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The week in photos 22/7/11

The week in photos 22/7/11


A look at the week's most striking photos from across the globe


10900620870?profile=originalA pair of twin boys had to be rescued by firefighters after becoming trapped on a window grid in Yulin, southern China's Guangxi Province. The two young boys climbed out of the window onto the grid after being left home alone while their parents went to work


10900620893?profile=originalDeath-defying stunts went on display this week at the Extreme Sports Show, held in Oxford. Here a dirtbike stunt rider drives through fire at top speed.

10900621278?profile=originalKenyan President Mwai Kibaki oversees the burning of around five tonnes of tusks and ivory which were seized in Singapore in 2002. It came as Kenya marked the 'African Elephant Law Enforcement Day'.

10900621467?profile=originalHere a leopard attacks a forest guard at Prakash Nagar village near Salugara, on the outskirts of Siliguri, India. The animal had strayed into the village area and mauled several villagers, including three guards, before being caught by forest officials, according to news reports.


10900621668?profile=originalOffering vast views across London, this art installation from creative minds Bompass and Parr has made it possible to sail across Selfridges’ rooftop. The ‘Voyage of Discovery’ exhibition is open until this Sunday and includes a waterfall, dyed green water and 12 small sailing boats

10900621700?profile=originalTwo players struggle for footing at the World Swamp Soccer championships. The tournament was held in Hyrynsalmi, Finland this week.

10900622290?profile=originalRussian military have implemented a plan to fool enemy forces by constructing life-size inflatable replicas of fighting fleet. It is hoped that these distractions will be able to decieve satellite scopes and thermal imagery.


10900623075?profile=originalIn what was another convincing deception this week, an American blogger spotted that this Apple store in Kunming, China is not in fact genuine. After realising that the iconic Apple logo was not as it should be she also noted that the store was not listed on the tech giant's website. Staff 'all genuinely think they work for Apple' according to the blogger, BirdAbroad


10900623675?profile=originalA tunnel under construction collapsed in Dalian leaving 12 workers trapped in the tunnel. No casualties were reported and rescuers have managed to get in contact with the trapped workers.

10900624072?profile=originalGreen algae continues to spread in waters off China's east coastline, this time swamping Qindao's popular beachside. Although the green algae is not poisonous, it can hinder fisheries industry and tourism in affected area


10900624854?profile=originalBeekeeper Wang Dalin wears tens of thousands of bees on his body with goggles and corks up his nose for extra protection.

10900625090?profile=originalPreviously unseen photos of The Beatles went on auction this week and managed to sell for an astonishing £224,000. Photographer Mike Mitchell snapped the fab four when he was just 18, restoring the photos from February 1964 for a handsome windfall


10900625890?profile=originalVicious flooding hit the Nanjing region of China this week with cars swamped by a tide of water.

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Not bad for an amateur effort… Amateur photographers have submitted photos for National Geographic's 125th anniversary. Wish you were here?

Your Shot: Beautiful images from the readers of National Geographic


National Geographic magazine turned 125 this month, with an anniversary issue devoted to the power of photography. The magazine moves the birthday celebration off its pages with the October 1st public launch of a photo-sharing platform, Your Shot (NGYourShot.com), that allows photography fans to connect with photographers and editors around virtual assignments, get direct feedback on their work and participate in a unique photography-based community. One of the magazine’s young star photographers, Cory Richards, will usher in the month as lead curator of the magazine’s first assignment on Your Shot.


Led by Richards and his magazine photo editor, Sadie Quarrier, the assignment invites
photographers to share three images that convey how photography can help us explore our changing world. Throughout the assignment, Richards and Quarrier will provide photo tips and feedback on the images that are submitted along with direction on what they feel will best help tell the story. Their favorite photograph will be selected to appear in a future issue of National Geographic magazine. Participants must join Your Shot, National Geographic’s free online photo community and storytelling platform, to submit photos to the assignment, which runs until Oct. 22. (National Geographic)


Here's a look at some of the offers for the first assignment, "Explore our Changing World" and links to the galleries of the photographers.

10900615472?profile=originalPhotograph and caption by Junichi Saito, National Geographic Your Shot - Seagull - Feeding a seagull.

10900616096?profile=originalPhotograph and caption by Wayne Panepinto, National Geographic Your Shot - Perfect Catch - I'm amazed how easy the sea lions catch their food. I'm very happy for sea lion Lily and Seneca Park Zoo with the Daily Dozen end results

10900616691?profile=originalPhotograph and caption by Rolf Maeder, National Geographic Your Shot - Night of Lightning at Grand Canyon - It was such a wonderful experience to witness this beautiful thunderstorm far across the Grand Canyon


10900617261?profile=originalPhotograph and caption by Junaid Ahmed, National Geographic Your Shot - People at Prayer - Ijtema is the second largest muslim gatherings in the world after Hazz.The gatherings is so huge that people did not get place at the field to pray jumma prayer and sited themselves at road

10900617471?profile=originalPhotograph and caption by Ryan Deboodt, National Geographic Your Shot - Camp inside Hang Son Doong - After two days of trekking and caving, we reach the first camp inside Hang Son Doong, the world's largest cave

10900618067?profile=originalPhotograph and caption by Dimitris Maroulakis, National Geographic Your Shot - Weightless - Freediver slides peacefully over sea bed in the blue hole area of Vouliagmeni.

10900617695?profile=originalPhotograph and caption by Noel Kerns, National Geographic Your Shot - Meteorite - Abandoned farmhouse near Sanger, Texas. 3-minute exposure under a 3/4 moon, f/5.6, ISO 200. Interior of house light-painted with X2000 flashlights

10900617695?profile=originalPhotograph and caption by Arati Rao
Photograph and caption by Arati Rao, National Geographic Your Shot - Best Shelter Ever - A baby shelters under its mother one late afternoon in Sri Lanka

10900619056?profile=originalPhotograph and caption by Eiko Jones, National Geographic Your Shot - Cloud of Tadpoles - While photographing lilies in a local swamp a cloud of tadpoles swam by numbering in the thousands, all following along in a trail

10900619660?profile=originalPhotograph and caption by Andrew Inaba, National Geographic Your Shot - The Ice Caves - Granite Falls, Washington is home to the Big Four Ice Caves; A large network of tunnels formed from heaps of avalanche-deposited snow, and hollowed by cascading water and warm winds. Spectacle and beauty must come with respect, as the ice is prone to collapse and cave-ins

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'After the Final Curtain': Haunting photos capture the derelict shells of U.S. theatres


They were once packed out entertainment venues decorated with stunning architecture, but these neglected American theatres have since fallen into disrepair.


Photographer Matt Lambros documented the sad decline of 57 formerly thriving theatres as part of his 'After the Final Curtain' project.


He travelled thousands of miles across the US, photographing crumbling venues in New York, Michigan and Massachusetts, among others, years after they stopped welcoming visitors.

10900604080?profile=originalThe inside of the Shore Theatre on Coney Island, NY is now filled with fading walls and building equipment.


10900605256?profile=originalThe stage and seating at the Paramount Theatre in Newark, NJ, which has clearly fallen into neglect. (REX/Matt Lambros)


10900606074?profile=originalThe crumbling interior of the Troy Theatre, New York.


10900606496?profile=originalUnloved: The interior of Loew's Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, NYC.


10900607461?profile=originalThe inside of the Metropolitan Opera House in Philadelphia has clearly seen better days.


10900607861?profile=originalLight streams into the dusty interior of the Loew's Kings Theatre in Brooklyn


10900607701?profile=originalThe Liberty Theatre in Dorchester, Massachusetts is now a derelict shell of its former self.


10900608883?profile=originalDecay: The Embassy Theatre in Port Chester, NY - one of 57 visited by Matt.


10900609483?profile=originalThe neglect and decay inside the Eastown Theatre in Detroit, Michigan is clear to see.


10900610260?profile=originalAnother image of the Troy Theatre shows ornate carvings and decorations still in place.

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7 photos that reveal what families eat in one week


In a new series of photos, families worldwide pose with one week’s food supply.

How much food does your household go through in a week? What are your go-to family meals? And how much do you spend on food? You can get a glimpse of how others answered these questions in Oxfam’s new photo series, which depicts people from around the globe with one week’s food supply for their families.


Building on an idea that originated with 2005′s Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, the new images feel especially timely now, when reports about half of the world’s food going to waste vie for space with news about rising global food prices. According to a recent article accompanying some of the photos in the UK Independent, “There is deep injustice in the way food is grown and distributed … the world’s poorest people spend 50-90 percent of their income on food, compared with just 10-15 percent in developed countries.”


As you can probably guess, the families’ diets differ depending on where they live. But if if there’s one common thread that links these images, it’s that we all have to eat. We all face challenges and successes when it comes to feeding our families. And we can all help to make the food system fairer for everyone.


So check out seven highlights below. Then tell us in the comments: What does your week’s food supply look like? How does your family measure up?


Shahveller, Azerbaijan

Photo: David Levene/Oxfam
Mirza Bakhishov, 47, his wife, Zarkhara, 37, and two sons, Khasay, 18 and Elchin, 15, own a small plot of land where they grow cotton and wheat as well as animal feed. “Our small cattle and poultry [are] everything for us. All our income and livelihood is dependent on them,” said Bakhishov.

Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Photo: Abir Abdullah/Oxfam
Selvern, 70, far right, and her daughters have been members of Oxfam’s local dairy cooperative for four years. Her youngest daughter Sukitha, second from right, works at the cooperative and is also trained as a vet. Selvern gets up at 5:30 every morning to help her daughters milk their cows; she sends most of the milk to the co-op with Sukitha and uses the remainder to make cream and ghee for the family.


Mecha, Ethiopia

Photo: Tom Pietrasik/Oxfam
A week’s food supply for Wubalem Shiferaw, her husband Tsega, and 4-year-old daughter Rekebki includes flour, vegetable oil, and a paste of spices called berbere. Tsega works as a tailor, while Wubalem follows a long local tradition and supplements her income with honey production. An Oxfam-supported cooperative helped Wubalem make the transition to modern beekeeping methods, which produce greater yields.

Yegeghus, Armenia

Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Panos
The Josephyan family from with their weekly food supply, which includes wheat flour, dried split peas, sugar, and cooking oil. The family supplements their diet with eggs laid by their chickens and wild greens from the fields.

London, UK

Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Oxfam
Ian Kerr, 30, with his family and a week’s food supplied by a charity food bank. Ian left his job to become a full-time carer to his disabled son Jay-J, 12. Also pictured are his daughter Lillian, 5, and mother-in-law Linda, 61. Kerr says the family’s favorite food is spaghetti Bolognese, but Lillian says her favorite is Jaffa Cakes.

Kaftarkhana, Tajikistan

Photo: Andy Hall/Oxfam
BiBi-Faiz Miralieba and her family, from left to right: son Siyoushi, 11, niece Gulnoya Shdova, 14, and children Jomakhon, 6, Shodmon, 9, and Jamila,13. Like many women in rural areas of Tajikistan, Miralieba is now the head of her household as her husband has migrated to Russia to find work.

Gutu, Zimbabwe

Photo: Annie Bungeroth/Oxfam
Ipaishe Masvingise and her family with their food for the week, which includes grains and groundnuts as well as fruits like pawpaw and oranges. Masvingise, a farmer, said she sells extra grain from her harvests to pay for school fees and medical costs, and to support members of her extended family who don’t own their own land.

Beautiful Pictures

towering red dust storm gathers over the ocean, ahead of a cyclone approaching Onslow, West Australia, on January 9. The remarkable photo was captured by tug boat worker Brett Martin, 25 nautical miles from the town of Onslow. (AFP)

Killer whales surface through a breathing hole on January 9. The creatures were trapped under sea ice in Canada's Hudson Bay. Up to a dozen whales were feared to be stuck, however winds later pushed the ice away from the coast. (Reuters)



Snowfall at the ruins of the Roman Temple of Bacchus in the historic town of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon on January 10. An unusual chill swept across the Middle East recently, bringing heavy snow and freezing conditions in Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Syria and Palestine. The weather has claimed at least 17 lives across the region (Reuters)



Tammy Holmes and her grandchildren clutch each other as they seek refuge under a jetty on January 4 after wildfires consumed their home in Dunalley, Tasmania. The photo was taken by their grandfather, Tim Holmes. The family survived but their house, which Mr Holmes built himself, was destroyed. (Sky)



A twilight view of London from the top of the Shard, the tallest building in western Europe. The skyscraper, which is 1,013ft tall, opens to the public on February 1. Visitors will be able to reach the 72nd floor of the 78 floor building. (Reuters)



A 'lion' caused panic in Virginia, America when it was spotted loose on the streets. When police investigated it turned out to be 'Charles the Monarch' - a labradoodle whose fur had been shaved to look like a lion (SWNS)



Unexplained readings from the Cassini probe, which orbits Saturn, hint that blocks of ice might bob on the surface of the lakes of liquid methane on Titan. NASA believes that life could lurk in the ice - but it would be very different from life on Earth as the lakes are composed entirely of liquid ethane and methane. (NASA)



Andrejus Rascinski, aged nine, from Birmingham, waits to perform in the under-14s competition at the European Elvis Championships on January 6. Over 70 Elvis impersonators, decked in sequins and well-groomed sideburns, flocked to Birmingham to take part in the competition. (PA)


Photographer Reinhard Dirscherl took this extraordinary snap of a whale shark, which looks like it is about to eat a diver in Indonesia. The 47,000lb shark is not dangerous to humans, instead preferring to snack on plankton (Caters)

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Environmental Photographer of the Year:

Stunning photos of relationship between humans and nature


These are just a few of the entries for this year's Environmental Photographer of the Year Award. Amateurs and professional photographers have submitted their images depicting environmental and social issues which sees a wide range of subjects, from waste in Ghana to a beautiful starry night in Namibia. The thought-provoking and beautiful images will be displayed at the Royal Geographical Society from April 10. Exhibition photos were whittled down from 3,000 and the three prizewinners will be announced April 9.

'Hong Kong Hole' by Stuart Chape where Westernised skylines spring up like flowers (Stuart Chape)

'Nuclear Winter' by Zoltan Balogh by Lake Bokod, Hungary. Fishermen's houses are built on stilts above the surface of the water. Smoke rises the Oroszlány Power Plant in the background (Zoltan Balogh)

'Polluted Landscape' by Lu Guang in Holingol City, China. Due to the vast presence of coal mines, meadows are left devastated and no sheep or cattle can survive there. In order to preserve the image of the city, the local government installed 120 sculptures of sheep and cattle on the meadow (Lu Guang)

'Uyuni' by Javier Arcenillas is of the world's largest salt flat in Bolivia. Expanding for 4,086 sq miles, the stunning white desert contains 43% of the world's lithium reserves (Javier Arcenillas)

'Survivors' by GMB Akash in Bangladesh. The decreipt building houses eighty families of sweepers, the lowest in the caste system and regarded as 'untouchables' (GMB Akash)

'GPAction' by Steve Morgan, snapped 180km off the coast of Greenland. A group of international Greenpeace activists climb onto the oil rig with the hope of stopping the drilling in Baffin Bay which is a fragile home to vulnerable wildlife including polar bears and sea whales (Steve Morgan)



'Quiver Trees by Night' taken by Florian Breuer in Namibia shows the unusual trees silhouette against the bright Milky Way (Florian Breuer)


'E-Waste in Ghana' by Kai Löeffelbein. This striking image shows a man with an old computer on his head in the middle of a waste dump. Up to 50m tonnes of toxic electronic waste accumulate annually in the world and many are exported from developed countries to developing nations (Kai Löeffelbein)

'Farmer under the Sun' by Alamsyah Rauf in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. A farmer dries her rice under the hot sun, her head protected by a large hat and scarf (Alamsyah Rauf)

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