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The UN Security Council (file photo)
Photo: AP

2011 Difficult for UN Security Council Unity

Growing acrimony among P5 jeopardizing action on serious issues, including council's ability to send strong signal on Syria situation

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Maricopa County Sheriff's Office jail officers, who lost their federal power to check whether inmates are in the county illegally, give Sheriff Joe Arpaio a standing ovation, in Phoenix, Arizona, December 21, 2011.

US Illegal Immigrants, Mass Deportations Face New Scrutiny

Review comes as lawmakers in more US states are passing tough anti-immigration laws

A portrait of former Czech President Vaclav Havel is put on display in a window during his state funeral in Prague, December 23, 2011.

Czechs, World Leaders Bid Farewell to Vaclav Havel

Vaclav Havel was president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992, and leader of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003

Liu_Xiaobo

New Book Highlights Chinese Dissident's Writings

Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo's poetic yearings for freedom and human rights in China

Iraqi women

Iraqi Women Fear Violence, Erosion of Rights

Women often are the ones taking care of own families as well as children of dead relatives

Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (L) poses with Lower House Parliamentary Speaker Shwe Man during her visit to the parliament in the capital Naypyitaw, December 23, 2011.

Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi Registers Party, Visits Parliament

Move clears the way for the Nobel peace laureate to run for a seat in parliament

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, right, stands with Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a meeting at the Thai Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar, December 20, 2011.

Thai Prime Minister Meets Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma

Yingluck Shinawatra's visit to Burma included moves to expand business, economic ties

North Korea's heir-apparent Kim Jong Un (file photo)

North Korea's Sudden Power Shift Raises Uncertainty

Kim Jong Un may be North Korea's next leader, but his influence within North Korean leadership is not clear

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il (undated photo)

Kim Jong Il Dead at Age 69

Official report says North Korean leader had a heart attack while on a train during 'field inspection'

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev gestures during his news conference ahead of the 20th anniversary of August 19, 1991, hardline coup that tried to oust him and precipitated the collapse of the Soviet Union, in Moscow, Russia, August 17, 2011.

Gorbachev's Domestic Reforms Led to End of Soviet Union

Gorbachev’s reforms touched all segments of society, including loosening press restrictions, freeing political prisoners, dissidents