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Selected and fresh photos from around the web.
BASRA, IRAQ - OCTOBER 18: People gather around a Land Rover as it arrives at the village Al Houta on October 18 2008 near Basra, Iraq. The trip by the 51 Sqn Royal Air Force Regiment Force Protection Wing was part of a 'key leader engagement' (KLE) visit to the village close to the Basra Airbase to recruit local labour and engage with the village shiek. Visits of this type are seen as key in efforts to continue winning the support of the local Iraqi population. Although improved security in the region has brought some benefits such as improved trade and commerce, much of the infrastructure remains in a poor state of repair. Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown has indicated that the number of UK troops could be scaled down - especially as the security situation in the south of the country continues to improve.
Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) speaks during a campaign rally in the rain at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, September 27, 2008.
A puppy stands on a truck carrying people to be evacuated from the area in preparation for the approach of Hurricane Gustav in Batabano, on the southern coast of Cuba, August 30, 2008. Powerful Hurricane Gustav roared toward western Cuba on Saturday with 125 mph (205 kph) winds on its way to the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico after a deadly pass through the Caribbean.
BANGKOK, THAILAND - AUGUST 30: A member of Anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) stands behind barbed wire outside Government on August 30, 2008, in Bangkok, Thailand. The protesters want to unseat the seven-month old coalition government lead by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.
Manchester United's manager Sir Alex Ferguson is seen during his team's English League Cup semi-final first leg soccer match at Pride Park Stadium, Derby, England, Wednesday Jan. 7, 2009.
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez speaks in support of the Palestinian people during a meeting of the Venezuelan Communist Party (PSUV), in Caracas January 7, 2009.
Pro Israeli protestor Hanna Barnett wears an Israeli flag as she shouts at pro Palestinian protestors outside the Israeli embassy in London on January 7, 2009. Pro Israeli protestors demonstrated outside the Israeli embassy in London for the first time since the beginning of the latest conflict in Gaza. Both pro Palestinian and pro Israeli supporters had to be separated by a large police presence.
WASHINGTON - JANUARY 07: U.S. President George W. Bush (C) meets with President-elect Barack Obama (2nd-L), former President Bill Clinton (2nd-R), former President Jimmy Carter (R) and former President George H.W. Bush (L) in the Oval Office January 7, 2009 in Washington, DC. On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama will be sworn in as the nations�s 44th president.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (2nd R in the front row) visits the Chollima Steel Complex at an undisclosed location in North Korea, in this undated picture released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) December 25, 2008.
Balloons with anti-North Korea leaflets released by former North Korean defectors and anti-North Korea activists fly towards the North in Imjinkak pavilion, near the demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas in Paju, about 55 km (34 miles) north of Seoul, December 3, 2008. Dozens of activists, who demanded improvements of North Korea's human rights and the release of South Koreans abducted by the North, launched about 90,000 anti-Pyongyang leaflets in helium-filled balloons near DMZ on Wednesday.
An Israeli woman and her two children take cover during a rocket attack near Kfar Aza, just outside the northern Gaza Strip January 7, 2009. The woman came to meet her husband, an Israeli army officer currently serving on the Gaza border. Rockets exploded as they were waiting for him. Israel postponed on Wednesday a decision on whether to order its armed forces to storm the Gaza Strip's urban centres, an Israeli official said, citing Egyptian- and French-led efforts to secure a truce with Hamas.
And in the chamber of the House of Representatives where the president speaks, even though this Congress stopped listening to him a while ago, they will still applaud and cheer him. ... Between now and January of 2009, Democrats must stand up to this president, stand up for what's right, so he does not continue to forget about the middle class in this country. 
President Bush today said that earmarks have tripled in number over the last decade, but he forgot to tell the public that he signed those earmarks into law. President Bush also neglected to mention that the tripling in earmarks occurred under a Republican Congress.
I think the president still has the potential to do a lot. He is still the president of the United States, and with the Democrats in Congress coming forward and being cooperative on this stimulus package, I'm hopeful that that will signal a little different attitude on the part of Congress.
I hope that this year both the White House and the Congress put partisan considerations aside and produce real results for the American people. ... Particularly at a time of war, the national interest must come before partisan interests.
The simple fact is that the state of the union has deteriorated on President Bush's watch. This deterioration is perhaps most clearly seen in our nation's fiscal condition. ... Despite this failed record, President Bush continues to push for more of the same, including the permanent extension of deficit-financed tax cuts that disproportionately favor the wealthiest.
I do not support abdicating Congress' constitutionally mandated power of the purse. While it is true that some of my colleagues have abused the power to direct federal spending, many more have used it for good. It is essential that funding decisions be determined by people who are elected to represent their states, not by unelected Washington bureaucrats.
The president's state of the union was more of the same. But we need change. We need a change in our economic policy. We need a change in our trade policy. We need a change that puts middle-class families first.
President Bush is responding to the anxieties of Americans and addressing them head-on with his actions and his words.
After seven years of failed policies and promises, our country now faces a slowing economy, a misguided war and diminished status in the world. The time for a change is now.
President Bush spoke tonight of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for our nation. While he certainly focused on the economy ... he highlighted trade policies as they take on a growing importance in the global marketplace. If we are to remain a world leader, we must continue to examine the way we do business at home and abroad.
In just a few weeks, we will mark the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq. Five years later, the political and economic situation on the ground has changed little, while the rest of the world, including the United States, has changed significantly. The president continues to ignore the bigger picture in Iraq.
After hearing the president's speech Monday night, Americans must be more convinced than ever that it's time for change. ... Tonight, we didn't hear a plan for the issues that matter most to Americans. We didn't hear a real plan for tackling health care or education, our economy or the housing crisis, or even the war in Iraq.
The president was right to commit to improving the economy and creating jobs, preventing terrorist attacks, and controlling wasteful Washington spending.
The president, in his final State of the Union address, outlined an agenda that addresses some of our nation's most pressing challenges. Most immediate is the need for legislation to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
I'm pleased with the first steps we've made this year to reach agreement with the president on an economic stimulus package. ... Unfortunately, the president has been reluctant to work hand in hand with Democrats on other important issues affecting our nation such as national security.
