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 said they hope it will mean greater access to jobs and help 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.

Supporters of the Gulen movement wave Turkish flags as they gather outside the Justice Palace in Istanbul. A Turkish court kept a media executive and three other people in custody on Friday on accusations of belonging to a terrorist group.

A young Indian seller takes a break from work in Bangalore. Despite Christians making up a little over two percent of the population in India, Christmas is celebrated with enthusiasm throughout the country.

Israeli border police detain a Palestinian protester following a prayer for Palestinian Cabinet minister Ziad Abu Ain, who collapsed shortly after a protest on December 10 in the West Bank village of Turmus Aya, as they fight 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 closed a domestic airport after a volcano in the country's east erupted, spewing 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 newborn cheetahs rest at their enclosure in Prague's zoo, in the Czech Republic. The three cubs (plus one other) were born on November 21, 2014. Scientists say every cheetah cub is important to saving the species, which is threatened with extinction in the wild.

Waves hit an Indonesian tanker that ran into shallow water near Narathiwat in southern Thailand. The tanker was loaded with palm oil and was anchored some 400 meters from the beach, but strong wind and waves broke it free.

The 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" event, the outgoing Year of Horse handed a window wiper to the successor Year of Sheep.

A spectator watches a match during the fifth and final 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.