2010 - year in photos

Kosovo -- A woman walks in past an election poster showing Prime Minister and chairman of Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Hashim Thaci in Pristina, 06Dec2010 - epa02483093 A woman walks in front of an election poster showing Kosovo's Prime Minister and chairman of Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Hashim Thaci in the town of Pristina, Kosovo, on 06 December 2010. About 1.6 million voters are eligible to vote for the 1,265 candidates from 29 parties and independent lists running for the 120 seats in Kosovo's parliament, 20 of which are reserved for Serbs and other minorities. The elections will be the first since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008. EPA/VALDRIN XHEMAJ 10POTW49 10poty

Russia -- President Dmitry Medvedev take pictures during his visit to Kunashiri Island, one of four islands known as the Southern Kuriles, 01Nov2010 - Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev takes pictures near Soviet-made Cold War-era defense turrets, during his visit to Kunashiri Island, one of four islands known as the Southern Kuriles in Russia and Northern Territories in Japan, November 1, 2010. The islands were seized by the Soviet Union after it declared war on Japan in the closing days of World War Two, forcing about 17,000 Japanese residents to flee. A dispute over the islands in the Pacific has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty ending World War Two and overshadowed relations for more than 60 years. REUTERS/Kremlin/Mikhail Klimentyev (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) POTW44 10poty

Montenegro -- People in a canoe paddle trough flooded streets in Bistrice, 06Dec2010 - MONTENEGRO, Bistrice : Montenegrins in a canoe paddle trough flooded streets in Bistrice, south of the capital Podgorica, on December 6, 2010. Flooding caused by rivers swollen by heavy rainfall continued to plague the Western Balkans with thousands evacuated in Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro. AFP PHOTO / SAVO PRELEVIC 10POTW49 10poty

Afghanistan - Afghan National Army (ANA) female officers attend during their graduation ceremony at the Afghan National Army training center in Kabul, 23Se2010 - POTW38 10POTY WOMEN AFGHANISTAN, Kabul : Afghan National Army (ANA) female officers attend during their graduation ceremony at the Afghan National Army training centre in Kabul on September 23, 2010. The newly-trained Afghan army has launched a scheme to recruit female officers for its office-based works. The ANA currently numbers 100,000 troops, with plans to expand to 240,000 by 2011, funded by NATO and the US, in the hope that rapid improvement in their performance can see foreign forces numbers start to draw down. AFP PHOTO/SHAH Marai

Georgia - A woman holds a girl with South Ossetian flag during the Independence Day celebration in South Ossetia's main city of Tskhinvali, 20Sep2010 - A woman holds a girl with South Ossetian flag during the Independence Day celebration in South Ossetia's main city of Tskhinvali, September 20, 2010. The Georgian break away region of South Ossetia celebrated on Monday the 20th anniversary of declaring itself independent from Georgia. REUTERS/Kazbeg Basayev (GEORGIA - Tags: POLITICS) potw38 10poty

Kyrgyzstan - Roza Otunbaeva stands during her inauguration in Bishkek, 03Jul2010 - KYRGYZSTAN, Bishkek (Ex Frunze) : Roza Otunbaeva stands during her inauguration in Bishkek on July 3, 2010. Kyrgyzstan's provisional leader Roza Otunbayeva has been sworn in as the new president, ushering in what the Central Asian nation's government hopes will be a new era of stability and democratic freedoms. Otunbayeva's first steps are likely to be watched closely by both Russia and the United States, each of which maintains military bases in the strategically-located country. AFP PHOTO / VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO 10poty

U.S. -- Residents turn out to vote in mid-term elections at a polling place inside a luxury car dealer in Beverly Hills, California, 02Nov2010 - United States--, Beverly Hill : Residents turn out to vote in mid-term elections at a polling place inside a luxury car dealer in Beverly Hills, California, on November 2, 2010. The nation's mood was dark as Democrats rallied desperately to defend President and angry Republicans hoped to deliver a crippling rebuke. AFP PHOTO Mark RALSTON 10POTY

Chechnya -- A security officer stands guard inside the parliament building in Grozny, 19Oct2010 - A security officer stands guard inside the parliament building in Grozny October 19, 2010. Islamist rebels killed at least four people on Tuesday as they tried to seize Chechnya's parliament in a brazen suicide attack that showed Russia has failed to quell insurgency on its southern flank. REUTERS/Kazbek Basayev (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS CRIME LAW CIVIL UNREST 10poty

Ukraine -- An Iranian security guard drags a topless protester away from a hall during an Iranian cultural event in Kuiv, 11Nov2010 - An Iranian security guard drags a partially dressed protester away from a hall during an Iranian cultural event in Kiev November 11, 2010. Activists from the women's rights organization Femen staged the protest in support of Iranian citizen Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, accused both of adultery and of being complicit in her husband's murder. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich (UKRAINE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW POLITICS, IRAN) POTW45 10poty

Iran -- A general view of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, 26Oct2010 - A general view of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, some 1,200 km (746 miles) south of Tehran October 26, 2010. Iran has begun loading fuel into the core of its first nuclear power plant on Tuesday, one of the last steps to realising its stated goal of becoming a peaceful nuclear power, state-run Press TV reported on Tuesday. REUTERS/IRNA/Mohammad Babaie (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) POTW43 10poty

U.S. -- Protesters demonstrate outside the U.N. headquarters against Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadinejad at the 65th United Nations General Assembly in New York, 23Sep2010 - Protesters demonstrate outside the U.N. headquarters against Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the 65th United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 23, 2010. REUTERS/Eric Thayer (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) potw38 10POTY

Kazakhstan -- A constructor walks along a hall of Zhybek-Zholy (Silk Way) station of the Almaty subway, 21Oct2010 - A constructor walks along a hall of Zhybek-Zholy (Silk Way) station of the Almaty subway, October 21, 2010. The construction of the Almaty underground, a project which started under the Soviet Union in 1988, is in its final stage and will be opened next year. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov (KAZAKHSTAN - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION) POTW42 10poty

Italy -- A supporter of Serbian soccer team burns an Albanian flag before the Euro 2012 qualifying soccer match between Italy and Serbia at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, 12Oct2010 - A supporter of Serbia's soccer team burns an Albanian flag before the Euro 2012 qualifying soccer match between Italy and Serbia at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa October 12, 2010. The match was suspended after just six minutes and was likely to be abandoned on Tuesday when away fans threw flares onto the pitch and at Italian fans. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo (ITALY - Tags: SPORT SOCCER) POTW41 10poty

Afghanistan -- A worker sorts ballot boxes to be distributed to polling stations, at counting center in Kandahar province, 16Sep2010 - An Afghan worker sorts ballot boxes be distributed to polling stations, at counting center in Kandahar province, September 16, 2010. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) potw37 10poty

Iran -- A display long-range surface-to-surface Shahab-3 missile is pictured in front of a portrait of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Tehran, 23Sep2010 - IRAN, Tehran : A display long-range surface-to-surface Shahab-3 missile is pictured in front of a portrait of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a main square outside the parliament building in southern Tehran on September 23, 2010 as the Islamic republic marks the "Sacred Defence Week", which commemorates its 1980-88 bloody war with Iraq. AFP PHOTO/ BEHROUZ MEHRI POTW38 10POTY

Saudi Arabia -- A Muslim pilgrim prays atop Mount Al-Noor during the annual haj pilgrimage in Mecca, 09Nov2010 - A Muslim pilgrim prays atop Mount Al-Noor during the annual haj pilgrimage in Mecca November 9, 2010. The haj is one of the world's biggest displays of mass religious devotion and a duty for Muslims who can perform it. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY POTW45 10poty

Belarus - President Alyaksandr Lukashenka (C, standing) addresses delegates during the 4th All-Belarusian national assembly in Minsk, 06Dec2010 - BELARUS, Minsk : Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko (C, standing) addresses delegates during the 4th All-Belarusian national assembly in Minsk on December 6, 2010. Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet republic with an iron grip since 1994, looks set to dominate the December 19 presidential vote. AFP PHOTO / BELTA / POOL / MAXIM GUCHEK 10poty

Germany - A woman watching the internet site of WikiLeaks as on the screen at (R) can be seen a photo of WikiLeaks-founder Julian Assange, Schwerin, 30Nov2010 - This illustration taken on November 30, 2010 in Schwerin, northeastern Germany, shows a woman watching the internet site of WikiLeaks as on the screen at (R) can be seen a photo of WikiLeaks-founder Julian Assange. WikiLeaks faced a worldwide backlash over its release of secret US diplomatic cables, with some countries saying the revelations undermined diplomacy while others dismissed them as worthless 10poty

Russia -- Moscow's Mayor Yury Luzhkov talks to the media in Moscow, 18Sep2010 - Moscow's Mayor Yuri Luzhkov talks to the media in Moscow in this September 18, 2010 file photo. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has sacked a powerful political opponent, veteran Moscow mayor Luzhkov, a Kremlin spokeswoman said September 28, 2010. REUTERS/Denis Sinyakov/Files (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS HEADSHOT) 10poty

Belarus -- Elderly women visit a cemetery near the village of Baruny, 01Nov2010 - BELARUS, Baruny : TOPSHOTS Elderly women visit a cemetery near the Belarus village of Baruny, some 105 km northwest of the capital Minsk, on November 1, 2010, marking the upcoming Dzyady (The Remembrance Day or All Saints' Day). TOPSHOTS / AFP PHOTO / VIKTOR DRACHEV POTW44 10poty

Russia -- An employee (R), taking part in the general census of population, fills in a census form while talking to a local resident in the far eastern city of Vladivostok, 14Oct2010 - An employee (R), taking part in the all-Russian general census of population, fills in a census form while talking to a local resident in the far eastern city of Vladivostok, October 14, 2010. The census, which started on October 14, aims to enumerate everyone living in Russia, including foreigners and people without citizenship, local media reported. REUTERS/Yuri Maltsev (RUSSIA - Tags: SOCIETY) POTW41 10poty

Kyrgyzstan -- An elderly Kyrgyz casts his ballot during the parliamentary elections at his home in village of Arashan, 20 km South of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 10Oct10. - Kyrgyzstan holds the parliamentary elections that will lead the country into a new legitimate government after the former president was ousted in April of this year in a bloody revolution. EPA/IGOR KOVALENKO 10poty

Georgia -- President Mikheil Saakashvili swims in the Black Sea, near Batumi, 20Oct2010 - GEORGIA, Batumi : Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili swims in the Black Sea on October 20, 2010 near the resort city of Batumi. According to Georgian media reports, Saakashvili swam about three kilometers to prove that the holiday season in Batumi lasts six months. AFP PHOTO / POOL / IRAKLI GEDENIDZE POTW42 10poty

U.S. -- The Ground Zero "Tribute in Light" beams are visible from Brooklyn during a test ahead of the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York City, 08Sep2010 - POTW36 10POTY UNITED STATES, New York : NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 08: The Ground Zero "Tribute in Light" beams are visible from Brooklyn during a test ahead of the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks September 8, 2010 in New York City. The light, first seen in March 2002, was designed by artists Julian LaVerdiere and Paul Myoda, architects John Bennett and Gustavo Bonevardi of PROUN Space Studio, architect Richard Nash Gould, and lighting designer Paul Marantz and produced by the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP