Haimen, China — Police block villagers after a large crowd formed at the scene of environmental protests over the past few days in the town of Haimen, Guangdong province. Demonstrations over a power plant in southern China turned violent for a second straight day Dec. 21 when police fired tear gas and beat protesters, witnesses said. At least six people were said to have been injured in the clashes with police.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mark Ralston / AFP

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Valenica, Philippines — Children play around a vehicle that lies half-buried in the mud of the Banica River near the mountain community of Valenica. The southern end of the island felt the brunt of Typhoon Washi with widespread destruction from heavy rains, wind and flooding.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Hersley Ven Casero / For The Times

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New Delhi, India — An Indian man stands near his belongings as they were burned by police who evicted him from squatting on a street in New Delhi. Though India is famous for its brutally hot summers, temperatures fall sharply for a few weeks in December and January. Poor people, particularly those living on the streets, are the worst hit.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Kevin Frayer / Associated Press

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Sofia, Bulgaria — A woman walks with an umbrella during heavy snowfall in Sofia.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Nikolay Doychinov / AFP

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Baghdad — Iraqi security forces gather the scene of a car bomb attack in Baghdad. A wave of bombings ripped across the city Thursday morning, killing and wounding hundreds of people, Iraqi officials said, in the worst violence Iraq has seen for months. The bloodbath comes just days after American forces left the country.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Hadi Mizban / Associated Press

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Panmunjom, Korea — A North Korean soldier, right, and a South Korean soldier stand guard at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, where there were scenes of mass grief following the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Washington said it wants to work with the new regime when the mourning period ends next week.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jung Yeon-Je / AFP

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Nicosia, Cyprus — A Cypriot woman is comforted in her mourning as she holds a picture of the loved ones she lost in Cyprus' worst air crash, during a demonstration outide the attorney general's office in Nicosia. Four people and defunct Cyprus budget carrier Helios Airways were acquitted of manslaughter over the country's worst air crash, which killed all 121 people on board in 2005, after a trial lasting more than two years.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Andreas Lazarou / AFP

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Tokyo — A man is seen through the year-end illumination "Blue Forest" at Shiodome business and shopping district. Caretta Shiodome is a multipurpose complex with restaurants, shops, and theaters.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Franck Robichon / EPA

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Bethlehem, West Bank — A Christian pilgrim walks through the Church of the Nativity. Every year pilgrims travel to the church at Christmastime where a gold star embedded in the floor marks the spot where Jesus was believed to have been born.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Uriel Sinai / Getty Images Europe

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Bath, United Kingdom — Lighting artist Bruce Munro demonstrates his latest installation, "Star-Turn," at a one-night event in front of the Holburne Museum. The event, in aid of Help For Heroes, saw sponsored riders pedaling the contraption from dusk on the shortest day, to the following dawn. "Star-Turn" joined Munro's fiber-optic "Field of Light," which has been installed in the museum gardens and remains in place until Jan. 8th.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Matt Cardy / Getty Images

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Wiltshire, United Kingdom — Druids, pagans and revelers cheer as the sun rises at Stonehenge. The unseasonably warm weather encouraged a larger-than-normal crowd to gather at the famous historic stone circle to celebrate the sunrise closest to the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Matt Cardy / Getty Images

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Vatican City — Pope Benedict XVI receives the Roman Curia for the annual Christmas greetings at the Clementina Hall. During his traditional Christmas speech to the cardinals and bishops, Benedict XVI talked about the economic and financial crisis of the past year as well as being accepted by others and said "Faith makes one happy from deep within."

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Eric Vandeville / Pool

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