Lebanese soldiers on armoured personnel carriers secure the area near Future Television in Beirut June 7, 2009. Lebanese voters cast ballots in a tightly contested general election on Sunday pitting a Western-backed coalition against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its allies. A billboard of assassinated former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri is seen in the background. Reuters Pictures 6 months ago

Lebanese soldiers on armoured personnel carriers secure the area near Future Television in Beirut June 7, 2009. Lebanese voters cast ballots in a tightly contested general election on Sunday pitting a Western-backed coalition against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its allies. A billboard of assassinated former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri is seen in the background.

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  1. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the son of slain former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, reacts as he prays at his father grave, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Monday Nov. 9, 2009. Hariri has formed a 30-member Cabinet including Hezbollah and its allies, after more than four months of tough wrangling and bargaining over who would get which Cabinet positions. Hariri's Cabinet is the first since the June parliamentary elections in which his Western- and Saudi-backed bloc defeated a Hezbollah-led coalition which is supported by Iran and Syria, retaining a slim majority in the 128-member legislature.
  2. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the son of slain former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, reacts, as he prays at his father grave, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Monday Nov. 9, 2009. Hariri has formed a 30-member Cabinet including Hezbollah and its allies, after more than four months of tough wrangling and bargaining over who would get which Cabinet positions. Hariri's Cabinet is the first since the June parliamentary elections in which his Western- and Saudi-backed bloc defeated a Hezbollah-led coalition which is supported by Iran and Syria, retaining a slim majority in the 128-member legislature.
  3. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the son of slain former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, prays at his father grave in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Monday Nov. 9, 2009. Hariri has formed a 30-member Cabinet including Hezbollah and its allies, after more than four months of tough wrangling and bargaining over who would get which Cabinet positions. Hariri's Cabinet is the first since the June parliamentary elections in which his Western- and Saudi-backed bloc defeated a Hezbollah-led coalition which is supported by Iran and Syria, retaining a slim majority in the 128-member legislature.
  4. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, right, the son of slain former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, prays at his father grave in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Monday Nov. 9, 2009. Hariri has formed a 30-member Cabinet including Hezbollah and its allies, after more than four months of tough wrangling and bargaining over who would get which Cabinet positions. Hariri's Cabinet is the first since the June parliamentary elections in which his Western- and Saudi-backed bloc defeated a Hezbollah-led coalition which is supported by Iran and Syria, retaining a slim majority in the 128-member legislature.
  5. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, left, and Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, seen, upon their arrival at al-Shaab presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday Oct. 7, 2009. The Saudi monarch arrived in Damascus Wednesday for a highly significant visit that is the strongest indication yet of thawing relations between the two rival nations following years of tension. King Abdullah's visit on Wednesday is the first by a Saudi ruler since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a close Saudi ally.
  6. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, right, is welcomed by Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, as they review Syrian honor guard at al-Shaab presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday Oct. 7, 2009. The Saudi monarch arrived in Damascus for a highly significant visit that is the strongest indication yet of thawing relations between the two rival nations following years of tension. King Abdullah's visit on Wednesday is the first by a Saudi ruler since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a close Saudi ally.
  7. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, left, meets with Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, at al-Shaab presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday Oct. 7, 2009. The Saudi monarch arrived in Damascus Wednesday for a highly significant visit that is the strongest indication yet of thawing relations between the two rival nations following years of tension. King Abdullah's visit on Wednesday is the first by a Saudi ruler since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a close Saudi ally.
  8. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, reacts, as he reviews Syrian honor guard, upon his arrival at al-Shaab presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday Oct. 7, 2009. The Saudi monarch arrived in Damascus Wednesday for a highly significant visit that is the strongest indication yet of thawing relations between the two rival nations following years of tension. King Abdullah's visit on Wednesday is the first by a Saudi ruler since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a close Saudi ally.
  9. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, left, seen with Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, during a meeting at al-Shaab presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday Oct. 7, 2009. The Saudi monarch arrived in Damascus Wednesday for a highly significant visit that is the strongest indication yet of thawing relations between the two rival nations following years of tension. King Abdullah's visit on Wednesday is the first by a Saudi ruler since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a close Saudi ally.
  10. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, left, awarded by Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, with the prestigious Order of Omayyad, the highest national medal in Syria, at al-Shaab presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday Oct. 7, 2009. The Saudi monarch arrived in Damascus Wednesday for a highly significant visit that is the strongest indication yet of thawing relations between the two rival nations following years of tension. King Abdullah's visit on Wednesday is the first by a Saudi ruler since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a close Saudi ally.
  11. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, left, shakes hands with Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, at al-Shaab presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday Oct. 7, 2009. The Saudi monarch arrived in Damascus Wednesday for a highly significant visit that is the strongest indication yet of thawing relations between the two rival nations following years of tension. King Abdullah's visit on Wednesday is the first by a Saudi ruler since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a close Saudi ally.
  12. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, left, and Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, seen, at al-Shaab presidential palace, in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday Oct. 7, 2009. The Saudi monarch arrived in Damascus Wednesday for a highly significant visit that is the strongest indication yet of thawing relations between the two rival nations following years of tension. King Abdullah's visit on Wednesday is the first by a Saudi ruler since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a close Saudi ally.
  13. Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, seen with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, at al-Shaab presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday Oct. 7, 2009. The Saudi monarch arrived in Damascus Wednesday for a highly significant visit that is the strongest indication yet of thawing relations between the two rival nations following years of tension. King Abdullah's visit on Wednesday is the first by a Saudi ruler since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a close Saudi ally.

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  2. HAMBURG, GERMANY - DECEMBER 07: Former Box Champion Regina Halmich attends the Movie Meets Media 10th Anniversary event on December 07, 2009 in Hamburg, Germany.
  3. SEVILLE, SPAIN - DECEMBER 07: Tom Cruise is seen going for a walk at 'Santa Justa' station on December 7, 2009 in Seville, Spain.
  4. RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - DECEMBER 07: A boy fixes his bicycle passes members of Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE) in a slum, or favela, in the area of Copacabana where fighting between the police and drug dealers is continuing on December 7, 2009 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is estimated that there are over 1,000 favelas in Rio where violent crime is rampant. The police are attempting a softer touch in many favelas by participating in community policing after they clear the area of drug gangs. It is believed that the police want to continue with these programs citywide ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games. As Brazil prepares to host the 2016 Summer Olympics international scrutiny is falling on Rio de Janeiro`s favelas where over 5,000 people were murdered last year alone. In the last week violence in tourist areas has increased as drug gangs are increasingly reacting to an increased police presence in the favelas. In figures released Tuesday by the IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística) statistics agency it was found that an average of 68 young Brazilian men died violently each day between 1998 and 2008. These numbers included murder, traffic accidents and gang violence involving the police.
  5. RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - DECEMBER 07: A teen with his surfboard walks by members of Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE) as they prepare for a mission in the alleys of a slum, or favela, in the area of Copacabana where fighting between the police and drug dealers is continuing on December 7, 2009 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is estimated that there are over 1,000 favelas in Rio where violent crime is rampant. The police are attempting a softer touch in many favelas by participating in community policing after they clear the area of drug gangs. It is believed that the police want to continue with these programs citywide ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games. As Brazil prepares to host the 2016 Summer Olympics international scrutiny is falling on Rio de Janeiro`s favelas where over 5,000 people were murdered last year alone. In the last week violence in tourist areas has increased as drug gangs are increasingly reacting to an increased police presence in the favelas. In figures released Tuesday by the IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística) statistics agency it was found that an average of 68 young Brazilian men died violently each day between 1998 and 2008. These numbers included murder, traffic accidents and gang violence involving the police.
  6. SEVILLE, SPAIN - DECEMBER 07: Tom Cruise is seen going for a walk at 'Santa Justa' station on December 7, 2009 in Seville, Spain.
  7. SEVILLE, SPAIN - DECEMBER 07: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are seen going for a walk at 'Santa Justa' station on December 7, 2009 in Seville, Spain.
  8. Canada's Governor General Michaelle Jean (L) listen as Mexico's President Felipe Calderon talks after their private meeting at the presidential residence Los Pinos in Mexico City December 7, 2009.
  9. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke prepares to speak at the December luncheon meeting of the Economic Club of Washington, December 7, 2009.
  10. Canada's Governor General Michaelle Jean (L) shakes hands with Mexico's President Felipe Calderon after their private meeting at the presidential residence Los Pinos in Mexico City December 7, 2009.
  11. A globe is projected as people are seen in Town Hall Square on the opening day of the Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, Monday Dec. 7, 2009. The largest and most important U.N. climate change conference in history opened Monday, with organizers warning diplomats from 192 nations that this could be the best, last chance for a deal to protect the world from calamitous global warming.
  12. A video projected on a floating cube illustrates projected levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, on the opening day of the Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, Monday Dec. 7, 2009. The CO2 cube installation represents 1 metric ton of carbon dioxide, the amount an average person in an industrialized country emits each month. The largest and most important U.N. climate change conference in history opened Monday, with organizers warning diplomats from 192 nations that this could be the best, last chance for a deal to protect the world from calamitous global warming.
  13. A video projected on a floating cubicle in the city center shows the United States as the second largest CO2 emitting country after China, on the opening day of the Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, Monday Dec. 7, 2009. The CO2 cube installation represents 1 metric ton of carbondioxide, the amount an average person in an industrialized country emits each month. The largest and most important U.N. climate change conference in history opened Monday, with organizers warning diplomats from 192 nations that this could be the best, last chance for a deal to protect the world from calamitous global warming.
  14. People watch a video on global warming, projected onto a floating cube, on the opening day of the Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, Monday Dec. 7, 2009. The scale of the CO2 cube installation represents 1 metric ton of carbon dioxide, the amount an average person in an industrialized country emits each month. The largest and most important U.N. climate change conference in history opened Monday, with organizers warning diplomats from 192 nations that this could be the best, last chance for a deal to protect the world from calamitous global warming.
  15. A view of the destruction caused by explosions in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009. Two synchronized bombs ripped through a market popular with women in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Monday, igniting a massive fire and killing dozens of people, authorities said.
  16. Glasgow-based painter Richard Wright, 49, poses in front of his artwork, after being announced as the winner of the Turner Prize 2009 at Tate Britain in London, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009. The winner of the 25,000 pound ($40,000) prize was chosen from among four finalists and announced at London's Tate Britain gallery. The Turner is awarded annually to a British artist under 50 and always inspires fierce public debate about the nature of art.