HBO wins 17 Creative Arts Emmy awards

Patricia Clarkson is named outstanding guest actress in a drama series for HBO's "Six Feet Under," by the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2006, in Los Angeles. HBO received 17 awards, followed by ABC with 10 and NBC with eight.

Chinese soldiers of UNIFIL in Lebanon

Two Chinese soldiers of the U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stand guard in the village of Henniyeh, Lebanon, Aug. 20, 2006. A total of 182 Chinese peacekeepers of UNIFIL will be engaged in missions as path repairing, humanitarian succor and bomb elimination after the cease-fire between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah. Three Chinese UN peacekeepers that were wounded by a rocket in southern Lebanon, have already recovered now.

Int'l Youth Dance Festival in HK

Dancers perform during the opening of the International Youth Dance Festival Celebrating the Joy of Nature held at Asia World-Expo of Hong Kong, south China, Aug. 19, 2006. The International Youth Dance Festival began on Saturday with an attraction of over 600 young performers from 12 countries and regions including China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Military drill held in Tibet

A soldier of the Tibetan Border Police Corps takes aim during a military drill in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 20, 2006. A six-day military drill was held here recently, including shooting, obstacle race, tussle skills and long-distance running. The large-scale drill is the first of its kind since the founding of the corps ten years ago.

Miss Poland 2006 crowned

Miss Poland 2005 Malwina Ratajczak (front R) awards for Miss Poland 2006 Marzena Cieslik (front L) in Warsaw, capital of Poland, August 19, 2006. The final of the Miss Polonia 2006 beauty contest was held here Saturday. Marzena Cieslik, 24, will represent Poland in the Miss World beauty pageant held in Warsaw on September 30, 2006.

Shaolin abbot receives PhD degree from US Sports Academy

Former US Secretary of State Henry Alfred Kissinger (L front) reads the book edited by Shi Yongxin (R front), head Buddhist abbot of the Songshan Shaolin Temple, central China's Henan Province in this file photo dated May 12, 2005. Shi Yongxin received an honorary PhD degree from the United States Sports Academy recently for his great contributions to protect and propagate culture of Shaolin.

US beats China 121-90 at basketball worlds

China's Yao Ming (R) explains to referee during the game against the U.S. during the first round of the world basketball championships in Sapporo, northern Japan, Aug. 20, 2006. China lost the game 90-121.

Iran tests short-range missile

A TV grab taken from Iran's state television shows the test firing of a new short-range missile. The Iranian-made Saegheh (thunderbolt) missile, which has a range of 80-250 km, was test-fired on Sunday, one day after the army launched a series of large-scale military maneuvers, Iran's state-run television said.

4th batch of Chinese riot police in Haiti

Chinese police officers are on duty in Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti, Apr 19, 2006. The fourth batch of Chinese peacekeeping riot police, 125 in all, have arrived in Haiti and begun their eight-month peacekeeping mission in the country.

Int'l Regatta opens in Qingdao

Competitors set off for RS:X practice race at the Good Luck Beijing -- Qingdao International Regatta in Qingdao, a coastal city of east China's Shandong Province, Aug 20, 2006.

Water level of Yangtze River down to 40.6 meters in Yichang

A wharfboat (front) lies on the exposed river bank of Yangtze River in Yichang city, central China's Hubei Province, Aug. 20, 2006. The water level of the Yangtze River measured at hydrologic station in Yichang touched down to 40.60 meters at 8:00 am (GMT 0000) Sunday, making it the lowest record at the station in corresponding period since 1877.