Discovery astronauts arrive in Florida for launch

Space Shuttle Discovery astronauts (L-R) Joan Higginbotham, Pilot William Oefelein, Robert Curbeam, Crister Fuglesang of Sweden, British-born Nicholas Patrick, Sunita Williams and Commander Mark Polansky speak with the media after they arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida December 3, 2006. Launch for Mission STS-116 is scheduled for Dec. 7.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Grand military parade in Cuba

Tanks roll through the Revolution Square during the grand parade in Havana, Cuba, Dec. 2, 2006. A grand military parade was held Saturday in Havana in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Cuban army, which also served as a part of the celebration of Cuban leader Fidel Castro's 80th birthday.

U.S. 59-year-old Christmas Village

People visit the Koziar's Christmas Village in Reading, Pennsylvania, the United States, Dec. 2, 2006. With a history of 59 years, the village was developed from a Christmas house of the Koziar's. The Christmas Village is now listed as one of the 10 most famous tourist resorts in Pennsylvania.

Britney Spears and son at L.A Zoo

The photo taken on Dec. 2 shows Britney Spears took her son Sean Preston to the L.A Zoo on her 25th birthday. (Photo: China Daily)

China wins ninth consecutive Asiad gymnastics women's team titles

(L to R) Pang Panpan, Zhou Zhuoru, He Ning, Han Bing, Cheng Fei and Zhang Nan of China wave to the crowd after the women's team final and individual qualification of gymnastics artistic at Doha Asiad in Doha, capital of Qatar, Dec. 3, 2006. China won the gold medal of the women's team with a total score of 239.400 points.

Top legislator meets CE of Macao SAR

Wu Bangguo (R Front), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, meets with Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of Macao Special Administrative Region, in Hong Kong, south China, on Dec. 3, 2006.

Telecom World 2006 opens in Hong Kong

Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the World Telecom 2006 of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Hong Kong, south China, on Dec. 3, 2006. The ITU World Telecom 2006 was opened here on Sunday.

Rare golden soft-shelled turtle found in central China

Photo taken on Dec. 2, 2006 shows a rare golden soft-shelled turtle in Xiangfan, central China's Hubei Province. The golden soft-shelled turtle weighs around 750 grams.

Chen sets three weightlifting world records at Asiad

Olympic champion Chen Yanqing sets three weightlifting world records yesterday to win the women's 58-kilogram gold medal at the Asian Games. Chen hoisted 111 kg to eclipse the snatch record of 110 kg set by fellow Chinese Wang Li in 2003 and lifted 140 kg in the clean and jerk and 251 overall to beat compatriot Qu Wei's marks of 139 kg and 241 kg set last year.

Car crash in Fuzhou

A car is pulled out of water after it crashed into the Jin River from a bridge in Quanzhou, East China's Fujian Province, December 3, 2006. The crash left one man dead.

Quadruplets born in east China

Quadruplets lie in their beds in a children's hospital in Huaibei, east China's Anhui Province December 3, 2006. The quadruplets, weighing 2.1 kilograms, 1.9 kilograms, 2.15 kilograms and 1.63 kilograms respectively, were born on Friday. The two boys and two girls, and their mother are doing well. (newsphoto)

Shiite, Sunni Muslims clash in Beirut

Hezbollah supporters wave their flags in front of Al Amin mosque in Beirut December 3,2006. A Shi'ite Muslim Lebanese man was shot dead in a Sunni neighborhood on Sunday as he returned from a third day of protests against the Western-backed government.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)