december 2017 - pictures of the day - dec.8 - dec.14, 2017

DECEMBER 2017Pictures of the day

Dec.7 – Dec.12, 2017

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January 15, 2018 Pictures of the day - Dec.8 - Dec.14, 2017 1

DECEMBER 2017Pictures of the day

Dec.8 – Dec.14, 2017 Sources : reuters.com , AP images , nbcnews.com , …

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GALLERY PHOTOS


SAN DIEGO’S SUNNY IDENTITY THREATENED BY HOMELESS CRISISChristine Wade found a haven in the tent she shared with six children, pitched in an asphalt parking lot.It was, at least, far better than their previous home in the city, a shelter where rats ate through the family’s bags of clothes and chewed on 2-year-old Jaymason’s stroller. Roughly 50 of the encampment’s 200 residents were children, so Wade’s kids had plenty of playmates.“It’s peaceful here,” Wade, 31, who is eight months pregnant, said in an October interview. “There’s coffee first thing in the morning. We can hang out here in the daytime. I mean what more could you ask for?”A tent, of course, is not a home. But for these San Diegans, it is a blessing.

GALLERY PHOTOS


In this Nov. 8, 2017, photo, Christine Wade sits among her children in front of their donated tent in the city-sanctioned encampment on a parking lot in San Diego. They are, from left, Shawnni, 12, Roland, 4, Rayahna, 3, Jaymason, 2, Brooklyn, 8, and Shaccoya, 14. The Wade family is among several hundred people living in the city's first campground open for the homeless, set up to curb the worst Hepatitis A outbreak in the United States in decades. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Nov. 8 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


Like other major cities all along the West Coast, San Diego is struggling with a homeless crisis. In a place that bills itself as “America’s Finest City,” renowned for its sunny weather, surfing and fish tacos, spiraling real estate values have contributed to spiraling homelessness, leaving more than 3,200 people living on the streets or in their cars.

Most alarmingly, the explosive growth in the number of people living outdoors has contributed to a hepatitis A epidemic that has killed 20 people in the past year — the worst U.S. outbreak of its kind in 20 years. Deplorable sanitary conditions help spread the liver-damaging virus that lives in feces.

“Some of the most vulnerable are dying in the streets in one of the most desirable and livable regions in America,” a San Diego County grand jury wrote in its report in June — reiterating warnings it gave the city repeatedly over the past decade to better address homelessness.


In this Oct. 25, 2017 photo, a man who declined to give his name pushes a broken bicycle from where he is living with two others below palm trees along Mission Bay in San Diego. Like other West Coast cities, San Diego is confronting a homeless crisis. Facing an acute shortage of housing for the poor, San Diego is turning to tents to get people off the streets for now. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Oct. 25 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


San Diego has struggled to do that. Two years ago, Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a moderate Republican, closed a downtown tent shelter that operated for 29 years during winter months. He promised a “game changer” — a new, permanent facility with services to funnel people to housing.

But it wasn’t enough.

The result? Legions of Californians without shelter. A spreading contagion. Endless political disputes over what can and should be done — and mounting bills for taxpayers. Struggling schools and other institutions. And an extraordinary challenge to the city’s sunny identity that threatens its key tourism industry.

For now, San Diego again is turning to tents. The campground where the Wades lived was only temporary; this month, officials are opening three industrial-sized tents that will house a total of 700 people.

There are plans afoot to build less-makeshift housing. But to deal with the immediate emergency and operate the giant tents, the city had to take $6.5 million that had been budgeted for permanent homes.


In this Nov. 28, 2017, photo, a tent to house the homeless is seen in downtown San Diego. An unprecedented increase in people living on the streets is rocking cities along the West Coast from Washington to California. Facing an acute shortage of housing for the poor, San Diego is turning to tents to get people off the streets for now. The city diverted $6.5 million from its permanent housing budget to operate the giant tents. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Nov. 28 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


Democrat Councilman David Alvarez cast the only vote against the plan. “Had we actually invested in a homeless strategy, we would not be here today being asked to warehouse 700 people in giant tents,” he said.

Republican Councilwoman Lorie Zapf’s mother was mentally ill and died homeless in Los Angeles. She agreed with Alvarez that the tents were not a perfect solution to San Diego’s crisis, but she could not in good conscience pass up a chance to get people off the streets.

“We need to do anything we can to stop this tsunami of people who are ending up on our sidewalks,” she said.

___

“The people of San Diego need to decide what they want the city to look like,” said Gordon Walker, who took the helm this summer of the San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless amid praise for his efforts in combatting chronic homelessness in Utah.

“San Francisco has essentially given up its streets to the homeless,” added Walker, who served as deputy undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Reagan administration. “It could go either way here. The real issue is we don’t have enough housing.”


In this Dec. 1, 2017 photo, Verna Vasbinder prepares her her new bunk in the city's new Temporary Bridge Shelter for the homeless as her dog, Lucy Lui, looks on in downtown San Diego. Facing an acute shortage of housing for the poor, San Diego is turning to tents to get people off the streets for now. The city diverted $6.5 million from its permanent housing budget to operate the giant tents. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Dec. 1 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


Last year, the number of people living outdoors in San Diego jumped 18 percent over the previous year, according to an annual count taken in January. More than 400 makeshift shelters sprung up downtown, covering sidewalks across from new high-rise apartment buildings that have climbed in lockstep with the booming biotech-heavy economy and soaring rents, among the nation’s highest. A studio apartment goes for around $1,500 a month, on average.

Most of the homeless, like the Wade family, did not migrate to San Diego to live on the streets but are local residents who became homeless in a city where rents increased nearly 8 percent in a year. High-rise buildings have replaced discount residential buildings that offered single rooms for rent, housing people living paycheck-to-paycheck. Nearly half of the 9,000 rooms have disappeared since 2003.

In October, as the hepatitis death toll climbed and the city declared a homeless emergency, Faulconer and the nonprofit Alpha Project opened the Balboa Park campground where the Wades found shelter. The city installed public washing stations, opened 24-hour restrooms and scrubbed streets with a bleach solution.


In this Sept. 19, 2017 photo, trash from homeless encampments lines an entrance ramp for Interstate Highway 5 in San Diego. In a place that bills itself as “America’s Finest City,” renowned for its sunny weather, surfing and fish tacos, spiraling real estate values have contributed to spiraling homelessness in San Diego. Most alarmingly, the explosive growth in the number of people living outdoors has contributed to a hepatitis A epidemic. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Sep. 19 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


Police also cracked down, issuing hundreds of citations, largely for illegal lodging. Within weeks, the nearly 400 tents and tarps downtown were gone. Those who work with the homeless say they simply scattered.

“It could be like a campfire when all the embers are spread out. It either dies out or it catches other areas and makes a bigger fire than we originally had,” said Dr. Jeffrey Norris, the medical director of Father Joe’s Villages, which runs a clinic that treats 2,800 homeless annually.

The number of encampments hidden in the brush and bamboo along the banks of the San Diego River doubled.

“It’s being used as a toilet,” said Zapf, whose council district includes the river, bays and beaches.

The San Diego River Park Foundation’s mission is to preserve the river, a green ribbon that starts from snowmelt in the mountains east of San Diego and builds as it snakes through a valley of cottonwood groves and continues under freeway overpasses by shopping centers.


In this Sept. 28, 2017 photo, a person sleeps under a blanket on a beach near the Ocean Beach Pier in San Diego. In a place that bills itself as “America’s Finest City,” renowned for its sunny weather, surfing and fish tacos, spiraling real estate values have contributed to spiraling homelessness. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Sep. 28 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


The foundation spent $115,000 removing 250,000 pounds of trash left by the homeless camps this year. Litter is carried by the river, which feeds into the Pacific at a popular dog beach.

Director Rob Hutsel said he gets asked by potential donors about the foundation’s plans to create a 52-mile-long river park and trail system: “What about the homeless? Don’t build a park. It’ll just bring in more.”

“Gosh, parks are good,” he said. “There shouldn’t be any thought about building a park. That’s so unfortunate.”

___

Laurie Britton operates an organic coffee roasting business and coffee shop, Cafe Virtuoso, in the Barrio Logan neighborhood. The winter shelter was nearby, and Britton was among those who supported its closure two years ago because it drew throngs of homeless people to the area.

But when it closed, the problem exploded. Tents, tarps, shopping carts, needles and trash spilled into the street, making it difficult to drive to her cafe.

Her customers’ cars would get bashed by bottles or sprayed with urine. People locked themselves in the bathroom to do drugs. One Saturday, Britton dressed up to give a tour but had to scrape piles of human feces off the sidewalk first. Another morning, a man flashed a knife and glared when she asked him not to put a tarp next to her cafe’s parking fence.


In this Nov. 28, 2017, image, Laurie Britton, owner of Cafe Virtuoso, pauses for a portrait as she works in her coffee shop in downtown San Diego. Britton has faced a deluge of problems related to the homeless population around her organic coffee roasting business. Since the city started cleaning up the streets, business has increased by 20 percent. She now welcomes the new giant tents to house the homeless - two of which will be within a block - if people end up in permanent housing. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Nov. 28 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


She issued pepper spray to her 14 employees.

“If it gets out of hand, the girls know to grab the pepper spray and do what you have to do,” she said. “The reality is I am here to protect my customers and employees. It’s not my job to give you a bathroom and free water. And clean up when you just peed on my door. Really? This is hard enough. I don’t need to be doing that.”

Since the city started cleaning up the streets, business has increased by 20 percent. She now welcomes the giant tents —two of which are within a block of her business — if people eventually end up in permanent housing.

She’s also trying to help. Her coffee roasting lab offers job training and works with a school exclusively for homeless students.

“But if it gets as bad as it was again, I’d probably move,” she said.


In this Oct. 26, 2017, image, the city-sanctioned tent encampment, below, sits on the edge of Balboa Park as the sun sets behind buildings downtown in San Diego. Facing an acute shortage of housing for the poor, San Diego is turning to tents to get people off the streets for now. The city diverted $6.5 million from its permanent housing budget to operate the giant tents. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Oct. 26 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


John Long did relocate his Halcyon coffee bar and lounge in October to San Marcos, a town north of San Diego. Three years ago, the hip Austin-based chain opened to much fanfare as a sign of downtown’s gentrification, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a patio that looked onto a new park.

But espresso-drinking customers ended up with a view of people sleeping on the grass.

“One had to hope that with that much investments going into the area downtown, the city would keep the sidewalk clean —especially the park — but that didn’t happen,” Long said.

Long kept his lease and may someday reopen a business there. First, though, “There needs to be a dramatic change and action.”


In this Sept. 19, 2017 photo, Jose Salinas sprays a bleach solution on a downtown San Diego city street as part of the city's efforts to combat the recent Hepatitis A outbreak. In a place that bills itself as “America’s Finest City,” renowned for its sunny weather, surfing and fish tacos, spiraling real estate values have contributed to spiraling homelessness in San Diego. Most alarmingly, the explosive growth in the number of people living outdoors has contributed to a hepatitis A epidemic. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Sep. 19 , 2017


___

Father Joe’s Villages is working on a $531 million plan to take about 2,700 people off the streets through new construction or by refurbishing motels over the next five years. Federal, state and local funds will cover most of the cost, but the charity still must raise $120 million.

“That’s truly what we need just to make a dent,” said Deacon Jim Vargas, the group’s president.

The mayor has earmarked more than $80 million to reduce homelessness over the next three years. The plan includes incentives for landlords and $30 million for developers to create 300 affordable units. The goal is for 65 percent of tent occupants to be moved into housing.


In this Oct. 26, 2017, photo, Christine Wade makes braids for Rayahna, 3, as Jaymason, 2, below left, Shawnni, 12, above left, and Shaccoya, 14, get ready to leave for school at dawn at the city-sanctioned tent encampment in San Diego. The Wade family is among several hundred people living in the city's first campground open for the homeless, set up to curb the worst Hepatitis A outbreak in the United States in decades. The new camp, in a parking lot on the edge of sprawling Balboa Park, reflects the severity of the homeless crisis gripping cities along the west coast. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Oct. 26 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


“Ultimately the goal is to put everyone in a home who wants to be,” Faulconer told The Associated Press. “We need to get people off the streets now and then move forward on constructing units.”

But the temporary solution is expensive. At a cost of $1,700 per person per month, $6.5 million will cover seven months, but the tents may need to remain open for up to two years, depending on the housing market, according to the San Diego Housing Commission’s head, Rick Gentry.

Meanwhile, San Diego County has spent more than $4 million to cope with the hepatitis outbreak. Public health nurses carting coolers of the vaccine have administered more than 100,000 shots, including outside restrooms and libraries and under freeway overpasses.


In this Sept. 28, 2017, photo, Stephen Schofield looks on as police officials encourage him to get a Hepatitis A vaccination near where is living along the San Diego River in San Diego. A recent Hepatitis A outbreak - the worst epidemic of its kind in 20 years in the United States - reflects how much homelessness has become a crisis in San Diego, a top tourist destination known for its sunny weather, surfing and fish tacos that bills itself as "America's Finest City." (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Sept. 28 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


It didn’t have to come to this, said Michael McConnell, a retired businessman-turned-activist who prods the city to stop arresting the homeless.“The slogan ‘America’s Finest City’ is being tarnished day by day because the city has been turning a blind eye to its most vulnerable,” McConnell said, as crews sprayed a bleach solution along 17th Street in September after people moved bags, bicycles and overflowing grocery carts.In 2005 and in 2015, the grand jury recommended the city provide more public restrooms to its homeless population. But city officials feared they would attract drug dealers. They also balked at the $250,000 estimated installation cost and the hundreds of thousands of dollars believed needed to operate them.Then hepatitis A made it everyone’s problem.

With more than 560 cases and more than 360 people hospitalized, doctors recommended vaccinations to anyone who regularly goes downtown. Members of one fire crew were inoculated after stomping through human feces.___At Perkins Elementary School, staffers have found excrement and urine outside classrooms before the school opened for the day, and some worry the hepatitis virus may be brought into the school on shoes. Perkins has a playground with a panoramic view of sleek high-rises and the shiny dome of the city’s new central library; it also has a student body that is more than a quarter homeless, up from 4 percent three years ago.


In this Oct. 24, 2017, photo, Shawnni Wade, 12, second from right, talks with a friend at Perkins Elementary School in San Diego. Perkins has a playground with a panoramic view of sleek high-rises and the shiny dome of the city’s new central library; it also has a student body that is more than a quarter homeless, up from 4 percent three years ago. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Oct. 24 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


Homelessness takes a particular toll on the young. Fernando Hernandez, Perkins’ principal, said many of the homeless students are far below grade levels. Some have not attended school in years.

“We have first graders who get out of bed and get to school on their own,” Hernandez said. “Some come to school after sleeping on a floor and don’t sleep well. That may be why they are not learning. So we have to recalibrate our expectations.”

Shawnni Wade was a straight-A student as a third grader before her family’s troubles escalated. In all the upheaval, she left the school; now, she’s returned as a seventh grader.

“It’s weird to be back,” said the girl with bright green eyes and a sly smile.

But then, little about this 12-year-old girl’s life has been normal.


In this Oct. 26, 2017, photo, Christine Wade, left, hugs her daughter Shawnni, 12, as they arrive by van to Perkins Elementary School from the city-sanctioned tent encampment in San Diego. The Wade family is among several hundred people living in the city's first campground open for the homeless, set up to curb the worst Hepatitis A outbreak in the United States in decades. The new camp, in a parking lot on the edge of sprawling Balboa Park, reflects the severity of the homeless crisis gripping cities along the west coast. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Oct. 26 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


Christine Wade’s ex-husband’s drug addiction got them booted from apartments and then a shelter. After they divorced, he let Wade care for his two daughters, whom she had raised for eight years. She moved the six children to a residential hotel, where she paid $1,200 a month for a kitchenette with two queen beds.

But Wade, who is in poor health, often called in sick. She lost her job cleaning hospital rooms.

A month later, she discovered she was pregnant, despite birth control. A doctor talked to her about abortion. “I didn’t have the heart to do that,” she said.

Without her income, she lost the kitchenette last spring.

“There’s so little help for a big family,” Wade said.


In this Oct. 18, 2017, photo, Christine Wade, left, sorts clothing as Roland, 4, cries and sisters Shawnni, 12, right, and Shaccoya, 14, draw in the family's tent provided by the city in a sanctioned encampment in San Diego. The Wade family is among several hundredpeople living in the city's first campground open for the homeless, set up to curb the worst Hepatitis A outbreak in the United States in decades. The new camp, in a parking lot on the edge of sprawling Balboa Park, reflects the severity of the homeless crisis gripping cities along the west coast. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Oct. 18 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


She could find space only in a rat-infested shelter, where the family lived before landing in the Balboa Park campground. As the sun set on their second night there, Shawnni — oblivious to nearby freeway traffic — looked to the sky and said she liked camping. Wade smiled.

Then, a few weeks ago, Wade fell ill again and was hospitalized. She could not return to the campground in her condition, so the family moved into yet another shelter.

A caseworker is now helping her find a home. She hopes to have one before next month, when she expects to give birth to a son.


In this Sept. 19, 2017 photo, trash from homeless encampments lines a street in San Diego. In a place that bills itself as “America’s Finest City,” renowned for its sunny weather, surfing and fish tacos, spiraling real estate values have contributed to spiraling homelessness in San Diego. Most alarmingly, the explosive growth in the number of people living outdoors has contributed to a hepatitis A epidemic. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

TEXT FROM THE AP NEWS STORY, SAN DIEGO’S SUNNY IDENTITY THREATENED BY HOMELESS CRISIS, BY JULIE WATSON.

FOLLOW AP’S COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE WEST COAST HOMELESS CRISIS HERE: HTTPS://APNEWS.COM/TAG/HOMELESSCRISISPHOTOS BY GREGORY BULL

Sept. 19, 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


December 8, 2017


A structure burns at the so-called Lilac Fire in the early morning hours of Dec. 8, 2017 near Bonsall, California.

Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for nearly 20,000 county residents as wildfire chewed up more than 4,000 acres on its way west toward Camp Pendleton and the city of Oceanside. At least 1,000 homes and other structures were in imminent danger, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

David McNew / Getty Images

WILDFIRE TEARS THROUGH SAN DIEGO COUNTY

by NBC NEWSA new, out-of-control wildfire roared into life near San Diego, fueled by the hot,

dry Santa Ana winds.

Dec.8 , 2017


Firefighters walk to the fire line on Dec. 7.

Sandy Huffaker / AFP - Getty ImagesDec.7 , 2017


A firefighter sprays water on a burning structure on Dec. 7.

Mike Blake / Reuters

Dec.7 , 2017


Demonstrators burn an effigy depicting U.S. President Donald Trump during a protest against the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Srinagar. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

Dec.8 , 2017


U.S. flags wave as snow falls, blanketing vehicles in a car sales lot, Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Dec.8 , 2017


A man reads a newspaper on an intercity train in New Delhi, India. REUTERS/Saumya Khandelwal

Dec.8 , 2017


A huge cloud forms as a storm moves through Dalby, Queensland, Australia. Instagram/modernwifelife31/via REUTERS

Dec.8 , 2017


People scuffle with police during a protest outside the Parliament building in Warsaw, Poland. Agencja Gazeta/Adam Stepien via REUTERS

Dec.8 , 2017


U.S. President Donald Trump passes his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner during a Hanukkah Reception at the White House. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Dec.8 , 2017


Former Argentine President and Senator Cristina Fernandez de

Kirchner gestures during a news conference at the Congress in

Buenos Aires, Argentina. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci

Dec.8 , 2017


A member of a security looks on as FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

Dec.8 , 2017


A photo taken from the International Space Station and moved on social media by astronaut Randy Bresnik shows smoke rising from wildfire burning in Southern California. Courtesy @AstroKomrade/NASA/via REUTERSDec.8 , 2017


People walk down a street in the town of Nueva Fuerabamba in Apurimac, Peru. REUTERS/Mariana Bazo

Dec.8 , 2017


French man named Alexis, an exotic animal enthusiast, plays with his corn snakes (pantherophis guttatus) at his home in Bordeaux, France. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

Dec.8 , 2017


Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and AkuomaOmeoga, members of the Nigerian Women's Bobsled Team, pose during an event in the Manhattan borough of New York City. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Dec.8 , 2017


Actor Jack Black poses for photographers as he arrives for the UK premiere of 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle', at the Vue West End, Leicester Square, central London. REUTERS/Simon Dawson

Dec.8 , 2017


The driver of a Maerlitram (fairy tram), dressed as a Santa Claus, walks past a car which crashed into the tram in Zurich, Switzerland. REUTERS/Angelika Gruber

Dec.8 , 2017


Ayat Ullah, a 7-month-old Rohingya

refugee suffering from severe

malnutrition, is examined at the

Action Against Hunger centre at

Kutupalong camp, near Cox's Bazar,

Bangladesh. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Dec.8 , 2017


Judy Scott looks over a photo of her son Walter Scott during a news conference after former police officer Michael Slagerwas sentenced to 20 years in prison, in Charleston, South Carolina. REUTERS/Randall Hill

Dec.8 , 2017


U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Congressional leaders in the Oval Office of the White House. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Dec.8 , 2017


Migrants, part of a group intercepted aboard a dinghy off the coast in the Mediterranean Sea, rest after arriving on a rescue boat at the Port of Malaga, Spain. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

Dec.8 , 2017


Homes can be seen near a river and bordering bushland in south-western Sydney, Australia. REUTERS/David Gray

Dec.8 , 2017


DAY OF RAGEThousands of Palestinians protest in a "day of rage" in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and in East Jerusalem against President Donald Trump's recognition of the ancient city as Israel's capital.

Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017A Palestinian protester uses a sling to hurl stones towards Israeli troops during clashes as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017A Palestinian protester uses a sling to hurl stones towards Israeli troops during clashes as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017

An Israeli policeman aims his weapon as his comrades detain

a Palestinian during scuffles at Damascus Gate after Friday

prayers in Jerusalem's Old City, as Palestinians call for a "day

of rage" in response to President Donald Trump's recognition

of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017A Palestinian protester reacts during clashes with Israeli troops as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near the border with Israel in the east of Gaza City. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017A Palestinian protester is seen as smoke rises from burning tires during clashes with Israeli troops as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017An Israeli border policeman reacts as he fires towards Palestinian protesters during clashes as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017A Palestinian protester hurls stones towards Israeli troops during clashes as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017

Israeli border policemen detain a Palestinian

man during scuffles at Damascus Gate after

Friday prayers in Jerusalem's Old City, as

Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in

response to President Donald Trump's

recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017Worshippers chant as they hold Palestinian flags after Friday prayers on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08,

2017

Israeli border policemen

detain a Palestinian man at

Damascus Gate after Friday

prayers in Jerusalem's Old

City, as Palestinians call for a

"day of rage" in response to

President Donald Trump's

recognition of Jerusalem as

Israel's capital. REUTERS/Baz

Ratner

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017Palestinian protesters react to tear gas fired by Israeli troops during clashes as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near the border with Israel in the east of Gaza City. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017Worshippers pray during Friday prayers on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017A Palestinian protester moves a burning tire during clashes with Israeli troops as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017A Palestinian protester hurls stones as tear gas is fired by Israeli troops during clashes as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma

Dec.8 , 2017


Reuters / Friday, December 08, 2017A Palestinian man lays on the ground beneath police horses as he is detained by Israeli police during scuffles at Damascus Gate after Friday prayers in Jerusalem's Old City, as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Dec.8 , 2017


December 9, 2017


Reuters / Saturday, December 09, 2017Animal rights activists from Igualdad Animal (Animal Equality) hold up pictures of animals they say are mistreated, during a demonstration to protest treatment of animals and draw attention to International Animal Rights Day, which organisers say is celebrated alongside International Human Rights Day, in Madrid, Spain. REUTERS/Javier Barbancho

Dec.9 , 2017


Reuters / Saturday, December 09, 2017Palestinian moves a tire during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.9, 2017


December 10, 2017


CALIFORNIA COAST BATTLES MASSIVE WILDFIREby NBC NEWSSouthern California entered a second week engulfed in flames. The Thomas Fire has destroyed nearly 800 buildings, sending thousands fleeing.

Firefighters knock down flames as they advance on homes atop Shepherd Mesa Road in Carpinteria, Calif. on Dec. 10, 2017.A flare-up on the western edge of Southern California's largest and most destructive wildfire sent residents fleeing Sunday, as wind-fanned flames churned through canyons and down hillsides toward coastal towns.READ: New evacuations ordered as California wildfires whip across regionMike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP

Dec.10 , 2017


.A tree burns as the Thomas Fire approaches Lake Casitas near Ojai, California.

David McNew / Getty Images

Dec.10 , 2017


A firefighter is working on extinguishing the Lilac Fire, a fast moving wildfire, in Bonsall, California. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Dec.10 , 2017


Christmas decorations illuminate a house in Carpinteria.David McNew / Getty Images

Dec.10 , 2017


Flames come close to a house as the wildfire advances toward Santa Barbara County seaside communities.As of late Sunday, the Thomas Fire had destroyed 790 structures and damaged 191.David McNew / Getty Images

Dec.10 , 2017


A house burns near Casitas Pass Road.David McNew / Getty Images

Dec.10 , 2017


US forest fire crews fight fire with fire as they set off huge backfires to cut off the northern flank of the Thomas fire near Rose Valley recreation area.

Gene Blevins / Zuma Press

Dec.10 , 2017


Fire fighters attack the Thomas Fire�snorth flank with backfires as they continue to fight a massive wildfire north of Los Angeles, near Ojai, California. REUTERS/Gene Blevins

Dec.10 , 2017


Christmas decorations illuminate a house as the growing Thomas Fire advances toward Santa Barbara County seaside communities.David McNew / Getty Images

Dec.10 , 2017


Burned mobile homes are seen at the Monserate Country Club after the Lilac Fire, a fast moving wildfire, swept through their community in Bonsall, California. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Dec.10 , 2017


DEMONSTRATORS PROTEST TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL

JERUSALEM ANNOUNCEMENTby REUTERS

As protests in the Palestinian territories largely died down, neighboring countries held rallies and an Israeli security guard was stabbed.

In the Moroccan capital, Rabat, tens of thousands of protesters marched down the city's main thoroughfare on Sunday chanting slogans, including, "The people want to liberate Palestine" and "Death to Israel, enemy of the people and provoker of wars."Mosa'ab Elshamy / AP

Dec.10 , 2017


Lebanese soldiers clash with protesters in Awkar, near Beirut, Lebanon.

Wael Hamzeh / EPA

Dec.10 , 2017


Security forces fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters, some of them waving Palestinian flags, near the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. Demonstrators set fires in the street, torched U.S. and Israeli flags and threw projectiles toward security forces who had barricaded the main road to the complex.

Wael Hamzeh / EPA

Dec.10 , 2017


.Protesters shout slogans against U.S. President Donald Trump as they hold Turkish and Palestinian flags during a rally against Israel in Istanbul, Turkey.

Sedat Suna / EPA

Dec.10 , 2017


A protester carries a sign in Beirut,

Lebanon.

Wael Hamzeh / EPADec.10 , 2017


Protesters clash with Israeli forces near the Israel-Gaza border east of the southern Gaza strip city of Khan Yunis, with Israeli heavy machinery seen on the other side of the border after a tunnel was discovered in the area.

Mahmud Hams / AFP - Getty Images

Dec.10 , 2017


An Israeli border policeman walks through tear gas fumes during clashes with protesters near an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday.

Abbas Momani / AFP - Getty Images

Dec.10 , 2017


A protester holds a burning tire during clashes with Israeli troops at a demonstration near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Mohamad Torokman / Reuters

Dec.10 , 2017


Protesters run from falling tear gas canisters fired by Israeli forces during clashes near an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Abbas Momani / AFP - Getty Images

Dec.10 , 2017


Palestinian demonstrators react to tear gas fired by Israeli troops during clashes at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. REUTERS/MussaQawasma

Dec.10 , 2017


Israeli soldiers detain a man during clashes at a protest in the West Bank city of Hebron.

Mussa Issa Qawasma / Reuters

Dec.10 , 2017


Reuters / Sunday, December 10, 2017A Palestinian kicks a burning tire during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 10, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.10 , 2017


Protesters shout slogans in Istanbul, Turkey.

Sedat Suna / EPADec.10 , 2017


Edelia Carthan stands in silent protest with a confederate flag sticker covering her mouth during the official opening ceremony for the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, Mississippi. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Dec.10 , 2017


A Bangladeshi girl carries her

older sister's golden shoes as

their family visits Rohingya

refugee camp Balukhali near

Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Dec.10 , 2017


A swimmer dresses after emerging from an open-air swim in near freezing temperatures in the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park, London. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

Dec.10 , 2017


People watch as Mount Agung spews ash and smoke during an

eruption from an obeservation post in Rendang, Karangasem, Bali,

Indonesia. Antara Foto/ Nyoman Budhiana/ via REUTERSDec.10 , 2017


Pelusa (L) and Huellas, paraplegic

dogs in wheelchairs from Milagros

Perrunos dog shelter play at

Pescadores beach in Chorrillos,

Lima. REUTERS/Mariana Bazo

Dec.10 , 2017


Passengers aboard the P&O ferry Pride of Kent watch rescue operations after the vessel ran aground during bad weather in the port of Calais in northern France. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

Dec.10 , 2017


A man dressed as a Santa Clause rings bells as he drives a Fiat 500 in downtown Rome, Italy. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

Dec.10 , 2017


A girl leans on a wall as Rohingyarefugees wait for blankets to be distributed at the Kutupalong camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. REUTERS/AlkisKonstantinidis

Dec.10 , 2017


Horses are seen in the snow in Kaufbeuren, Germany. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

Dec.10 , 2017


A diver dressed in a Santa

Claus costume swims with

sardines during a

promotional event for

Christmas "Sardines

Feeding Show with Santa

Claus" at the Coex

Aquarium in Seoul, South

Korea. REUTERS/Kim

Hong-Ji

Dec.10 , 2017


A man stands with a one-year-old pet crocodile on a leash during a gathering of a reptile lovers club during car-free day in central Jakarta, Indonesia. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

Dec.10 , 2017


A couple walks in a park on a foggy winter day in central Kiev, Ukraine. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Dec.10 , 2017


A Russian Marine Corps sergeant adjusts the hat of a conscript during an oath-taking ceremony in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea. REUTERS/Pavel Rebrov

Dec.10 , 2017


Members of the media gather near "BB8" on the red carpet at the premiere of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi". REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

Dec.10 , 2017


Rika Kihira of Japan

performs at the ISU Grand

Prix of Figure Skating

Final in Nagoya, Japan.

REUTERS/Issei Kato

Dec.10 , 2017


A Palestinian man looks out of his apartment that was damaged in an Israeli airstrike on a nearby militant target in the northern Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Dec.10 , 2017


TRUMP'S WEEKEND IN THE SOUTH

President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Pensacola, Florida, near the Alabama state line, December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Dec.8 , 2017


President Donald Trump arrives

for a rally in Pensacola, Florida,

December 8, 2017.

REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Dec.8 , 2017


President Donald Trump greets Charles Evers, brother of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, as he steps from Air Force One for a visit to the Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, Mississippi, December 9, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Dec.9 , 2017


A supporter stands by paintings of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump as Trump's motorcade passes in West Palm Beach, Florida, December 10, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Dec.10 , 2017


December 11, 2017


EXPLOSION ROCKS NEW YORK'S PORT AUTHORITY

Police officers stand guard outside the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Dec.11 , 2017


Police officers stand outside the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Dec.11 , 2017


NYPD Crime Scene Investigation team are seen outside the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Dec.11 , 2017


Commuters exit the New York Port Authority. REUTERS/Edward Tobin

Dec.11 , 2017


Police gather outside a house in the Brooklyn borough, while they investigate an earlier incident of the reported explosion at the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Dec.11 , 2017


Israeli forces run towards Palestinian protesters during a protest near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Dec.11 , 2017


PROTESTS OVER TRUMP'S JERUSALEM MOVE

A Palestinian demonstrator hurls stones at Israeli troops during clashes at a protest near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.11 , 2017


An Israeli border police officer runs towards Palestinian protesters during a protest near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Dec.11 , 2017


Palestinian demonstrators push a garbage container during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.11 , 2017


A Palestinian girl is seen during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.11 , 2017


A wounded Palestinian girl is evacuated during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.11, 2017


A Palestinian man argues with an Israeli policeman during a protest near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Dec.11, 2017


Israeli border police officers walk in front of a burned barricade during a protest near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Dec.11, 2017


Palestinian protesters throw at Israeli forces during a protest near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Dec.11, 2017


In this Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, photo, Rohingya children stand in the shade of a tent in Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

AP INVESTIGATION: RAPE OF ROHINGYA SWEEPING, METHODICAL


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Monday, Nov. 20, 2017, photo, K, 30, is photographed carrying her baby, born two months premature, and her son beside her as she points to pictures of symbols that designate various units of Myanmar’s armed forces in her tent in Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017, photo, F, 22, who says she was raped by members of Myanmar's armed forces in June and again in September, is photographed in her tent in Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017, photo, K, 25, right, cries as she recounts being gang raped by members of Myanmar's armed forces during an interview with The Associated Press in her tent in Kutupalongrefugee camp in Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017, photo, K, 25, right, prepares lunch while her children wait beside her in their tent in Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, photo, R, 13, shows off the scars on her knees and right shin from injuries obtained when members of Myanmar's armed forces dragged her out of her house before gang raping her, during an interview with The Associated Press in Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, photo, R, 13, covers her face with her headscarf while being photographed in her tent in Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, photo, R, 13, is seen in silhouette as she speaks to The Associated Press in her tent in Kutupalongrefugee camp in Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Monday, Nov. 20, 2017, photo, F, 22, who says she was raped by members of Myanmar's armed forces in June and again in September, clutches her hands around her pregnant belly as she is photographed in her tent in Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, photo, K, 25, swings her two month old baby in her tent in Kutupalongrefugee camp in Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017, photo, F, 22, pregnant, prays in her tent in Kutupalongrefugee camp in Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, photo, K, 25, right, speaks to The Associated Press while her children watch cautiously beside her in their tent in Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)


GALLERY PHOTOS

Reuters / Monday, December 11, 2017A masked Palestinian gestures in front of a burned barricade during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Dec.11 , 2017


Cardiff City's Souleymane Bamba has a shot at goal against Reading. Action Images/Paul ChildsDec.11 , 2017


Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Judge Roy Moore speaks during a campaign rally in Midland City, Alabama. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman

Dec.11 , 2017


Members of Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) take part in a security drill ahead of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium, the venue for the opening and closing ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Dec.11 , 2017


Reuters / Monday, December 11, 2017(L-R) Rachel Crooks, a former receptionist in Trump Tower in 2005, Jessica Leeds and Samantha Holvey, a former Miss North Carolina, exit a news conference for the film "16 Women and Donald Trump" which focuses on women who have publicly accused President Trump of sexual misconduct, in Manhattan. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Dec.11 , 2017


A diver dressed as Santa

Claus feeds fish inside a fish

tank at the Malta National

Aquarium in Qawra, Malta.

REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

Dec.11 , 2017


People take pictures as huge waves crash on the Viavelez seafront in the northern Spanish region of Asturias, Spain. REUTERS/Eloy Alonso

Dec.11 , 2017


Rohingya refugees jostle as they line up for a blanket distribution

under heavy rainfall at the Balukhali camp near Cox's Bazar,

Bangladesh. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

Dec.11 , 2017


A cormorant takes flight from

a tree during a foggy winter

morning at Taudaha wetlands

in Kathmandu, Nepal.

REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

Dec.11 , 2017


A Venezuelan woman stands in a kitchen of a gym which has turned into a shelter for Venezuelans and is run by Civil Defense with meals provided by Evangelical churches in Caimbe neighborhood in Boa Vista, Roraima state, Brazil. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

Dec.11 , 2017


Two young women carry a model reindeer past 10 Downing Street in London. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Dec.11 , 2017


The sun sets behind the Fairmont Hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE. REUTERS/Matthew Childs

Dec.11 , 2017


Reuters / Monday, December 11, 2017

R20 founder and former California state

governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rides the

new Velib' Metropole self-service public

bicycle by the Smovengo consortium as he

arrives at a news conference ahead of the

One Planet Summit in Paris, France.

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Dec.11 , 2017


People prepare a snow sculpture for the

Harbin Sun Island International Snow

Sculpture Art Expo in Harbin, Heilongjiang

province, China. REUTERS/Stringer

Dec.11 , 2017


A temple under construction is seen engulfed in fire in Mianzhu, Sichuan province, China. REUTERS/Stringer

Dec.11 , 2017


A painting by Australian born artist Ralph Heimans of Britain's Duke of Edinburgh, London. Ralph Heimans/Buckingham Palace via REUTERS

Dec.11 , 2017


A vehicle damaged by shrapnel and an explosive wave, sits abandoned in the Oktyabrsky district in Donetsk, Ukraine. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

Dec.11 , 2017


Ukrainian opposition figure and Georgian former President Mikheil

Saakashvili gestures inside a defendants' cage as he attends a court

hearing in Kiev, Ukraine. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Dec.11 , 2017


Children play in the snow in Stoke-on-Trent, Britain. REUTERS/Carl Recine

Dec.11 , 2017


Workers set up an artificial "swamp" outside a venue where Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore will hold a rally in Midland City, Alabama. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Dec.11 , 2017


A Palestinian man inspects a militant target that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip. REUTERS/IbraheemAbu Mustafa

Dec.11 , 2017


ALABAMA DECIDES

Republican candidate Roy Moore rides his horse after voting in Gallant. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman

Dec.11 , 2017


Roy Moore returns a hat to his wife, Kayla, as they ride their horses to a polling station in Gallant. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman

Dec.11 , 2017


Democratic candidate Doug Jones speaks with the media after casting his vote at Brookwood Baptist Church in Mountain Brook. REUTERS/Marvin Gentry

Dec.11 , 2017


Protesters gather before a campaign rally for Roy Moore in Midland City. REUTERS/Jonathan BachmanDec.11 , 2017


People stand on a roof of a home illuminated with Christmas lights to watch wildfire on a hillside burn during the Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara county near Carpinteria. REUTERS/Patrick T Fallon

Dec.11 , 2017


December 12, 2017


Ancient wrestling offers a future for some in modern India

Wearing nothing but loincloths, a group of boys warm up by climbing sturdy ropes that take them high into the trees. One teenager walks around the wrestling pit swirling incense, blessing the arena and preparing it for battle.

Dec.12 , 2017


In this Nov. 20, 2017 photo, langots or traditional undergarments worn by Indian kushti wrestlers are seen

hanging on a rope at an akhada, a kind of wrestling hostel at Sabzi Mandi, in New Delhi, India. (AP

Photo/Dar Yasin)

On this November evening, as the dusk thickens and the bugs venture out, a couple of dozen young devotees of kushti, the ancient Indian style of wrestling, have gathered to face off. They range in age from 10 to 16. The earth in the pit has been prepared as it has been for centuries, turned over and mixed with sawdust, turmeric and ghee, or clarified butter. It’s mildly fragrant and soft to the touch, making it easier on the wrestlers’ skin.

These devotees, or pehelwans, have made a commitment that extends beyond the hours they spend practicing each morning and evening. They live an ascetic lifestyle, eating specific foods like almond milkshakes and chapattis slathered with ghee. They don’t eat meat and refrain from smoking, drinking and dating.


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 20, 2017 photo, Indian Kushti wrestlers practice rope climbing, during their daily training at an

akhada, a kind of wrestling hostel at Sabzi Mandi, in New Delhi, India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Fifteen-year-old Ankur Bharadwaj says it’s his dream to win an Olympic medal, like his idol Sushil Kumar, who has won two Olympic medals for India in freestyle wrestling. Bharadwag says he gets up at 4 a.m. and jogs to the wrestling pit before going to school.“Hard work makes a man perfect,” he says. “That’s why we are practicing so regularly. There are no breaks if you want to be a wrestler.”Inside the pit, Bharadwaj and the other wrestlers rub their hands with the earth and toss it over their bodies. Under the watchful eye of their coach, they lock arms with their opponents, lunging for their legs as they try to flip them onto their backs and into submission.


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 22, 2017 photo, Indian Kushti wrestlers wait for their turn to practice rope climbing, during their daily

training, at an akhada, a kind of wrestling hostel at Bahadurgarh, in Haryana, India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

The sport, thought to be 2,000 years old, is mentioned in ancient Hindu texts and depicted in temple carvings. Although women wrestlers have made strides recently in India, the vast majority of participants are men.But like many traditions in a country that’s rapidly modernizing, kushtiwrestling faces the threat of being left behind. It remains popular in states like Haryana, where these pehelwans are training. For many poor families, wrestling provides a glimmer of hope. Those who succeed can earn money, respect in their communities and even particular jobs. They’re often employed by the police force or India’s railways.


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 27, 2017 photo, Indian kushti wrestler, Uday Shiv, poses for photographs inside the ring, during his

daily training at an akhada, a kind of wrestling hostel at Sabzi Mandi, in New Delhi, India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

The boys aspire to be accepted into an akhada, a kind of wrestling hostel where they’re given a bed and can devote themselves to the sport fulltime if they choose. Akhadas come with shrines to the Hindu god Hanuman, who is seen as a kind of patron saint to the sport.

At dawn at a small akhada in the suburbs of Delhi, a man circles the arena dragging a thick piece of wood to smooth the earth. Another crushes almonds with a large mortar and pestle. A poster on the gate advertises a local wrestling bout with a first-place prize of about $3,000. The gate swings open and a cow noses its way inside, breaking into a trot when the wrestlers try to shoo it away.


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 20, 2017 photo, Indian Kushti wrestlers apply oil as they give a massage to a fellow wrestler, during their

daily training at an akhada, a kind of wrestling hostel at Sabzi Mandi, in New Delhi, India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Coach Hemand Kumar, 35, says wrestling has always been his passion. Even before he started at age 10, he would get up before dawn and watch his father wrestle. The boys who take it up are saved from “the nonsense” of the streets, he says. But he worries about the sport’s future in a country with a rapidly rising middle class.“The rich kids, they don’t want to do it,” he says. “Those people who don’t have the money, they’re interested. But they don’t have the resources.”Jai Prakash, a former Olympic wrestler who is president of the Delhi Amateur Wrestling Association, says it’s getting more difficult to find the land needed to set up new akhadas. And unlike the nation’s most popular sport of cricket, he says, it’s tough to find sponsors for kushti.


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 27, 2017 photo, Indian Kushti wrestlers pray near a temple of Hindu god Hanuman, inside the ring, before starting their daily training at an akhada, a kind of wrestling hostel at Sabzi Mandi, in New Delhi, India. Akhadascome with shrines to the Hindu god Hanuman, who is seen as a kind of patron saint to the sport. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

“Wrestling bouts in villages used to

be like the festival season, with a joyous mood and crowds celebrating victories of their favorite wrestlers,” he says.Still, he’s upbeat about the future of the sport, which is also known as pehlwani. He says wrestling authorities want to make kushti a part of some international wrestling competitions, something he hopes might begin next year.At the renowned Guru Hanuman Akhara in Delhi there are about 25 resident pehelwans, most of them hulking men in their 20s and early 30s. Some train with giant clubs that they swing behind their backs. Others grab a rope that’s threaded through a pulley and haul into the air a bucket that’s filled with concrete.


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 20, 2017 photo, photographs and certificates belonging to Indian Kushti wrestlers are displayed on the wall

of Guru Hunuman Akhada, one of India's oldest akhada at Sabzi Mandi, in New Delhi, India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Sitting in a chair watching the men practice is Naveen Mor, who has won a number of international wrestling fixtures, including a gold medal at the 2011 World Police and Fire Games in New York. He says his wrestling prowess helped him land a job with the Haryana state police, where he works as an inspector.

Like many Indian wrestlers, Morstarted in the pit and later became proficient wrestling on a mat, which provides the standard arena for most international bouts.

He says his first love remains the pit, where bouts can sometimes last an hour until somebody finally gives up.


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 20, 2017 photo, photographs and trophies belonging to Indian Kushti wrestlers are seen inside the office

of Guru Hunuman Akhada, one of India's oldest akhadas at Sabzi Mandi, in New Delhi, India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

As he cuts back on competitions and does more coaching, Morsays he still follows the strict dietary rules of kushti, although he is more relaxed about other rules and has recently gotten married.He says he doesn’t regret dedicating his youth to the sport.“No working. No shopping,” he says with a grin. “Only wrestling, wrestling, wrestling. My life is wrestling. I love wrestling.”


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 22, 2017 photo, Indian Kushti wrestlers practice during a training session, at an akhada, a

kind of wrestling hostel at Bahadurgarh, in Haryana, India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 22, 2017 photo, Indian Kushti wrestlers warm up during their daily training, at an

akhada, a kind of wrestling hostel at Bahadurgarh, in Haryana, India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)January 15, 2018 Pictures of the day - Dec.8 - Dec.14, 2017 183

GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 22, 2017 photo, Indian Kushti wrestlers wait for their turn to practice push ups, during their daily

training, at an akhada, a kind of wrestling hostel at Bahadurgarh, in Haryana, India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 20, 2017 photo, Indian kushti wrestlers fight in the ring, during their daily training at an akhada, a

kind of wrestling hostel at Sabzi Mandi, in New Delhi, India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 22, 2017 photo,

an Indian Kushti wrestler

bathes near a well as others

wait their turn after their

daily training at an akhada,

a kind of wrestling hostel at

Bahadurgarh, in Haryana,

India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 20, 2017 photo, an Indian Kushti wrestler warms up by pulling a rope that’s threaded through a pulley and hauls into the air a bucket filled with concrete during his daily training at an akhada, a kind of wrestling hostel at Sabzi Mandi, in New Delhi, India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 20, 2017 photo, Indian kushti wrestlers prepare the ground in the ring for a training session, at

Hanuman Akhada, one of India's oldest akhada at Sabzi Mandi, in New Delhi, India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)


GALLERY PHOTOS

In this Nov. 20, 2017 photo, a spade and flowers from the weekly prayers are seen inside the ring at an akhada, a kind of wrestling hostel at Sabzi Mandi, in New Delhi, India. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

TEXT FROM THE AP NEWS STORY, ANCIENT WRESTLING OFFERS A FUTURE FOR SOME IN MODERN INDIA, BY NICK PERRY.

ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER ASHOK SHARMA IN NEW DELHI CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT.

PHOTOS BY DAR YASIN


GALLERY PHOTOS

PROTESTS OVER TRUMP'S JERUSALEM MOVEDec.12 , 2017


A Palestinian protester slings a rock at Israeli forces during a protest against President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

A Palestinian demonstrator looks on during clashes with Israeli troops near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.12 , 2017


Students leave school as part of a

general strike to protest Trump's

decision, in Al-Baqaa Palestinian

refugee camp, near Amman, Jordan

December 12, 2017.

REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

Dec.12 , 2017


A demonstrator holds a Palestinian flag during clashes with Israeli troops near the border with Israel in the southern Gaza Strip December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Dec.12 , 2017


Shop owners sit in front of their closed shops during a general strike to protest at Al-Baqaa Palestinian refugee camp, near Amman, Jordan December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

Dec.12 , 2017


Palestinians hang an effigy bearing a poster of President Donald Trump and a representation of a U.S. flag during a protest in the southern Gaza Strip December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Dec.12 , 2017


Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest in Peshawar, Pakistan December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz

Dec.12 , 2017


President Trump holds a space astronaut toy as he participates in a signing ceremony for Space Policy Directive at the White House. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaDec.12 , 2017


A camel is seen as he is being brought for the foot surgery at the Dubai Camel Hospital in Dubai, UAE. REUTERS/Satish Kumar

Dec.12 , 2017


Reuters / Tuesday, December 12, 2017Flowers are seen placed by people on a carcass of an elephant, who according to forest officials was electrocuted early morning in a paddy field at Kuruabahivillage, in Nagaon district in the northeastern state of Assam, India. REUTERS/Anuwar Hazarika

Dec.12 , 2017


MOSCOW’S CADET BALL MIXES POMP, DISCIPLINE AND INCLUSIVITY

Moscow’s International Kremlin Cadet Ball is a picture of discipline, pomp and splendor. Girls in billowing dresses twirl across the dance floor, immaculately dressed young men line the hall in orderly rows, and teachers bark out orders, trying to get their students to keep time.Backstage, however, chaos reigns. As lipstick is applied and hair frantically braided, girls jostle for position in front of floor-length mirrors, trying to capture the perfect selfie.“Red lipstick is absolutely forbidden!” shouts a teacher, causing the room to go silent. “Cadet girls should be girly, not womanly!”For many at Tuesday’s ball, it’s a fairytale chance to experience the grandeur of Russia’s czarist traditions. With its string quartets, traditional dance routines and patriotic speeches, the event harks back to a bygone era.

Dec.12 , 2017


Military school students dance during their annual ball in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Dec.12 , 2017


Military school students dance during their annual ball in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)Dec.12 , 2017


Military school students walk out during their annual ball in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Dec.12 , 2017


Military school students wait to dance during their annual ball in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Dec.12 , 2017


Participants of a ball for students of military schools perform during an annual ball in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Dec.12 , 2017


December 13, 2017


A surfer walks along the beach in Carpinteria, California on Tuesday. David McNew / Getty Images

Surfers in a California seaside community hit the beach to catch waves, despite smoke-filled skies from a looming wildfire. Some surfers wore masks for protection.

The so-called Thomas fire, one of several burning around the state, has burned over 900 structures, at least 700 of them homes. And it has stretched across nearly 370 square miles of territory, making it the fifth largest in state history

CALIFORNIA SURFERS BRAVE WILDFIRE SMOKE TO CATCH WAVES

by NATALIA JIMENEZ and ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dec.13 , 2017


Surfers carry their boards along the beach on Tuesday. David McNew / Getty Images

Dec.13 , 2017


A surfer rides a wave surrounded by a smoke-filled sky. David McNew / Getty Images

As the fire straddling Santa Barbara and Ventura counties entered its 10th day, crews had carved containment lines around one-quarter of it.

Tens of thousands of people remain evacuated, including many from the seaside enclaves of Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria and the inland agricultural town of Fillmore.

Dec.13 , 2017


A dog runs along the beach in Carpinteria. David McNew / Getty Images

Dec.13 , 2017


Villagers hold torches to represent light and vision during the Divina Pastoraprocession, as part of a festival to honour the Virgin of Los Rondeles, on the eve of St Lucia's Day, in Casarabonela, near Malaga, southern Spain. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

Dec.13 , 2017


A Rohingya refugee prepares to carry

a cement cylinder at the Kutupalong

refugee camp near Cox's Bazar,

Bangladesh. REUTERS/Alkis

Konstantinidis

Dec.13 , 2017


Rohingya refugees wait for their babies to be examined by doctors at the Unicefhealth centre at the Kutupalong refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

Dec.13 , 2017


Britain's Prince William and Prince Harry, arrive for the European Premiere of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi', at the Royal Albert Hall in central London. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Dec.13 , 2017


Britain's Prime minister Theresa May attends the One Planet Summit at the Seine Musicale center in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Dec.13 , 2017


Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men gather during

the funeral ceremony of prominent

spiritual leader Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib

Shteinman, who died on Tuesday at the

age of 104, in Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv,

Israel. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Dec.13 , 2017


School teachers and staff members take part during an active shooter training at James I. O'Neill High School in Highland Falls, New York. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Dec.13 , 2017


Light illuminates a woman as she hangs the election symbol of Nepal Workers Peasants Party along the streets to prepare for the victory rally after their candidate won in a Constituency from Bhaktapur, Nepal. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

Dec.13 , 2017


A prosthetic leg lies amid rubble of a damaged building in the rebel-held area, in the city of Deraa, Syria. REUTERS/Alaa al-Faqir

Dec.13 , 2017


HUBO, a multifunctional walking humanoid robot, gets help as it loses its balance while carrying the Olympic torch at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejeon, South Korea. Yang Young-seok/Yonhapvia REUTERS

Dec.13 , 2017


A member of the FBI enters the crime scene beneath the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal following an attempted detonation during the morning rush hour, in New York. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Dec.13 , 2017


PROTESTS OVER TRUMP'S JERUSALEM MOVE

A boy holds the Jordanian national flag during a protest near the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

Dec.13 , 2017


Reuters / Wednesday, December 13, 2017Undercover Israeli security personnel detain a Palestinian demonstrator during clashes at a protest against President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.13 , 2017


Reuters / Wednesday, December 13, 2017Palestinian lawyers run during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest against President Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.13 , 2017


Protesters demonstrate against President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in Berlin, Germany. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

Dec.13 , 2017


Reuters / Wednesday, December 13, 2017An undercover Israeli security personnel detains a Palestinian demonstrator during clashes at a protest against President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Dec.13 , 2017


A mourner reacts as he carries the body of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant during his funeral in Gaza City. REUTERS/Mohammed SalemDec.13 , 2017


Israeli forces fire gas canisters at Palestinian protesters during a protest in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Dec.13 , 2017


DEMOCRAT WINS SENATE SEAT IN ALABAMA

Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore takes the stage upon arriving at his election night party in Montgomery. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Dec.13 , 2017


Democratic Alabama Senate candidate Doug Jones acknowledges supporters at the election night party in Birmingham. REUTERS/Marvin Gentry

Dec.13 , 2017


A child watches the results come in at Roy Moore's election night party in Montgomery. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Dec.13 , 2017


Supporters of Roy Moore react at Moore's election night party in Montgomery. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Dec.13 , 2017


A framed Ten Commandments is carried by a supporter at Republican Roy Moore's election party in Montgomery, Alabama. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman

Dec.13 , 2017


Supporters celebrate at the election night party for Democratic Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones in Birmingham, Alabama. REUTERS/Marvin Gentry

Dec.13 , 2017


Reuters / Wednesday, December 13, 2017German Chancellor Angela Merkel is greeted by French President Emmanuel Macron as he hosts the leaders of the G5 Sahel countries - Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Mauritania, as well as Germany, Italy and and Saudi Arabia to discuss how to speed up the implementation of the G5 West African counter-terrorism force in La Celle Saint Cloud, near Paris, France. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

Dec.13 , 2017


Reuters / Wednesday, December 13, 2017Donald Trump Jr., the president's son, departs after a full day being interviewed by Senate Intelligence Committee staff, as part of the panel's ongoing investigation of allegations of Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, on Capitol Hill. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Dec.13 , 2017


PILGRIMAGE OF THE CLOWNS

Reuters / Wednesday, December 13, 2017Clowns carry a portrait of the Virgin of Guadalupe as they pay homage to Mexico's patron saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico, December 13, 2017. The streets of Mexico City burst with sound and color as hundreds of clowns went on their annual pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe, Mexico's holiest shrine. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Dec.13 , 2017


Reuters / Wednesday, December 13, 2017Clown Omarlin poses for a photo as he pays homage to Mexico's patron saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City. This is reportedly the 29th year that clowns in bright clothes and neon-colored wigs marched through the bustling capital's street alongside a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Dec.13 , 2017


lowns pose for a photo at the Basilica of Guadalupe. The event is no laughing matter, with clowns on their religious trek to thank the Virgin for work in 2017 and for prosperity in the new year. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Dec.13 , 2017


A clown carries a figurine of the Virgin of Guadalupe. REUTERS/EdgardGarrido

Dec.13 , 2017


A clown is pictured as he pays homage to Our Lady of Guadalupe. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Dec.13 , 2017


December 14, 2017


NEWTOWN: FIVE YEARS LATER

Reuters / Friday, December 14, 2012Lynn and Christopher McDonnell, the parents of seven-year-old Grace McDonnell, grieve near Sandy Hook Elementary after learning their daughter was one of 20 school children and six adults killed after a gunman opened fire inside the school in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

Dec.14 , 2017


First-grader Henry Terifay and his sister, fourth-grader Kelly Terifay, wait outside Sandy Hook Elementary School after the shooting, December 14, 2012. REUTERS/Michelle McLoughlin

Dec.14 , 2017


A boy weeps as he is told what happened after being picked up at Reed Intermediate School following the shooting, December 14, 2012. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Dec.14 , 2017


A police officer keeps guard from a hill top over looking Sandy Hook Elementary School, December 14, 2012. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

Dec.14 , 2017


Family members embrace each other outside Sandy Hook Elementary School, December 14, 2012. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

Dec.14 , 2017


"The undercover personnel were posing as Palestinian protesters and were standing behind the stone-throwers," said Torokman, who has covered clashes in the region for nearly two decades."All of a sudden, they started to fire their pistols into the air and throw sound grenades at the same time."The din of the grenades and guns caused panic among the protesters.Torokman saw eight Israeli personnel, wearing masks fashioned from Arab headdresses or the Palestinian flag, leap into action and detain protesters.He kept photographing, thereby capturing the moment as an undercover agent grappling with a protester swung round, briefly pointing his gun directly at Torokman.

Dec.14 , 2017


A Palestinian Hamas militant takes part in a rally marking the 30th anniversary of Hamas' founding, in Gaza City. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

Dec.14 , 2017


Hindu saints stand in a queue to casts their votes at a polling station during the last phase of Gujarat state assembly election on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India. REUTERS/Amit Dave

Dec.14 , 2017


A man warms himself by a fire along a road on a cold winter morning in New Delhi, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Dec.14 , 2017


Christian protesters light candles as they take part in a march to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in Amman, Jordan. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

Dec.14 , 2017


Youths wait to perform during the celebration of St. Lucia's Day at the Swedish Evangelical and Lutheran church of St. Katarina in St. Petersburg, Russia. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov

Dec.14 , 2017


Clowns carry a portrait of the Virgin of Guadalupe as they pay homage to Mexico's patron saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico, REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Dec.14 , 2017


People dressed as characters from Star Wars take part in an event held for the release of the film 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in Bangkok, Thailand. REUTERS/AthitPerawongmetha

Dec.14 , 2017


A man dressed as a panda rests and smokes in between posing for pictures with tourists in central Kiev, Ukraine. REUTERS/GlebGaranich

Dec.14 , 2017


A worker hangs dried fish onto poles at a processing facility on the outskirts of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China. REUTERS/Stringer

Dec.14 , 2017


A squirrel climbs up the leg of Tony Bousell, who is on a break from work, near the Southbank area of London. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Dec.14 , 2017


Rohingya refugees climb on a bamboo

scaffold as they drill a water well at the

Mayner Ghona refugee camp near Cox's

Bazar, Bangladesh. REUTERS/Alkis

Konstantinidis

Dec.14 , 2017


Maru, a two-month-old King Penguin chick and the first successful hatching by the Jurong Bird Park in almost a decade, looks on from a Christmas theme enclosure in the Penguin Coast exhibit at the park in Singapore. REUTERS/Edgar Su

Dec.14 , 2017


President Donald Trump talks with members of the press during a lunch with bicameral tax conferees in the Cabinet Room of the White House. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Dec.14 , 2017


A female leopard looks up while lying inside a dry well after it got trapped in it, at a residential area in Guwahati, India. REUTERS/Anuwar Hazarika

Dec.14 , 2017


President Donald Trump talks with members of the press during a lunch with bicameral tax conferees in the Cabinet Room of the White House. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Dec.14 , 2017


IndianapolisThe Lilly House at Newfields is illuminated as part of the Winterlightsholiday light display on the museum's grounds on Nov. 16. The display on the lawn of the home is synchronized to music from the Nutcracker.

— Michael Conroy / AP

Nov.16 , 2017

TWINKLING HOLIDAY LIGHTS SPREAD CHEER AROUND THE WORLD

GALLERY PHOTOS


MoscowVisitors walk in front of an illuminated replica of The Kremlin and St. Basil Cathedral outside a shopping mall on Nov. 24.

— Mladen Antonov / AFP - Getty Images

Nov.24 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


SpainVisitors hold up their phones to take pictures as the Christmas lights are turned on in downtown Malaga on Nov. 24.

— Jon Nazca / Reuters

Nov.24 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


HungarySkaters circle a Christmas tree at

Szent Istvan square in downtown

Budapest on Nov. 24.

— Balazs Mohai / EPA

Nov.24 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


ViennaHoliday lights illuminate the Graben, a shopping street, on Nov. 25.

— Lisi Niesner / EPA

Nov.25 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


GermanyChildren ride a merry-go-round as the Christmas market opens in Magdeburg on Nov. 27.

— Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert / AFP - Getty Images

Nov.27 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


GermanyThe Christmas market fills the square in front of the famous Gothic cathedral in Cologne on Nov. 28.

— Thilo Schmuelgen / Reuters

Nov.28 , 2017

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GermanyVisitors peruse the stands at the Christmas Market in Heidelberg on Nov. 28.

— Ronald Wittek / EPA

Nov.28 , 2017

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BerlinTwo young visitors from Mozambique and Ireland take a selfie in front of a giant Christmas tree at the annual Christmas market at Alexanderplatz on Nov. 28.

— Sean Gallup / Getty Images

Nov.28 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


BerlinA carousel spins on Alexanderplatz on Nov. 28.

— Hannibal Hanschke / Reuters

Nov.28 , 2017

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EnglandCandles are carried by choir members during the annual "darkness to light" advent procession on Dec. 1 in Salisbury.

The service, which begins with the medieval cathedral in total darkness and silence before the Advent Candle is lit at the West End, is one of the most popular of the liturgical year.

— Matt Cardy / Getty Images

Dec.1 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


EnglandThe interior of Salisbury Cathedral is illuminated by trails of candles carried by choir members during the annual "darkness to light" advent procession.

— Matt Cardy / Getty Images

Dec.1 , 2017

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SingaporeA couple sit inside a Christmas-themed light sculpture at the Gardens by the Bay on Dec. 1.

— Wallace Moon / EPA

Dec.1 , 2017

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LondonTate Britain's Christmas art commission, Home for Christmas by Alan Kane, is illuminated on the front of the gallery on Dec. 1.

— Peter Nicholls / Reuters

Dec.1 , 2017

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FranceA light layer of snow covers the Place Kleber square in downtown Strasbourg on Dec. 3.

— Patrick Hertzog / AFP - Getty Images

Dec.3 , 2017

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LebanonA man walks past Christmas decorations in Maghdouche village near Sidon on Dec. 5.

Dec.5 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


LithuaniaVisitors walk in front of the illuminated Christmas tree in in Kaunas on Dec. 7.

— Mindaugas Kulbis / AP

Dec.7 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


PennsylvaniaChase McCann, 7, and his brother Blake, 5, get a close look at the musical Christmas tree in Central Park in Johnstown on Dec. 8.

— John Rucosky / Tribune-Democrat via AP

Dec.8 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


BeijingPeople admire a Christmas tree at a residential complex on Dec. 8.

— Nicolas Asfouri / AFP - Getty Images

Dec.8 , 2017

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BeirutFireworks explode as the Christmas tree is lit in front of Muhammad al-Amin Mosque at Martyr's Square on Dec. 10.

— Bilal Hussein / AP

Dec.10 , 2017

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MaineHoliday lights reflect in the waters off Nubble Light, silhouetting a photographer on Dec. 11 in York. The beacon on top of the lighthouse has been helping mariners navigate the coastal waters of southern Maine since 1879.

— Robert F. Bukaty / AP

Dec.11 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


ColombiaVisitors pass holiday lights in Cali on Dec. 11.

— Luis Robayo / AFP - Getty Images

Dec.11 , 2017

GALLERY PHOTOS


RomaniaVisitors admire a Christmas tree in the main square of Nagyvarad on Dec. 12.

— Zsolt Czegledi / EPA

Dec.12 , 2017

THE ENDPictures of the day

Dec.8 – Dec.14, 2017

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december 2017 - pictures of the day - dec.8 - dec.14, 2017

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