The another collection of images from 2011 once again brought us
nature at its full force with floods, drought, wild fires, tornadoes and
spectacular images of volcanic eruptions. The death of Osama bin Laden,
the attack on an island in Norway by a lone gunman, continued fighting
in Libya, and protests around the globe were a few of the news events
dominating the headlines.
1. A cloud of ash billowing from Puyehue volcano near Osorno in
southern Chile, 870 km south of Santiago, on June 5. Puyehue volcano
erupted for the first time in half a century on June 4, 2011, prompting
evacuations for 3,500 people as it sent a cloud of ash that reached
Argentina. The National Service of Geology and Mining said the explosion
that sparked the eruption also produced a column of gas 10 kilometers
(six miles) high, hours after warning of strong seismic activity in the
area.
2. A cloud of ash billowing from Puyehue volcano near Osorno in
southern Chile, 870 km south of Santiago, on June 5. Puyehue volcano
erupted for the first time in half a century on June 4, 2011, prompting
evacuations for 3,500 people as it sent a cloud of ash that reached
Argentina. The National Service of Geology and Mining said the explosion
that sparked the eruption also produced a column of gas 10 kilometers
(six miles) high, hours after warning of strong seismic activity in the
area.
3. People react to the death of Osama bin Laden in Times Square
in New York early May 2. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in a
firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan on Sunday, President Barack
Obama announced, ending a nearly 10-year worldwide hunt for the
mastermind of the September 11 attacks.
4. This official White House photograph made available May 2,
2011 shows US President Barack Obama (2nd left) and Vice President Joe
Biden (far left), US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (right) and US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (2nd right) along with members of the
national security team, as they receive an update on the mission
against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House, in
Washington, DC on May 1, 2011.
5. A wounded woman is brought ashore opposite Utaoya island (in
the distance) after being rescued from a gunman who went on a killing
rampage targeting participants in a Norwegian Labour Party youth
organisation event on the island, some 40 km southwest of Oslo, on July
22. At total of 77 were killed in Friday's attacks in Norway, a bombing
in central Oslo and a series of shootings on the island. Police had also
found explosives on the island of Utoeya, where a gunman opened fire on
young people at a summer camp organized by the ruling Labour Party,
Sveinung Sponheim, acting commissioner for Oslo police, told reporters.
6. People gather outside Oslo City Hall July 25 to participate
in a "rose march" in memory of the victims of a bomb attack and shooting
massacre in Norway.
7. Protesters clash with riot police during a 48-hour general
strike on June 28 in Athens. Greece is set to come to a halt on Tuesday
as protesters launch a 48-hour general strike against the
bankruptcy-threatened government which is desperately trying to push
through sweeping austerity cuts. As parliament votes on the drastic
belt-tightening measures to unlock 12 billion euros ($17 billion) of
blocked funds from the EU and IMF, unions have called on Greeks facing
hefty tax hikes to stage mass demonstrations.
8. Police detain protesters during clashes in Tbilisi May 26.
Georgian riot police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon on
Thursday to disperse several hundred opposition protesters demanding the
resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili, a Reuters reporter said.
9. Somali refugees who recently crossed the border from Somalia
into southern Ethiopia cluster between two food tents as they wait to
be called to collect food aid at the Kobe refugee camp on July 19.
Ethiopian authorities and non-governmental organizations have
accommodated almost 25,000 refugees at the camp since it was set up less
then three weeks ago. Thousands of Somalis have fled in recent months
to neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya in search of food and water, with many
dying along the way, as the region suffers what the UN has described as
the worst drought in decades.
10. A painting of Amy Winehouse is left near the house in north
London where the body of the English pop star was found earlier on July
23. Troubled British singer Amy Winehouse, whose struggle with drink
and drugs overshadowed her sultry musical talents, has been found dead
at her flat in north London, emergency services said. She was 27.
11. Katlyn Wilkins works on securing an American flag in a tree
as she deals with the destruction caused by a massive tornado that
passed through the town killing at least 139 people on May 29 in Joplin,
Mo.
12. Cars stand submerged in overflow water from the Wolf River
on McMiller Road in Memphis, Tenn. May 10, 2011. After weeks of rising
to historic levels the Mississippi River reached a crest just shy of the
forecast 48 feet at the Memphis gauge. "It's going to meander around
that level for the next 24 to 36 hours," meteorologist Bill Borghoff
said. "We're going to pretty much hold onto the crest for a while."
13. Space shuttle Atlantis blasts off from launch pad 39A at
Kennedy Space Center July 8, 2011 in Cape Canaveral, FL. This lift off
is the last in the 30-year-old shuttle program.
14. Billy Stinson (left) comforts his daughter Erin Stinson as
they sit on the steps where their cottage once stood before it was
destroyed by Hurricane Irene Aug. 28 in Nags Head, NC. The cottage,
built in 1903, was one of the first vacation cottages built on Albemarle
Sound in Nags Head. Stinson has owned the home, which is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places, since 1963. "We were pretending,
just for a moment, that the cottage was still behind us and we were just
sitting there watching the sunset," said Erin afterward.
15. A weed grows out of the dry cracked bed of O.C. Fisher Lake
on July 25 in San Angelo, TX. The 5,440 acre lake which was established
to provide flood control and serve as a secondary drinking water source
for San Angelo and the surrounding communities is now dry following an
extended drought in the region. The lake which has a maximum depth of 58
feet is also used for boating, fishing and swimming. The San Angelo
area has seen only 2.5 inches of rain this year. The past nine months
have been the driest in Texas since record keeping began in 1895, with
75% of the state classified as exceptional drought, the worst level.
16. Japan's midfielder Homare Sawa celebrates scoring during
the FIFA Women's Football World Cup final match Japan vs USA on July 17
in Frankfurt, Germany. Japan won the cup 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out
after the final had finished 2-2 following extra-time.
17. Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates a point
against the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on June 12 at the
AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, FL. Jason Terry scored 27 points and
Nowitzki finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds as the Mavericks won
105-95 to take the best-of-seven championship series four-games-to-two
to claim their first NBA championship in franchise history.