Woodstock Poland style, Paratrooper Day celebrated in Russia, the Vel Hinduism festival in Sri Lanka and more | August 2
The day in photos around the world, including a Woodstock music fest in Poland, the long-lasting Paratrooper Day tradition in Russia and the Vel Hunduism festival in Sri Lanka.
- Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) watches from the sideline prior to the start of a scrimmage at Sports Authority Field in Denver. (Ron Chenoy/USA Today Sports)
- A boy looks through the black marble monument for Roma holocaust victim of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, in Nehru park, in Budapest during the International Day of Remembrance for the Holocaust of the Roma. The march was held on the 70th anniversary of one of the worst mass killings of Roma, when nearly 3,000, many of them children, were taken to the gas chambers at Auschwitz on the night of August 2, 1944. (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP-Getty Images)
- A damaged car is removed from the wreckage after an explosion in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan. A series of explosions caused by a gas leak killed 25 people and injured 267 in Taiwan’s second city on Friday, sending flames shooting 15 storeys into the air, setting ablaze entire blocks and reducing small shops to rubble. (Edward Lau/Reuters)
- The museum vessel “Cap San Diego” passes by the illuminated harbour of Hamburg, northern Germany on the first day of the “Hamburg Cruise Days”. Six cruise liner are expected during the event that takes place from August 1 to 3, 2014. (Daniel Reinhardt/AFP-Getty Images)
- Jennifer Abel of Canada in action during the Women’s 3m Springboard Final at the Royal Commonwealth Pool during day ten of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. (Clive Rose/Getty Images)
- A rainbow spans over the Hohes Goell (L) and Schneibstein mountains near the Carl-von-Stahl-Haus Alpine Club hut in the Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Alpine region near the Austrian-German border. (Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)
- A participant of the Christopher Street Day in Hamburg, Germany. (Markus Scholz/AFP-Getty Images)
- Couples celebrate during a mass wedding ceremony to mark the Qixi Festival in Shenyang, Liaoning province. According to local media, 77 couples attended the mass wedding Saturday. Qixi, also known as the Double Seventh Festival and the Chinese version of Valentine’s Day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese lunar calendar. (China Stringer Network/Reuters)
- A herd of horses run on a grassland in Xilin Gol League, in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (Jacky Chen/Reuters)
- A birds-eye view shows people at a concert at the main stage during the Woodstock Festival in Kostrzyn-upon-Odra, close to the Polish-German border. Some 500,000 people attended the festival that is the brainchild of Polish journalist and social campaigner Jerzy Owsiak. He initiated the event to say thank you to those who donated money to his GOCC charity organisation that delivers medical care for children. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)
- A reveller wears a hat made of beer cans at the Woodstock Festival in Kostrzyn-upon-Odra, close to the Polish-German border. Some 500,000 people attended the festival that is the brainchild of Polish journalist and social campaigner Jerzy Owsiak. He initiated the event to say thank you to those who donated money to his GOCC charity organisation that delivers medical care for children. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)
- A woman crowd-surfs in front of the main stage at the Woodstock Festival in Kostrzyn-upon-Odra, close to the Polish-German border. Some 500 thousand people attended the festival that is the brainchild of Polish journalist and social campaigner Jerzy Owsiak. He initiated the event to say thank you to those who donated money to his GOCC charity organisation that delivers medical care for children. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)
- A man rests in a mud pit near the main stage at the Woodstock Festival in Kostrzyn-upon-Odra, close to the Polish-German border. Some 500,000 people attended the festival that is the brainchild of Polish journalist and social campaigner Jerzy Owsiak. He initiated the event to say thank you to those who donated money to his GOCC charity organisation that delivers medical care for children. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)
- People dance in a mud pit near the main stage at the Woodstock Festival in Kostrzyn-upon-Odra, close to the Polish-German border. Some 500,000 people attended the festival that is the brainchild of Polish journalist and social campaigner Jerzy Owsiak. He initiated the event to say thank you to those who donated money to his GOCC charity organisation that delivers medical care for children. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)
- A man leans against a portable toilet at the Woodstock Festival in Kostrzyn-upon-Odra, close to the Polish-German border. Some 500,000 people attended the festival that is the brainchild of Polish journalist and social campaigner Jerzy Owsiak. He initiated the event to say thank you to those who donated money to his GOCC charity organisation that delivers medical care for children. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)
- A woman showers in a mud pit near the main stage at the Woodstock Festival in Kostrzyn-upon-Odra, close to the Polish-German border. Some 500,000 people attended the festival that is the brainchild of Polish journalist and social campaigner Jerzy Owsiak. He initiated the event to say thank you to those who donated money to his GOCC charity organisation that delivers medical care for children. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)
- Russian servicemen are seen through the Eternal Flame during a ceremony to mark the Paratroopers Day in central St. Petersburg. The holiday for the Russian airborne troops has been annually celebrated since the Soviet era till today. (Alexander Demianchuk/Reuters)
- A Russian serviceman takes part in a ceremony to mark the Paratroopers Day in central St. Petersburg. The holiday for the Russian airborne troops has been annually celebrated since the Soviet era till today. (Alexander Demianchuk/Reuters)
- A former Russian paratrooper kisses an icon during a celebration of Paratroopers Day in St Petersburg. The holiday for the Russian airborne troops has been annually celebrated since the Soviet era till today. (Vasily Maximov/AFP-Getty Images)
- Russian paratroopers attend a parade on Moscow’s Red Square. Russians celebrate paratrooper day on Saturday, a tradition carried over from Soviet times. (Vasily Maximov/AFP-Getty Images)
- Belarus soldiers of airborne forces celebrate the paratroopers day in Brest (354 km, 220 miles from Minsk.) The holiday for the Russian airborne troops has been annually celebrated since the Soviet era till today. (Victor Drachev/AFP-Getty Images)
- Belarus soldiers of airborne forces celebrate the paratroopers day in Brest (354 km, 220 miles from Minsk.) The holiday for the Russian airborne troops has been annually celebrated since the Soviet era till today. (Victor Drachev/AFP-Getty Images)
- Former paratroopers give a salute as they take part in the celebrations for the Paratroopers Day in the central park in Russia’s Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. The holiday for the Russian airborne troops has been annually celebrated since the Soviet era till today. (Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)
- Russia’s former soldiers of airborne forces celebrate paratroopers day in St. Petersburg. Russians celebrate paratrooper day on Saturday, a tradition carried over from Soviet times. (Olga Maltseva/AFP-Getty Images)
- Russia’s former soldiers of airborne forces celebrate the paratroopers day in St. Petersburg. Russians celebrate paratrooper day on Saturday, a tradition carried over from Soviet times. (Olga Maltseva/AFP-Getty Images)
- Russia’s former soldiers of airborne forces celebrate the paratroopers day in St. Petersburg. Russians celebrate paratrooper day on Saturday, a tradition carried over from Soviet times. (Olga Maltseva/AFP-Getty Images)
- Belarus soldiers of airborne forces celebrate the paratroopers day in Brest (354 km, 220 miles from Minsk.)Russians celebrate paratrooper day on Saturday, a tradition carried over from Soviet times. (Victor Drachev/AFP-Getty Images)
- Belarus soldiers of airborne forces celebrate the paratroopers day in Brest (354 km, 220 miles from Minsk.)Russians celebrate paratrooper day on Saturday, a tradition carried over from Soviet times. (Victor Drachev/AFP-Getty Images)
- Belarus soldiers of airborne forces celebrate the paratroopers day in Brest (354 km, 220 miles from Minsk.)Russians celebrate paratrooper day on Saturday, a tradition carried over from Soviet times. (Victor Drachev/AFP-Getty Images)
- Pakistan’s Muhammad Waseem (L) and Australia’s Andrew Moloney react to the result of their fly weight boxing final at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. (Russell Cheyne/Reuters)
- Kelly Sibley and Danny Reed of England celebrate winning the bronze medal following their Mixed Doubles Bronze Medal Match against Jian Zhan and Tianwei Feng of Singapore at Scotstoun Sports Campus during day ten of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
- Talita Antunes of Brazil (R) celebrates with her team mate Larissa Franca of Brazil after the FIVB Klagenfurt A1 Grand Slam gold medal match between Brazil and Brazil in Klagenfurt, Austria. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images for FIVB)
- Israel Folau of the Waratahs celebrates after victory in the Super Rugby Grand Final match between the Waratahs and the Crusaders at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
- Andrew Moloney of Australia celebrates winning the gold medal in the Men’s Fly (52kg) Final against Muhammad Waseem of Pakistan at SSE Hydro during day ten of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
- Tony Kanaan of Brazil drives the #10 Glad Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Chevrolet during practice for the Verizon IndyCar Series Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. (Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
- Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu devotees roll on the ground during the Vel Hinduism festival in Colombo. Ethnic Tamils, who are mainly followers of Hinduism, are the main minority community in the island which is emerging from nearly four decades of ethnic conflict which had claimed up to 100,000 lives (Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP-Getty Images)
- A devotee hangs from a wooden pole with hooks attached during the annual Chariot festival of the Sri Mayurapathy Paththirakaali temple in Colombo. The chariot procession starts at the temple and is brought through streets as Hindu devotees follow behind, performing acts of penance or thanksgiving such as piercing hooks through their skin, in order to fulfill their vows to the Hindu gods. (Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)
- A Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu devotee, with piercings through her face, participates in the Vel Hinduism festival in Colombo. Ethnic Tamils, who are mainly followers of Hinduism, are the main minority community in the island which is emerging from nearly four decades of ethnic conflict which had claimed up to 100,000 lives (Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP-Getty Images)
- A devotee takes part during in the annual Chariot festival of the Sri Mayurapathy Paththirakaali temple in Colombo. The chariot procession starts at the temple and is brought through streets as Hindu devotees follow behind, performing acts of penance or thanksgiving such as piercing hooks through their skin, in order to fulfill their vows to the Hindu gods. (Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)
- A Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu devotee, seen suspended with hooks pierced through his body, participates in the Vel Hinduism festival in Colombo. Ethnic Tamils, who are mainly followers of Hinduism, are the main minority community in the island which is emerging from nearly four decades of ethnic conflict which had claimed up to 100,000 lives (Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP-Getty Images)
- An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard during restrictions in downtown Srinagar on August 2, 2014. Chairman of the hardline faction of All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, Syed Ali Geelani called for a one-day shutdown to protest against the start of the Kouser Nag yatra (a Hindu pilgrimage) in an ecologically fragile destination in the southern part of Kashmir, although the government has denied giving permission for conducting any such pilgrimage. Senior separatist leaders, including Mirwaiz Umar farooq, Syed Ali Geelani and Shabir Shah have been placed under house arrest. (Rouf Bhat/AFP-Getty Images ORG XMIT:
- A Kashmiri burqa-clad woman stands as an Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard during restrictions in downtown Srinagar. Chairman of the hardline faction of All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, Syed Ali Geelani called for a one-day shutdown to protest against the start of the Kouser Nag yatra (a Hindu pilgrimage) in an ecologically fragile destination in the southern part of Kashmir, although the government has denied giving permission for conducting any such pilgrimage. Senior separatist leaders, including Mirwaiz Umar farooq, Syed Ali Geelani and Shabir Shah have been placed under house arrest. (RoufBhat/AFP-Getty Images)
- Israeli soldiers walk outside the Gaza Strip as they proceed towards Gaza. Hamas claimed responsibility on Saturday for a deadly Gaza Strip ambush in which an Israeli army officer may have been captured, but said the incident likely preceded and therefore had not violated a U.S.- and U.N.-sponsored truce. Palestinian officials say 1,653 Gazans, mostly civilians, have been killed. Sixty-three Israeli soldiers have been killed, and Palestinian shelling has killed three civilians in Israel. Israel launched a Gaza air and naval offensive on July 8 following a surge of cross-border rocket salvoes by Hamas and other Palestinian guerrillas, later escalating into ground incursions centred along the tunnel-riddled eastern frontier of the enclave but often pushing into residential areas. (Baz Ratner/Reuters)
- Israeli soldiers sit next to a tank in a deployment area on Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military on Friday cited indications that the officer, Second Lt. Hadar Goldin, 23, was taken captive in Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip’s south. Two other soldiers were killed in the attack, raising the number of Israeli military fatalities to 63. The announcement came not long after a 72-hour humanitarian cease-fire agreed upon by Israel and Hamas collapsed within two hours of being launched. (Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)
- An Israeli artillery unit fires a 155mm shell towards targets in the Gaza Strip from their position near Israel’s border with the Palestinian enclave. The Israeli army informed residents of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza that it was “safe” to return to their homes, as witnesses said troops were seen withdrawing from the area. (David Buimovitch/AFP-Getty Images)
- An Israeli soldier inspects a tank near the border with Gaza. Hamas claimed responsibility on Saturday for a deadly Gaza Strip ambush in which an Israeli army officer may have been captured, but said the incident likely preceded and therefore had not violated a U.S.- and U.N.-sponsored truce. Palestinian officials say 1,650 Gazans, most of them civilians, have been killed, including a muezzin who died in an Israeli strike on a northern mosque on Saturday. Sixty-three Israeli soldiers have been killed, and Palestinian shelling has killed three civilians in Israel. Israel launched a Gaza air and naval offensive on July 8 following a surge of cross-border rocket salvoes by Hamas and other Palestinian guerrillas, later escalating into ground incursions centred along the tunnel-riddled eastern frontier of the enclave but often pushing into residential areas. (Siegfried Modola/Reuters)
- Israeli soldiers stand on top of a tank near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip August 2, 2014. Israel is prepared to continue fighting Palestinian guerrillas in the Gaza Strip after the army completes its primary mission of destroying cross-border tunnels from the territory, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday. (Baz Ratner/Reuters)6
- Israelis watch the latest military activity towards Gaza. Some Israeli ground forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip on Saturday, two Israeli television stations reported, after the military said it was close to achieving its main war goal of destroying Hamas cross-border tunnels. Asked about the reports, an Israeli military spokesman said she could not comment on troop deployments. Shelling exchanges continued, pushing the Gaza death toll given by Palestinian officials up to 1,669, but in some areas witnesses reported Israeli tanks pulling back toward the border. Israel said Palestinians launched 74 rockets across the border, most of which fell harmlessly wide while seven were shot down by its Iron Dome interceptor, including over Tel Aviv. (Siegfried Modola/Reuters)
- Sun sets over northern Gaza Strip as seen from the Israeli border. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened on Saturday to exact an “intolerable price” from the Gaza Strip’s dominant Hamas Islamists should there be continued attacks from the Palestinian territory. Shelling exchanges continued, pushing the Gaza death toll given by Palestinian officials up to 1,669, but in some areas witnesses reported Israeli tanks pulling back toward the border. Israel said Palestinians launched 74 rockets across the border, most of which fell harmlessly wide while seven were shot down by its Iron Dome interceptor, including over Tel Aviv. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)
- A Palestinian throws back a tear gas canister towards Israeli security forces during clashes following the funeral of 19-year-old Udai Nafez in the West Bank village of Rafat. Udai died the day before after he was shot in the chest in a clash with Israeli forces in Saffa, a village west of Ramallah. (Abbas Momani/AFP-Getty Images)
- Palestinians inspect the wreckage of a building following an Israeli strike, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. A fresh wave of violence killed dozens in Gaza after the collapse of a UN and US backed ceasefire, officials said, as Hamas denied it kidnapped an Israeli soldier. (Said Khatib /AFP-Getty Images)
- A general view shows damage at the historical al-Omeri mosque in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. At least 91 Palestinians were killed and another 350 injured in Israeli attacks, medics said, as a hoped-for ceasefire disintegrated with the apparent capture of an Israeli soldier. (Mohammed Abed/AFP-Getty Images)
- The bodies of three children from the Al-Nirab family who were killed alongside their parents are seen at a morgue in Gaza City after an Israeli attack on the Palestinian enclave. A fresh wave of violence killed dozens in Gaza after the collapse of a UN and US backed ceasefire, officials said, as Hamas denied it kidnapped an Israeli soldier. (Mahmud Hams/AFP-Getty Images)
- Palestinians look at the wreckage from a damaged window following an Israeli strike, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. A fresh wave of violence killed dozens in Gaza after the collapse of a UN and US backed ceasefire, officials said, as Hamas denied it kidnapped an Israeli soldier. (Said Khatib/AFP-Getty Images)
- A group of Palestinians stand near salvaged items from their destroyed home at the al-Shati refugee beach camp in Gaza City. A fresh wave of violence killed dozens in Gaza after the collapse of a UN and US backed ceasefire, officials said, as Hamas denied it kidnapped an Israeli soldier. (Marco Longari/AFP-Getty Images)
- A displaced Palestinian boy carries aid at an United Nations (UN) school in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, where he and his family found refuge after fleeing their home in an area under heavy Israeli bombardment in the besieged Palestinian territory. The Israeli army gave a first indication it was ending operations in parts of Gaza, while continuing to bombard other areas ahead of fresh truce talks in Cairo. (Mohammed Abed/AFP-Getty Images)
- A Palestinian woman reacts during the funeral of 19-year-old Udai Nafez, killed during clashes with Israeli forces in Saffa a village west of Ramallah, in the West Bank village of Rafat. Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians during separate clashes in the northern and central West Bank on Friday, security and medical sources told AFP. (Abbas Momani/AFP-Getty Images)
- Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in front of the White House in Washington on August 2, 2014 to demand an end to the war in Gaza and for the end of US aid to Israel. The Israeli army on Saturday gave a first indication it was ending operations in parts of Gaza, while continuing to bombard other areas ahead of fresh truce talks in Cairo. The devastating 26-day Gaza conflict has so far claimed more than 1,660 Palestinian lives and forced up to a quarter of the territory’s population into exile. On the Israeli side, 63 soldiers and three civilians have died. Nicholas Kamm/AFP-Getty Images)
- Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in front of the White House in Washington to demand an end to the war in Gaza and for the end of US aid to Israel. The Israeli army on Saturday gave a first indication it was ending operations in parts of Gaza, while continuing to bombard other areas ahead of fresh truce talks in Cairo. The devastating 26-day Gaza conflict has so far claimed more than 1,660 Palestinian lives and forced up to a quarter of the territory’s population into exile. On the Israeli side, 63 soldiers and three civilians have died. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP-Getty Images)
- Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in front of the White House in Washington to demand an end to the war in Gaza and for the end of US aid to Israel. The Israeli army on Saturday gave a first indication it was ending operations in parts of Gaza, while continuing to bombard other areas ahead of fresh truce talks in Cairo. The devastating 26-day Gaza conflict has so far claimed more than 1,660 Palestinian lives and forced up to a quarter of the territory’s population into exile. On the Israeli side, 63 soldiers and three civilians have died. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP-Getty Images)
- Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in front of the White House in Washington to demand an end to the war in Gaza and for the end of US aid to Israel. The Israeli army on Saturday gave a first indication it was ending operations in parts of Gaza, while continuing to bombard other areas ahead of fresh truce talks in Cairo. The devastating 26-day Gaza conflict has so far claimed more than 1,660 Palestinian lives and forced up to a quarter of the territory’s population into exile. On the Israeli side, 63 soldiers and three civilians have died. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP-Getty Images)
- Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in front of the White House in Washington to demand an end to the war in Gaza and for the end of US aid to Israel. The Israeli army on Saturday gave a first indication it was ending operations in parts of Gaza, while continuing to bombard other areas ahead of fresh truce talks in Cairo. The devastating 26-day Gaza conflict has so far claimed more than 1,660 Palestinian lives and forced up to a quarter of the territory’s population into exile. On the Israeli side, 63 soldiers and three civilians have died. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP-Getty Images)