Washington, D.C. — President Obama makes a point during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: JIM YOUNG / REUTERS

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Washington, D.C. — With a backdrop of the U.S. Supreme Court building, Elmo finds himself taking a stance in an ongoing national debate.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: TIM SLOAN / AFP/Getty Images

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Doha, Qatar — A Japanese fan awaits the start of the 2011 Asian Cup semi-final football match between Japan and South Korea in the Qatari capital.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: JACK GUEZ / AFP/Getty Images

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New York — Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery of the Medical Art of Tibet pause during the opening ceremony of the American Museum of Natural History's "Global Weekends: Brain and the Tibetan Creative Mind."

PHOTOGRAPH BY: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP/Getty Images

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Paris — Protesters symbolically shrouded in body bags stage a demonstration against euthanasia outside the French Senate, currently debating a proposed law that would legalize the practice.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: JACKY NAEGELEN / REUTERS

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Karachi, Pakistan — Shiite Muslims express anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli sentiments during a religious procession marking the 40th day of mourning after the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, in the Battle of Karbala on Oct. 10, 680.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: RIZWAN TABASSUM / AFP/Getty Images

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Ampara, Sri Lanka — A young girl is held by her mother as women wait in line for food being distributed by Save the Children. Heavy rains have caused widespread flooding, leaving 43 people dead, damaging or destroying close to 30,000 homes and possibly leaving up to 1 million people, including 400,000 children, without enough food.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / REUTERS

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Kolkata, India — A woman walks past a residential complex under construction. India's infrastructure sector grew 2.3% in November from a year earlier, slower than an upwardly revised annual growth of 8.6% in October.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: RUPAK DE CHOWDHURI / REUTERS

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Monaco — A jovial Prince Albert II of Monaco, right, impersonates Bello Nock of the United States as he congratulates him for winning the 2011 golden clown award at the 35th Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Lionel Cironneau / AP Pool

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Sydney, Australia — Kipenzi, a 10-day-old gorilla, embraces its mother, Kriba, at Taronga Zoo. The baby primate is the eighth to be born at the zoo since the band of gorillas arrived from Holland in 1996.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Rick Stevens / Taronga Zoo

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Wuhan, China — At the Jiufeng Forest Zoo in Hubei province, a 5-month-old tiger cub reacts to a white rabbit put in its enclosure to stimulate the cub's hunting instinct. The Chinese Lunar New Year begins Feb. 3, marking the end of the Year of the Tiger and the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: CHINA DAILY / REUTERS

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St. Louis, Mo. — A baby black rhinoceros stays close to his mother, Kati Rain, at the St. Louis Zoo. The as-yet unnamed male, born Jan. 14 and weighing 120 pounds, is the first of his species to be born at the zoo in 20 years.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: St. Louis Zoo / Associated Press

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Beverly Hills — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak and 2009 Oscar winner Mo'Nique embrace before announcing the nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

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Bern, Switzerland — A competitor performs during the preliminary round of the women's free-skating competition at the European Figure Skating Championships.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: PETER SCHNEIDER / EPA

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Doha, Qatar — Park Ji Sung of South Korea , left, vies for the ball with Atsuto Uchida of Japan during their AFC Asian Cup semifinal soccer match.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: EPA

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Chisinau, Moldova — Moldovans swim in a heated outdoor pool in sub-freezing temperatures.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: JOHN MCCONNICO / Associated Press

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Moscow — A man places a candle in an Orthodox cathedral the day after the Domodedovo Airport blast that killed 35 people.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: OXANA ONIPKO / AFP/Getty Images

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Moscow — People put flowers near the site of the explosion at Domodedovo Airport as others wait for a security check to enter. Security was tightened after a suicide bomber set off a blast that ripped through Moscow's busiest airport on Monday.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Sergey Ponomarev / Associated Press

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Cape Town, South Africa — South Africa's Desmond Tutu, left, talks with a group of children during a visit to a primary school as part of an anti-tuberculosis campaign.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Schalk van Zuydam / Associated Press

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Karbala, Iraq — Shiite Muslim pilgrims take part in religious rituals to commemorate Arbaeen, which marks the end of 40 days of mourning for the Imam Hussein, the prophet Muhammad's grandson who was killed at the battle of Karbala in AD 680.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: MOHAMMED SAWAF / AFP/Getty Images

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Cairo — Protesters take part in a demonstration against the government of President Hosni Mubarak.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mohammed Abu Zaid / Associated Press

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San Juan City, Philippines — Police fire tear gas during a clash over the demolition of shanties. Members of the families living in the shanties threw bottles and rocks at the demolition team before police were called in. The houses were being removed to pave the way for the new city hall.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: FRANCIS R. MALASIG / EPA

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Tunis, Tunisa — A protester stands in front of the prime minister's office to demand the removal of members of ousted President Zine el Abidine ben Ali 's regime still in the government.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Christophe Ena / Associated Press

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London — Actors in costume stand in line to audition for the "Batman Live" stage show.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: SUZANNE PLUNKETT / Reuters

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Bern, Switzerland — Children stand under a banner of Bern's hockey team as they watch Switzerland's Romy Buehler perform during a preliminary round of the European Figure Skating Championships.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: JOE KLAMAR / AFP/Getty Images

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