Tsunami toll rises to 239 in Indonesia

A woman stands in front of her house damaged by the tsunami in Pangandaran, West Java Province, Indonesia, July 18, 2006. The death toll caused by an earthquake-triggered tsunami along the coast of Indonesia's Java island on Monday has risen to 239, including three foreigners.

Death toll from Bilis rises to 198

Chinese soldiers try to repair a breached dike after the Tropical Storm Bilis in Zhangzhou City, East China's Fujian Province, July 17, 2006. One hundred and ninety-eight people have now been confirmed dead from the rainstorms and flooding across China triggered by the severe tropical storm Bilis.

Replica of East Indiaman Gotheborg arrives in Guangzhou

The rebuilt replica of the East Indiaman Gotheborg berths at Nansha Port of Guangzhou Monday. The rebuilt replica of the East Indiaman Gotheborg, a Swedish ship loaded with Chinese goods sank in the sea near Gothenburg in 1745, arrived in Guangzhou, Monday, July 17, 2006. The vessel sailed some 20,000 sea miles from Sweden to China in more than nine months. It took 4, 000 craftsmen ten years to build the vessel at a cost of $30 million.

First Robot Restaurant in Hongkong

A robot waiter (L) serves in the first Robot Restaurant in Hongkong opened on July 17,2006. Robots serve as waiters to take orders and give performances in this restaurant.

1,000 people trapped as flood destroys expressway

A women walks in the flood with her child on her back on the expressway linking Leiyang with Yizhang in central China's Hunan Province on July 17, 2006. The one-kilometer section of the expressway was flooded with the deepest hydrops of 3 meters since the evening of July 15. About 100 vehicles and more than 1,000 people are blocked. The rescue work is now going on.

Mount Etna spews lava

Mount Etna spews lava on the southern Italian island of Sicily in the early hours of July 17, 2006. The volcano has been erupting since Saturday, local media reported.

First robot restaurant opens in HK

A robot waiter (L) serves in the first Robot Restaurant in Hongkong opened on July 17,2006. Robots serve as waiters to take orders and give performances in this restaurant.

Tsunami hits Indonesia, over 100 killed

A house is destroyed by a tsunami in the West Java seaside resort of Pangandaran, one of the areas hardest hit by the killer waves, July 17, 2006. A strong tsunami, caused by an undersea earthquake off the south coast of Java islands in Indonesia, killed over 100 people on Monday, 77 people also are reported missing and thousands more are fleeing to higher ground, a local Red Cross official said.

Zhang Ziyi inaugurates Int'l Beach Festival

Film star Zhang Ziyi inaugurates the opening of the 2006 Dalian International Beach Carnival in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, July 16, 2006. The carnival was held in Dalian's Golden Pebble Beach National Resort.

First ladies "summit" during G8

As the St Petersburg summit gets under way, the halves of G8 leaders will collectively take part in a series of activities, which is called as "Ladies Summit" by Russian media. There are 6 ladies joining in the "summit", including U.S. first lady Laura Bush, French First Lady Bernadette Chirac, Sousa Uva Barroso, wife of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Flavia Franzoni, wife of Italy's Prime Minister Romano Prodi, Russia's First Lady Lyudmila Putin, Laureen Harper, the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Cherie Blair, the wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Residents rebuild homestead after flood in Fujian

Residents stay in temporary rescue tents in Zhangpu County of southeast China's Fujian Province, on July 17, 2006. The tropical storm Bilis has caused the death of 156 people and left 141 others missing in China by Sunday night. The storm triggered heavy rainfall and serious floods in the provinces and regions of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong and Guangxi since July 14, which also caused the emergency relocation of 1.7 million residents by 9:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Yao Ming to leave for European warm-up

China's Yao Ming (L) smiles as being asked about his injury after the training session in Beijing, China, July 17, 2006. Chinese men's basketball team is to leave on Wednesday for their European warm-up tour for the coming World Championships of men's basketball.

CPPCC Chairman inspects in Inner Mongolia

Jia Qinglin (C), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), shakes hands with a local resident in Chen Barag qi in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on July 15, 2006. Jia Qinglin was on an inspection tour in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from July 13 to 17.

Chinese citizens evacuated from Lebanon

Staff members of the Chinese Embassy to Lebanon hang the Chinese national flag onto a bus which is to carry people leave the country, in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, on July 17, 2006. Forty-four Chinese citizens, including part of the embassy staff and their family members, were evacuated from Lebanon on Monday, as Israeli airstrikes in the country continued.

Hu meets Putin, other world leaders in St. Petersburg

Chinese President Hu Jintao(L) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 17, 2006.

Discovery lands safely at Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Discovery lands safely at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9:14 a.m. EDT (1314 GMT) Monday, after completing a 13-day flight mission.