Puppet show students in Shanghai

A student rehearses traditional Chinese puppet show at an art school in Shanghai December 29, 2006. The first thirty-eight puppet show students in China in more than ten years will graduate from the school in 2007, which was jointly founded by the Shanghai Puppet theatre and Shanghai Theater Academy.

China's next-generation fighter aircraft unveiled

Two Fighter-10s perform in the air.China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) said on Friday that it has been equipped with locally-made, next-generation fighter aircraft, the Jian-10, or Fighter-10, capable of launching precision attacks while hedgehopping and making long-distance assaults at an altitude above 10,000 meters. Air drills have been successfully carried out.

Beijing sees first winter snow

A child smiles and watches the first snow on a Beijing street on December 30, 2006. At 2:40 this morning, it began snowing in Beijing for the first time this winter, blanketing the Chinese capital and slowing down traffic during the rush hour on Saturday morning.

Hotspring in winter

Tourists enjoy hotspring at a holiday resort in the Lushan Mountain scenic spot in Jiujiang, east China's Jiangxi Province December 29.

Michael Jordan to end 17-year marriage

Michael Jordan and his wife Juanita. The celebrity couple are about to end their 17 year marriage, according to U.S. media report on Friday.

U.S. proposes listing polar bears as threatened

The United States proposed Wednesday to list polar bears as "threatened" on government list of imperilled species, marking the first time the Bush administration has singled out climate change as the potential driving force behind the demise of a species.

Mourners bid farewell to Godfather of Soul

A woman holds pictures of singer James Brown as she waits for horse-drawn carriage carriing his coffin to Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Somali gov't controls Mogadishu

Government soldiers are seen in a town 60 kilometers south of Baidoa in Southern Somali, Dec. 28, 2006. Somali's transitional government Friday seized the control of key installations in Mogadishu,including ports and seaports.

President Hu wishes HK more prosperous future

Chinese President Hu Jintao (L) shakes hands with China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Donald Tsang in Beijing, Dec. 29, 2006. Hu Jintao on Friday said he hoped the Hong Kong people sustained their sound development and continue to contribute to future prosperity.

Crackdown on unauthorized taxi service in Beijing

An illegal taxi is tossed to the ground as the police in Beijing crack down on unauthorized taxi service in the capital December 28, 2006. A total of 200 illegal taxis were disassembled during the crackdown.

Anti-emergency drill in Nanjing prior to New Year

Police officers line up before an anti-emergency drill in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province December 29, 2006. The drill aimed to better maintain public safety and tackle emergency during the imminent New Year 2007. (newsphoto)

Premier Wen praises efforts made by HKSAR gov't

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R) shakes hands with China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Donald Tsang in Beijing, Dec. 29, 2006. Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday met with Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive Donald Tsang and praised the efforts made by the HKSAR government over the year.

TV: Saddam to be executed at dawn Sat.

Ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein reacts in court during the Anfal genocide trial in Baghdad December 21, 2006. A top Iraqi official said Friday Saddam Hussein will be executed between 5:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Saturday, an Iraqi television reported.