Photos Of The Day

Mortar Mission — Getty Images/John Moore

U.S. Army Spc. Thomas Dailey, right, from Little Rock, Ark., fires an 81mm mortar at a Taliban position Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006 from Camp Tillman in the Paktika province of eastern Afghanistan. Taliban insurgents fired rockets at the American outpost for the third day, and the U.S. soldiers from the 2-87 Infantry responded with mortar fire, critically wounding several Taliban, according to intercepted radio transmissions.

Pirates Pinched

Officials destroy pirated DVDs and music CDs after a raid on a video and audio shop in Chongqing Municipality, in China. More than 20,000 pirated copies of movies and music CDs were destroyed. Nine people convicted of selling illegally copied DVDs and other goods were jailed for up to 13 years in China's biggest anti-piracy crackdown to date.

Soldier Search

An Iraqi man wipes sweat off his head as a 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team soldier stands guard in central Baghdad's Karradah district, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006. U.S. and Iraqi forces threw a security cordon around Karradah on Monday night and continued door-to-door searches Tuesday in search for a missing U.S. officer of Iraqi descent who may have been abducted.

Sweet Treats

A Pakistani candy maker prepares "Gulab Jamun," a traditional sweet, at a shop in Karachi, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006. Pakistani Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on Wednesday.

Koalas In Tow

Joel Barbara, head keeper at Sydney's Koala Park, holds Kamara, left, and her two babies, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006. The new arrivals Wignet and Wimera join 30 other koalas as the star attractions to the park.

Potty Mouth

A diner eats her meal at a toilet-themed restaurant Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006, in Shenzhen of Guangdong Province, China. Food arrives in bowls shaped like Western-style toilets or Asian-style "squat pots". The theme has attracted droves of novelty-seeking young people who come to play with their food and gross out their friends.

Well Schooled

PC John Allan jumps through a ring of fire on his horse Zoe during a media event for The Spanish Riding School of Vienna on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006 in London. Allan is part of the Metropolitan Police Activity Ride, a support act for the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. The Riding School is the oldest and most renowned in the world and will be touring the United Kingdom in November.

At The Ready

Hungarian riot police stand guard outside Parliament Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006 in Budapest, Hungary, the day after violent protests shook the city. Thousands of demonstrators, protesting against current Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, clashed with police on the 50th anniversary of Hungary's bloody uprising against Soviet occupation forces in 1956.

Graffiti Gunman

A man passes by a wall with a graffiti artist's version of "Uncle Sam", in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006. Venezuela and Guatemala resume battle Wednesday for a non-permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. Oil-rich Venezuela, whose President Hugo Chavez has been a thorn in Washington's side, and Guatemala, strongly backed by the United States, faced off in 35 inconclusive rounds of voting last week.

Bucket Brigade

Van Buren, Mo., firefighters use a bucket loader to reach the flames of a fire that broke out early Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006, in the Turley Building in Van Buren.

Caught Red-Handed?

Policeman Manuel Dominguez is tied to a light post after residents of a neighborhood accused him of trying to burglarize a house in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico on, Tuesday Oct. 24, 2006. A group of about 50 people in the working class neighborhood beat, stripped and tied up the local police officer. Other police officers were nowhere to be seen.