Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng is seen in a wheelchair at Chaoyang hospital in Beijing on May 2. After escaping from house arrest in Shandong Province, the blind activist made his way 300 miles to seek refuge at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. The daring escape led to frantic diplomatic negotiations between the two countries over Chen's status as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in the country for high-level talks. The U.S. released him into Chinese care, but declined China's call for an apology. Chen's ultimate fate remains unclear, though a new arrangement announced Friday would allow him to study law at an American university.
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Demonstrators gather around a fire in Lindenstrasse during a May Day anti-capitalism protest on May 1 in Berlin, Germany. This year marks 25 years since a 1987 Berlin May Day demonstration turned violent. There have been clashes between participants and police on May Day in Berlin almost every year since.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits with his father, Professor Benzion Netanyahu, on March 25. The elder Netanyahu, 102, died at his home on April 30 in Jerusalem, Israel.
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A U.S. Army team moves the body of U.S. Army Sgt. Nicholas M. Dickhut during a transfer at Dover Air Force Base on May 2. Sargeant Dickhut, who was from Rochester, Minn., was killed during a firefight in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province.
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Construction continues on One World Trade Center after workers moved a steel column into place, making the tower New York City's tallest building on April 30. One World Trade Center's height is now just beyond the 1,250 feet of the observation deck at the Empire State Building.
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Colombian Special Forces conduct a military exercise during a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Colombian Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon at Tolemaida military base on April 23. Panetta was in Colombia as part of his first Latin America tour to bolster bilateral military cooperation and regional security ties.
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Buddhist nuns practice kung fu at the Amitabha Drukpa nunnery on the outskirts of Kathmandu on April 26. Buddhist nuns in the Himalayas have traditionally been seen as inferior to monks, with the women relegated to menial tasks like cooking and cleaning. The Amitabha Drukpa nunnery has seen a sharp rise in interest in becoming a nun since introducing martial arts classes.
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A Condor airplane from nearby Schoenefeld Airport flies past the control tower at Berlin Brandenburg Airport on May 4 near Berlin, Germany. The new airport, located south of Berlin, is scheduled to open June 3 and will replace three airports. The new airport, designed for a capacity of 27 million passengers a year, has cost nearly €3 billion to construct.
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Muslim activists take part in a protest against U.S. pop diva Lady Gaga's upcoming performance in Jakarta on April 29. Demonstrators rallied against the U.S. singer's concert, which is scheduled for June 3.
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A Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service boat operates on the swollen river close to Tewkesbury on May 1 in Gloucestershire, England. After the wettest April in 100 years, thousands of homes, particularly in the southwest of England, faced risk of flooding.
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Lesser flamingos fly at Lake Oloidien near Naivasha, Kenya on May 3. Kenya's Lesser flamingos are currently appearing in mass in the country's drier regions after heavy rains nationwide have altered the salinity of the water in many lakes, forcing the birds to fly to seek a new home.
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Buddhist monks line up as they walk around the streets to receive alms from Buddhist religious members of the public ahead of Vesak Day on May 3 in Magelang, Indonesia. The annual Vesak ceremony at the Borobudur temple is the most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia. Vesak is observed during the full moon in May or June and the ceremony involves pilgrims walking from three different temples, signifying the three stages of life of Buddhism's founder, Gautama Buddha: his birth, enlightenment to Nirvana, and his passing.
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Chinese paramilitary policemen stand guard as tourists watch the customary lowering of the flag at Tiananmen Square on May 3 in Beijing, China.
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An aerial view of sandstone formations on May 2 in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has tentatively approved leasing more than 3,500 acres of public range land to Alton Coal Development LLC. Environmental groups oppose the proposed expansion to the coal strip mine, citing threats to local wildlife.
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A pack of cigarettes is pictured alight on April 27 in Auckland, New Zealand. Associate Health Minister and Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia recently announced a ban on branded cigarette packs as part of a bid to get New Zealand smoke-free by 2025.
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Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich announces he is suspending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination with his wife Callista Gingrich on May 2 in Arlington, Virginia. Gingrich said he decided to leave the race after his rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, surged ahead in recent primary contests.
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Fireworks mark the end of the Feria de Abril (April's Fair) on April 29 in Seville, Spain.
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