Today in photos

A sand sculpture is displayed during the international sand sculptures festival in the Bulgarian town of Burgas. Department of Wildlife and National Parks nurses a seven-month-old baby orangutan at his offices in Kuala Lumpur. And a policeman covers recently arrived migrants in Tarifa, Spain. View a slideshow of these images and more.

Section:Gallery

Thu., July 2, 2009

A sand sculpture is displayed during the international sand sculptures festival in the Bulgarian town of Burgas east of the capital Sofia, Thursday, July, 2, 2009. The town holds the festival for the second time.

Petar Petrov Associated Press
People enjoy the beach in Hastings, England, Thursday, July 2, 2009. Parts of England continued to maintain hot and humid conditions until Friday as the Met Office raised its heatwave alert level in parts of England.

Sang Tan Associated Press
U.S. Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, 1st Battalion 5th Marines rest along a tree line after arriving in an overnight air assault near the Taliban stronghold of Nawa in Afghanistan's Helmand province Thursday July 2, 2009. Thousands of U.S. Marines poured from helicopters and armored vehicles into Taliban-controlled villages in southern Afghanistan on Thursday in the first major operation under President Barack Obama's strategy to stabilize the country.

David Guttenfelder Associated Press
U.S. Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, 1st Battalion 5th Marines wait at Camp Leatherneck to board helicopters for a night air assault in Afghanistan's Helmand province Thursday July 2, 2009.

David Guttenfelder Associated Press
U.S. Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, 1st Battalion 5th Marines move in formation through farm fields after landing by helicopter in an overnight night air assault near the Taliban stronghold of Nawa in Afghanistan's Helmand province Thursday July 2, 2009. Thousands of U.S. Marines poured from helicopters and armored vehicles into Taliban-controlled villages of southern Afghanistan Thursday in the first major operation under President Barack Obama's strategy to stabilize the country.

David Guttenfelder Associated Press
Serena Williams of U.S. reacts, during her women's singles semifinal against Elena Dementieva of Russia, on the Centre Court at Wimbledon, Thursday, July 2, 2009.

Kirsty Wigglesworth Associated Press
Tennis fans shelter from the sun, as they watch the women's singles semifinal between Serena Williams of U.S. and Elena Dementieva of Russia, on a giant video screen at Wimbledon, Thursday, July 2, 2009.

Alastair Grant Associated Press
A kangaroo is seen at the zoo in Heidelberg, southwestern Germany, on a sunny Thursday, July 2, 2009. The sultry summer weather in Germany is forecast to continue until Sunday.

Daniel Roland Associated Press
A baby elephant, back left, watches as another receives a spray of water from zookeepers to keep them cool during a heatwave at the Antwerp zoo in Antwerp, Belgium on Thursday July 2, 2009.

Virginia Mayo Associated Press
Department of Wildlife and National Parks officer Ahmad Julaihi nurses "Tattoo" a seven-month-old baby orangutan at his offices in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, July, 2, 2009. Tattoo was one of three baby orangutans rescued last weekend from an ostrich breeder and a zoo in northern Malaysia. The zoo and breeder could face up to six years in prison if charged and convicted for holding the protected and endangered species without permits.

Mark Baker Associated Press
A policeman covers recently arrived migrants in Tarifa, Spain, on Thursday, June 2, 2009. Spanish coast guards intercepted a boat with over 50 migrants from Africa including several babies 10 nautical miles off the coast of Tarifa.

A.Carrasco Ragel Associated Press
Policemen watch gay rights activists cheer and celebrate after the Delhi High Court passed a ground breaking ruling Thursday decriminalizing homosexuality in New Delhi, India, Thursday, July 2, 2009. The court ruled that treating consensual gay sex as a crime is a violation of fundamental rights protected by India's constitution, a decision that could bring more freedom for gays in this deeply conservative country.

Saurabh Das Associated Press
Women from the the Comoros Islands living in France react as they block access to the Yemenia Airways desk at Marseille airport in Marignane, southern France, Thursday July 2, 2009. Yemenia Flight 626 crashed Tuesday morning off Comoros amid heavy winds. A young girl believed to be the only survivor of the plane crash flew back to Paris on Thursday.

Claude Paris Associated Press
Reporters wait out side the conference hall as they were locked out the closed session at the second day of the 13th African Union summit of heads of state and government in Sirte, Libya Thursday, July 2, 2009. African heads of state on Thursday discussed a drastic new decision against the International Criminal Court that would in practice give Sudan's president impunity from prosecution for war crimes by the ICC, a draft document at the AU summit showed.

Nasser Nasser Associated Press
Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong of the United States, center in black and yellow shirt, gestures as he rides with his Astana teammates during a training in Monaco Thursday July 2, 2009, ahead of the start of the 96th edition of the Tour de France cycling race Saturday July 4, 2009.

Bas Czerwinski Associated Press