Kelly Chan to ring in the new year

Hong Kong actress and singer Kelly Chan is putting the final touches on preparations for her Coliseum Concert, scheduled to take place in Hong Kong this Christmas Eve. (CRI)

Iran holds nuclear talks with EU

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani (C) holds a joint news conference with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier (L), British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw (2ndL), German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer (2ndR) and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana (R) in Brussels December 13, 2004. (Reuters)

36 miners still missing in flooded coal mine

Rescuers carry a transformer used for pumping water into the mine in the Tianchi Coal mine, in Xujiaba Town in Southwest China's Guizhou Province on Dec 13th. Heavy flooding trapped 80 miners underground, 44 workers have been rescued while 36 are still missing.

International table tennis challenge to be held in Changsha city

Jan-ove Waldner (R) from Sweden talks with Vladimir Samsonov from Belarus during the drawing ceremony for the International Challenging Match of Table Tennis in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Dec. 13, 2004.

Great Wall, IBM join hands

China Great Wall Computer Corp President Lu Ming and IBM Vice-President Tim Carroll attend the signing ceremony of their joint venture -- International Systems Technology Company -- based in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province on Dec 12. (newsphoto)

Scaffold collapses in Guizhou

The picture shows the site of a scaffold collapse accident in Guangzhou, capital city of South China's Guangdong province, Dec. 13, 2004. The scaffold collapsed at the construction site of a viaduct in Guangzhou in the early morning on Monday. 26 people were reported injured.

Children's Christmas fairyland in Finland

A Santa Claus talks with a child in the children's Christmas fairyland in Jarvenpaa, south Finland, Dec. 12, 2004. Thousands of children, accompanied by their parents, took part in the annual celebration for the Christmas in the fairyland Dec. 12.

Chinese peace-keeping troops' contribution to construction of DRC

Li Pingsheng, a Chinese peace-keeping soldier stationed in Bukavu town in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), commands a road roller to repair the road from the town to airport on Dec. 13, 2004. Chinese peace-keeping soldiers accomplished 4 000 stere volume of earthwork in 4 months after their arrival.

Russian Defense Minister visits China

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets with visiting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Dec. 13, 2004.

Suicide bomb hit Baghdad

A wounded man receives medical treatment at the Yarmuk Hospital in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, Dec. 13, 2004. A suicide car bomb blast occurred at an entrance to the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad Monday morning, leaving seven people killed and 19 others injured.

Dense fog covers Hefei

Local residents ride bicycles in heavy fog in downtown Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, Dec. 13, 2004. The city was hit by a dense fog on Monday with a visibility less than 10 meters.

Abbas holds talks with Kuwaiti PM

Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (R) shakes hands with Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization during a meeting in Kuwait City Dec. 13, 2004.

Rally held to commemorate the Nanjing Massacre

Japanese guests pray after presenting bouquets at the Memorial of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese invading troops, in Nanjing, capital city of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 13, 2004. Local people and foreign guests held a commemoration at the memorial on Dec. 13 for the 67th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre.