

A Syrian man reacts as flames and smoke rise from burned cars after two bombs exploded in the Qazaz neighborhood in Damascus, Syria. Two strong explosions ripped through the Syrian capital, killing or wounding dozens of people and leaving scenes of carnage in the streets in an assault against a center of government power. SANA/AP
TV newsreader Sally Magnusson reacts as Britain's Prince Charles prepares to read the weather forecast with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in the Six O'Clock studio while on a tour of the BBC Scotland Headquarters in Glasgow, Scotland, where they met staff to celebrate sixty years of BBC Scotland Television. Andrew Milligan/PA Wire/AP
A laborer stands next to sacks of rotting wheat at an open storage area in Khamanon village near Amritsar, India. Millions of tons of wheat were rotting in the open after India ran out of warehouse space to store its growing grain stockpiles. Altaf Qadri/AP
Die-hard Vikings fans sing after the House passed the stadium bill at about 3:30 a.m. at the Capitol in St. Paul, Minn. Only a state Senate vote stands between the franchise and the $975 million stadium the Vikings would move into ahead of the 2016 season. The House passed the stadium plan by a 71-60 vote. Glen Stubbe/The Star Tribune/AP
An Algerian woman casts her ballot during parliamentary elections at a polling station in Algiers. Algerians voted for a new parliament that officials say will bring democracy to a country left behind by the Arab Spring revolts, but many people showed their scepticism by abstaining. Louafi Larbi/Reuters
A man wearing a bird mask begs for money in Milan, Italy. The deep cuts in government spending have worsened the situation in many countries, leading them into deeper economic distress and increasing already high unemployment. Luca Bruno/AP
A priestess carrying the Olympic Flame enters the stadium while dancers perform a ritual dance during the lighting of the Olympic flame ceremony in Ancient Olympia, Greece. The flame will be carried from the birthplace of the Ancient Olympics to London, where the 2012 Summer Games will take place from July 27-Aug. 12. Kostas Tsironis/AP
A yet unnamed male Asian elephant baby stands next to his mother, Nova, at the Tierpark Zoo in Berlin. The baby was born Tuesday. Timur Emek/dapd/AP
Spain's Fernando Verdasco celebrates after defeating Rafael Nadal during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid. Daniel Ochoa de Olza/AP
A policeman grabs photos from a woman who is holding them up to attract public attention for her case outside a hospital where Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng is staying for treatment in Beijing. Authorities are tightening restrictions on the extended family of the blind activist whose flight from house arrest in rural China into the protection of the US Embassy in Beijing set off a diplomatic dispute. Alexander F. Yuan/AP
Filipino fishermen unload fish from a boat in Masinloc, Zambales, Philippines. Masinloc is the nearest land, about 128 nautical miles away, from the disputed Scarborough Shoal. China warned its citizens in Manila to stay off the streets and take precautions during planned anti-Chinese protests on Friday, a sign of mounting tensions during a standoff in the resource-rich South China Sea. Erik De Castro/Reuters
A gust of wind flips a woman's umbrella up as she walks through the rain in Tokyo. Koji Sasahara/AP
Students stretch during a training session at a gymnastics course at Shenyang Sports School in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China. Some 60 students, between the ages of 6 to 15, undergo a nine-year gymnastic program which includes foundation courses and gymnastic training. Those who are outstanding may be selected to join the national team. Reuters
Indonesian soldiers mobilized for the search of a missing Russian plane cook food at Taman Nasional Halimun Salak in Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia. Search and rescue teams were scouring the slopes of a dormant volcano in western Indonesia for signs of a new Russian-made passenger plane that dropped off the radar while on a demonstration flight Wednesday. Achmad Ibrahim/AP
Brides and grooms rush to a military mass wedding venue in Taipei, Taiwan, where 264 couples tied the knot with Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu as the witness for the ceremony. Pichi Chuang/Reuters
Orthodox Jews of the Satmar Hasidim celebrate the Jewish holiday of Lag BaOmer in the village of Kiryas Joel, N.Y. Lag BaOmer marks the anniversary of the death of Talmudic sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai approximately 1,900 years ago. Thousands of the Satmar, who are opposed on principle to the existence of the state of Israel, danced near a bonfire into the night. Mike Segar/Reuters
Cuban-American artist Jose Parla works on a creation on a building wall in Havana, Cuba, for the upcoming 11th Havana Biennial contemporary art exhibition. The project, titled 'Wrinkles Of The City,' involves combining French artist J.R's pictures of Cuban elderly people in the neighborhood with Parla's calligraphic messages, and then pasting them on walls around the city. Desmond Boylan/Reuters
Kate Gregory reads from an iPad as Molly Tetterton holds her microphone in Wilmington, N.C. Students from Forest Hills Elementary school film a morning broadcast every day, which the entire school watches. The show informs students about what will be happening throughout the day at their school. Ken Blevins/The Star-News/AP
Police officers stand by as commuters wait for the reopening of the subway after smoke bombs closed the whole Montreal subway system. Police say smoke bombs were set off at multiple points in the subway system, briefly cutting off service and creating a nightmarish morning commute. Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press/AP
In East Jerusalem, Palestinians hold portraits of their relatives held in Israeli jails during a protest in solidarity with prisoners on hunger strike. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned on Tuesday that the death of any one of the hundreds of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israel would be a 'disaster' and could trigger a backlash that might slip out of control. Ammar Awad/Reuters
Sohel welds part of a truck as he works in a motor workshop on outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Andrew Biraj/Reuters
Hugo Parisi of Brazil performs during the men's 10-meter platform preliminaries at the USA Diving Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Alan Diaz/AP
Pakistani farmer Enayat Mohammed splashes water on his buffalos to cool them off as the temperature rises on the outskirts of Gujranwala, in Punjab province, India. Muhammed Muheisen/AP
Gay rights pioneer Lilli Vincenz (r.) and her life partner Nancy Ruth Davis pose in their home in Arlington, Va. The president's declaration that he supports gay marriage is being greeted as a major milestone in the gay rights movement. Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Red Bull's team mechanics prepare tires at the Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain. The Formula One race will be held on Sunday. Alvaro Barrientos/AP
Brazilian pole vaulter Fabiana Murer jumps during a training session for the London 2012 Olympics in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Paolo Whitaker/Reuters
French climber Alain Robert, also known as Spiderman, scales the 231 meter First Tower at the La Defense business district outside Paris. Benoit Tessier/Reuters