1.   Others hung decorative ribbons, tied balloons and mopped the floor of the glassed-in area where VIPs will watch the handover.

2.   Afghan President Hamid Karzai was among dignitaries who watched the handover at the Kabul headquarters of the International Security Assistance Forces, as the peacekeepers are formally known.

3.   Like many families in Hong Kong, John and Shirley Wong watched the handover of their hometown to China live on TV from their small apartment.

4.   Thursday, spokesman Michael McCurry said that the US administration will watch the handover anxiously and be ready to pounce on any sign that democratic freedoms are being yanked.