An estimated crowd of 30,000 revelers welcomed the summer solstice at the megalithic Stonehenge ruins in Salisbury Plain at dawn Saturday. Rain and mist did not deter throngs from welcoming the sun rise above the ancient monument, one of Britain's national icons, on the longest day of the year.

As expected, the glamorous third wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy stole the show from him and Queen Elizabeth when the First French Couple visited Windsor Castle on Wednesday. From her Christian Dior outfits to her controversial nude photos, Carla Bruni was the talk of a royalty-obsessed nation that compared the 40-year old former supermodel to two global icons of beauty and style - Princess Diana and Jacqueline Kennedy.

indu priests and religious officials in India are protesting against a U. S. -based company's decision to sell undergarments emblazoned with images of Hindu gods and sacred religious icons. Officials from India's eastern state of Orissa have pressed the U. S. government to seek actions against California-based Cafepress. com, a website under fire for selling intimate apparel featuring sacred Hindu deities and holy places, such as Jagannath temple, considered to be among the most sacred Hindu temples in India.

An icon of the Virgin Mary has been stolen from a monastery in Greece. A police operation headed by the deputy chief of national police is underway to find the 700-year-old replica. The icon is thought to have cured the sick and protect those who believed in its powers. People believe the icon's powers will bring tragedy to both the party who stole it and the people who relied on its protection.

The English added fish and chips, Sherlock Holmes and the Oxford English Dictionary to its list of national treasures Tuesday, along with Monty Python, Robin Hood, the Mini and the long-running BBC Radio 4 soap opera "The Archers. " A government-funded project called Icons has asked English citizens to create a list of things that capture the essence of English culture. Some icons previously put on the list include cricket, pubs, red double-decker buses, Stonehenge, the FA Cup and the humble cup of tea.