seen in the dust during a military exercise in the Golan Heights, northern Israel, on August 21, 2012. Israeli Armed Forces have been conducting manoeuvers amid rising tensions in the region.

    KCNA via Reuters

    Members of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards, the civilian forces of North Korea, train in an undisclosed location on August 20, 2012, in this picture released by the official KCNA news agency on August 21, 2012.

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  • Ecuador authorities issue warning as Tungurahua volcano spews ash, gas

    Gary Granja / Reuters

    The Tungurahua volcano spews a large cloud of ash towards the nearby town of Bilbao, Ecuador, in the early hours of August 21, 2012.

    Carlos Campana / Reuters

    The volcano spews large clouds of gas and ash near Banos, about 110 miles south of Quito, on August 20, 2012.

    Gary Granja / Reuters

    The volcano spews ash towards the nearby town of Banos on August 21, 2012.

    Carlos Campana / Reuters

    A view of the volcano on August 20, 2012.

    Ecuadorian authorities are encouraging residents living near the Tungurahua volcano to evacuate due to increased activity, according to local media reports cited by Reuters. The volcano has been in an active state since October 1999. 

    See more images of the Tungurahua volcano on PhotoBlog

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    Ecuador's Tungurahua Volcano rumbled to life on Sunday causing alarm among residents living in the area. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.


  • Migration in the Americas: Bolivia hopes for windfall from producing lithium for batteries

    Kadir van Lohuizen / NOOR

    The salt flats, or Salar de Uyuni, which covers 4,000 square miles of Bolivia.

    Photojournalist Kadir van Lohuizen traveled from the southern tip of South America to the far reaches of Alaska on the North American continent to explore migration in the Americas. What he found both supported and defied stereotypes, which he reported on a website and an app for iPad called Via Panam.

    Landlocked Bolivia hasn't had much in the way of resources that it can sell to the world, but that could be about to change. It's home to the world's largest salt flat, which also is estimated to hold half the world's reserves of lithium — a light metal that's crucial for today's modern batteries for cell phones, laptops and even hybrid and electric cars.

    Kadir van Lohuizen / NOOR

    Workers at the experimental evaporation plant where the lithium is extracted bring tubes from the well to the basins. Workers are from different parts of Bolivia.

    Kadir van Lohuizen / NOOR

    Bolivian President Evo Morales celebrates the inauguration of the experimental lithium plant.

    President Evo Morales wants Bolivia to mine the site itself, albeit with some foreign help. If it can pull off the logistics, it would mean sending an army of workers from all over the country to a remote part of Bolivia along the border with Chile.

    The area is the Salar de Uyuni, which covers 4,000 square miles and where the salt layer is at least 400 feet thick.

    Bolivia started preliminary work in April 2011, employing 150 workers. But progress has slowed, in part because the site still lacks a stable electricity supply.

    Kadir van Lohuizen / NOOR

    Due to heavy rainfall, much of the Salar de Uyuni is still covered with water. A tractor brings the workers to the experimental evaporation plant.

    K. van Lohuizen / NOOR

    From Colombians fleeing war to North Americans retirees moving to Nicaragua, a photographer's journey from Chile to Alaska explores both the expected and unexpected patterns of migration in the Americas

    Japan, potentially a major buyer, recently urged Bolivia to speed up the project and meet its goal of a 6-month test run before moving on to commercial production.

    Bolivia also faces competition from lithium mines in neighboring Chile and Argentina.

    Still, it did get a boost in July when a South Korean company said it would help provide technology and training of workers.

    Experience the entire journey, from Chile to Alaska, by exploring the slideshow at right, the Via Panam website or by downloading the app for iPad.

    More Photoblogs from the Migration in the Americas series:
    Mom works in US while family stays in El Salvador
    US retirees flock to Nicaragua
    On the run from water in Panama

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  • Idaho resort town ordered to evacuate over wildfire

    Handout / Reuters

    The Trinity Ridge Fire burns in Boise National Forest near Featherville, Idaho.

    Reuters: A 91,000-acre (38,800-hectare) wildfire in the Boise National Forest closed in from three directions on an Idaho mountain town on Monday as authorities worried about the safety of roughly 30 residents who have refused to evacuate.

    The Elmore County Sheriff's Office ordered evacuations over the weekend as thick smoke from the Trinity Ridge Fire posed a health hazard and limited visibility on the single road to Featherville, a popular summertime resort at the foot of the Trinity Mountains on the South Fork Boise River.  Continue reading the full story.

    Blazes in multiple states threaten houses and cause evacuations.

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  • Buenos Aires hosts tango world cup

    A couple rehearses before competing in the Tango Dance World Cup 2012, salon category, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Aug. 20, 2012.

    Natacha Pisarenko / AP — From Aug. 14 to 28 Buenos Aires hosts the Tango Buenos Aires Festival and Dance World Cup. Dancers from 32 countries compete in two categories of the championship:  tango Salon, with 357 couples participating and  tango stage with 134 couples. The two-week long event offers more than 500 free dance lessons, concerts and recitals. Hundreds of professional dancers teach the eight basic steps of tango in the city where it was born.

    See more photos from Argentina

    Italy's dancers Eloina Martins, left, and Paolo Nelzi, second from left, among others, wait to compete in the 2012 Tango Dance World, Aug. 20.

    Ramiro Perez sprays his hair before competing in the 2012 Tango Dance World Cup, Aug. 20.

    Dancers get ready backstage before competing in the 2012 Tango Dance World Cup, Aug. 20.

    Couples compete in the 2012 Tango Dance World Cup, Aug. 20.

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  • Relatives await news of inmate deaths in Yare I prison, Venezuela

    Juan Barreto / AFP - Getty Images

    Relatives of inmates wait for news following clashes between prisoner gangs in the Yare I prison, Venezuela, Aug. 20, 2012.

    CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Twenty-five people were killed during a prison riot and dozens were wounded when two groups of inmates waged a gunbattle inside the penitentiary while hundreds of relatives were visiting, Venezuelan officials said Monday. Read More

    See more photos from Venezuela

    Fernando Llano / AP

    Relatives of an inmate cry while waiting for information outside Yare I prison, Venezuela, Aug. 20.

    Fernando Llano / AP

    A relative of an inmate is aided after fainting while waiting for information outside of Yare I prison, Venezuela, Aug. 20.

    Fernando Llano / AP

    A relative of an inmate slams her hand on the main entrance of Yare I prison, Venezuela, Aug. 20.

    Miguel Gutierrez / EPA

    A general view of Yare I prison, Venezuela, Aug. 20.

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  • Feeding humpback whales mesmerize onlookers

    Bill Bouton

    Boaters and kayakers waited with their cameras for a pod of humpbacks to breach the ocean's surface, an occasional sight around Port San Louis, according to amateur photographer Bill Bouton.

    Bill Bouton, a retired high school biology teacher, was on an unsuccessful outing to photograph birds in San Luis Obispo, Calif., when he happened upon a breathtaking sight beneath the skyline: a pod of humpback whales feeding in shallow water.

    The 69-year-old captured one of the enormous mammals breaching the surface while feeding on a “bait ball,” a dense mass of sardines that forms to ward off predators. But the defense mechanism just seemed to be attracting more hungry creatures, Bouton said, as hundreds of pelicans and seagulls were diving in the water and flying up again.

    Bill Bouton

    Despite federal guidelines that warn observers to stay at least 100 yards away from whales or risk being fined $50,000, onlookers hovered around the feeding site.

    Scores of brave onlookers gathered around the whale as well, some daring to venture only a few feet away from the lunging giant.

    “There’s a woman in what looked like a black party dress standing calmly on her paddle board and taking a photo with the whale,” Bouton told TODAY.com. “It was priceless.”

    Bouton spotted the rare scene on Saturday from his moving car and pulled over immediately. After rushing to set up his tripod, he took photos from the passenger’s seat for nearly an hour.

    Bill Bouton

    Bouton said the humpbacks have been feeding for at least a couple of days in the shallow, sheltered waters, drawing crowds to the coast.

    “I was really lucky,” he said.

    In the 35 years that Bouton has been taking photos of animals, mostly birds, he’s never had a photo go this viral. He was surprised to find that in just 16 hours, the humpback pictures garnered over 200,000 views.

    “It’s been absolutely crazy,” he said.

    Incredible images taken by retired biology instructor Bill Bouton of a small pod of humpback whales lunge-feeding off the coast of California have gone viral

    More on Animal Tracks:

    Fat cat loses weight, gains Facebook fame
    Sloth bear cub plays with family like a dog
    Killer whale moves to Sea World San Diego

  • Spain fights raging wildfires, firefighting budgets cut

    Pedro Armestre / AFP - Getty Images

    Firefighters work to put out a wildfire in Tabuyo del Monte near Leon, Spain, on Aug. 20. Numerous wildfires have broken out across Spain in the sweltering heat in recent weeks, an extra headache for authorities struggling to get the country out of its financial crisis and recession.

    Pedro Armestre / AFP - Getty Images

    A firefighter walks on the road while dark clouds from a wildfire billow behind him in Tabuyo del Monte near Leon on Aug. 20.

    Pedro Armestre / AFP - Getty Images

    Firefighters work to put out a wildfire in Tabuyo del Monte near Leon on Aug. 20.

    Pedro Armestre / AFP - Getty Images

    Firefighters work to put out a wildfire in Tabuyo del Monte near Leon on Aug. 20.

    Reuters -- Spain is facing its worst wildfires in a decade, after more than three times as much forest has burned so far this year than in the whole of 2011, while firefighting budgets have been slashed by up to a half as part of the drive to cut public spending.

    With the weather in Spain dryer and hotter than last year, it was not immediately clear whether the increase in wildfires this year was directly related to the cuts to firefighting budgets. But firefighters themselves were sure the two were linked and called for more investment in essential equipment and better compensation for the risks they face.

    "There were firefighters who could not get involved with the job of fighting the fires because they didn't even have gloves or boots," the newspaper quoted Antonio del Rio, of the Catalan firefighters' branch of the UGT trade  union, as saying.

    Continue reading.

    Pedro Armestre / AFP - Getty Images

    Firefighters work to put out a wildfire in Tabuyo del Monte near Leon on Aug. 20.

    Pedro Armestre / AFP - Getty Images

    A man walks on a path with a shovel while clouds from a wildfire billow behind him in Tabuyo del Monte near Leon on Aug. 20.

     

  • Michelle Obama hosts kids' lunchtime 'state dinner' at White House

    Larry Downing / Reuters

    First lady Michelle Obama hosts the first ever "Kids' State Dinner" in the East Room at the White House in Washington, on Aug. 20.

    Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

    Party balloons sit on the floor of the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, on Aug. 20, 2012, in preparations for the "Kids' State Dinner," hosted by first lady Michelle Obama.

    Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images

    US President Barack Obama shakes hands with mothers and their children during first ever Kids' "State Dinner" at the White House in Washington, DC, on Aug. 20.

    AP reports -- At the first ever White House "kids state dinner," first lady Michelle Obama told America's top junior chefs Monday that the dishes they created are proving that fun eating can be "healthy and tasty at the same time."

    "Your recipes truly stood out," she said to an East Room filled with kids who won a nationwide recipe competition. "You came up with dishes that were packed with nutritious, delicious ingredients — dishes that are good for you but more importantly they taste good, too. See? It can happen."

    The event was the latest effort in Mrs. Obama's "Let's Move" campaign to combat childhood obesity with more exercise and a better diet.

    Continue reading.

    Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images

    US First Lady Michelle Obama hugs her introducer, 12-year-old Marshall Reid from North Carolina and author of "Portion Size Me: A Kid-Driven Plan to a Healthier Family," during a Kids' "State Dinner" in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Aug. 20. This first time event includes 54 children, ages 8-12, from all US states, three territories and Washington, DC, to a luncheon in support of the Let's Move campaign, featuring healthy recipes and a performance by Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush.

    Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

    A place setting is seen on a table during the first ever "Kids' State Dinner" at the White House in Washington on Aug. 20. The Obama's hosted 54 kids whose recipes were selected for the "Healthy Lunchtime Challenge Cookbook".

    Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images

    Michael Lakind of Texas, speaks with the media as he arrives at the Bookseller's Area for a Kids' "State Dinner" hosted by US First Lady Michelle Obama in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Aug. 20. This first time event includes 54 kids, ages 8-12, from all US states, three territories and Washington, DC, to a luncheon in support of the Let's Move campaign, featuring healthy recipes and a performance by Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush.

     

  • The Week in Sports Pictures: August 13 - 19

    Jeff Pachoud / AFP - Getty Images

    A skier competes during the 22nd edition of the summer ski jumping world cup Courchevel Grand Prix, on Aug. 15 in Courchevel, French Alps.

    Daniel Munoz / Reuters

    Australia's Wallabies' Kurtley Beale reacts after being defeated by New Zealand All Blacks in their Bledisloe Cup rugby union test match in Sydney Aug. 18.

    Athletes catch some air and Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez throws a perfect game in The Week in Sports Pictures. Click on the above image to launch the slideshow and tell us what you think of this week's selection in a comment below or on Twitter @NBCNewsPictures.

    Related links:

     

  • Funeral for soldiers killed in suspected al Qaeda attacks in Yemen

    Hani Mohammed / AP

    An honor guard carries the coffin of a soldier killed in an attack in the city of Aden during a funeral in Sanaa, Yemen, on Aug. 20, 2012.

    Reuters reports - Suspected al Qaeda-linked militants killed at least 14 Yemeni soldiers and security guards on Saturday in a car bomb and grenade attack on the intelligence service headquarters in the southern port city of Aden.

    The United States has been pouring aid into Yemen to stem the threat of attacks from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and to try to prevent any spillover of violence into neighboring Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter. Full Story

    Hani Mohammed / AP

    A Yemeni boy holds a poster of his father, who was killed in an attack in the city of Aden, during his funeral in Sanaa, Yemen, on Aug. 20, 2012.

    Yahya Arhab / EPA

    Yemeni honor guards carry the coffins of the victims of bombing attacks during a funeral procession in Sana'a, Yemen, on Aug. 20, 2012.

     

    More stories on Yemen in PhotoBlog

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  • Protesters unfurl huge banner in support of Russian punk band on Swiss cathedral

    Alessandro Della Bella / AP

    Hooded demonstrators stage a protest in solidarity with the Russian punk bank Pussy Riot on the tower of the Grossmuenster Cathedral in Zurich, Switzerland, on Aug. 20, 2012. A Russian judge found three members of the provocative punk band guilty of hooliganism on Friday, in one of the most closely watched cases in recent Russian history.

    Alessandro Della Bella / EPA

    A boat passes in front of the Grossmuenster Cathedral in Zurich, Switzerland, on Aug. 20, where demonstrators hung a banner solidarity with the Russian punk band Pussy Riot.

    Related content:

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  • She travels by night: an evening pilgrimage in Spain

    Cristina Quicler / AFP - Getty Images

    Pilgrims gather around a statue of the Virgin del Rocio during the El Rocio Romeria pilgrimage in Spain's Huelva province on Aug. 20. Once every seven years the Virgin of El Rocio is carried at night from El Rocio to Almonte.

    Cristina Quicler / AFP - Getty Images

    A pilgrim looks at a statue of the Virgin del Rocio. Once every seven years the Virgin of El Rocio is carried at night from El Rocio to Almonte.

    Cristina Quicler / AFP - Getty Images

    A pilgrim watches the procession.

    Cristina Quicler / AFP - Getty Images

    Pilgrims gather around a statue of the Virgin del Rocio at the end of her her once-every-seven-years-journey from El Rocio to Almonte.

     

  • Zhong Min / EPA

    Swimmers look like a bowl of Fruit Loops in crowded China pool

    Swimmers wait for the gush of a man-made tide in a salty swimming pool dubbed China's Dead Sea in Daying county in southwest China's Sichuan province Aug. 19. Over one million swimmers are expected to the swimming resort this summer which is one of the largest indoor water park in China, covering 30,000 square meters.

  • Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr and the end of Ramadan

    Sanjeev Gupta / EPA

    Muslim devotees leave after Eid al-fitr prayer, Bhopal, India, Aug. 20.

    Jagadeesh Nv / EPA

    Indian Muslim boy yawns as he joins his elders in attending the traditional prayers at the start of the Eid al-Fitr festival in Southern Indian city of Bangalore on Aug. 20.

    Nathalie Bardou / AP

    Afghan refugee boys wear masks as they celebrate the Eid al-Fitr festival, which marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, in a slum area on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Aug. 20.

    Muhammed Muheisen / AP

    An Afghan refugee boy poses with a plastic rifle as he and other children celebrate the Eid al-Fitr festival, which marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, in a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Aug. 20.

    Kevin Frayer / AP

    An Indian Muslim boy leans to rub noses with a girl as they are both dressed up for Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Jama Masjid in New Delhi, India, Aug. 20, 2012.

    Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, the Muslim calendar's ninth and holiest month during which followers are required to abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk. People prepare feasts, wear new clothes and apply Henna to celebrate the festival. 

    More photos from Ramadan on PhotoBlog

  • Huge crowds greet Japan's Olympic athletes

    Kyodo News via AP

    People pack the central intersection of Tokyo's Ginza shopping district as Japanese Olympic medalists and athletes who competed in the London Games aboard double-decker buses parade through the main street Monday, Aug. 20.

    Jiji Press / AFP - Getty Images

    Japan's women's badminton doubles silver medallists Mizuki Fujii, left, and Reika Kakiiwa, wave to the crowds from an open-top bus during a parade for Japan's 2012 London Olympic Games medallists in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district on Aug. 20.

    The Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) held the first ever Olympic medallists parade hoping it will boost the city's bid to host the 2020 Summer Games.   

    Reuters reports: Japan's Olympic medallists brought downtown Tokyo to a standstill on Monday in an open-top bus victory parade witnessed by around 500,000 flag and fan-waving supporters.

    The convoy of five buses caused gridlock as fans and shoppers in Tokyo's upmarket Ginza district help celebrate Japan's record haul of 38 medals (seven gold, 14 silver and 17 bronze) at the London Olympics. Full story.

    More photos from the Olympics on PhotoBlog

  • USS Constitution sets sail again in Boston Harbor

    Jessica Rinaldi / Reuters

    The USS Constitution passes the Boston skyline as it is tugged back through Boston Harbor in Boston, Mass., Aug. 19. The USS Constitution set sail under her own power in Boston Harbor today for the first time since 1997.

    Steven Senne / AP

    U.S. Navy personnel gather sails in the rigging of the USS Constitution as the vessel arrives at her berth in Charlestown Navy Yard, in Boston.

    The trip marked the day two centuries ago when the Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812. The Guerriere proved no match for the Constitution, which was heavier and longer. The vessels blasted away at each other at close range, even colliding at one point, during the 35-minute battle.

    "I cannot think of a better way to honor those who fought in the war as well as celebrate Constitution's successes during the War of 1812 than for the ship to be under sail," Constitution Cmdr. Matt Bonner said in a statement.

    --Reported by the Associated Press

    Read the full story.

    Jessica Rinaldi / Reuters

    Reenactors from the 1812 Marine Guard stand at attention in the Charlestown Navy Yard.

    Steven Senne / AP

    The USS Constitution fires one of her guns in Boston Harbor as a crowd looks on from the shore.

     

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