Monday in photos

A man walks past the golden domed Alexander Nevski cathedral shrouded in winter mists in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. Israeli reserve soldiers rejoice as they see others crossing back into Israel from a combat mission in the Gaza Strip. A bicycle messenger puts on a facemask, after Budapest's mayor issued the capital's full-scale smog alert in Hungary. View a slideshow of these images and more.

Section:Gallery

Mon., Jan. 12, 2009

Israeli reserve soldiers gather before entering Gaza on a combat mission at a staging area near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, Monday, Jan.12, 2009. Israeli warplanes pounded the homes of Hamas leaders and ground troops edged closer to the Gaza Strip's densely populated urban center Monday, as Israel weighed a decision to escalate its devastating offensive.

Sebastian Scheiner Ap
Israeli reserve soldiers rejoice as they see others crossing back into Israel from a combat mission in the Gaza Strip, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. Israeli warplanes pounded the homes of Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip and ground troops edged ever closer to the territory's densely-populated urban center Monday but reported casualties were low, an indication that Hamas was largely avoiding pitched battles with the advancing Israelis.

Lefteris Pitarakis Ap
An Israeli soldier drinks a cup of a coffee on a top of an armored vehicle on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza,in southern Israel, Monday Jan. 12, 2009. Israeli warplanes pounded the homes of Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip and ground troops edged ever closer to the territory's densely-populated urban center Monday but reported casualties were low, an indication that Hamas was largely avoiding pitched battles with the advancing Israelis.

Bernat Armangue Ap
Palestinians ride on a horse cart as they remove belongings from the rubble of a building that was hit in Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. Israeli warplanes pounded the homes of Hamas leaders and ground troops edged closer to the Gaza Strip's densely-populated urban center Monday, as Israel stepped up the pressure ahead of deciding whether to escalate its devastating two-week offensive.

Eyad Baba Ap
Smoke rises from buildings following Israeli military operations in Gaza City, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. Israeli warplanes pounded the homes of Hamas leaders and ground troops edged closer to the Gaza Strip's densely-populated urban center Monday, as Israel stepped up the pressure ahead of deciding whether to escalate its devastating two-week offensive.

Abdel Hana Ap
Smoke caused by explosions from Israeli military operations hangs in the sky over the outskirts of Gaza City as seen from the Israel-Gaza Border, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009.

Anja Niedringhaus Ap
Smoke and fire is seen rising from fuel tanks following an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. Israeli warplanes pounded the homes of Hamas leaders and ground troops edged closer to the Gaza Strip's densely-populated urban center Monday, as Israel stepped up the pressure ahead of deciding whether to escalate its devastating two-week offensive.

Eyad Baba Ap
Palestinians inspect the damaged house of Fatah lawmaker Mohammed Dahlan after it was hit in an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. Israeli warplanes pounded the homes of Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip and ground troops edged ever closer to the territory's densely-populated urban center Monday but reported casualties were low, an indication that Hamas was largely avoiding pitched battles with the advancing Israelis.

Khalil Hamra Ap
Rockets fired from positions inside the Gaza Strip are on display at a police station in the Israeli southern city of Sderot, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. According to the local police, around 7500 home made rockets where fired into the Sderot area in the past eight years.

Anja Niedringhaus Ap
A Palestinian school girl shouts slogans as she carries a drawing that reads in Arabic "Besieged Gaza", during a protest against the Israeli military operations in Gaza, in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross building in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009.

Bilal Hussein Ap
Sri Lankan protesters break coconuts, cursing the killers, during the funeral procession of the Sunday Leader newspaper editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. The funeral procession for a slain Sri Lankan journalist turned into a large anti-government protest Monday, with thousands of marchers demanding justice and some blaming the government for the killing.

Eranga Jayawardena Ap
An activist cries as a boat, seen in the background, loaded with international protesters, doctors and European lawmakers, sets sail for Gaza from the Cypriot port of Larnaca, Cyprus, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. Free Gaza Group organizers said their boat 'Spirit of Humanity' would renew a bid to break an Israeli blockade of Gaza and ferry 34 passengers and donated food and medical supplies to the war-hit Palestinian territory.

Petros Karadjias Ap
A man walks past the golden domed Alexander Nevski cathedral shrouded in winter mists in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. A man is seen through an ice-covered window of a tram, in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. Natural gas supplies from Russia through Ukraine to Bulgaria and other parts of Europe remain cut off for a seventh day, leaving several countries scrambling to secure alternative energy sources to cope with a cold winter, with factories shut down, schools closed and many thousands of people struggling to keep warm.

Petar Petrov Ap
A man is seen through an ice-covered window of a tram, in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. Natural gas supplies from Russia through Ukraine to Bulgaria and other parts of Europe remain cut off for a seventh day, leaving several countries scrambling to secure alternative energy sources to cope with a cold winter, with factories shut down, schools closed and many thousands of people struggling to keep warm.

Petar Petrov Ap
Ice is seen on the Main river in Aschaffenburg, western Bavaria, Germany, on a cold Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. Below-freezing temperatures have forced German authorities to close down an icy 300 kilometer (200 mile) stretch of the Main river outside of Frankfurt.

Michael Probst Ap
A bicycle messenger puts on a facemask, after Budapest's mayor issued the capital's full-scale smog alert in Hungary, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. The smog increase is being caused partly by power plants that were forced to switch from natural gas to more polluting fuels after gas shipments from Russia through Ukraine to Europe were suspended last week. As the smog alert was issued on an even date, only vehicles with even-numbered registration plates were permitted on the roads.

Bela Szandelszky Ap
Hindu devotees look on after taking a dip at Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati during the annual month long Hindu religious fair of Magh Mela in Allahabad, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. Magh Mela involves bathing on auspicious dates spread over a period of 45 days.

Rajesh Singh Ap
Supporters of Satyam Computers founder and chairman B. Ramalinga Raju perform a ritual as they pray for his well being at a temple in Hyderabad, India, Monday,Jan. 12, 2009. Indian authorities on Sunday named three business leaders to help rescue embattled outsourcing giant Satyam Computers in the wake of a massive fraud scandal that threatens to sink the company.

Mahesh A Ap
Le Couturieres by Edouard Vuillard is seen at Christie's auction house in London, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. The painting is expected to realize in the region of pounds 5.5 - 7.5 million, (US dlrs 8.2 - 11.2 million) when it is offered at the evening auction of Impressionist and Modern Art on Feb. 4, 2009 at Christie's in London.

Kirsty Wigglesworth Ap