Soweto, South Africa — Children at Batsogile Primary School hold signs as they prepare to join in a national singing of happy birthday to beloved former President Nelson Mandela, who turns 94 on Wednesday. The nation's 12 million schoolchildren began their day with a special birthday song, ringing with the line: "We love you father." Many South Africans affectionately refer to Mandela as Mandiba, his clan name.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP / Getty Images

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Dubuque, Iowa — Rita Jones, 9, holds a candle with other participants at a service at the Cathedral of St. Raphael celebrating the area's Catholic nuns. A group of concerned Roman Catholics organized the thanksgiving service to show support for the sisters in their strained relations with church leadership at the Vatican, which is calling for a dramatic overhaul of their mission and ministries.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jeremy Portje / Telegraph Herald

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Rotterdam, N.Y. — Evyn Schaeffer, 4, of Scotia, N.Y., cools off in a sprinkler at the Tri City BMX Track as the mercury hit 98 degrees in Rotterdam, one degree short of the record set in 1900.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Peter R. Barber / The Daily Gazette

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Herat, Afghanistan — Afghan girls practice the martial art at Osho institute in Herat. Afghan girls take keen interest in learning self defense using martial arts.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: JALIL REZAYEE / EPA

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Patras, Greece — A distraught man turns away from a wildfire consuming a nearby hill near Patras, about 200 kilometers southwest of Athens.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: GIOTA KORBAKI / AFP / Getty Images

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Katmandu, Nepal — Human rights activists continue to chant slogans from the back of a police vehicle after being arrested during a sit-in protest in front of the Nepalese prime minister's residence. Police arrested dozens of activists who were protesting the dissolution of Nepal's constituent assembly.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP / Getty Images

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Preah Vihear, Cambodia — A Cambodian security guard stands watch at Preah Vihear temple north of Phnom Penh as nearly 500 Cambodian troops and an undisclosed number of Thai forces withdrew Wednesday from the demilitarized zone near the 11th century temple, which the International Court of Justice awarded to Cambodia in 1962.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Heng Sinith / Associated Press

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Rumangabo, Democratic Republic of Congo — Patrick Karabaranga, a warden at the Virunga National Park, plays with an orphaned mountain gorilla in the park's gorilla sanctuary. The Virunga park is home to some 210 mountain gorillas, approximately a quarter of the world's population. Four orphans that live in the sanctuary are the only mountain gorillas in the world not living in the wild, having been rescued after their parents were killed by poachers or intercepted as traffickers tried to smuggle them out of the park.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: PHIL MOORE / AFP / Getty Images

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Avignon, France — Portuguese dancer Romeu Runa performs during a rehearsal of the ballet "The Old King" in Cloitre des Celestins as part of the 66th Avignon Theater Festival.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: BORIS HORVAT / AFP / Getty Images

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Lytham St. Anne's, England — Ian Poulter of England plays a bunker shot during the third practice round prior to Thursday's start of the 141st British Open at the Royal Lytham & St Anne's course.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Stuart Franklin / Getty Images

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Manchester, England — LeBron James joins U.S. Olympic basketball teammates in stretching exercises during a training session as the Americans prepare for the Summer Games starting next week in London.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: ANDREW YATES / AFP / Getty Images

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Bagneres de Luchon, France — Fans cheer on riders leading a breakaway in the 197-kilometer 16th stage of the Tour de France.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: LIONEL BONAVENTURE / AFP / Getty Images

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Hebron, West Bank — Decorations are hung outside a Hebron shop in anticipation of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins Friday.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: HAZEM BADER / AFP / Getty Images

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Hanover, Germany — A mother Persian leopard and two of her cubs explore their enclosure at the Hanover zoo. The mother leopard gave birth to triplets -- a male and two females -- in late May and they have now started to get acquainted with their outdoor habitat.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: JULIAN STRATENSCHULTE / EPA

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