Mumbai, India — A supporter of activist Anna Hazare wears a mask depicting the India Against Corruption leader on the first day of a public three-day fast by Hazare and members of his group to protest a proposed new law against graft. At least 40,000 people a day are expected to attend the fast as lawmakers in parliament debate the legislation, which Hazare regards as too weak. The latest high-profile protest by Hazare, a 74-year-old army veteran, comes amid questions over the integrity of his anti-corruption movement and criticism that he is circumventing the democratic process.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP  Cambridge, England — Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, leaves Papworth Hospital, where he received treatment for a blocked artery, to return the Sandringham Estate to join other members of the royal family.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images  Arlington, Va. — Members of a Marine Corps honor guard hold folded U.S. flags during the funeral of Staff Sgt. Vincent J. Bell at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday. Bell, an artilleryman with the 2nd Battalion of the 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force based in Camp Pendleton, Calif., was on his fifth deployment in 10 years when he was killed by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Alex Wong / Getty Images  New York — Workers carry the number "2" to the top of One Times Square while preparing for the big countdown and ball drop to mark the arrival of 2012 at midnight Saturday night.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jason Kempin / Getty Images  Islamabad, Pakistan — Supporters of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party launch air lanterns to mark the fourth anniversary of the death of former premier Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated while campaigning for a return to power.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: FAROOQ NAEEM / AFP  Chitwan, Nepal — Nepalese mahouts guide an elephant across the Rapati River as participants gather for the eighth International Elephant Race in Chitwan, about 150 kilometers southwest of Katmandu.The three-day elephant festival is celebrated with elephant, horse and bullock cart races as well as elephant soccer and an elephant beauty pageant. Mahout is a Hindi-derived word for an elephant keeper or driver.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP  New Delhi — Rickshaw drivers warm themselves around a bonfire on a cold morning as northern India continues to endure bitter cold, with the nationwide death toll rising to more than 100, according to news reports.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Kevin Frayer / Associated Press  Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan — A Kyrgyz girl joins crowds gathered at a holiday display including a New Year's tree at Ala-Too Square at the center of the nation's capital.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO / AFP  Ibi, Spain — Revelers take part in the battle of "Enfarinats" in the town of Ibi in southeastern Spain. For 200 years Ibi's citizens annually celebrate with a battle using flour, eggs and firecrackers outside the city's townhall.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: JAIME REINA / AFP / Getty Images  Cairo — An Egyptian man carrying the photo of a relative chants slogans in front of a courtroom in Cairo. Egypt's ousted leader, Hosni Mubarak, has been brought back into a Cairo's courtroom for the resumption of his trial after a three-month break. Mubarak is charged with complicity in the deaths of nearly 840 protesters in the crackdown against a popular uprising, which ended with his ouster on Feb. 11. He could face the death penalty if convicted.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mohammed Abu Zaid / Associated Press  Pyongyang, North Korea — Video image of a huge portrait of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il being carried during his funeral procession.  Pyongyang. North Korea — Mourners cry during the funeral procession for late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.  Pyongyang, North Korea — Video image of Kim Jong Il's youngest son and successor, Kim Jong Un, saluting during the funeral for his father at the end of the procession outside Kumsusan Memorial Palace.  St. Peter, Germany — The church spires of the minster in St. Peter in the Black Forest emerge from the fog. Valleys of the southern Black Forest, southwestern Germany, were covered in a field of high fog.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: ROLF HAID / EPA  Blackpool, England — A pedestrian battles against gale-force winds in Adelaide Street West next to the promenade in Blackpool. Most of the northwest there is bracing itself against high winds but the brunt of the gusts are hitting Scotland with road closures and sporting events being postponed.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Christopher Furlong / Getty Images  Mitterfirmiansreut, Germany — Two men stand in a snow church in Mitterfirmiansreut. The church was made of 1,400 cubic meters of snow and aims to commemorate the winter of the years 1910/11, when so much snow fell that believers of Mitterfirmiansreut were no more able to go to church in the neighbouring commune of Mauth. So they decided to build their own church, made of snow.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: ARMIN WEIGEL / EPA  Ahmadabad, India — Indian supporters of anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare hold a candlelight vigil in Ahmadabad. Hazare called off his hunger strike Wednesday but said that he would travel the country and campaign against the government after Parliament's lower house approved an anti-corruption legislation he called weak.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Ajit Solanki / Associated Press  Mainz, Germany — More than 2,000 carolers perform in Mainz. Every year German singers collect money to fund charitable projects around the world. This year's action is held under the motto "Knock on doors, insist on your rights" and wishes to call attention to the rights of children.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: FRANK RUMPENHORST / EPA  Donnstetten, Germany — Steffen and his son Nils sled down a hill in Donnstetten. The end of the year brings mild weather to wide parts of the country, with many winter sports resorts still waiting for snow.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: MICHELE DANZE / EPA  Chitwan, Nepal — Nepalese mahouts guide their elephants at Sauraha in Chitwan, southwest of Kathmandu. The three-day-long festival is celebrated with elephants, horses and bullock cart races as well as elephant soccer games and an elephant beauty pageant.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP / Getty Images  Moscow — Customers pass a New Year tree outside the illuminated GUM department store in Moscow. Ruble bonds are set for the lowest returns since 2008 as protests against election results add to concerns that Europe's debt crisis is damping demand for Russia's oil exports.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Andrey Rudakov / Bloomberg  Bethlehem, West Bank — Greek Orthodox clergy clean the Church of the Nativity, believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. Armenian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox clergymen screamed and beat one another with broomsticks during Wednesday's cleanup inside the Church of the Nativity, when the sides accused the other of crossing into their territory.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Bernat Armangue / Associated Press  Muscatine, Iowa — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, now a GOP hopeful for president in 2012, signs an autograph during a campaign stop at Elly's Tea and Coffee in Muscatine.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Chris Carlson / Associated Press  Urbandale, Iowa — Texas Gov. Rick Perry, now a Republican presidential hopeful, laughs during a campaign stop at the Westside Conservative Club breakfast.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Eric Gay / Associated Press  Osh, Kyrgyzstan — Emergency rescue personnel inspect an overturned Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-134 passenger jet after it crashed in deep fog in Osh. Kyrgyzstan's Health Ministry said the Soviet-built Tu-134 jet was carrying 95 passengers and six crew.  New Delhi, India — Delhi police band members warm themselves up before the start of parade rehearsals for the upcoming Republic Day, amid morning fog in New Delhi. The dipping mercury has pushed the countrywide death toll to more than a hundred as northern India continued to reel under biting cold conditions, according to news reports.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Manish Swarup / Associated Press  Mitterfirmiansreut, Germany — Visitors stand around a snow church just after its inauguration in Mitterfirmiansreut. The church is made of 1,400 cubic meters of snow and aims to commemorate the winter of the years 1910/1911, when so much snow fell that believers of Mitterfirmiansreut were unable to go to church in neighboring Mauth, so they decided to build their own church — made of snow.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: ARMIN WEIGEL / AFP / Getty Images  Moscow, Russia — A child walks amid snowmen built in a park in central Moscow. New Year's is the biggest holiday of the year in Russia, and is followed by the Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / AFP / Getty Images  Beijing, China — Local residents enjoy skating and sliding on the frozen lakes of Shichahai district in Beijing. Winter has brought a light snowfall and temperatures rarely above freezing in China's capital.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: ADRIAN BRADSHAW / EPA  Hefei China — Hundreds of Chinese queue up to buy train tickets at a railway station in Hefei, as they prepare to go back home for the lunar Chinese New Year. China's retail sales for the Lunar New Year holiday surged 19% year-on-year in one of the biggest rises in a decade, signaling a surge in domestic consumption according to state media.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: STR / AFP / Getty Images  Dundigal, India — Indian air force cadets celebrate their graduation at the IAF academy in Dundigal. A total of 175 cadets including 30 women passed through the academy to join the force.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mahesh Kumar A / Associated Press  Deep Space — Russian Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft approaching the International Space Station for docking, carrying European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers, NASA astronaut Donald Pettit and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: ROSCOSMOS PRESS SERVICE / HANDOUT / EPA  Chennai, India — An Indian man walks along the seashore amid high tidal waves in Chennai. The rough surf continued to slam the state of Tamilnadu's coastal areas under the influence of a severe cyclonic storm named "Thane" in the Bay of Bengal which is likely to cross the north coast between Nagapattinam and Chennai.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: NATHAN G / EPA  Wuppertal, Germany — An animal keeper pulls reluctant a elephant calf named Uli onto a scale at a zoo in Wuppertal. Some 5000 animals were counted, measured and weighed as part of the inventory at the zoo.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: MARIUS BECKER / EPA  Lienz, Austria — Third-place Mikaela Shiffrin of the USA celebrates in the finish area after the Alpine Skiing World Cup Women's slalom race in Lienz, Austria.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: HANS KLAUS TECHT / EPA  Islamabad, Pakistan — Pakistani Parveen Asallam, 7, looks on while standing at the entrance of her family's home in a slum in Islamabad.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Muhammed Muheisen / Associated Press  Lorne, Australia — Lovefoxxx of CSS performs at the Falls Music Festival in Lorne, Australia  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mark Metcalfe / Getty Images  Rangoon, Myanmar — Myanmar rescue workers carry a body from a large unexplained explosion and fire in Yangon. At least 15 people were killed and dozens more injured in Myanmar's commercial hub and former capital.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: SOE THAN WIN / AFP / Getty Images  Osh, Kyrgyzstan — A security guard stands near an overturned Russian-made Tupolev Tu-34 passenger jet at the airfield outside the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh, a day after the plane crash. The packed passenger jet flipped over and caught fire on landing yesterday in Osh, injuring at least six people, officials and witnesses said.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: JILDIZ BEKBAEVA / AFP / Getty Images  Tokyo, Japan — A memorial service in Tokyo to mourn late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was sponsored by by the General Assn. of Korean Residents in Japan.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Ji Chunpeng / Associated Press  Ahmadabad, India — Indian students of Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidya Pratishthanam sit near a formation they made with lighted candles to welcome the new year in Ahmadabad.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Ajit Solanki / Associated Press  Moscow — A Russian girl walks among snowmen on display in Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure downtown. Although temperatures were up to nearly 40 degrees and accompanied by rain, the snowmen -- made of artificial snow -- are expected to 'survive' the New Year holidays.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: SERGEI ILNITSKY / EPA  Dhampus, Nepal — Nepalese indigenous women from the Gurung community wearing traditional attire dance while taking part in an ethnic New Year's celebration ceremony against the backdrop of Mt. Machapuchre. The majority of young men of this village are currently serving in the British army, so young and elderly women of the community celebrated their New Year without their loved ones.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: NARENDRA SHRESTHA / EPA  West Des Moines, Iowa — David Lister of Cumming, Ga., stands in the morning cold before a campaign appearance by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, at a Hy-Vee grocery store.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press  Dusseldorf, Germany — Two fallow deers look for food in a pile of withered leaves at the wildlife park Grafenbergerwald.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: HORST OSSINGER / EPA  Hanover, Germany — Artist Mansha Friedrich knits the lettering "Happy New Year" in an example of urban knitting, a kind of street art consisting of woolen objects knit around urban street furniture such as dustbins, benches or lampposts.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: JULIAN STRATENSCHULTE / AFP / Getty Images  Slawatycze, Poland — "Bearded men" interact with children as they parade in the streets. On the last three days of December, citizens of Slawatycze, as part of an old local tradition, dress up in 'bearded men' costumes, say goodbye to the old year and make wishes for the new year.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: WOJCIECH PACEWICZ / EPA  Amritsar, India — An Indian Sikh youth performs a fire act as he takes part in a procession from the Sri Akal Takhat at the Sikh Shrine, the Golden Temple. The procession took place on the eve of the 346th birthday of Guru Gobind Singh.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: NARINDER NANU / AFP / Getty Images  Baghdad — An Iraqi woman walks past the national flag during a celebration marking the departure of U.S. troops from Iraq in the Adhamiyah neighborhood.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP / Getty Images  Cairo — Egyptian protesters chant slogans during a demonstration in Tahrir Square. A major clampdown on human rights groups in Egypt has called into question the ruling military's pledges of reform, drawing a torrent of criticism of its handling of the transition from Hosni Mubarak.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP / Getty Images  Uludere, Turkey — Kurds carry the coffins of victims of a Turkish air raid, outside Uludere Hospital. Thousands of irate Kurds buried 35 civilians killed in the air raid and branded Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan a murderer.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: BULENT KILIC / AFP / Getty Images  Damascus, Syria — Supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad hold a large banner bearing his likeness during a rally. The rebel Free Syrian Army said Friday it has stopped its offensive against government targets during a monthlong mission by Arab League monitors, saying it wants to expose how the regime is killing peaceful protesters.  PHOTOGRAPH BY: Muzaffar Salman / Associated Press
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