The world's most beautiful stadium - the entire country of France - annually hosts the most important bike race of the year: the Tour de France. Upwards of 12 million fans line the roads to watch the race. For free. No tickets needed. The race traverses over 2000 miles in 21 days of racing. Every year the route changes, but the mountains are a constant: racers must scale absurdly steep peaks in both the Pyrenees and the Alps before a victory race onto the Champs Elysees in Paris. This year's tour may be remembered most for the spate of horrible crashes that have eliminated many of the top riders. Most outrageously, a media car hit a cyclist at speed, causing a horrific crash that sent another rider cartwheeling into a barbed-wire fence. Both riders remounted and finished the stage. The race goes on through July 24. -- Lane Turner (35 photos total)
The peloton rides past the rocky tidal island of Mont Saint-Michel in the 226.5 km sixth stage of the 2011 Tour de France cycling race run between Dinan and Lisieux in northwestern France on July 7, 2011. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images)
- 2011 Tour de France
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- Laurent Cipriani
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- Pascal Rossignol
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- religion science society sports technology
- Road bicycle racing
- Saxo Bank
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- the 2011 Tour de France
- The Netherlands
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- Thomas Voeckler
- Thor Hushovd
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- Villefranche de Rouergue
Those mad adrenaline- (and sometimes alcohol-) infused half-mile dashes dodging 1,800-pound stampeding bulls have begun through the streets of Pamplona, Spain. Part-spectacle, part-tradition, the Running of the Bulls is the most celebrated slice of the nine-day San Fermin Festival. In addition to the daily runs, events include bullfighting and a parade featuring a statue of Pamplona\'s first bishop, St. Fermin. Pleads for safety and prayers of thanksgiving to St. Fermin traditionally begin and end the run through the streets, which was famously depicted in Ernest Hemingway\'s \"The Sun Also Rises.\" Concluding on the 14th of July every year, attendees gather on the town hall plaza at midnight for singing by candlelight.(40 photos total)
Spanish bull fighter Alberto Aguilar looks at a Dolores Aguirre Ybarra\'s ranch fighting bull during a bullfight at San Fermin fiestas in Pamplona northern Spain, Saturday July 9 (Alvaro Barrientos/Associated Press)
- afghanistan africa
- Alberto Aguilar
- Android
- Antonio Ferrera
- Arturo Saldivar
- Bosnia
- Bullfighting
- Bullring
- Culture of Spain
- David Mora
- Denis Doyle
- Dolores Aguirre Ybarra
- El Juli
- Ernest Hemmingway
- Europe
- Fermin
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- iPhone
- Ivan Aguinaga/Associated Press
- Javier Soriano
- Jose Cebada Gago
- Julian Lopez
- Julián López Escobar
- NY Times Co.
- Pamplona
- Pamplona
- Pedro Armerste
- Pedro Armestre
- religion science society sports technology
- religion science society sports technology
- Reuters
- Roberto Armendariz
- Running of the Bulls
- Spain
- Spain
- Spanish culture
- Sports
- St. Fermin
- Susana Vera
- Thanksgiving
- The Sun Also Rises
- The Sun Also Rises
- United States
- Victoriano del Rio
- Vincent West
The world has a new nation. The Republic of South Sudan officially seceded from Sudan on July 9, ending a 50-year struggle marked by decades of civil war. After a referendum earlier this year on independence passed with the support of 99% of the population of southern Sudan, events were set in motion that led to Saturday's celebration. Joy marked the festivities, but South Sudan faces steep challenges. Although the country has oil reserves and fertile soil, there is much poverty and little infrastructure. Collected here are images from the last several months, showing scenes of daily life, portraits of South Sudanese, and the celebration of independence. -- Lane Turner (36 photos total)
Thousands celebrate their country's independence during a ceremony in the capital Juba on July 9, 2011. South Sudan separated from Sudan to become the world's newest and 193rd nation. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images)
- Abyei
- Abyei
- afghanistan africa
- Andrew Burton
- Ashraf Shazly
- Belgium
- Bosnia
- Central Equatoria
- East Africa
- Emmanuel Malau
- food
- Getty Images
- Glastonbury Festival
- Goran Tomasevic
- Guardian.co.uk
- Independence Day
- iPhone
- Jau
- Juba
- Juba, Sudan
- Kapoeta
- Khartoum
- Khartoum
- Konyo Konyo
- Lane Turner
- Liberation Army
- Liberation Movement
- little infrastructure
- Marc Hofer
- Mary Ayok Thil
- Medecins Sans Frontieres
- Medecins Sans Frontieres January
- Mine Advisory Group
- Mundari
- North Africa
- NY Times Co.
- oil reserves
- Outline of Sudan
- Pariang
- Pete Muller
- Peter Martell
- Phil Moore
- Politics of Sudan
- printing press
- religion science society sports technology
- religion science society sports technology
- Roberto Schmidt
- Salva Kiir
- Second Sudanese Civil War
- South Sudan
- Spencer Platt
- Sudan
- Sudan
- Sudan's independence day
- Sudanese military
- The Citizen
- Thomas Mukoya
- Wunlit County
- Yambio
Around the world, the LGBT community celebrates in environments ranging from welcoming to tolerant to violently hostile. Many cities stage gay pride parades on or around June 28, the anniversary of New York's Stonewall Inn uprising in 1969 -- what many consider the beginning of the gay rights movement. New York enjoyed its parade this year on June 26, a celebration given added spirit with the legalization of gay marriage in New York state two days earlier. Some communities in the world still meet with resistance, with activists assaulted and arrested in Russian cities, and an Indian health minister describing homosexuality as a "disease" three days after the New Delhi pride parade on July 2. Collected here are photographs of people celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered pride around the world.
The Big Picture offers special thanks to Charles Meacham for making his photographs available. -- Lane Turner (43 photos total)
People take part in the gay pride parade on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul on June 26, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP/Getty Images)
- ADALBERTO ROQUE
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- Alessandro Bianchi
- Alex Hotz
- An
- Andrea Comas
- Around the world
- Athens
- Barcelona
- Bela Szandelszky
- Benigno Aquino
- Berlin
- Bogota
- Bosnia
- Boston
- Boulevard
- Bratislava
- Bucharest
- Budapest
- Carlos Jasso
- Carshella Hewie
- cell phones
- Central America
- Chad Meacham
- Charles Meacham
- Daniel Choi
- Daniel Mihailescu
- David Buimovich
- Eduardo Munoz
- Elese Lebsack
- Elmer Martinez
- Gay pride
- Gay Pride
- Gay Pride Parade
- Getty Images
- Ghulam Nabi Azad
- Glastonbury Festival
- Guardian.co.uk
- Guatemala
- Guatemala City
- Guatemalan army
- Havana
- India
- iPhone
- Istanbul
- Jay Directo
- Jeff Chiu
- Jessica Rinaldi
- John Moore
- Jose Cabezas
- Julien Muguet
- Lane Turner
- LGBT social movements
- Lima
- Lisbon
- London
- Louis Webre
- Louisa Gouliamaki
- Lynn English High School
- Madrid
- Managua
- Manila
- Mariana Bazo
- Mark Blinch
- Maurizio Gambarini
- Mikhail Voskresensky
- Moscow Pride
- Mustafa Ozer
- Nasya Hewie-Hill
- New Delhi
- New York
- New York City
- New York state legislature
- NY Times Co.
- Patricia De Melo Moreira
- Paul White
- Pride parades
- Radovan Stoklasa
- Rainbow flag
- religion science society sports technology
- religion science society sports technology
- Robin Burkhardt
- Rodrigo Abd
- Romania
- Romanian Parliament
- Ronald McDonald
- San Francisco
- San Francisco Pride
- San Salvador
- Shirley Gerow
- Slovakia
- smart phones
- Social Issues
- Sofia Pride
- Soviet Army
- Stan Honda
- Stoyan Nenov
- Sue Bennett
- Superman McDonald
- Susana Bates
- Susana Villaran
- Susana Zabaleta
- Taiwan Pride
- Tel Aviv
- The Big Picture
- Tina Fineberg
- Tom Duane
- Tomas Bravo
- United Nations
- United States
- University of the Philippines
- Warren Allott
- Wendy Maeda
- William Fernando Martinez
- Zagreb
Puyehue volcano in southern Chile has spread volcanic ash far and wide since it erupted in early June. On Monday, Argentina's president announced that economic relief would be provided to residents affected by the ash in the southwestern region of Patagonia. And as recent as July 1 ash in the atmosphere was disrupting flights at the Buenos Aires airport. These images show how the earth's landscape has been affected. Here's a link to view our original post on June 8. -- Lloyd Young
(32 photos total)
A horse walks on a field covered by volcanic ash from Chilean volcano Puyehue, near Villa Llanquin, a hamlet along route 40 on the banks of Limay river, 50 km from Bariloche, in the Argentine province of Rio Negro, on June 17, 2011. The ash cloud from Chile's Puyehue volcano caused widespread travel chaos in the southern hemisphere since it erupted for the first time on June 4 after lying dormant half a century. (rancisco Ramos Mejia/AFP/Getty Images)
- afghanistan africa
- airline
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- ALVARO VIDAL
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- Andes
- Argentina
- Argentine
- Ash Still Spewing
- Australia
- bank
- Bosnia
- Buenos Aires
- Chile
- Chilean government
- Chilean volcano
- CLAUDIO SANTANA
- Dante
- disrupted air travel
- Environment
- Federico Grosso/Associated Press
- Francisco Ramos Mejia
- Geography of Chile
- Geography of Los Ríos Region
- Geology
- Getty Images
- Glastonbury Festival
- Greece
- Igneous rocks
- iPhone
- Lake Nahuel Huapi
- Limay river
- Lloyd Young
- Los Andes
- Martin Bernetti
- Nahuel Huapi Lake
- Nahuel Huapi National Park
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Neuquen
- New Zealand
- NY Times Co.
- Osvaldo Peralta
- Patagonia
- Patricio Rodriguez
- Plate tectonics
- Puyehue
- Puyehue Lake
- Puyehue volcano
- Puyehue, Chile
- Puyehue-Cordón Caulle
- Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano
- Ranjentuco stream
- religion science society sports technology
- religion science society sports technology
- Rio Negro
- Rio Negro
- Santiago
- South America
- South Volcanic Zone
- Tourism in Argentina
- Villa Llanquin
- Volcanology
- widespread travel chaos
The Las Conchas wildfire in New Mexico spread dangerously close to the Los Alamos National Laboratory this week, causing the evacuation of the town and the shutdown of the lab, which is the headquarters for US military research. The laboratory was created during World War II to develop the first atomic bomb for the Manhattan Project and houses highly sensitive materials. As a precaution, scientists are monitoring radioactivity in the air. The fire is the largest wildfire in the state's history, covering more than 100,000 acres.(Editor's Note: We will not post on Monday, July 4th, we'll see you again on Wednesday, July 6, 2011.) -Leanne Burden Seidel (34 photos total)
A vicious wildfire burns near the Los Alamos Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M., on June 28, 2011. The Las Conchas fire spread through the mountains above the northern New Mexico town, driving thousands of people from their homes as officials at the government nuclear laboratory tried to dispel concerns about the safety of sensitive materials. (Jae C. Hong/Associated Press)
- 4th of July
- 9 Wind
- Abraham Diaz
- afghanistan africa
- Albuquerque Journal
- Alex Lopez
- Allen
- Apple Valley
- Bosnia
- California
- chemicals
- Chris Teters
- Craig Fritz
- Craig Fritz/Associated Press
- Disaster
- donated food
- Eddie Moor
- Eddie Moore
- Emily
- Eric Draper
- Espanola
- food
- Gary Thayer
- Geography of the United States
- Glastonbury Festival
- Greece
- iPhone
- Jane Phillips
- Japan
- Jemez Mountains
- Jemez Mountains
- Jenna Trujillo
- Jim Thompson
- Leanne Burden Seidel
- Los Alamos County, New Mexico
- Los Alamos Laboratory
- Los Alamos National Laboratories
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory
- Los Alamos Police
- Los Alamos, New Mexico
- Manhattan Project
- Manhattan Project
- Manhatten Project Los Alamos Historical Society
- Michael Morgan
- Morgan Petroski
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- New Mexico
- New Mexico
- New Mexico National Guard
- NY Times Co.
- Oregon
- Pajarito Mountain
- Pat Vasquez-Cunningham
- Pete
- Pia Romero
- Pierre Louis
- Portland
- radiation
- Red Cross
- religion science society sports technology
- religion science society sports technology
- Rio Rancho
- Ross Van Lyssel
- Sandoval County, New Mexico
- Santa Fe County, New Mexico
- Santa Fe National Forest
- Santa Fe National Forest
- Sante Fe
- Steve Bowers
- Sugey
- Taylor
- The Albuquerque Journal
- Tim Adams
- United States
- United States
- United States Department of Energy National Laboratories
- Wayne Thorpy
Glastonbury, a festival held at Worthy Farm in England, has become Europe's largest such gathering for music fans. Its five-day run ended Sunday, after entertaining nearly 175,000 fans. Heavy rain and mud greeted the attendees, who paid 195 pounds (about $310) for a basic ticket compared to the 1 pound when the show began in 1970. The next festival will take place in 2013. - Lloyd Young (35 photos total)
Festival-goers dance to Jarvis Cocker and his band Pulp as the sunsets during the third day of the Glastonbury Festival June 25, 2011. This year's festival featured headline acts U2, Coldplay and Beyonce. Now in its fifth decade, the event has grown from a humble gathering of 1,500 people on Michael Eavis's Worthy dairy farm in 1970, each paying 1 pound and receiving free milk, to a giant five-day celebration of music costing 195 pounds for a basic ticket. (Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images))
- ADRIAN DENNIS
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- Chris Martin
- Coldplay
- Counties of England
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- David J. Hogan
- Entertainment
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- Ian Gavan
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- Jarvis Cocker
- Kaiser Chiefs
- Lloyd Young
- Matt Cardy
- Meryl Knapp
- Michael Eavis
- Michael Eavis
- NY Times Co.
- Pendulum
- Pulp
- religion science society sports technology
- religion science society sports technology
- Richard Hopkinson
- Ricky Wilson
- Somerset
- The Black Eagles
- the Glastonbury Festival
- Tom Wilder
- Two Door Cinema Club on the Pyramid Stage
- United Kingdom