In today's pictures, Chinese astronauts return to Earth, a former Taliban fighter joins Afghan government forces, a farmer wears a traditional umbrella in Nepal, and more.
- Afghan government
- Afghanistan
- Alexandra Trampoline Club
- Algeria
- Arif Karimi
- Arts
- Cairo
- central France
- European Pressphoto Agency
- France
- gas station
- gas stations
- Getty Images
- Getty Images
- Herat
- Johannesburg
- John Becker
- Michael Knaapen
- Michelin
- Mongolia
- Narendra Shrestha/European Pressphoto Agency
- Nepal
- Nie Haisheng
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- Pete Marovich
- RICE SEASON
- South Africa
- Stock photography
- Supreme Court
- Taliban
- Thierry Zoccolan
- Tire
- tire maker
- Top News Photos
- Visual arts
- Wang Yaping
- Zhang Xiaoguang
- Zuma Press
In today’s pictures, a bank manager tries to calm customers in Cyprus, workers stage a strike in Hong Kong, a man cleans a huge pan in India, and more.
- Afghanistan
- Arts
- B-2
- Bangladesh
- Bangladeshi police
- bank
- Chengdu
- China
- Cyprus
- Dhaka
- Diagrams
- European Pressphoto Agency
- European Union
- Getty Images
- Herat
- holy week
- Jalil Rezayee
- Jalil Rezayee/European Pressphoto Agency
- Jerusalem
- Lam Yik Fei
- Monirul Alam/Zuma Press
- Nicosia
- North Korea
- Pablo Blazquez Dominguez
- Passover
- Photos of the Day
- Pyeongtaek
- South Korea
- Spain
- Stock photography
- Top News Photos
- United States
- Visual arts
- Yannis Behrakis
- Zamora
In today’s pictures, a man takes his cattle to warmer weather in Germany, smoke rises over a battered Syrian city, a man protests at St. Peter’s Basilica in Italy, and more.
- Afghanistan
- Agence France-Presse
- Ahmedabad
- Aref Karimi
- Barack Obama
- Benoit Tessier
- Christof Stache
- clothing by U.S. designer Marc Jacobs
- Culture
- Germany
- Getty family
- Getty Images
- Getty Images
- Herat
- India
- Louis Vuitton
- Marc Jacobs
- Mitt Romney
- Munich
- Munich
- Oktoberfest
- Oktoberfest
- Oktoberfest
- Saalem
- Softbank
- Sprint
- Stock photography
- Theresienwiese
- Top News Photos
- United States
- University of Denver
In today’s pictures, a boy attends an anti-Japan rally in Beijing, Hindu women pray for good marriages in Nepal, a dog is decked out in Mulberry at London Fashion Week, and more.
- Afghanistan
- Agence France-Presse
- Aleppo
- Aref Karimi
- Camille Lepage
- China
- Damascus
- DASHING DOG
- Getty family
- Getty Images
- Getty Images
- Herat
- Iran
- Japan
- Japanese Embassy in Beijing
- Marco Long
- News agencies
- Nile River
- peaceful solution
- Politics
- Softbank
- South Sudan
- Sprint
- Stock photography
- Suzanne Plunkett
- Syria
- Syrian army
- Top News Photos
- Yahoo! Japan
In today’s pictures, a woman cleans her house in Afghanistan, a Russian-made plane goes missing in Indonesia, a boy celebrates Victory Day in Ukraine, and more.
- Afghanistan
- Alaska
- Ali Ali
- Ali Ali/European Pressphoto Agency
- Anchorage
- Anchorage Daily News
- Aref Karimi
- Catherine Klein
- East High School
- Gaza
- Gaza Strip
- Gaza Strip
- Getty Images
- Greensboro
- Herat
- India
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- Jerry Wolford
- Julie Peeples
- Kashmiri government
- Life Goes On
- Marc Lester
- Mohammed Asad/APA Images/Zuma Press
- MySpace
- North Carolina
- Pari
- Rafah
- Soviet Union
- Srinagar
- StumbleUpon
- Top News Photos
- Western Asia
- William Robinson
STAYING COOL: A boy cooled off with water from a hose on a hot day in Manila Tuesday. (Cheryl Ravelo/Reuters)
MOURNING A LOSS: A Shiite Muslim woman cried during the funeral of Salah Abbas, 36, whose body was found late last week after he was allegedly shot dead by security forces, in the Shiite village of Bilad Al-Qadim, Bahrain, Monday. (AFP/Getty Images)
LARGER THAN LIFE: North Korean leader Kim Jong Eun was shown on a giant screen during a concert on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean army in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday. (Ng Han Guan/Associated Press)
AWKWARD PHASE: A girl helped her boyfriend squeeze a pimple while standing on a street in downtown Shanghai Tuesday. (Aly Song/Reuters)
STILL SEARCHING: Bystanders looked at a billboard in Herat, Afghanistan, promising a reward for information leading to the recovery of former FBI agent Robert Levinson Tuesday. Mr. Levinson disappeared some five years ago in Iran. (Jalil Rezayee/European Pressphoto Agency)
LOOKING BACK: People laid flowers at a memorial Tuesday in Yerevan, Armenia, to people killed by Ottoman Turks during World War I, marking the 97th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. (Karen Minasyan/AFP/Getty Images)
STORM CLOUDS GATHER: Dark clouds hung over cranes at a construction site in Munich Tuesday. (Stephan Jansen/AFP/Getty Images)
- Afghanistan
- Armenia
- Bahrain
- Bilad Al-Qadim
- Cheryl Ravelo
- construction site
- Diagrams
- Digg
- European Pressphoto Agency
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Getty Images
- Getty Images
- Herat
- Islamic Republic of Iran
- Jalil Rezayee
- Jalil Rezayee/European Pressphoto Agency
- Karen Minasyan
- Kim Jong Eun
- LARGER THAN LIFE
- Manila
- Munich
- MySpace
- North Korea
- North Korean army in Pyongyang
- Photos of the Day
- Robert Levinson
- Salah Abbas
- Shanghai
- Stephan Jansen
- Stock photography
- StumbleUpon
- Top News Photos
- Yerevan
- 0
- ?s National Institute of Music
- Afghan Music
- Afghan Youth Orchestra
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan
- Ahmad Sarmast
- Australia
- Canada
- Education
- Education
- Embassy of Finland
- Embassy of the United States
- Entertainment
- Finland
- First Annual Afghanistan Winter Music Academy
- France
- Germany
- Goethe Institute
- Hamid Karzai
- Herat
- India
- Iranian Plateau
- Islamic Republic of Iran
- Kabul
- Kabul
- Monash Asia Institute
- Monash University, Melbourne
- music
- National Institute of Music
- Omar Sobhani
- orchestra
- photography
- Reuters Photographers
- Russia
- School of Fine Arts
- Taliban
- Taliban
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Winter Academy
- World Bank
As the war in Afghanistan passes the 10-year mark, the security outlook still looks bleak. Nevertheless, the Obama administration has just asked the Pentagon for initial recommendations for the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan in 2014 -- the first step in planning the final U.S. withdrawal. According to the Associated Press, as of yesterday, November 1, 2011, at least 1,704 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan. U.S. diplomats are now asking Afghanistan's neighbors to sign on to an ambitious plan for the future of Central Asia -- ambitiously being called the "New Silk Road" -- that would link the infrastructure of surrounding countries from Kazakhstan to India. Gathered here are images from there over the past month, part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan. [41 photos]
A severely wounded US Marine hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) is carried by his comrades to a medevac helicopter of U.S. Army's Task Force Lift "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-171 Aviation Regiment to be airlifted in Helmand province, on October 31, 2011. The Marine was hit by an IED, lost both his legs and fights for his life. (Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images)
- 1st Cavalry Division
- 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron
- Afghan National Army
- Afghan National Army
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan
- Aga Khan Trust
- Ahmad Masood
- Alexander the Great
- An Air Force
- Arizona
- Arlington
- Asia
- Asia Pacific
- Associated Press
- Aviation Regiment
- Aziz Ahmad
- Barack Obama
- BEHROUZ MEHRI
- Belena Marquez
- Brenda Laun
- Brielle (in stroller) and son
- brother-in-law
- Byr
- Byron Greff
- C-17
- C-17 Globemaster III
- Camp Bastion
- car bomber
- Central Asia
- Charlie Company
- Cheryl Cole
- Chinook
- Chris Wattie
- Christopher J. McInerney
- Cliff Owen
- coal dump site
- Dave Hillhouse
- Delaware
- Dennis Elm
- Department of Defense
- Donna Elm
- Dover
- Drew E. Russel
- Drew E. Russell
- Francis O'Brien
- Getty Images
- Halloween
- Hashmat Stanikzai
- Helmand
- Herat
- Human Rights Film Festival
- improvised explosive device
- India
- Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- Isteqlal hospital
- Jalalabad
- Jeffrey Allen
- Jim Russell
- Jonathan Chandler
- Jonathon Gruenke
- Kabul
- Kabul
- Kamran Jebreili
- Kandahar
- Kazakhstan
- Kellar
- Ken Scar
- Ken Scar/Combined Joint Task Force
- Kevin Lamarque
- Khowst
- Kunduz
- Leroy Petry
- Lindsay
- Lurah River
- Mahfouz Bahbah
- Massachusetts National Guard
- MASSOUD HOSSAINI
- Maverick
- Meena Rahmani
- Michael Elm
- Michigan
- Mil
- Mil MI-8
- Military
- Military of Afghanistan
- Ministry of Defence
- Mohammad Ismail
- Muhammed Muheisen
- Norfolk
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- Obama administration
- Omar Sobhani
- Ontario
- Operation Enduring Freedom
- Paktiya
- Panjshir Valley
- Parwan Province
- Parwin
- Patrick Reynolds
- Patti Russell
- Pentagon
- Phoenix
- Rahmat Gul
- Ricardo Cerros Jr.
- Sarobi
- Scotts
- SHAH MARAI
- Shinkai
- South Weber
- Steve Ruark
- suicide car bomber
- Taliban
- Taliban
- Tennessee
- Trenton
- U.S. Air Force
- U.S. military
- United States
- United States Army
- Utah
- Virginia
- Virginia National Guard
- War
- War in Afghanistan
- War on Terrorism
- Washington
- Washington, D.C.
- Young Eid Mohammed
- Zabul
- Zabul Provincial Hospital
Often in the Big Picture we feature "slice of life" photography originating from around the world, brought to us by photographers based in those countries who work for the Associated Press, Reuters and Getty Images. The photographs are often simple and show daily life in many places that we might not be able to experience in any other way except through those photographers' documentation. The images themselves are somewhat universal - they show us where people live and how people live, sometimes not so differently than we do ourselves. -- Paula Nelson (35 photos total)
Three-year-old Nadia Nassrallah eats her breakfast in from of her home in a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Oct. 4, 2011. (Muhammed Muheisen/Associated Press)
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan
- afghanistan africa
- Ahmadabad
- Ameen Imseeh
- Amman
- Android
- Anwar Ashian
- Arabian Sea
- Arman
- Asia
- Associated Press
- Barack Obama
- Beit Lahiya
- Bosnia
- China
- Christof Stache
- construction site
- Damascus
- Darek Redos
- Eastern Church
- electricity
- electricity producer
- energy use
- Europe
- gas power plants
- Gaza City
- Gaza Strip
- Geography
- Germany
- Getty Images
- Grand Hughes
- Herat
- Hercules
- India
- iPhone
- Iranian Plateau
- Islamabad
- Islamic republics
- Israel
- Japan
- Jerusalem
- Jordan
- Kabul
- Kamran Jebreili/Associcated Press
- Karachi
- Kashmir
- Katmandu
- Lee Jin-man
- Libya
- Lodz
- Lubna
- metal pipes
- Muhammed Muheisen/Associted Press
- Mumbai
- Muskan
- Nadia Nassrallah
- Nageen Jihandad
- Napier
- Nepal
- Netzarim
- New Delhi
- New Zealand
- Newlyweds Nadia Zubi
- Nikon
- NY Times Co.
- Oktoberfest
- Oktoberfest
- Omar Sobhani
- Pakistan
- Pakistan
- Paula Nelson
- PGE
- Poland
- Qargha Lake
- religion science society sports technology
- religion science society sports technology
- Reuters
- Sajjad Sadiq
- Sea coast
- Seoul
- Shamila
- South Korea
- Syria
- Taliban
- transmission networks
- Tripoli
- Tyler Hicks
- United States
- War in Afghanistan
- Wazir Akbar Kahn hill
- Yom Kippur
- Zusamaltheim
Each month in the Big Picture, we post a collection of photographs from Afghanistan. They feature American forces and those of other countries, and they show us daily life among the Afghan people. In June, President Obama declared that the United States had largely achieved its goals in Afghanistan, which set in motion an aggressive timetable for the withdrawal of American troops. However, the fighting has spiked in some regions of the country. On Aug. 6, the United States suffered its deadliest day in the nearly decade-long war when insurgents shot down a Chinook transport helicopter, killing 30 Americans and eight Afghans. According to the United Nations, 360 Afghan civilians were killed in June alone. The surges of violence reflect how deeply entrenched the insurgency remains even far from its strongholds. The war continues. -- Paula Nelson (42 photos total)
Villager Juma Khan meets with the provincial district governor and fellow villagers at a shura, or consultation, on July 23 at the US Marine Patrol Base Salaam Bazaar in Helmand province, Afghanistan. As mentors with the international coalition attempt to phase out their involvement and put Afghan institutions in the lead, the Taliban continue to gain strength in many of Helmand's northern communities, where legitimate Afghan governance is more of a plan than a reality. (David Goldman/Associated Press)
- 101st Airborne Division
- 3rd millennium
- 506th Infantry Regiment
- Adam Hendrickson
- Afghan army
- Afghan government
- Afghan National Army
- Afghan National Police
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan
- afghanistan africa
- Ahmad Masood
- Aleksander Trares
- Amanda Mosher
- Arghandab River
- Arkansas
- Asia
- bank notes
- Benjamin Knapp
- Berlin
- Bosnia
- Bravo Company
- Burke
- C-130
- California
- Charlie Company
- Cheyenne
- Chinook
- Christopher Aust
- Dave Carbary
- Delta Company
- Dillon Wall
- Douglas Moore
- Ed Brady
- Florida
- Fort Campbell
- Fourth Brigade
- Getty Images
- Harrison
- Helmand
- Herat
- improvised explosive devices
- Infantry Battalion
- International Security Assistance Force
- iPhone
- Islamic Republic of Iran
- John Kohne
- Kabul
- Kahoka
- Kandahar
- Kennesaw
- Kentucky
- Kingsville
- Kirby Dennis
- Kyrgyzstan
- Lane Shinogle
- laptop computer
- London
- Long Beach
- Madison
- Maiwand
- Manas
- Matthew Graham
- Max Ferguson
- Michigan
- Military
- Military of Afghanistan
- Missouri
- Muldrow
- Nathan Marshall
- New York
- Nikesh Kapadia
- NY Times Co.
- Obama
- Oklahoma
- Pakistan
- Paktika
- Paula Nelson
- Phillip Garcia
- Queens
- Ramadan
- Randy Shorter
- religion science society sports technology
- religion science society sports technology
- Romeo Gacad
- San Diego
- Sean Jenkins
- SHAH MARAI
- South Dakota
- Sterling Heights
- Steve Whelan
- Taliban
- Taliban insurgency
- Texas
- Third Brigade
- Transit Center
- United Nations
- United States
- Virginia
- War
- War in Afghanistan
- World Trade Center
- Wyoming
- Zahri