Today in Photos

A six story building collapsed in Cologne, Germany Thursday, politics tops the news in China, and an assortment of other photos from around the world make up our photo gallery.

Section:Gallery

Thu., March 5, 2009

A minority lawmaker poses for pictures as she enters the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for the opening session of China's annual national legislative meeting in Beijing, China, Thursday, March 5, 2009. The colorful ethnic costumes are a bright spot in an otherwise drab piece of political theater that sees delegates approve decisions made ahead of time by the Communist Party leadership.

Elizabeth Dalziel Associated Press
Military officers take a moment to snap a picture moments after attending the first session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Thursday, March 5, 2009. The politically influential military was rewarded with another double-digit budget increase, 14.9 percent, but a lower rate than in recent years so that the government could divert more money to other programs.

Elizabeth Dalziel Associated Press
A Chinese paramilitary soldier stands guard in front of the Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen square in Beijing, China, Thursday, March 5, 2009. While the nearly 3,000 delegates to the National People's Congress met, rings of uniformed and plainclothes police sealed off Tiananmen and kept ordinary Chinese and the normal hordes of tourists away.

Elizabeth Dalziel Associated Press
A crane covered with debris stands at the scene of a collapsed building in Cologne, western Germany, Thursday March 5, 2009. Cologne's six-storey city archive building rumbled and then collapsed into a pile of rubble Tuesday.

Frank Augstein Associated Press
Books and files are seen at the scene of a collapsed building in Cologne, western Germany, Thursday March 5, 2009. Cologne's six-storey city archive building rumbled and then collapsed into a pile of rubble Tuesday.

Frank Augstein Associated Press
A baby orca, named J45, is seen in the Haro Strait in an undated handout photo released by the Center for Whale Research. J45 is the third Puget Sound baby killer whale spotted this year and was born to the J-pod, one of three pods in the San Juan Islands off of Washington state.
Louis, Hedley and Dorothy, the Ring-tailed Lemur family at the Spring River Zoo in Roswell, New Mexico, examine and nibble upon an old cardboard box that had blown into their cage Wednesday, March 4, 2009 during gusty winds. According to zoo director Elaine Mayfield the Lemur cage is cleaned out every morning to clear such debris.

Mark Wilson Associated Press
A boy walks amid smoke produced by garbage being burnt in Managua, Thursday, March 5, 2009. Inter American Development Bank, IADB's governors from Central American and Dominican Republic take part in the bank's XXIII meeting in which the effects of the global financial crisis in the region will be discussed.

Esteban Felix Associated Press
A model wears a creation by South Korean fashion designer Lie Sang Bong as part of his fall-winter 2009-2010 ready-to-wear collection presented in Paris, Thursday, March 5, 2009.

Thibault Camus Associated Press