Some are in it just for the money, others to help buy a meal. Then there are those who trade for fun or to spend time among friends. Millions of investors – pensioners, security guards, high-school students – dominate China's stock markets, conducting about 80 percent of all trades. Retirees gather in brokerage houses dotted around China also to enjoy some company and savour the air conditioning on hot days. Some start as young as 13, trading from home with an eye on future careers in finance. Winning isn't guaranteed. This year, among the most turbulent in China's financial history, its stock markets more than doubled in the six months to May, only to crash amid concerns that growth in the country, which makes everything from cars to steel, is slowing faster than previously thought. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

Despite any political differences between the United States and Russia, the space agencies of the two countries continue their cooperative work in Earth's orbit, aboard the International Space Station. Apart from the research being done in microgravity, ISS crew members continue to send back amazing images of our home world, photographed from low Earth orbit. Gathered here are recent images of Earth from aboard the ISS, and from a handful of other NASA satellites.

Ciara is the latest victim to be pranked by Vitalii Sediuk outside the Valentino Fashion Show today during Paris Fashion Week on September 30, 2014. The singer looked chic in a red lace outfit with a black coat hanging over her shoulders and was all smiles while posing for pictures. However, the fun was ruined when Vitalii threw off his cape to reveal a Chanel top and speedos with a message on his right thigh, reading “Ban in USA but I Rock Chanel”. No big altercation went down but Ciara’s security removed him from the crowd. (Photo by Backgrid USA)

Evie and Conor Enright, from Portmarnock pictured on a walk in Howth, Co. Dublin on December 30, 2022. (Photo by Damien Eagers for The Irish Times)

Pop singer and composer Shakira performs during her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran”, or Women Don't Cry Anymore, world tour at the Metropolitano stadium in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia, Thursday, February 20, 2025. (Photo by Fernando Vergara/AP Photo)

A woman poses on the flooded St. Mark's square during an acqua-alta (high-water) alert in Venice, on November 19, 2013. (Photo by Andrea Pattaro/AFP Photo)

P.S. All pictures, as usual, are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture (if available; this principle works anywhere on the site AvaxNews).

Models pose during the Macgraw presentation show during Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2023 on May 18, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by James Gourley/Getty Images for AAFW)

Republic of Korea Air Force's (ROKAF) aerobatic unit “Black Eagles” maneuver their T-50B aircraft as they perform an air show at Clark Air Base on March 03, 2024 in Pampanga, Philippines. The Republic of Korea Air Force's (ROKAF) aerobatic unit “Black Eagles” is in the Philippines to conduct a series of air shows to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and South Korea. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)