

A man watches large waves on Marina beach as a cargo ship passes after Cyclone Thane hit the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu Friday. Rain and gale-force winds lashed India's southeast coast, bringing down walls and power lines and killing at least six people. Babu/Reuters
A Bourse trader plays with a baby on the last trading day of the year at Frankfurt's stock exchange in Germany Friday. Ralph Orlowski/Reuters
Children of migrant workers lie on the snow to form the number '2012' while celebrating the coming new year in front of a snow sculpture in Harbin, China, Friday. AP
A farmer prepares a field for planting vegetables in Ha Hoi village, Vietnam, on Friday. Vietnam's economy is estimated to have grown 5.89 percent this year. Kham/Reuters
Afghan boys play on ice on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday. Ahmad Jamshid/AP
A vendor falls asleep as he sells paper trumpets on the streets of Jakarta, Indonesia, ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations. Many vendors are seasonal sellers from out of town. Supri/Reuters
Sikh girls participate in a religious procession ahead of the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh in Jammu, India, Thursday. Channi Anand/AP
Keepers weigh baby elephant Uli as his family await their turn at the zoo in Wuppertal, Germany, Thursday. Keepers of the Wuppertal Zoo have to count, measure and weigh the 4500 animals yearly to see that they grow correctly and get enough food. Frank Augstein/AP
South Korean army soldiers check a barbed-wire fence in Hwaseong, South Korea, before sunset Thursday. North Korea declared Kim Jong Il's son and successor 'supreme leader' of the ruling party, military and the people during a memorial for his father in the government's first public endorsement of his leadership. Yonhap/AP
A man dressed as Father Frost, an equivalent of Santa Claus, rides a bicycle at a city park in Stavropol in southern Russia on Thursday. Eduard Korniyenko/Reuters
Arabic calligraphy is seen on the helmet of a soldier as he poses during a government supporters rally in support of Sudan's armed forces, in front of the military headquarters in Khartoum. Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters
People post wishes and thoughts on scraps of paper that will be dropped over Times Square on New Year's Eve in New York. Seth Wenig/AP
A girl plays with her dog as the sun sets at Pochomil Beach, some 37 miles south of Managua, Nicaragua. Oswaldo Rivas/Reuters
A portrait of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is carried past mourners during his funeral procession through the streets of Pyongyang, North Korea. Kyodo News/AP
Swans dive for food at a lake in Zbilje, Slovenia. Srdjan Zivulovic/Reuters
Sadie Oltman intently watches Education Director Jennifer Petro teach about dry ice during science camp at the Science & Discovery Center of Northwest Florida in Panama City, Fla. Andrew Wardlow/The News Herald/AP
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish boy leaves a room before a gathering with the Chief Rabbi of the Vishnitz Hasidic dynasty to celebrate Hanukkah, at a Vishnitz community center in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv. Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most important Jewish holidays and is celebrated by Jews worldwide. Nir Elias/Reuters
Pakistani girl Shaheen Akram stands between the bricks where she works with her family in a brick factory on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. Muhammed Muheisen/AP
Britain's Prince William, back left, Prince Charles, front left, Kate Duchess of Cambridge, center, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, foreground right, and Prince Harry, back right, arrive to attend a Christmas Service at St Mary's church on the grounds of Sandringham Estate, the Queen's Norfolk retreat, England, Sunday. Lefteris Pitarakis/AP
A devotee holds candles as a boy peeps through a railing during a prayer at the Infant Jesus Shrine on Christmas, in Bangalore, India, Sunday. Aijaz Rahi/AP
Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki goes up for a shot against Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem (r.) during the first half of their NBA basketball game in Dallas, Texas, Sunday. Mike Stone/Reuters
John Godzieba (r.) from Langhorne, Pa., pauses while using a spyglass as he portrays Gen. George Washington during the 59th reenactment of Washington crossing the Delaware River Christmas Sunday, in Washington Crossing, Pa. Over 168 reenactors participated in the event. Alex Brandon/AP
Mosquito net seller Saleem Khan waits for customers at his stall along a road in Karachi, Pakistan on Sunday. Shakil Adil/AP
Waikiki Beach surfing instructor John Kepoo wears a Santa hat as he rides the waves at sunrise on Christmas morning in Honolulu. Hawaii will enjoy a temperature of 82 degrees as President Barack Obama and his family spend the holidays on Oahu Island. Jason Reed/Reuters
Tian Tian stretches after eating her 'panda cake' in her enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland, on Christmas Day. The United Kingdom's only pair of giant pandas were treated to an extra helping of panda cake on Christmas morning to celebrate their first Christmas in Scotland. Andrew Milligan/AP
A boy looks at a toy train he received during an annual gift-giving event organized by firefighters in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The firefighters from Ciudad Juarez collect donated toys throughout the year and hand them out to poor children on Christmas eve. Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters
Joel Jackson holds his son Joel Jackson Jr., 2, as they sled down a ramp of snow at a home north of Houston on Sunday. The homeonwer hired a local ice making company to spray snow in her front yard so family members could celebrate a white Christmas by sledding. Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle/AP
A Swiss Guard salutes as other members arrive before the start of the Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) Christmas Day message by Pope Benedict XVI from the central balcony of Saint Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday. Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters