PLA holds drill on the Yellow Sea

Soldiers of People's Liberation Army (PLA) drive boats dashing against big waves. A PLA unit of Nanjing military area conducted a drill on the Yellow Sea in mid July to further check the unit's actual combat capability.

"Silk Road" Int'l Costumes Festival opens in Urumqi

Russian girls dressed in national costumes perform at the opening ceremony of 2006 "Silk Road" International Costumes Festival in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 18, 2006. Artists from Russia, South Africa, Pakistan and other countries give performances at the opening ceremony Tuesday.

Most luxuriest "apartment" car in world

The photo shows the state-of-the-art luxury motorcoach launched by Featherlite Luxury Coaches of Sanford, Fla. The motorcoach's interior is designed with marbleor granite flooring, leather furnishings, etched glass and exquisite fabrics. And it is equipped with marine-grade quality systems as well as an in-motion satellite system and the new patent-pending sway bar system. The coach is worth 2.5 million US dollars.

Schleck wins 15th stage of Tour de France

CSC's team rider Frank Schleck of Luxembourg celebrates his victory as he cycles past the finish line to win the 15th stage of the 93rd Tour de France between Gap and L'Alpe D'Huez, July 18, 2006.

Wedding amid Israel-Lebanon conflict

Imad Musa and his bride Anita Mishel walk on the empty street of the northern Israeli city of Haifa on their wedding day, July 18, 2006, moments after explosions of Hizbollah rockets echoed across the city. Israeli warplanes battered Lebanon on Tuesday, killing 31 people, and more Hizbollah rockets hit northern Israel, killing one, with no sign that diplomacy would halt the week-old conflict any time soon.

DR Congo's opposition stages violent march over election

Riot police pass by the fire lit by protestors during a demonstration against the coming elections in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), July 18, 2006. The country's first presidential and legislative elections will be held on July 30.

Modeling contest in Urumqil

Chinese model Yan Yuting (C), Polish model Galina (R) and Italian Liza acknowledge the spectators. Yan Yuting wins the Silk Road International Model Contest 2006 held in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 18, 2006. Polish model Galina (R) and Italian Liza (L) become the 1st and 2nd runner-up. A total of 40 models from China, the United States, Britain, Germany, and Kazakhstan take part in the finals.

China tops medal tally of Asian Junior Athletics Championships

Liang Jiahong of China takes Asian Junior 100m title in 10.32 seconds. The Chinese team tops the medal tally of Asian Junior Athletics Championships with a total of 15 golds, nine silvers and four bronzes, followed by Japan and Saudi Arabia. Delegations form 36 countries and regions take part in the competition held in Macao from July 15 to 18.

Floodwater released from the Three Gorges Dam

Floodwater from the continuous rainstorm on the upper reaches of Yangtze River gushes out of the eight-hole sluice gate on the Three Gorges Dam Tuesday, July 18, 2006. The hydro-power project, the world's largest of its kind, has played an active role in storing the floodwater and lagging flood peak during the summer flood season ever since the tearing down of the cofferdam on June 6 this year. It is the first time the sluice gate was raised to release floodwater from the reservoir. [newsphoto]

Taffic resumes on Beijing-Guangzhou railway

The train T29 from Beijing to Guangzhou leaves Changsha railway station at 5:15 p.m. on July 18, 2006. After three days of closure, traffic resumed on the flood-ravaged trunk railway linking Beijing and Guangzhou by midday Tuesday. The repair work involved more than 5,000 workers and took three days and three nights.

Arabian baboon in Kunming

"King King", the Arabian baboon stays in a glass garden in a safari park in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, on July 17, 2006. "King King", who was one-month old on Monday, was artificially feed in the park since it was born.

Palestinian women armed against Israeli attack

Armed Palestinian women, members of the popular resistant committee, protest against Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon during a demonstration in Gaza city July 18, 2006.

Swedish merchant ship Goteborg docks Guangzhou

The replica of the Swedish merchant ship Goteborg docks Nansha harbour in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province July 17, 2006. Goteborg will be staying in Guangzhou from July 18 to August 19, 2006, attending a month-long series of activities that cover areas of culture, economic, trade and tourism.(newsphoto)

Farnborough International Airshow

European multi-role combat fighter "Typhoon" on display at Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, southern England, Tuesday July 17, 2006. The biennial show, which is in its 45th year, showcases aerospace equipment and technology and is the largest aerospace event in the world.

Death toll rises to 57 in suicide car bomb in Kufa

Iraqi people gather around a destryoed car, Kufa, July 18, 2006. The death toll of a suicide car bomb among a crowd of construction workers in the holy Shiite city of Kufa on Tuesday rose to 57, an Interior Ministry source said.

Indonesia tsunami death toll climbs to 357

An elderly man consoles a woman sobbing in front of their ruined house in tsunami-hit Pangandaran, Indonesia, July 18, 2006. The UN humanitarian mission was sent to the tsunami-hit areas in Indonesia's southern Java coasts Tuesday as death toll climbs to 357.