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Representative Mike Pence speaks during a news conference at ...

(AFP/GettyImages/File) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:17:00 GMT

(AFP/GettyImages/File) - Representative Mike Pence speaks during a news conference at the US Capitol in November 5. US President Barack Obama's Democratic allies got an unlikely vote of confidence Saturday, as Pence prematurely declared defeat in the fight over remaking US health care.(AFP/GettyImages/File/Kris Connor)

File picture shows a butcher behind his counter in London. A ...

(AFP/File) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:44:34 GMT

(AFP/File) - File picture shows a butcher behind his counter in London. A butcher who received a medal from Queen Elizabeth II kept his trusty pen tucked behind his ear throughout the ceremony, newspapers reported Saturday.(AFP/File/Sinead Lynch)

A year and a day since President Barack Obama, seen here at ...

(AFP) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:58:24 GMT

(AFP) - A year and a day since President Barack Obama, seen here at the White House, was elected he hinted Thursday he planned on being around a while, spending eight years to push his ambitious reform agenda.(AFP/Saul Loeb)

US President Barack Obama speaks during the daily press briefing ...

(AFP) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:49:54 GMT

(AFP) - US President Barack Obama speaks during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC. A year and a day since Obama was elected he hinted Thursday he planned on being around a while, spending eight years to push his ambitious reform agenda.(AFP/Saul Loeb)

Paris's Louvre museum on Thursday launched an application ...

(AFP/File) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:34:00 GMT

(AFP/File) - Paris's Louvre museum on Thursday launched an application giving Apple iPhone and iPod touch users access to its collections including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, seen here.(AFP/File/Jean-Pierre Muller)

An angry man threw a boot at former Australian prime minister ...

(AFP/File) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:01:13 GMT

(AFP/File) - An angry man threw a boot at former Australian prime minister John Howard, seen here in 2007, during a debate at Cambridge University.(AFP/File/Greg Wood)

China's Ambassador to the United Kingdom Fu Ying, seen here ...

(AFP/POOL/File) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:01:01 GMT

(AFP/POOL/File) - China's Ambassador to the United Kingdom Fu Ying, seen here in 2008, revealed she is a fan of hit TV talent show "The X Factor" -- even though some of her embassy colleagues have complained about living near the show's contestants.(AFP/POOL/File/Ian Walton)

Condoms are displayed at an international "family-planning" ...

(AFP/File) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:03 GMT

(AFP/File) - Condoms are displayed at an international "family-planning" expo in Beijing in April 2009. A Chinese collector of Olympic memorabilia will put some of his mementos on the auction block later this month, including a batch of 5,000 condoms given to competitors at the 2008 Beijing Games.(AFP/File)

A boy plays cricket in 2008. A 12-year-old has scored 439 runs ...

(AFP/File) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:59:31 GMT

(AFP/File) - A boy plays cricket in 2008. A 12-year-old has scored 439 runs in a school cricket tournament in Mumbai that was used as a launch pad for the career of current Indian superstar Sachin Tendulkar, local media reported on Thursday.(AFP/File/Shah Marai)

Palestinian souvenir shop owner Tareq Abu Daia shows an embroidery ...

(AFP) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:03:52 GMT

(AFP) - Palestinian souvenir shop owner Tareq Abu Daia shows an embroidery scarf bearing the name of South African judgeRichard Goldstone on sale at his store in Gaza City. The UN General Assembly is scheduled to discuss the controversial UN Goldstone report on Israel?s 22-day war against Palestinian militants in Gaza.(AFP/Marco Longari)

Professor Hanoch Gutfreund from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem ...

(AFP) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:18:49 GMT

(AFP) - Professor Hanoch Gutfreund from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem lectures commuters on a morning train from the suburban community of Modiin to Tel Aviv on "Einstein's love letters."(AFP/Jonathan Nackstrand)

Hotel Bristol's Eric Frechon cooks for members of the public ...

(AFP) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:06:47 GMT

(AFP) - Hotel Bristol's Eric Frechon cooks for members of the public on the Paris underground. The chefs cooked up a treat for a crowd of commuters in a bid to prove haute cuisine can be cheap and simple.(AFP/Thomas Coex)

A French chef who is a favourite of President Nicolas Sarkozy ...

(AFPTV) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:06:47 GMT

(AFPTV) - A French chef who is a favourite of President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday was out cooking for the masses. Eric Frechon, the 3-star chef of the restaurant Bristol gave free cooking lessons in the Paris metro station of Miromesnil. He was part of a three day program run by the transport system. He chose the plebein carrot, as one of his main ingredients. Duration: 01:07(AFPTV)

A view of Marilyn Monroe's crypt in the Westwood Memorial ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:54:09 GMT

(AFP/File) - A view of Marilyn Monroe's crypt in the Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California. A legion of male admirers found her irresistible before her death but Marilyn Monroe has not been able to exert the same kind of pull in the afterlife.(AFP/File/Gabriel Bouys)

A man exercises at a fitness center in 2008. A man who wore ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:15:21 GMT

(AFP/File) - A man exercises at a fitness center in 2008. A man who wore women's clothing to use his dead wife's gym membership has appeared in a Hong Kong court, a report said Tuesday.(AFP/File/Fabrice Coffrini)

A crashed car in France in July 2009. A seven-year-old Australian ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:06:19 GMT

(AFP/File) - A crashed car in France in July 2009. A seven-year-old Australian boy "redefined the word lucky" Tuesday when he managed to escape from an out-of-control car moments before it plunged off a cliff, police said.(AFP/File)

Governor Benigno Fitial of the Northern Mariana Islands, pictured ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:06:09 GMT

(AFP/File) - Governor Benigno Fitial of the Northern Mariana Islands, pictured in January 2009, is driving himself after his chauffeur-bodyguard pleaded guilty to dealing drugs from the official car.(AFP/File)

Brad Lidge of the Philadelphia Phillies on the mound in the ...

(AFP/Getty Images/File) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:49:02 GMT

(AFP/Getty Images/File) - Brad Lidge of the Philadelphia Phillies on the mound in the top of the ninth inning against the New York Yankees in Game Four of the 2009 MLB World Series. A Philadelphia newspaper apologized Monday for running a department store ad congratulating the Philadelphia Phillies, who stand on the brink of World Series elimination, on winning the title.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Jeff Zelevansky)

The view from Everest Base Camp towards the summit of Mount ...

(AFP/File) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:11:44 GMT

(AFP/File) - The view from Everest Base Camp towards the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal. Nepal is to hold a cabinet meeting on Mount Everest to highlight the impact of global warming on the Himalayas ahead of next month's climate change talks in Copenhagen, a minister has said.(AFP/File/Str)

Maldives' cabinet met underwater on October 17 to draw attention ...

(AFP/File) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:11:44 GMT

(AFP/File) - Maldives' cabinet met underwater on October 17 to draw attention to the dangers of global warming for the island nation. Nepal is to hold a cabinet meeting on Mount Everest to highlight the impact of global warming on the Himalayas ahead of next month's climate change talks in Copenhagen, a minister has said.(AFP/File/Ho)

A hippopotamus swims in a pond. The latest export from the land ...

(DDP/AFP/File) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:55:15 GMT

(DDP/AFP/File) - A hippopotamus swims in a pond. The latest export from the land of milk and honey is a grass-chomping mammal that hangs out in rivers and lakes and is apparently hard to sedate.(DDP/AFP/File/Henning Kaiser)

File photo shows a TV screen in a taxi in Seoul. A South Korean ...

(AFP/File) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:31:58 GMT

(AFP/File) - File photo shows a TV screen in a taxi in Seoul. A South Korean court has rejected an attempt to prosecute Seoul taxi drivers for one of their scariest habits -- watching television while driving.(AFP/File/Jung Yeon-Je)

A Hong Kong firm has launched a series of television commercials ...

(AFP/File) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:31:00 GMT

(AFP/File) - A Hong Kong firm has launched a series of television commercials offering personal loans in exchange for ladies' luxury handbags. Yes Lady Finance will pay cash-strapped socialites up to 70% of the bag's value with 28% annualised interest, according to South China Morning Post.(AFP/File/Pierre Verdy)

An Aymara native throws petals on to a "natita" skull ...

(AFP/File) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:01:07 GMT

(AFP/File) - An Aymara native throws petals on to a "natita" skull during a traditional indigenous ritual in La Paz in 2006. Bolivia's Catholic church has called on the faithful to stop using human skulls at special Mass celebrations, a practice they link to occult powers.(AFP/File/Aizar Raldes)

Vicenza player Michele Ferri , pictured in 2002, was twice ordered ...

(AFP/File) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:43:48 GMT

(AFP/File) - Vicenza player Michele Ferri , pictured in 2002, was twice ordered from the field by the referee during his team's Serie B match away to Modena on Saturday but still finished the game.(AFP/File)

Consumers flock to a McDonald's fast-food reastaurant in ...

(AFP) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:30:22 GMT

(AFP) - Consumers flock to a McDonald's fast-food reastaurant in Reykjavik. Noisy crowds, long queues, and traffic jams plunged McDonald's restaurants in Iceland into a state of siege Saturday, as the chain served its final burgers on the island.(AFP/Halldor Kolbeins)

US President Barack Obama seen here in the Diplomatic Reception ...

(AFP/File) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:37:27 GMT

(AFP/File) - US President Barack Obama seen here in the Diplomatic Reception room at the White House in Washington, DC. Famous names, and others, were thrown up in an exercise in government transparency Friday, when the Obama administration released the first 500 names on a list of the 100,000 people cleared to visit the White House every year.(AFP/File/Jewel Samad)

Actor George Clooney, seen here on October 17, is listed as ...

(AFP/File) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:37:27 GMT

(AFP/File) - Actor George Clooney, seen here on October 17, is listed as having been cleared through the White House gates. Clooney visited the administration in February to lobby for more action on Darfur.(AFP/File/Tiziana Fabi)

A US military officer who fled Vietnam as a boy and was picked ...

(US Navy) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:23:05 GMT

(US Navy) - A US military officer who fled Vietnam as a boy and was picked up by an American ship will soon visit the country in command of a destroyer, the US Navy said on Friday.(US Navy)

A Guiness World Records judge measures the world biggest tiramisu ...

(AFP) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:00:02 GMT

(AFP) - A Guiness World Records judge measures the world biggest tiramisu during the third edition of a chocolate and taste fair in Villeurbanne, near Lyon. Chefs rustled up the world's biggest tiramisu at a food festival in France on Friday, whipping buckets full of eggs, cream, sugar and cocoa into a tonne of the finger-licking Italian treat.(AFP/Philippe Merle)

People shop for Halloween costumes at store in Washington on ...

(AFP/File) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:27:59 GMT

(AFP/File) - People shop for Halloween costumes at store in Washington on October 12. An off-duty police officer faced criminal charges and possible suspension after pointing his service revolver at an actor playing a zombie at a Halloween-themed haunted house, officials said Thursday.(AFP/File/Jewel Samad)

Policemen are reflected in a car window in July 2009, in Italy. ...

(AFP/File) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:02:00 GMT

(AFP/File) - Policemen are reflected in a car window in July 2009, in Italy. Local authorities of Swiss border town Chiasso, called Thursday on inhabitants to help police sniff out spies on Swiss territory, two days after Italian police raided several Swiss banks.(AFP/File/Mario Laporta)

Members of GPIN conduct an excersise on the Rhone near Lyon ...

(AFP/File) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:41:07 GMT

(AFP/File) - Members of GPIN conduct an excersise on the Rhone near Lyon on October 10. A young Albanian has been jailed for stealing a boat in the inland French city of Lyon and embarking on a bid to sail it down the Rhone and through the Mediterranean and Atlantic to England.(AFP/File/Jean-Philippe Ksiazek)

The Aseman Airlines Boeing plane in 2008. A worried Iranian ...

(AFP/File) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:10:47 GMT

(AFP/File) - The Aseman Airlines Boeing plane in 2008. A worried Iranian airline pilot from the Aseman Airlines air company asked passengers to start praying after his plane was hit by a technical glitch early on Thursday, highlighting once again the notorious record of Tehran's aircraft.(AFP/File/Marwan Naamani)

Map of Somalia. A man claiming to be 112 has married a 17-year-old ...

(AFP/Graphic) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:08:03 GMT

(AFP/Graphic) - Map of Somalia. A man claiming to be 112 has married a 17-year-old at a ceremony in central Somalia, his sixth wedding in total but his first in three quarters of a century.(AFP/Graphic)

Nick Smith (L) gives British Prince Andrew (R) a maori greeting ...

(AFP/File) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:07:59 GMT

(AFP/File) - Nick Smith (L) gives British Prince Andrew (R) a maori greeting in 2005. A New Zealand artist has sculpted the head of the government's environment minister, Smith, out of cow dung in a conservation protest. The artist said Thursday he was upset about plans to dam a local river and the pollution of waterways by effluent from dairy farms.(AFP/File/Dean Treml)

Cans on display in a grocery store in 2006. Bulgarian police ...

(AFP/Getty Images/File) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:52:14 GMT

(AFP/Getty Images/File) - Cans on display in a grocery store in 2006. Bulgarian police in the central city of Plovdiv have seized just over 50 kilogrammes (110 pounds) of heroin, hidden in cans of sauerkraut, prosecutors said Thursday.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Tim Boyle)

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (pictured) raised ...

(AFP/Getty Images/File) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:19:15 GMT

(AFP/Getty Images/File) - California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (pictured) raised more than a few eyebrows with the wording of a recent letter to a political opponent announcing his intention to veto financing for a San Francisco waterfront project. Read vertically, the first letter of each line spelt an obscene two-word insult, the first word beginning with "F" and the second word being "You."(AFP/Getty Images/File/David Mcnew)

Travis Pastrana (top) of the US performs an FMX backflip on ...

(AFP) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:02:40 GMT

(AFP) - Travis Pastrana (top) of the US performs an FMX backflip on his dirt bike over a hovering 43-foot (13-metre) helicopter (below) in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Pastrana has performed other stunts around the world, including jumping out of a plane with no parachute and jumping off his motorbike into the Grand Canyon.(AFP/Greg Wood)

Liu Xiang is seen celebrating after winning the men's 110-m ...

(AFP/File) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:53:13 GMT

(AFP/File) - Liu Xiang is seen celebrating after winning the men's 110-m hurdle event at the National Games in Jinan, east China, on October 25. The 2004 Athens Olympic champion was left wearing only his shorts after throwing his shirt into the crowd during a victory lap around the Olympic Sports Centre in Jinan.(AFP/File)

A bust of Russia's muscle-flexing strongman Vladimir Putin, ...

(AFP/RIA/File) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:11:42 GMT

(AFP/RIA/File) - A bust of Russia's muscle-flexing strongman Vladimir Putin, seen here, on October 25, is being created as a gift for ex-Hollywood bodybuilder and California's current governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, its sculptor said Tuesday.(AFP/RIA/File/Aleksey Nikolskyi)

Russian sculptor Alexander Chernoschekov works on a plasticine ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:11:42 GMT

(AFP/File) - Russian sculptor Alexander Chernoschekov works on a plasticine model of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's bust in St. Petersburg on October 18. A bust of Russia's muscle-flexing strongman Putin is being created as a gift for ex-Hollywood bodybuilder and California's current governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, its sculptor said Tuesday.(AFP/File/Kirill Kudryavtsev)

Signs indicating the location of public toilets. Public toilets ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:37:13 GMT

(AFP/File) - Signs indicating the location of public toilets. Public toilets in Polish railway and bus stations, on trains and in camp grounds need a major make-over for the UEFA Euro 2012 championships Poland will co-host with Ukraine, experts said Tuesday.(AFP/File/Philippe Lopez)

US President Barack Obama is pictured here playing basketball ...

(AFP) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:04:38 GMT

(AFP) - US President Barack Obama is pictured here playing basketball with personal aide Reggie Love, at St Bartholomew's Church in New York City, in September. Obama has lashed back at critics who fear he lacks the steel to be a successful president, saying "I'm skinny ... but I'm tough."(AFP/Pete Souza)

Thousands of Sydney residents picnic on 10,000 square metres ...

(AFP/File) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:56:12 GMT

(AFP/File) - Thousands of Sydney residents picnic on 10,000 square metres of grass at the inaugural 'Breakfast On The Bridge' event spanning the Sydney Harbour Bridge.(AFP/File/Daniel Munoz)

Villagers dressed as zombies go to a practice session in the ...

(AFP) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:15:52 GMT

(AFP) - Villagers dressed as zombies go to a practice session in the small village of Gourin, western France, on October 25, just before the start of the 'Thrill The World 2009' event. Zombies invaded Gourin in the rural heart of France's Brittany region early on Sunday as part of a global tribute to singer Michael Jackson.(AFP/Fred Tanneau)

Villagers dressed as zombies attend a practice session in the ...

(AFP) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:15:52 GMT

(AFP) - Villagers dressed as zombies attend a practice session in the small village of Gourin, western France, on October 25, before the start of the "Thrill The World 2009" event. Zombies invaded Gourin in the rural heart of France's Brittany region early on Sunday as part of a global tribute to singer Michael Jackson.(AFP/Fred Tanneau)

Mohamed Al Fayed (pictured in 2008), owner of plush London emporium ...

(AFP/File) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:08:29 GMT

(AFP/File) - Mohamed Al Fayed (pictured in 2008), owner of plush London emporium Harrods, told The Sunday Times he was ready to become the first president of an independent Scotland.(AFP/File/Ian Kington)

Lebanese chefs celebrate around a large plate of hummus after ...

(AFP) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:01:40 GMT

(AFP) - Lebanese chefs celebrate around a large plate of hummus after setting a new world record in Beirut. A Guinness representative was on hand to certify the record set by 250 Lebanese chefs and their trainees, who joined efforts to mix over two tonnes of the chickpea-based dip.(AFP/Ramzi Haidar)

Lebanese chefs prepare hummus to set a new world record in Beirut. ...

(AFP) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:01:40 GMT

(AFP) - Lebanese chefs prepare hummus to set a new world record in Beirut. Hundreds of garlic-loving Lebanese came together to make the largest hummus serving on the world's biggest plate, claiming ownership of the dish with a new Guinness world record.(AFP/Ramzi Haidar)