December 19, 2014

Javier Yanez stands on his balcony where he hung a U.S. and Cuban flag in Old Havana Cuba. After the surprise announcement on Wednesday of the restoration of diplomatic ties between Cuba and the U.S., many Cubans expressed hope that it will mean greater access to jobs and lift their struggling economy.

A Pakistani legislator places flowers at a memorial in Islamabad for the children and teachers killed by Taliban militants in army-run school in Peshawar on Tuesday.

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A taxi driver holds a Union flag, as he celebrates following the result of the EU referendum, in central London, Britain.

Israeli border police detain a Palestinian protester following a prayer for Palestinian Cabinet minister Ziad Abu Ain, who collapsed shortly after a protest on Dec. 10 in the West Bank village of Turmus Aya, as they clash with the troops near the village outside of Ramallah.

Fishermen look at Mount Gamalama as it spews ash into the air during an eruption at Ternate, Maluku island. Indonesia temporarily closed a domestic airport after a volcano in the country's east erupted, spewing plumes of ash hundreds of meters into the air.

Teachers and students stand in a lotus flower formation to mark the 15th anniversary of the return of the Macau Special Administrative Region to China at a primary school in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu province. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Macau for the anniversary.

Three of four newly-born cheetah quadruplets rest at their enclosure in Prague's zoo, in the Czech Republic. The four cubs were born on Nov. 21, 2014. Scientists say every cheetah cub is critical to saving the species, which is threatened with extinction in the wild.

Waves hit an Indonesian tanker that ran aground near Narathiwat in southern Thailand. The tanker, loaded with palm oil and previously hijacked by its crew members and then seized by Thai authorities, was anchored some 400 meters from the beach but strong wind and waves broke it free.

The illuminated Christmas tree is seen in the old city in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Window cleaners dressed as horse and sheep zodiac animals clean the glass exterior of a hotel in Tokyo. During the year-end "zodiac" hand-over event, the outgoing Year of Horse handed a window wiper to the successor Year of Sheep.

A spectator with a head ornament watches a match during the fifth and final day-night international match between Pakistan and New Zealand at the Zayed International Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

A picture taken Friday from the top of al-Hamra Tower shows a view of Kuwait City at sunset. The tower is the tallest skyscraper in Kuwait and one of the top 10 tallest towers in the world.

People walk in a shopping mall decorated with Christmas lights in Berlin, Germany.