Thursday: The day in photos

A Tibetan Buddhist monk plays a wind instrument during a prayer session at a monastery in Katmandu, Nepal.  (Gemunu Amarasinghe / Associated Press)

South Korean elementary school students practice gas-mask use. Wary of North Korea’s recent nuclear tests, South Korea has joined 100 other nations in an initiative to blockade any nation suspected of trading nuclear materials. North Korea has threatened to attack South Korea if any attempt is made to intercept its vessels.  (Ahn Young-joon / Associated Press)

America’s newest young music stars met their public this morning. After a “Today” show performance in New York, Kris Allen, left, named the winner of “American Idol” last week, and runner-up Adam Lambert pose with audience members.  (Richard Drew / Associated Press)

A Palestinian man passes a section of Israel’s separation barrier at a checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem. Jailed palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti is pictured in the wall mural. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to focus on Israel’s settlement expansion on the West Bank when he meets with President Obama today in Washington.  (Muhammed Muheisen / Associated Press)

Anti-India protests erupted today in parts of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir after a teenager was killed and another person injured when an Indian army vehicle hit their motorcycle. At a funeral procession in Pampore, the dead teen’s sister wails.  (Dar Yasin / Associated Press)

Dragon boat crews send water flying today in Hong Kong as the city embraces its yearly celebration of the Chinese poet-statesman Qu Yuan.  (Kin Cheung / Associated Press)

It’s Border Guard Day. During celebrations in Minsk, Belarus, a boy marches past border guard cadets.  (Viktor Drachev / AFP / Getty Images)

Moscow is toasty on Border Guard Day, the unofficial start of summer. To cool off, a former border guard takes a plunge in the pond in Gorky Park.  (Sergei Ilnitsky / EPA)

In the West Bank city of Nablus, an ultra-Orthodox Jew prays on Mt. Gerizim overlooking Joseph’s Tomb, one of Judaism’s holiest sites. He and others received a special permit from the Israeli army to celebrate in the restricted area.  (Menahem Kahana / AFP / Getty Images)