The Best Photos of July 2011 {via TIME Magazine}

A couple kisses in the street as riot police patrol in Vancouver, Canada. Riots broke out after the city's hockey team, the Canucks, lost in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals.Rich Lam—Getty Images

Swimmers take to the water of Lake Windermere during The British Gas Great North Swim in Windermere, England. The Great North swim is the biggest event ever of its kind in Britain. Up to 10,000 athletes are taking to the open waters of Lake Windermere in the Lake District throughout the weekend and also raising up to GBP 1 Million for charity. Christopher Furlong—Getty Images

The Puyehue volcano in southern Chile erupted for the first time in a half-century, scorching the sky with its ash. According to the National Service of Geology and Mining, the blast produced a column of gas 6 miles (10 km) high. Some 3,500 people were evacuated.Claudio Santana—AFP/Getty Images

A fire truck recovered from the World Trade Center site after 9/11 sits inside an 80,000-sq.-ft. (7,500 sq m) hangar at JFK International Airport. The hangar holds artifacts to be displayed at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. Curators from other museums can request from the hangar damaged steel from Ground Zero to display at their institutions. Mike Segar—Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI leads a solemn Mass in Zagreb, Croatia. The Pontiff spent two days visiting the country. Alessandro Bianchi—Reuters

These "supertrees," under construction in Singapore, are vertical gardens, ranging from 75 to 150 feet in height and embedded with tropical flowering climbers, ferns and epiphytes. Although they loom somewhat menacingly over the humans who are building them, they’re part of an effort to make the center of the city more livable.Wong Maye-E—AP

A protester outside a prison near Caracas prepares to launch a tear-gas canister. An uprising at the prison has led to a violent standoff between authorities and inmates, at least 22 of whom have died. Family members of the prisoners have joined the battle outside the gates. Carlos Garcia Rawlins—­Reuters

As a sandstorm approaches, a U.S. military plane drops small packages of food supplies for Marines outside Forward Operating Base Edi in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan.Anja Niedringhaus—AP

Firemen practice a rescue from a roller coaster in Leipzig. With the help of a telescopic hinge pole lift, rescue crews can now work at a height of 46 metres.Jan Woitas—DPA/Zuma Press

A leaflet is placed on a beggar as supporters of the yellow-shirted People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest in Bangkok's financial district. Protesters urged people not to vote for any political parties in upcoming elections scheduled for July 3. Damir Sagolj—Reuters

Shiite pilgrims carry a symbolic coffin at the holy shrine of the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim shrine in Baghdad, Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims are flocking to the shrine to commemorate the death of the revered eighth century saint, snarling traffic and sending security forces to the streets to protect the worshipers. Hadi Mizban—AP

Libyan rebel fighters take a rest near the town of Ryayna after trying to cut off forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. The rebels have made progress in their fight for freedom, but they, along with their Western allies, are still a long way from taking Gaddafi’s stronghold in Tripoli. Colin Summers—AFP/Getty Images

A South Korea's K1 tank fires smoke shells during a joint military drill between South Korea and the US in Paju near the inter-Korean border, aimed at deterring North Korea's military threat. Tensions on the Korea peninsula are high following two deadly border incidents last year which Seoul blames on its neighbor.Jung Yeon-Je—Getty Images

The media await Representative Anthony Weiner’s press conference at the Sheraton Hotel in New York City. In an auto-da-fé with circus aspects, he acknowledged having e-trysts with women and sending them intimate photos of himself. The scandal might have subsided if he hadn’t lied for a week—and if his name wasn't Weiner. Andrew Burton—Getty Images

A gas-masked protester walks by a burning van during demonstrations against austerity measures in Athens. As Greece teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, its Parliament voted in favor of a package of spending cuts, tax hikes and privatization that was a prerequisite for a critical bailout. Yannis Behrakis—Reuters

Members of the Iranian women’s soccer team pray in Amman, Jordan, after being barred from a qualifying match for the 2012 Olympic Games. FIFA requires that any head covering not obscure the neck and ears. According to Islamic dress code, women must cover their hair in public. Ali Jarekji—Reuters

Demonstrators, seen from a Druze village, flee Israeli-army tear gas as they cut through barbed wire on the Israel-Syria border, aiming for the occupied Golan Heights. Inspired by the Arab Spring, Palestinians have massed in mostly peaceful protests. This time, Israeli troops opened fire, killing 14 demonstrators. Menahem Kahana—AFP/Getty Images

A trail of smoke is left behind Zelzal ballistic missiles after being launched during the second day of military exercises, codenamed Great Prophet-6, for Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards at an undisclosed location. Mohammad Hasanzadeh—AFP/Getty Images

The meadow by Munich’s Olympic pool has several vacancies for sunseekers, as parts of Europe are hit by a heat wave. Temperatures topped 86°F (30°C) in most parts of Germany. Peter Kneffel—AFP/Getty Images

A Pakistani vendor displays his dolls on a roadside as he waits for customers on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. Muhammed Muheisen—AP

Children play at the Ryoji Ikeda exhibition "the transfinite" at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. The audio visual installation, features two back-to-back screens displaying a continual loop of sounds, fragments of numbers and strobe-lit patterns that echo the Japanese artist's interest in mathematics, the subconscious and the digital world

Paramilitary policemen rappel down a building as they take part in an anti-terrorism drill in Shanghai. China Daily/Reuters

A Libyan rebel fighter is photographed 11 miles (18 km) west of Ajdabiyah. Esam Al-Fetori—Reuters

A Greek Air Force Mirage 2000 jet fighter rests on the bottom of the Aegean sea near the Greek island of Samos after it crashed on June 9, 2011. Both pilots ejected before the crash and were rescued unhurt by a military vessel, Greek military officials said. Greek Air Force/Reuters

NASA captured this image of Helene, an icy and irregular moon of Saturn. At its closest approach, the NASA spacecraft Cassini flew within 4,330 miles (6,968 km) of Helene’s surface. AFP/Getty images

Two girls prepare to operate on their cuddly toy at the "Teddy Bear Hospital" during the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Children's Hospital of Lausanne (HEL). The Children's Hospital of Lausanne was Switzerland's first hospital entirely dedicated to infants. The "Teddy Bear Hospital" is an initiative organized by medical students for children of aiming to alleviate their fear of doctors and hospitals. FabriceCoffrini—AFP/Getty

Canadian soldiers from the 6th Platoon, Bulldog Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Royal Regiment search inside a barn during a patrol in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan. Baz Ratner—Reuters

Balloons with bras fly as part of a demonstration on the National Women's Day (Frauenstreiktag) in Bern.Pascal Lauener—Reuters

These weird pictures capturing the sun in the sky from the shortest to longest day of the year were shot with a home-made cameras made from a beer can. Around 100 pinhole cameras were put around an observatory in Holland last December as part of a public experiment, revealing the sun's progress after six months. Philippus Lansbergen Observatory/National News/Zuma Press

Alex Lopez, center, plays baseball with his sister Sugey while smoke generated by the Las Conchas fire covers the sky in Espanola, N.M. Jae C. Hong—AP

A French Rafale-2 jet fighter performs during its demonstration flight at the 49th Paris Air Show at le Bourget airport, east of Paris. Francois Mori—AP

Dancers perform during a gala show to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Feng Li—Getty Images

A technician examines a mobile phone in a test room at the Market Surveillance Laboratories of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority of Turkey, in Ankara. Founded in 2007 with funds from the European Union, the facility, comprising of five different labs, tests mobile telephones and other communication devices to determine their Specific Absorbition Rate (SAR) value. SAR is a measurement of how much electromagnetic radiation is absorbed by body tissue while using a mobile phone. Umit Bektas—Reuters

A firefighter extinguishes a car following an explosion in Abuja, Nigeria. A suicide bombing in the parking lot of police headquarters in Nigeria's capital killed two people Thursday, police said. Felix Onigbinde—AP

Syrian refugee children walk over bricks stored for road repairs during a spontaneous protest against Syrian President Bashar Assad, in a camp in Yayladagi,Turkey. Syria's government is calling for the return of thousands of refugees who fled to Turkey to escape violence. Vadim Ghirda—AP

An F/A-18C Hornet fighter jet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 113 breaks the sound barrier during an air power demonstration over the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and Carrier Air Wing 17 in the Pacific Ocean in this U.S. Navy handout photo. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Travis K. Mendoza—U.S. Navy/Reuters

Protestors clash with riot police during a demonstration near the parliament in the center of Athens. Thousands of demonstrators besieged the Greek parliament in a large anti-austerity protest marred by violence, leaving at least a dozen injured ahead of a critical reform vote in parliament. Aris Messinis—AFP

Persia, a 7-year-old Afghan, rests as she is flown on a U.S. Army medevac helicopter to a military hospital outside Sangin in southern Afghanistan. The girl received head injuries after falling off a truck; her father took her to the nearest NATO security outpost for medical help.Anja Niedringhaus—AP

Anti-government protesters reach to catch a youth, after throwing him in to the air while celebrating President Ali Abdullah Saleh's departure to Saudi Arabia, in Sanaa, Yemen. A cease-fire in Yemen's capital was at risk of unraveling Monday as regime supporters opened fire on opposition fighters in renewed clashes that killed at least six. The violence raises fears over the potentially explosive situation after the wounded President Ali Abdullah Saleh left the country, creating a deep power vacuum.Hani Mohammedi—AP

A horse waits to be led onto the track at the 143rd Belmont Stakes, in Elmont, N.Y. Ruler on Ice was the surprise winner of the featured race, the third leg of the Triple Crown; the 24-to-1 longshot outran Animal Kingdom and Shackleford, who had taken the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, respectively. Andrew Burton—Reuters

A child receives an oral polio vaccine in the Abobo suburb of Abidjan during the opening of the second national day of polio vaccinations organized by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Rotary International, among others. Issouf Sanogo—AFP/Getty Images

US player Serena Williams bounces the ball as she plays against Romania's Simona Halep in a Women's Singles match at the 2011 Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Tennis Club, in southwest London. Carl de Souza—AFP/Getty Images

Graduates in the Chinese province of Hubei make their way through an inundated lakeside park. Cities along the Yangtze River are bracing for more downpours, even after flooding has already forced thousands from their homes.

A car is completely covered in volcanic ash in San Carlos de Bariloche, southern Argentina. The Puyehue volcano, dormant for decades, erupted in south-central Chile on Saturday. The wind carried ash across the Andes to Argentina, dusting this tourist town which had to close its airport. Alfredo Leiva—AP

"Ukukus," or protectors of the Lord "Qoyllur Rit'i," try to reach a cross on a glacier during celebrations in honor of the Lord at the Sinakara Valley in Cuzco, June 21, 2011. The annual festivity of the Lord of "Qoyllur Rit'i" or Lord of the Snow Star attracts thousands of pilgrims, dancers and musicians from surrounding regions with processions and dances around the sacred shrine. The main event is carried out by protectors called "ukukus", who climb glaciers over the Mount Colquepunku to bring back crosses representing the Lord. Enrique Castro-Mendivil—Reuters

Indifferent to—or, more likely, unaware of—the mordant juxtaposition they produce, children play on the Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Holocaust memorial in Berlin. Markus Schreiber—AP

Visitors walk through Olafur Elisson's work 'Your Rainbow Panorama' on the roof of the Danish art museum ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum in Aarhus, Denmark. The work by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson consists of a circular, 150-meter-long and three meter-wide circular walkway in glass in all the colors of the spectrum. Peter Klaunzer—EPA

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish youth strain for a view as thousands gather around the body of Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, a Lithuanian Orthodox leader, during his funeral on June 28 in Bnei Brak, Israel. Ariel Schalit—AP

Sheep and cattle are shepherded at Altay grassland during the seasonal livestock migration in Altay, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. Liu Xinhai—ChinaFotoPress/Newscom