Picture News 2
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National day celebrations
A Taiwanese dance troupe performs during a gathering in Taipei to celebrate the island's National Day on Monday. Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian called for an arms build-up to fend off the perceived military threat from China. -- AFP -
Caved in
People at a voting station decorated like a cave during the presidential election in Poland on Sunday. Poles voted for Aleksander Kwasniewski who promised an American-style economy of fast growth and job creation. -- AP -
Dragon takes flight
Residents perform a dragon dance in front of the statue of the country's 11th century King Ly Cong Uan in Hanoi on Sunday as the city celebrates its 995th anniversary. Hanoi, also known by its historical name Thang Long (taking-off dragon), was chosen as the country's capital in 1010 by the King. -- AFP -
Avian flu precautions
A South Korean health official sprays disinfectant at a chicken farm in Yeoncheon, north of Seoul, on Monday. South Korea will advise poultry farmers to take precautions against a potential bird flu outbreak as migratory birds are expected to arrive from countries affected by the deadly virus later this month. -- AP -
Earthquake relief
Japanese rescue workers wait at the Allama Iqbal International airport upon their arrival in Lahore, on Monday. Japan has sent a 50-strong emergency relief team to Pakistan to help victims of a massive earthquake that killed thousands of people, among them two Japanese citizens. -- AFP -
Art attack
A woman walks through 1993 Turner Prize winner Rachel Whiteread's latest installation, Embankment, in the Tate Modern Gallery, in London on Monday. The piece is made up of thousands of polyethylene boxes stacked in the Tate's Turbine Hall. -- AFP -
Larger than life
Three-year-old Maddison Harder climbs on Joel Holland's prize-winning-record, 558kg Atlantic Giant pumpkin at the annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in California, on Monday. Holland's pumpkin is more than a metre high. He wins US$6,145 for his efforts, at US$5 per 454g. -- AP -
Tangled wreck
A tangle of fishing boats block all four lanes of Highway 23 in Empire, Louisiana, on Monday. Empire and surrounding areas were hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. Traffic was able to skirt around the boats and continue on the highway to southern parts of the state. -- AP -
Prayer circle
Liberian women pray for peace on Monday, the eve of the presidential and legislative elections aimed at ending misrule and conflict, which has cost the country thousands of lives. -- AFP -
March onward!
A band from Italy marches down 5th Avenue in New York during the Columbus Day Parade on Monday. The holiday celebrates the discovery of America by Italian voyager Christopher Columbus. -- AFP -
Yellow grains
Volunteers prepare bags of grain for delivery to earthquake victims in Lahore. Pakistan is battling huge odds to deliver aid to hungry and traumatised people after the Oct 8 earthquake. -- AFP -
See no evil
A woman dresses up as the Hindu goddess Kali, the destroyer of evil spirits, at a religious festival in Allahabad, India, on Wednesday. The annual event marks the 10-armed deity's slaying of a demon king. -- AP -
Rush for aid
Earthquake victims rush to get clothes distributed on Tuesday at Kamal Kot, India. The death toll from Saturday's 7.6-magnitude quake has reached 1,300 in Indian Kashmir. Another 4,500 people were injured and 32,000 houses were damaged. -- AP -
Parting is no sweet sorrow
The proud owner of a 112-kg Hampshire pig named Sox, pets her precious porker at the Big Fresno Fair in Fresno, California, on Tuesday ahead of an auctioned on Wednesday. -- AP -
Act of worship
Devotees pack a temple to offer prayers on the last day of the Nine Emperor Gods festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday. The festival, which falls on the first nine days of the ninth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, welcomes the nine emperor gods who bring good fortune, longevity, and good health. -- AP -
Fiery protest
South Korean protesters on Wednesday burn a flag in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul to protest against the Chinese government's deportation of seven North Korean defectors who recently sought asylum at a South Korean school in Yentai, China. -- AP -
A polar bear takes a dip in her enclosure in New York's Central Park Zoo as conservationists warn the species' natural habitat is under threat. -
Police face off rioting soccer fans during Serbia and Montenegro's match against Bosnia-Hercegovina in Belgrade. -
Pedestrians rush through an autumnal downpour in New York. -
The successful launch of China's second manned space craft into orbit grabs people's attention across the country. -
Liberian challenge
The campaigning for TuesdayÂ’s election has brought some badly needed colour to LiberiaÂ’s capital, Monrovia, devastated by 14 years of civil war. -
Liberian challenge
But whoever wins the elections will have a huge task rehousing the many thousands of people who have fled to the city during the years of war. This is a former bank headquarters in the city centre. -
Liberian challenge
People have sought shelter wherever they can find space and rubbish lies everywhere. -
Liberian challenge
Liberians have needed to be incredibly resourceful to survive all the hardships caused by the fighting – this man is selling petrol in empty mayonnaise jars. -
Liberian challenge
While this man is selling mobile phone scratch cards and bananas in front of the ruins of Monrovia’s palatial Masonic Lodge – most of Liberia’s first leaders were Freemasons.