A Christian Orthodox nun lights an oil lamp at the Grotto, the site that Christians believe is the birthplace of Jesus, within the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Saturday Dec. 17, 2005.
Young Refugee
A Kashmiri girl left homeless by the earthquake stands in her tent in a refugee camp in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2005. Before the arrival of the harsh Himalayan winter, earthquake survivors are struggling in crowded settlements where diseases have been reported due to poor sanitation.
All Together Now
Moscow's synchronized swimming team performs their free routine during the Winter's Night Ball international sport show in Moscow on Friday, Dec. 16, 2005.
A Ray of Light
Visitors to the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, South Africa, look into the basement housing the empty tomb where at noon every Dec. 16, sunlight shines through the dome and strikes the sacred spot. The monument was built as a temple of apartheid and has ambitious plans to attract foreign tourists, even blacks, in an effort to stay in business and not become a forgotten relic of an embarrassing past.
A Grand Canyon
A tree rises above the Noravank Canyon, which is rich with rare flora, fruits, springs and different animals, in southern Armenia, Friday, Dec. 16, 2005. The canyon is well known because of its ancient Noravank monastery complex.
Guns for Food
A police officer guards weapons recovered during Guns for Food in Panama City, Panama, Friday, Dec. 16, 2005. More than 1,500 weapons were destroyed.
Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
A camouflage sniper of the Philippine Marine Ready Force waits for the start of inspection Friday, Dec. 16, 2005, at the marine headquarters in suburban Taguig south of Manila.
Historic Vote
Iraqi women cast their votes for at a polling station in the town of Az Zubayr in southern Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005. Elections for a 275-member National Assembly took place across the country.
Show of Force
A hearse carrying the casket of New York Police Officer Daniel Enchautegui drives past thousands of police officers as it leaves St. John's Chrysostom Church in the Bronx on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005. Enchautegui, 28, was shot Saturday when he confronted two men who police say were attempting to break into the house next door to his own home.
Dear God ...
Shmuel Rabinovich, the rabbi of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, places letters written by worshippers from around the world and addressed to God into holes in the Wall, in Jerusalem's Old City, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005. Israeli postal workers say that hundreds of letters written to God, most addressed simply to Jerusalem, arrive in Israel each year.
Critical Supplies
Workers carry wheat flour to an U.S. Army Chinook helicopter in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005. As the harsh Himalayan winter approaches, helicopters are delivering tents and food to villagers who have decided to stay on their land rather than go to refugee camps in lower areas.
Feeding Frenzy
A family feeds Siberian gulls from a boat on the River Ganga in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005. These migratory gulls arrive in the month of October and stay until the month of March.
Bolivian Vote
Aymara indigenous women line up to vote during general elections at a polling station in Ajllata, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005.
WTO Protest
WTO protesters wear anti-U.S. masks as they march in downtown Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005. The demonstrators chanted "Sink WTO" while trade ministers from around the globe wrapped up six days of negotiations at a World Trade Organization meeting.
Nest Egg
A Laysan albatross grooms his mate while incubating their egg on Eastern Island one of the three islands of the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2005. The Laysan albatross mate for life, live for about 50 years and have nests which can be found most anywhere on the Midway Atoll.
Into the Sunset
Kashmiris return homeward on a Shikara, or traditional gondola, at sunset on the Dal Lake in Srinagar, India, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005. With so many victims of the Oct. 8 earthquake in Kashmir living in tent camps, and others with little shelter at all in remote areas, aid agencies fear the harsh winter could cause a second deadly disaster among the quakes survivors.
The Ride of the Santas
Vietnamese men dressed as Santa Claus wait on their motorbikes on a street in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005. Christmas is not widely celebrated in this predominantly Buddhist country.
Crush for Food
Kashmiri children try to get biscuits from a Pakistani soldier who has come to bring food for the village by helicopter, high in the Neelum Valley in Pakistan on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005. As the harsh Himalayan winter approaches, helicopters are delivering tents and food to villagers who have decided to stay at their lands rather than going to refugee camps in lower areas.