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Monday, August 27, 2012

First International Metro Surfing Meeting

A new extreme and illegal sport, known as train surfing, is sweeping Russia's capital. Dozens of young daredevils risk their lives to fight daily boredom and brighten their leisure. The craze involves riding on top or at the side of fast moving carriages, clinging on with their hands or with the aid of a belt.


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Battle for Aleppo intensifies Syrian conflict

With 200,000 fleeing Aleppo, fighting in Syria intensified in the 16-month long struggle opposing the rule of Bashar al-Assad. While fighting still grips Homs after a brutal siege, the conflict has moved north to finally include commercial hub Aleppo - largely spared until now - a city of over two million. Both the Syrian army and the rebel Free Syrian Army claim advances in the battle for Aleppo, which began in earnest over the weekend. More pockets of conflict rage in other locations within Syria as well. Gathered here are images made available in the last week from Syria, where independent news coverage has been limited and difficult. Some of the images are from third parties and transmitted without confirmation via international wire services as they were received.


A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad burns during clashes between rebels and Syrian troops in Selehattin, near Aleppo, on July 23, 2012. (Bulent Kilic/AFP/GettyImages)

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Olympics 2012: Opening ceremonies

Olympics 2012: Opening ceremonies


The Olympic caulmdron is lit during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games on July 27 at the Olympic stadium in London (Cameron Spencer/AFP/GettyImages)

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Ramadan 2012 begins

All over the world Muslims have begun their holiest month of the year by fasting from dawn until dusk each day, broken each evening by large, communal meals. The start of Ramadan is earlier each year because it is calculated based on the sighting of the new moon, which begins the Muslim lunar month. Muslims use the time to reevaluate their lives through the scope of Islamic doctrine.


A Palestinian reads from the Koran during the dawn prayer on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at a mosque in the West Bank city of Jenin on July 20. Muslims from Morocco to Afghanistan are steeling themselves for the toughest Ramadan in more than three decades with no food or drink, not even a sip of water, for 14 hours a day during the hottest time of the year. (Mohammed Ballas/Associated Press)

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Aurora Colorado theater shooting

Shock, misery, and anger rose after a madman went on a rampage at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. on Friday night. The meticulously-planned killing spree was carried out with cold efficiency as at least 70 people were shot, 12 of them fatally, in the suburban multiplex with a variety of guns. Several more remain in hospital in critical condition. Details of the gunman's weaponry, body armor, and booby-trapped apartment continue to shock and dismay as more information becomes public. The theater had been showing a midnight premiere of the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises". Several of the pictures below depict intense personal grief. Also included here are images of the crime scene, the investigation, and memorial services.


Storm clouds gather above a memorial for the victims in the shooting across the street from the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colo. on July 22, 2012. (Ed Andrieski/Associated Press)

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Downpour and drought

An unexpected downpour briefly drenched parts of the US this week, while most of the central and southern United States continued to experience drought conditions - expected to be the most expansive drought in a half century. In the South, 14 states are now baking in blast-furnace conditions - from Arizona, which is battling the largest wildfire in its history, to Florida, where fires have burned some 200,000 acres so far. More than 70 percent of the nine-state Midwest was in some stage of drought this week. More extreme heat and scant rains were expected in the area, suggesting the poorest crop conditions since the historic 1988 drought. The visual documentation of the breadth and depth of the current drought conditions has just begun. This is a small sampling of images, expect much more storytelling to come in the weeks ahead.


People walk through heavy rain at Times Square in New York, July 18, 2012. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

Sunday, August 5, 2012