PLA Navy's maneuver on the East China Sea

A corvette fleet of the People's Liberation Army Navy holds a maneuver on the East China Sea in late June. The maneuver, covering nine subjects and featuring a non-stop voyage of 21 hours, is carried out under real war conditions. It greatly enhances the quick response capability and comprehensive combat capability of the fleet.

Contestants to Miss Tourism Queen Int'l at Shaolin Temple

Three contestants strike a pose in front of the Shaolin Temple on Monday. A total of 87 contestants watched a performance of Chinese martial arts at the Shaolin Temple, where they experienced the glamour of Chinese martial arts.

Taklimakan sees travel peak

Visitors travel on the desert of Luntai County of Bayinguoleng Autonomous prefecture in spite of the hot weather on Monday afternoon. The Taklimakan desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, known as "sea of death" with an average temperature up to 39 degree Celsius, has attracted many tourists who are keen to travel in hot weather. The number of visitors to Taklimakan Desert covering an area of 320,000 sq. km hit more than 3,200 daily.

The first ever Miss National Asia Pageant

The first ever Miss National Asia Pageant is held in The Palace of Fine Art Theatre, San Francisco, United States on July 1st local time. A total of 13 contestants of Asian descendant from four US states competed in the pageant. Photo shows Linda Phung (R2) of Chinese descendant is crowned the champion; Catherine Hwang of Korean descendant, Aimee Truong and Julie Mai of Vietnamese descendant win the title of first, second and third princesses respectively.

Re-emergence of marvelous advection fog in Penglai

A dense morning fog encircled the coastal region of Penglai, a resort seaside city in east China's Shandong province on July 3, looming over the fairyland on earth. The landscape strewn with pavilions and storied buildings resembles fairy mountains under the mysterious veil. Thick fog, moving with the wind, envelops the entire city.

England football team return home

David Beckham with wife Victoria and son Cruz at Stansted Airport in Essex Sunday July 2 2006 as the England football team return from Germany after they were knocked out of the World Cup quarter finals by Portugal on Saturday. (Xinhua)

Italy prepares for semi-finals

Italian players run during an Italy national football team training session, 03 July 2006 at Dortmund stadium, on the eve of the World cup 2006 semi-final football match Germany vs. Italy.

Crack found in Discovery's foam

A crack was discovered in the foam near a bracket that holds the liquid oxygen feedline in place during a routine inspection of space shuttle Discovery, NASA announced on Monday. The Mission Management Team met on Monday to discuss the results of the information before making a final decision regarding Tuesday's launch attempt.

Israeli army continues bombarding Gaza

An Israeli self-propelled howitzer fires shells at the northern border of Gaza Strip, July 3��2006. Artillery continued the bombarding to Gaza as Israeli army resumed its ground operation in northern Gaza on Monday.

Flight from Blagoveshchensk to Harbin available

The plane for Flight 7D-381, the first flight from Blagoveshchensk of Russia to Harbin, is seen at Taiping International Airport in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, July 3, 2006. The flight from Blagoveshchensk of Russia to Harbin was opened on July 3.

First train from Beijing to Lhasa arrives

The first passenger train coded T27 from China's capital Beijing rolls into the Lhasa Railway Station in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 3, 2006.(xinhua)

Indonesian cleric on speech tour after release from prison

Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir delivers a speech in south Jakarta, Indonesia, July 3, 2006. Abu Bakar Ba'asyir (L) speaks to reporters in south Jakarta, Indonesia, July 3, 2006. The 68-year-old cleric, believed to be the former spiritual leader of regional terror network Jamaah Islamiyah, is going on a speech tour around Indonesia, nearly three weeks after his release from Jakarta's Cipinang prison for terror conviction.

Power supply reaches mountain villagers

An elderly resident experiences an electric-fan at Baolin Village in Laian County, east China's Anhui Province, July 2, 2006. Situated in mountainous area between Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, the villagers were left without power supply for a long time. After two months' hard work by local power company, villagers are finally able to take advantage of modern convenience.

Passengers from Chengdu arrive in Lhasa

Passengers taking the train from Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, leave the Lhasa Railway Station in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 3, 2006. The train, coded T22/23, arrived in Lhasa on July 3 after a 40-hour journey. It was the first train from Chengdu to Lhasa since the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was put into operation on July 1.

34 killed in Spanish subway crash

A wounded woman is carried onto an ambulance in Valencia, Spain on Monday, July 03, 2006. At least 34 people were killed and more than 20 seriously injured when a speeding underground train ran off the tracks and overturned in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia on Monday.

AU should consolidate the Darfur Peace Agreement, Annan

The United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan speaks at a press conference in Banjul, capital of Gambia, July 2, 2006. After meeting with Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed El-Bashir, Annan said at a press conference that they "agreed the immediate need to strengthen the African Union mission in Darfur and to consolidate the Darfur Peace Agreement."