A column of steam rises from the Hudson volcano near Coihaique town some 1649 km (1025 miles) south of Santiago, Chile. (Reuters)

Activists from CCFD Terre Solidaire (Catholic Committee against Hunger and for Development) wear masks portraying US President Barack Obama, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a protest action at the Palais Royal place in Paris, France. (Reuters)

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, right, and his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin, center, make an inspection during an honor guard ceremony at Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea. (AP)

Massive sandbag wall in front of Kasikorn bank on Bangkok's busy Phahonyothin Road, Thailand. (VOA Photo - D. Schearf)

Ballet dancers perform during a dress rehearsal of 'Samsara' by Spain's Victor Ullate in Madrid. (Reuters)

An entertainer is searched prior to the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II, for a State Reception at Government House in Perth, Australia. (AP)

Dr. Ross Bremner, left, a lung surgeon at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, is declared the winner of the St. Joseph's Hospital Doc-O-Lantern Pumpkin Carving Contest by The Phoenix Suns (basketball team) Gorilla, in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. (AP)

Pumpkins carved by artists Ray Villafane and Andy Bergholtz are displayed during a pumpkin carving exhibition in the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Reuters)