HOTBIRD- The Blog to N'JOY

2007-10-20T03:55:00.000-07:00

Actress Deborah Kerr, famous for roles in films such as The King and I and From Here to Eternity, died aged 86.

England

2007-10-20T03:54:00.000-07:00

A statue of English rugby player Jonny Wilkinson was unveiled in London's Trafalgar Square, ahead of England's World Cup final against South Africa.

Portugal

2007-10-20T03:50:00.000-07:00

French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced he and his wife Cecilia were divorcing after an 11-year marriage. He wore his wedding ring, however, to EU reform treaty talks in Lisbon.

2007-10-20T03:49:00.001-07:00

The Sex Pistols - the most infamous band in Britain's summer of punk in 1976 - in one of their most iconic photographs. From left: Steve Jones, Glen Matlock (back), Johnny Rotten (John Lydon) and Paul Cook.

China

2007-10-20T03:33:00.000-07:00

Yang Yang, a 4-year-old Chinese boy, swims with a 5-year-old beluga whale named Xiao Qiang at an aquarium in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong Province, Sunday, Oct. 14, 2007. Yang Yang, who has been swimming since he was one years old, will perform with the white beluga again in 2008 to welcome visitors who come to watch sailing events at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Violent Life in Congo

2007-08-06T09:37:00.002-07:00

After years of unrest, farmers in parts of eastern DR Congo only go to their fields in large groups. Some 100,000 people have fled their homes recently, with horrific tales of abuse.

2007-08-06T09:37:00.001-07:00

These fishermen are on Lake Kivu, between eastern Congo and Rwanda, which has twice sent its troops across the border. Foreign troops have been attracted by Congo's vast reserves of gold, silver, diamonds, uranium and other precious minerals.

2007-08-06T09:36:00.001-07:00

Despite a long-standing peace deal, successful recent elections and the presence of the world's largest peacekeeping operation, the situation remains precarious in the east.

2007-08-06T09:35:00.001-07:00

A group of Hutu rebels from neighbouring Rwanda, the Interahamwe, were the biggest threat to civilian lives. But people say that even they are surpassed by the now notorious Bravo Brigade – a Congolese militia who refuse to be integrated into the national army.

2007-08-06T09:34:00.001-07:00

They wear the uniforms of regular government soldiers but remain loyal to their own leader, Laurent Nkunda. He says his men are protecting Congo's Tutsi population against the Hutu rebels but they are accused of numerous atrocities.

2007-08-06T09:33:00.001-07:00

They rape us, they loot and they shoot. There is no safety and we suffer so much," says a woman [not pictured]. Heal Africa is a clinic in Goma [pictured] for survivors of sexual attacks. Over 4,000 women have been treated here after brutal assaults, often by gangs.

2007-08-06T09:32:00.001-07:00

Such violent rape can cause vaginal fistula – debilitating incontinence and severe pain because the walls between the vagina, the bladder and anus are torn. Sufferers are often shunned, so having the operation to heal their internal wounds is cause for celebration

2007-08-06T09:31:00.001-07:00

The United Nations mandate in DR Congo is expected to be renewed until at least the end of the year but officials admit that nothing is guaranteed after that.

Minneapolis bridge

2007-08-06T09:28:00.001-07:00

A day after the I-35W highway bridge collapsed in the US city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, rescue operations shifted to focus on recovery.

2007-08-06T09:27:00.001-07:00

Cars were still perched precariously on various sections of the bridge as police said the recovery effort would be a long, slow process.

2007-08-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

Cars were thrown on top of each other by the force of the bridge collapse. Investigators are treating the area as a crime scene until they determine a cause for the collapse.

Valued Exposure

2007-08-06T09:23:00.001-07:00

Washing lines blowing in the wind at Butlin's Holiday camp at Skegness in Lincolnshire, 1955. Original Publication: Picture Post - 7941 - Butlin's Holiday Camp.

France - Bastille Day

2007-07-16T10:07:00.001-07:00

Jets of the Patrouille de France fly over the Arc de Triomphe in Paris as part of France's annual Bastille Day celebrations.

2007-07-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Nicolas Sarkozy was overseeing his first Champs Elysees parade as the new French president.

2007-07-16T10:03:00.001-07:00

Mr Sarkozy broke with tradition by inviting foreign military contingents, including from all 27 countries of the European Union.

2007-07-16T09:58:00.001-07:00

But there were some stalwarts - notably these Pioneers of the 1st Foreign Regiment.

2007-07-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

Flag bearers of the EU nations parade down the Champs Elysees. Mr Sarkozy said: "I wanted the national holiday to be a people's holiday."

2007-07-16T09:55:00.001-07:00

There were some casualties along the way - this French soldier fainted during the parade.

2007-07-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

Along the route families stopped for some snapshots. On Saturday night there will be a mass, free, open-air concert headlined by French star Michel Polnareff.

2007-07-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

Officials fear the week-long Red Mosque siege, which led to more than 100 deaths, is sparking militant reprisals.

ITALY - Versace tribute

2007-07-16T08:14:00.001-07:00

As well as the ballet, Versace's outfits are to be displayed on Milan's streets and a scholarship will be set up in his honour.

2007-07-16T08:13:00.001-07:00

About 1,500 guests attended a ballet performance at La Scala in Milan, remembering fashion designer Gianni Versace.

ENGLAND -Valued Exposure

2007-07-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

Flocks of seagulls seek refuge from the rough weather at sea, and circle round Blackpool Tower in search of food, February 1937.

JAPAN - Earthquake rocks

2007-07-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

National highway is cut off following a powerful quake in Nagaoka, northwestern Japan, Monday, July 16, 2007. A 6.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Japan's northwest coast on Monday, and media reports said at least five people were killed and more than 500 injured. The area was plagued by a series of aftershocks, the strongest of which was magnitude 5.8.

2007-07-16T07:29:00.001-07:00

A man walks past a collapsed house in Kashiwazaki, northern Japan, July 16, 2007

2007-07-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

A train at Kashiwazaki station gets derailed before its departure due to an earthquake in Kashiwazaki

2007-07-16T07:23:00.001-07:00

A man walks over cracks in the road caused by an earthquake in Kashiwazaki

2007-07-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

Electric Power's nuclear plant at Kashiwazaki city, north of Tokyo. Water containing some radioactive materials leaked from a nuclear power plant in Japan after a strong earthquake

CHINA

2007-07-12T08:51:00.001-07:00

The world's tallest man, Bao Xishun, weds Xia Shujuan in a traditional Mongolian ceremony in Inner Mongolia, China. They were officially married earlier this year.

AUSTRALIA

2007-07-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri's Warlugulong 1977, which is being auctioned in Sydney, Australia, and is set to break the record for the most expensive Aboriginal art work sold at auction.

JAPAN - Campaigning

2007-07-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

The poll is being seen as a key test for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has seen his popularity plummet during his 10 months in power. Japanese lawmakers have begun campaigning for the 29 July upper house elections, with about half the seats up for grabs.

2007-07-12T08:32:00.002-07:00

Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, urged people to vote for change and a new government.

2007-07-12T08:32:00.001-07:00

The small New People's Party, meanwhile, campaigned on behalf of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who is contesting a seat from house arrest in Chile.

CHINA

2007-07-12T08:09:00.001-07:00

A man collects dead fish in Donghu lake in central China's Hubei province. Officials said the fish had died in the lake due to a combination of pollution and hot weather.

Valued exposure

2007-07-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

A teacher at a boys school in London keeps a record of his pupils' height and weight. The school for ailing boys is running an experiment to prove that boys who have gained in weight and height perform better in the classroom, 1936.

FRANCE

2007-07-11T10:33:00.001-07:00

The fourth stage of the Tour de France cycling race takes place in the French countryside.

Boeing Dreamliner unveiled

2007-07-11T10:32:00.001-07:00

Boeing has so far received 677 orders for its Dreamliner, the latest chapter in the rivalry between Boeing and Europe's Airbus to dominate the commercial jet market.

2007-07-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

There was little on the outside of the aircraft that visitors could not touch - although the inside has yet to be completed.

2007-07-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

Huge crowds gathered at Boeing's assembly plant in Everett in Washington state, to see the first production model of the 787 Dreamliner make its public debut.

Argentina snowfall

2007-07-11T10:04:00.001-07:00

Proving that the age of gallantry is not past, a man carries a woman across a flooded street in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

China - Flooding

2007-07-11T09:51:00.001-07:00

Proving that the age of gallantry is not past, a man carries a woman across a flooded street in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

2007-07-11T09:50:00.002-07:00

Residents survey the damage to houses that collapsed during the flooding in Guangan.

2007-07-11T09:50:00.001-07:00

People negotiate the floods by boat in Quxian County, Sichuan province.

2007-07-11T09:49:00.001-07:00

And still the rain keeps falling in Nanjing, as a man paddles a rubber dingy up a submerged street.

2007-07-11T09:48:00.003-07:00

And elsewhere in the city, a businessman counts the cost of flood damage to his shop.

2007-07-11T09:48:00.001-07:00

Firemen rescue passengers from a coach that was trapped in the flooding in Guangan.

2007-07-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

Soldiers of the People's Armed Police Force clean silt in the flooded old city area of Guangan, in south-west China's Sichuan province.

Pakistan - Red Mosque assault

2007-07-11T09:42:00.001-07:00

Pakistani security forces stormed Islamabad's rebellious Red Mosque in an operation that began in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

2007-07-11T09:41:00.003-07:00

Cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who was leading the resistance, was killed during the operation. The Interior Ministry says his body was found in the basement of the mosque.

2007-07-11T09:41:00.001-07:00

The army says at least 50 Islamic militants and eight soldiers have been killed in the fighting.

2007-07-11T09:40:00.001-07:00

Troops sealed off the area before the operation began.

2007-07-11T09:39:00.001-07:00

Medical staff attend to a commando injured in the fighting

2007-07-11T09:37:00.001-07:00

By late morning, the army said they were in control of 70% of the mosque complex, which includes a religious school for women and girls.

2007-07-11T09:36:00.001-07:00

For months militants in the mosque campaigning for Sharia law in Islamabad have openly defied the authorities.

Valued exposure

2007-07-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

Portuguese rice harvest. Original Publication: Picture Post, 1955.

China

2007-07-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

A model wears a hat decorated with condoms at 4th China Reproductive Health New Technologies and Products Expo in Beijing. The expo hopes to promote condom use for family planning and the prevention of HIV/AIDS in China.

Ireland

2007-07-08T08:01:00.001-07:00

Indian Spirit performers thrill onlookers with their dangerous routine at Duffy's Circus in Eamonn Ceannt Park, Dublin.

Australia

2007-07-08T08:00:00.001-07:00

The aircraft super-carrier USS Kitty Hawk arrives in Sydney Harbour, Australia, where it will remain until Tuesday.

Papua New Guinea's

2007-07-08T07:59:00.001-07:00

Barefoot voters from the Andai tribe of hunter-gatherers queue to cast their votes at a remote village polling station during Papua New Guinea's general election.

Australia

2007-07-08T07:52:00.001-07:00

Aboriginal children play on a swing set as Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough meets with the Mutitjulu community elders near Alice Springs, Australia.

UK- Valued Exposure

2007-07-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

People sunbathe and relax at Serpentine Lido, Hyde Park, London, in 1949.

Albania- Valued Exposure

2007-07-08T07:48:00.001-07:00

The remains of a Roman amphitheatre in Butrint, photographed in the 1950s. In 1997, the Butrint Foundation, along with UNESCO, encouraged the Albanian government to declare the whole site, and 30 square miles around it, a national park.

Spain- Running of The Bulls

2007-07-08T07:45:00.001-07:00

Tens of thousands of people have flocked to the northern Spanish city of Pamplona to take part in the annual Running of the Bulls, which began on Saturday.

2007-07-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

The Running of the Bulls is held during a nine-day festival of San Fermin, and has been celebrated since 1591. Runners wear red neckties during the event.

2007-07-08T07:41:00.001-07:00

The event sees six bulls run each day from the outskirts of the city through the narrow streets into the bullring in the centre of the city - preceded by crowds of revellers.

2007-07-08T07:40:00.001-07:00

This year, the 0800 start of the run was slightly delayed, to clear rubbish and drunken revellers off the streets. Many were content to watch the action from the sidelines.

2007-07-08T07:39:00.001-07:00

The event gained international notoriety after author Ernest Hemingway portrayed it in his 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises.

2007-07-08T07:37:00.001-07:00

Slips and falls are commonplace as the runners round street corners. Since 1924, 13 people have been killed, the most recent an American tourist who was gored in 1995.

New Seven Wonders of the World

2007-07-08T07:16:00.003-07:00

The winners of a competition to name the modern wonders of the world have been announced in Lisbon. One of them is the ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico.

2007-07-08T07:16:00.001-07:00

Brazil's Statue of Christ the Redeemer, which gazes down over Rio de Janeiro, is one of three winners from Latin America.

2007-07-08T07:15:00.001-07:00

The Colosseum in Rome, where gladiators once fought, is the only European building to make the list. Stonehenge, the Acropolis and The Kremlin all lost out.

2007-07-08T07:14:00.001-07:00

The Great Wall of China was a popular winner. The list was chosen after people were invited to choose their favourites via the internet or via text messages.

2007-07-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

Peru's Machu Picchu, 2,430m (8,000ft) up a mountain slope, is the remains of an Inca city.

2007-07-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

Jordan's Petra - the famed Rose City - also made the list. The Khazneh, or Treasury, featured prominently in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

2007-07-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

India's Taj Mahal, a tomb built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his favourite wife, is one of the most well-known of the chosen sites. Organisers say 100m people cast their vote.

Colombia

2007-07-06T03:13:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-06T03:10:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-06T03:09:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-06T01:45:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-07-06T01:43:00.000-07:00

Armed British police patrol through Glasgow Airport.

Xbox360 repairs will cost Microsoft $1B

2007-07-06T01:38:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-06T01:26:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-06T01:24:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-06T01:22:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-06T01:20:00.000-07:00

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

Olympic joy and agony

2007-07-05T02:39:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-05T02:38:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-05T02:37:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-05T02:36:00.000-07:00

Not only children wept in Pyeongchang.

2007-07-05T02:32:00.002-07:00

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

2007-07-05T02:32:00.001-07:00

Crowds in the Black Sea resort celebrated all night.

2007-07-05T02:31:00.000-07:00

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

Valued Exposure- England

2007-07-05T02:27:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-05T02:26:00.001-07:00

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

Germany

2007-07-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

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