The World in a SNAP (7)

2. DECEMBER 10: A man performs on a parade float during the Festival of Lights in San Jose, Costa Rica. (Juan Carlos Ulate/Reuters

4. DECEMBER 7: Dressed in a Santa Claus outfit, a diver hugs a turtle at the Coex Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea. (Lee Jin-man/Associated Press

5. DECEMBER 3: Fireworks explode as a giant Christmas tree and an old building in Beirut are illuminated during the launch of "Beirut Celebrates 2011" at a Christmas parade in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

6. Pakistani boy, Abdulghaffar Khamees, 12, who works in a brick factory, sits on a pile of bricks while taking a break from work, on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Nov. 28, 2011. AP / Muhammed Muheisen

7. A Pakistani child carried by her mother looks back as they make their way home through an alley in a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011. AP / Muhammed Muheisen

8. A Pakistani boy is reflected in a street barber's mirror while having a haircut, in a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. AP / Muhammed Muheisen

9. An elderly man browses one of books piled up on the grass for sale during the Winter Book Fair held at Ditan Park in Beijing, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011. AP / Andy Wong

10. A Balloon vendor waits for a customer in downtown Yangon, Myanmar, Friday, Dec, 2, 2011. AP / Vincent Thian

11. A village woman arranges cow dung deposits to be sun dried in Allahabad, India, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011. Cow dung cakes are a major source of domestic fuel for rural households and an environment friendly alternative to firewood. AP / Rajesh Kumar Singh

12. A tribal Naga woman adjusts the sling on the shoulder of her daughter at a vegetable market in Kohima, capital of the northeastern Indian state of Nagaland, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. AP / Anupam Nath

13. A homeless Sri Lankan man sleeps in a park as birds look for food in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. AP / Gemunu Amarasinghe

14. Dancers perform during the opening ceremony for the Arab Games at Khalifa stadium in Doha, Qatar. (Reuters)

15. Dancers perform during the opening ceremony for the Arab Games at Khalifa stadium in Doha December 9, 2011. Photo by Reuters Dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the pan-Arab Games in the Qatari capital Doha on Friday Dec 9, 2011. More than 5,000 Arab athletes are participating in the Arab games from December 9 to 24. Photo: Photo by AP

17. Leona Butler, 3, walks among this year's crop of mistletoe at the annual Tenbury Wells Mistletoe Auction, on November 29, 2011, in Tenbury Wells, England. Ancient druids believed mistletoe had magical properties because of the way it grows, never touching the ground and without taking nourishment from the earth. Tenbury Wells has been the traditional mistletoe capital for over 150 years. Druids blessed this year's crop before buyers put their bids in for the festive plant. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas comes from the belief that mistletoe aids fertility. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

18. Christmas shoppers browse the offerings at the Bath Christmas Market on its opening night, on November 24, 2011 in Bath, England. Originating in Germany, Christmas markets have become increasingly popular in British cities too, as a way of boosting festive retail sales and visitor numbers. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

19. A man walks past a dog during a snowfall in a park in Beijing, China. (AFP)

20. Christmas lights are illuminated on Oxford Street in London, England, on November 27, 2011. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

21. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit in New York City, on November 30, 2011. (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)

23. Cars pass under hanging Christmas lights in a street of Madrid, on November 29, 2011. Streets of the capital are decked out in lights every year ahead of Christmas celebrations. (Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images)

24. DECEMBER 5: Members of a special military unit called the "kaibiles" stand amidst smoke from flares during a graduation ceremony in Poptun, Guatemala. (Moises Castillo/Associated Press)

25. An illuminated Ferris wheel spins at the Christmas market behind the Golden Rider, a statue of Frederick Augustus, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, known as Augustus the Strong, in Dresden, Germany, on November 27, 2011. (Robert Michael/AFP/Getty Images)

26. A Christmas tree is illuminated as the traditional Christmas market opens at the Old Town Square in Prague, on November 26, 2011. (Reuters/David W Cerny

27. DECEMBER 6: Models present creations during the 2012 Korea Hair Collection in Seoul. (Jo Yong-Hak/Reuters

28. A house is decorated with Christmas lights in a street in the village of Calle, near the German town of Bremen, on December 1, 2011. The sign reads "Merry Christmas."(Reuters/Morris Mac Matzen)

29. Indian currency notes are stapled to form a garland at a shop in Jammu. (Reuters)

30. DECEMBER 5: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive at the screening of her directorial debut "In the Land of Blood and Honey" in New York. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

32. Giant panda Tian Tian holds a bamboo shoot at Bifengxia panda breeding centre in Ya'an, Sichuan province December 2, 2011. Two pandas, Tian Tian and Yang Guang who are being loaned to Edinburgh zoo for ten years, are expected to depart China for Edinburgh this Sunday. Source: REUTERS/China Daily

33. DECEMBER 7: Indian women shop for children's toys near Jama Masjid in New Delhi. India suspended its plan to open its huge retail sector to foreign companies such as Wal-Mart. (Kevin Frayer/Associated Press)

34. DECEMBER 7: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama teaches a class at the Gyurmey Tantric Monastery in Gurupura, India. (Mahesh Kumar Associated Press

35. REUTERS/Beawiharta - Artists work on a Statue of Liberty sand sculpture at the Indonesia Sand Sculpture Festival at Sentul City in Bogor, West Java province, Indonesia, December 7, 2011. The festival, where 2,400 tonnes of sand will be used, features creations by 22 international artists from 11 countries. It will run from December 18 to January 28, 2012.

36. Lisbon, Portugal — Pedestrians walk around Christmas decorations on the Rua Augusta, Lisbon's main shopping street. The downtown streets usually are ablaze with Christmas lights in December, but this year the city has put on a somber show that matches the somber mood of austerity. PHOTOGRAPH BY: Armando Franca / Associated Press

37. REUTERS/David Gray - A woman washes a statue in an outdoor workshop in the town of Dangcheng in Quyang county, located 250 km (155 miles) southwest of Beijing, China, December 7, 2011. The small town situated in Hebei province has a history of stone carving dating back more than two thousand years. It is finding business in the current economic climate tough with the combination of a large raise in worker's wages and the world economic slump that continues to suck away orders for the ornate stone statues, busts and carvings. Statues of Jesus and copies of ancient Roman busts now far outnumber the workers who chip and grind away in the small workshops.

38. YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images - A couple walks under Christmas illuminations at Tokyo Midtown shopping mall in Tokyo, Japan, on December 7, 2011. Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated generally on December 25 as a religious and cultural holiday by billions of people around the world.

39. A worker takes a break from loading coal onto trucks near the town of Dangcheng, located 250 km southwest of Beijing. A study by the Global Carbon Project, an annual report card on mankind's CO2 pollution, showed that globally CO2 emissions in 2010 from coal totaled 41 percent, with China's emissions jumping 10.4 percent in 2010. (Reuters)

40. A Tibetan woman prays as she listens to spiritual leader the Dalai Lama during a teaching at the Gyurmey Tantric Monastery in Gurupura, Karnataka state. The monastery is located in southern India in an area settled by a large community of Tibetan exiles. (AP)

41. A man shops for vegetables at a market in New Delhi. India Wednesday suspended its plan to open its huge retail sector to foreign companies such as Wal-Mart in a reversal seen as a major capitulation to political opponents that further weakens the administration. (AP)

42. Thousands of South African youths form a giant lion head on a beach in Durban, to call for urgent action on climate change, on the sidelines of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. The event was in partnership with international artist John Quigley and supported by the "tck tck tck Global Campaign for Climate Action." (AFP/ Greenpeace / Shayne Robinson)

43. A member of the pro-Kremlin youth movement Stal wearing a Darth Vader mask participates in a rally in downtown Moscow. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Tuesday he's satisfied with the performance of his party in Russia's parliamentary election even though it lost a significant number of seats. (AP)

44. Dylan pulls Christmas trees from the forest to a customer's car at Dalby, near Pickering, northern England. The dog owners' charity Aqua Nova Bears are deploying their members' Newfoundland dogs, which can weigh up to 76 kg, to raise money for the Yorkshire air ambulance fund. (Reuters)

45. A fruit vendor takes a rest from selling pineapple at a public market in Quezon City Metro Manila. The Philippines' annual inflation rate slowed to 4.8 percent in November from 5.2 percent in October, below economists' forecasts. (Reuters)

46. A model presents a creation during the 2012 Korea Hair Collection in Seoul, South Korea. (Reuters)

47. Indian army soldiers in camouflage ghillie suits take part in exercise "Sudarshan Shakti" at Bugundi in the Barmer desert, Rajasthan, near the border with Pakistan, on Dec. 5, 2011. AP PHOTOS Camouflaged Indian soldier flies through the air

48. Mahesh Kumar A / AP Supporters gesture in respect as Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, unseen, arrives to give teachings at the Gyurmey Tantric Monastery in Gurupura, Karnataka state, India on Monday. Dcember 5

49. JAXA / ESA An image from Japan's ALOS satellite shows the estuary of the Betsiboka River, the largest river in Madagascar, flowing into Bombetoka Bay, which then opens into the Madagascar Channel. The picture was taken on Sept. 17, 2010, by the satellite's Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer (AVNIR-2).

50. Nick Didlick / EPA Lindsey Vonn of the US in action at the Women's World Cup Downhill race in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, Dec. 2 2011.