Colombia

Hundreds of thousands of Colombians headed for the streets on Thursday to show outrage at last week's news that 11 provincial politicians had been killed while held hostage by leftist rebels.

India

A white peacock in background with only its feathers seen displays its plumage, to attract a peahen, foreground, at the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad, India, Saturday, June 30, 2007. The monsoon season also brings along with it the breeding season for the birds.

Germany

Hades of sand : Dutch artist Jan Selen works on his sand sculpture featuring Hades, lord of the Greek underworld, and his three-headed hound Cerberus, at the Sand World festival in Luebeck-Travemuende, northern Germany

Britain Bomb Threats

British armed policemen patrol Glasgow Airport, in Scotland 02 July. British police had about one more day Friday to question six of eight suspects arrested in connection with attempted bombings in London and Glasgow, as a stronger link has reportedly begun to emerge between the attackers and Al-Qaeda.

Armed British police patrol through Glasgow Airport.

Xbox360 repairs will cost Microsoft $1B

An Xbox 360. Microsoft announced Thursday it expects to spend more than a billion dollars fixing flawed Xbox 360 video game consoles, which have logged "an unacceptable number of repairs."

Pakistan Mosque Siege

adrassa students burn effigy of President Pervez Musharraf during a protest in Quetta. A Pakistani cleric under siege in a mosque in the capital said Friday he would rather die than surrender to government security forces

Pakistani soldiers patrol in a vehicle near the Red Mosque, or Lal Masjid, in Islamabad July 5, 2007.

A Pakistani religious student receives a kiss on her forehead from her mother after surrendering outside the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, in Islamabad

Pakistan's paramilitary and police officers take away unidentified radical religious students (with covered faces)

Olympic joy and agony

As IOC delegates in Guatemala cast their votes, it was a nervous time for supporters of the candidate cities like Sochi.

Children were among the crowds waiting to hear the result in the South Korean town of Pyeongchang.

When the vote went in favour of Sochi, the Koreans were distraught.

Not only children wept in Pyeongchang.

But in the Russian town of Sochi, the news from Guatemala brought an explosion of joy.

Crowds in the Black Sea resort celebrated all night.

But in Pyeongchang, some people preferred to reflect alone on what might have been.

Valued Exposure- England

English jazz singer and writer George Melly singing with the Mick Mulligan jazz band in a London nightclub, April 1960. Melly died today at the age of 80.

Indonesia

A banner promoting the upcoming Asian Cup football tournament goes on display in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Germany

Bruno, a 38-year-old orang-utan, enjoys his new enclosure at a Munich zoo.

Valued exposure Italy

Italian film actress Gina Lollobrigida was born 80 years ago on 4 July and is pictured here in a 1952 photograph by Haywood Magee for Picture Post magazine.

Alan Johnston release

BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston has been released by kidnappers almost four months after he was seized. He said at a news conference he had "dreamt many times of being free".

Heathrow security alert

A suspect package sparked a security alert and delays at Heathrow Airport's Terminal Four. More than 50 flights were cancelled. The building reopened after about five hours.

Pakistan -Violence at Islamabad mosque

A hardline Islamic student ready to take on Pakistani soldiers in the capital, Islamabad.

Female religious students fleeing from the shooting. For months the students have been defying the authorities in the nation's capital.

The students are based at the controversial Red Mosque. They are demanding Sharia law in Islamabad.

In recent weeks the students have also kidnapped policemen and people they say are engaged in immoral activities.

Last week paramilitary personnel laid out barbed wire fencing around the mosque as pressure on the government to take action increased.

The open displays of force in the capital have shocked many.

A Pakistani religious student takes a position in bush outside the Red Mosque .

China

Taxis queue outside Beijing rail station. Organisers of the 2008 Olympics plan to remove 50,000 taxis from the Chinese capital to try and reduce pollution for the games.

Afghanistan

Troops from the Afghan army take part in exercises on the outskirts of Kabul.

China

Fans of the Chinese TV show Happy Boy Voice attend a filming session in the city of Chengdu. The TV talent contest is China's version of American Idol.

Germany

A train driver picks his way across empty tracks at the main station in Frankfurt as a strike over pay by German rail workers takes hold.

UK

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II greets the public during the official re-opening of Baxter Park and pavilion in Dundee. The Victorian park is the creation of renowned park designer Sir Joseph Paxton, who also designed Crystal Palace.

Hong Kong handover anniversary

Fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour at the end of a weekend of celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China from Britain.

On Sunday morning, Chief Executive Donald Tsang was sworn in for a second term in office by Chinese President Hu Jintao.

At midnight on Saturday, Buddhist monks marked the exact anniversary of the return by tolling a bell to pray for a better future.

Mr Hu then joined Mr Tsang to officially open the new Shenzhen Bay Bridge linking Hong Kong with the mainland.

Chinese helicopters carrying flags were part of the pomp and ceremony of the official celebrations.

Dragon dancers and marching bands paraded through the streets and bystanders waved Chinese flags.

But not everyone was celebrating. Pro-democracy activists took to the streets for their annual protest march.

The activists are demanding sweeping reforms in the Hong Kong government, including universal suffrage.

Two giant pandas, Ying Ying and Lok Lok, were mainland China's anniversary gift. They are currently the star attractions at Ocean Park.

Putin visits Bush family

Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting US President George W Bush at his family's retreat in Maine. He was picked up from the airport by former President George Bush Snr.

Mrs Bush made sure that Mr Putin's collar was straight before he was taken to meet the rest of the clan.

The Russian president had brought bouquets of flowers for both Laura Bush and her mother-in-law, former first lady Barbara Bush.

Then the Russian leader was introduced to members of the Bush family, including the pet dog.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also joined the party.

Once the introductions were over President Bush and his father took Mr Putin on a speedboat tour of the coast.