Pictures Of The Year 2012:

  In this Jan. 16, 2012 file photo, a man rides a horse through a bonfire in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain in honor of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals. On the eve of Saint Anthony's Day, hundreds ride their horses trough the narrow cobblestone streets of the small village of San Bartolome during the "Luminarias," a tradition that dates back 500 years and is meant to purify the animals with the smoke of the bonfires and protect them for the year to come. 

 In this Jan. 7, 2012 file photo, a wild full grown leopard scalps the head of a man as it attacks after wandering into a residential neighborhood in Gauhati, in the northern state of Assam, India. Later the leopard was tranquilized by wildlife official and taken to the state zoological park. The leopard ventured into a crowded area and injured four people before it was captured and caged.

In this Jan. 22, 2012 file photo, Hindu devotees cross a newly constructed temporary bridge at Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganges and Yamuna, in Allahabad, India. Hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims take dips in the confluence, some hoping to wash away sins and others to secure a spouse, during the month long festival.

 In this March 12, 2012 file photo, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, right, puts his hands on the neck of Spain's Economy Minister Luis de Guindos, center, as Dutch Finance Minister Jan Kees De Jager, left, looks on during a meeting of eurozone finance ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels. As ministers chatted with each other at the meeting, the eurogroup's chief, Jean-Claude Juncker, came up behind Spanish finance minister, Luis De Guindos, and jokingly grabbed him by the neck with both hands, but the gesture soon appeared to change into a laughing friendly greeting and then deep discussion. The 17 euro countries were trying to focus on issues beyond the Greek crisis and deal with longer-term issues in their currency union, like discussing Spain's high deficits and potentially dangerous imbalances in some countries.

 In this Jan. 12, 2012 file photo, Mohammad Saber Yaqoti Hussaini Khedri, second right, the calligrapher of the world's biggest copy of the holy Quran turns a page at a ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan. Khedri claims to have completed the writing of the world's biggest copy of Islam's holy Quran in 5 years along with his nine students and the financial support of a well- known figure Afghan Sayed Mansoor Nadri.

In this Oct. 29, 2012 file photo, the floor of the New York Stock Exchange is empty of traders in New York. All major U.S. stock and options exchanges remained closed with Hurricane Sandy nearing landfall on the East Coast. Trading has rarely stopped for weather. A blizzard led to a late start and an early close on Jan. 8, 1996, according to the exchange's parent company, NYSE Euronext. The NYSE shut down on Sept. 27, 1985 for Hurricane Gloria.

In this Jan. 29, 2012 file photo, underprivileged Indian children dressed in costume to look like the late Mahatma Gandhi arrive on a bus before attempting a world record in Kolkata, India. Local non-government organizations put on the event and a total of 485 children took part in the rally ahead of the anniversary of Gandhi's death which falls on January 30th. 

In this Jan. 22, 2012 file photo, a woman pays her respects at a statue of Joe Paterno outside Beaver Stadium on the Penn State University campus after learning of his death in State College, Pa.

In this Jan. 14, 2012 file photo released by the Guardia di Finanza (border Police), the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia leans on its side after running aground off the tiny Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy. The luxury cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Tuscany, sending water pouring in through a 160-foot (50-meter) gash in the hull and forcing the evacuation of some 4,200 people from the listing vessel early.

  In this Feb. 26, 2012 file photo, Actress Angelina Jolie poses on the red carpet for photographers as she arrives the 84th Academy Awards in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. 

 In this Feb. 26, 2012 file photo, best actress Meryl Streep, left, for "The Iron Lady" and best actor Jean Dujardin for "The Artist" pose with their awards during the 84th Academy Awards in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.

In this Feb. 26, 2012 file photo, Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi is silhouetted against setting sun as she arrived to deliver her speech during an election campaign rally in Thongwa village some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Yangon, Myanmar.

In this Feb. 5, 2012 file photo, people walk along an icy promenade past ice covered cars and trees on the shores of Lake Geneva in Versoix, Switzerland. Across Eastern Europe, thousands of people dug out from heavy snow that had fallen during a cold snap and killed hundreds of people.

In this Feb. 16, 2012 file photo, new North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second from left, applauds as he leaves the stands at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang after reviewing a parade of thousands of soldiers and commemorating the 70th birthday of the late Kim Jong Il.

In this Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 file photo Ultra-Orthodox Jews gather for the traditional Jewish wedding of Chananya Yom Tov Lipa, the great-grandson of the Rabbi of the Wiznitz Hasidic followers, in the ultra-Orthodox town of Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv, Israel.

In this Feb. 29, 2012 file photo, Santosh, who sells donkey milk, holds a baby upside down after feeding him some of the liquid, locally believed to be a cure for a persistent cough in a slum in Mumbai, India. Millions of children are growing up in squalid urban areas and denied basic services despite living close to them. UNICEF said children living in slums and shantytowns often lack water, electricity and healthcare and urged policy makers to ensure urban planning meets the needs of children.

 In this March 20, 2012 file photo, suspended by wires, Chinese artist Li Wei performs in the sky at La Villette in Paris. Wei's work often depicts him in apparently gravity-defying situations.

In this March 4, 2012 file photo, Spanish bullfighter Juan Jose Padilla performs during a bullfight in the southwestern Spanish town of Olivenza. Padilla, who lost sight in one eye and has partial facial paralysis after a terrifying goring returned to the bullring, five months after his injury. 

In this March 28, 2012 file photo, Afghan security forces escort Taliban militants clad in Afghan women dresses to be presented to the media at the Afghan intelligence department in Mehterlam, Laghman province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghan Intelligence forces arrested seven Taliban militants in Qarghayi district of Laghman province.

In this March 4, 2012 file photo, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who claimed victory in Russia's presidential election, has tears in his eyes as he emotionally reacts at a massive rally of his supporters at Manezh square outside Kremlin, in Moscow, Russia.

In this March 26, 2012 file photo, Tibetan exile Jamphel Yeshi screams as he runs engulfed in flames after setting himself on fire at a protest in New Delhi, India, against Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to India. Yeshi died two days later while hundreds of other activists were being held without charge before the president's arrival. Hu arrived in New Delhi for a summit with India, Russia, Brazil and South Africa. 

In this March 15, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama pets the family dog Bo, a Portuguese water dog, outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

In this March 16, 2012 file photo, Indian students hold a large poster of Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar after Tendulkar batted for his landmark 100th century, at a school in Chennai, southern India. Tendulkar, who had been stuck on 99 centuries for a year, became the first cricketer to score 100 international centuries when he hit to square leg and ran a single against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup.

In this April 26, 2012 file photo provided by the CU Independent, shows a bear that wandered into the University of Colorado Boulder, Colo., dorm complex Williams Village falling from a tree after being tranquilized by Colorado wildlife officials. Colorado University police spokesman Ryan Huff said the bear was likely 1-3 years old and weighed somewhere between 150-200 pounds.

In this April 24, 2012 file photo, North Korea's new commander in chief, Kim Jong Un is displayed on a giant screen during a concert on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean army in Pyongyang, North Korea.

In this May 20, 2012 file photo, hikers watch an annular eclipse from Papago Park in Phoenix. The annular eclipse, in which the moon passes in front of the sun leaving only a golden ring around its edges, was visible to wide areas across China, Japan and elsewhere in the region before moving across the Pacific to be seen in parts of the western United States.

In this May 18, 2012 file photo provided by Facebook, Facebook founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, center, rings the Nasdaq opening bell from Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Robert Greifeld, second from right, CEO of the Nasdaq-OMX Stock Market, Inc. The social media company had its IPO.

 In this may 24, 2012 file photo, lawmakers scuffle from pro-presidential and oppositional factions in the parliament session hall in Kiev, Ukraine. The hall erupted over a bill that would allow the use of the Russian language in courts, hospitals and other institutions in the Russian-speaking regions of the country.

 In this June 27, 2012 file photo, Tarra Piet, right, is embraced by her cousin Kursty Setty as they stand in Piet's fathers flooded pet store Live Oak Fla. Dozens of homes and businesses were flooded by torrential rains from Tropical Storm Debby. 

In this June 5, 2012 file photo, revelers on the Mall in London watch Britain Queen Elizabeth II appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony as part of a four-day Diamond Jubilee celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II accession to the throne.

 In this June 11, 2012 file photo, Chris Combs, of Troy, left, and Stephanie Locke, of Clawson, cross the street in downtown Birmingham, Mich. while participating in a protest by gun enthusiasts. The protest wass in support of eighteen-year-old Sean Michael Combs, of Troy, who was arrested in Birmingham while carrying a rifle. Combs was charged with brandishing a weapon, disturbing the peace, and obstructing a police officer.

In this June 26, 2012 file photo, fire from the Waldo Canyon wildfire burns as it moved into subdivisions and destroyed homes in Colorado Springs, Colo. 

In this Aug. 19, 2012 file photo, surrounded by British police, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, center, makes a statement to the media and supporters from a window of the Ecuadorian Embassy in central London. Assange entered the embassy in June in an attempt to gain political asylum and prevent him from being extradited to Sweden, where he faces allegations of sex crimes, which he denies. Assange called on United States President Barack Obama to 'end a "witch hunt" against the secret-spilling WikiLeaks organization. 

In this June 2, 2012 file photo, Egypt's ex-President Hosni Mubarak lays on a gurney inside a barred cage in the police academy courthouse in Cairo, Egypt. Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the killing of protesters during last year's revolution that forced him from power, a verdict that caps a stunning fall from grace for a man who ruled the country as his personal fiefdom for nearly three decades.

In this June 15, 2012 file photo, Nik Wallenda walks over Niagara Falls on a tightrope in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Wallenda finished his attempt to become the first person to walk on a tightrope 1,800 feet across the mist-fogged brink of roaring Niagara Falls. The seventh-generation member of the famed Flying Wallendas had long dreamed of pulling off the stunt, never before attempted. 

In this July 14, 2012 file photo, people try to extinguish the fire after a man set himself alight in Tel Aviv, Israel during rally marking the anniversary of a wave of demonstrations that swept the country to protest the high cost of living and other social issues. He was later rushed to a hospital where he was being treated for serious burns, police said.

In this July 31, 2012 file photo, an Indian barber holding a candle, gives a haircut for a customer at his shop in Kolkata, India. India's energy crisis cascaded over half the country when three of its regional grids collapsed, leaving 620 million people without government-supplied electricity for several hours in, by far, the world's biggest blackout.

In this July 17, 2012 file photo, Dancers in Taiwan's Paper Windmill Cultural Foundation perform during a dress rehearsal of Paper Windmill Fantasia in Taipei, Taiwan. With integration of familiar nursery rhymes, passionate dance, literary meaning and sophisticated art forms, this drama claims an unprecedented performance demonstrating the unique innovations of the modern theater in Taiwan.

In this July 17, 2012 file photo, Nasa Indians drag a soldier during an attack on half a dozen soldiers guarding a communications tower on the outskirts of Toribio, southern Colombia. Six soldiers were attacked and dragged along the ground by dozens of indigenous people demanding the departure of security forces and guerrillas fighters because of their constant fighting. The soldiers dropped their guns, never firing. No injuries were reported. 

 In this July 14, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama campaigns for re-election in the heavy rain at Walkerton Tavern & Gardens in Glen Allen, Va., near Richmond. 

In this July 24, 2012 file photo, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez holds up a pair of pistols that he says belonged to Venezuela's independence hero Simon Bolivar during a ceremony marking 229th anniversary of Bolivar's birth at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela. Bolivar is the namesake of Chavez's Bolivarian Revolution movement, and his government is putting the finishing touches on a new mausoleum to house Bolivar's remains. 

In this Aug. 8, 2012 file photo, a man carries puppies back inside their house as other dogs stay on the roof at a flooded area in Marikina City, east of Manila, Philippines. Widespread flooding that killed at least 11 people, battered a million others and paralyzed the Philippine capital began to ease as cleanup and rescue efforts focused on a large number of distressed residents, some still marooned on their roofs.

In this Aug. 5, 2012 file photo, and publicly provided by the police department in Hanover, Germany, a squirrel is trapped in a manhole cover in Isenhagen, northern Germany. After they were called by neighbors, police managed to free the animal by using olive oil.

In this Sept. 5, 2012 file photo, people run for cover as smoke rises from the site of a fire at a fireworks factory on the outskirts of Sivakasi, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) southwest of Chennai, India. Police in southern India arrested six employees of the fireworks factory for a massive blaze that killed 40 workers and injured 60 others.

 In this Sept. 1, 2012 file photo, a villager offers flowers to a female adult elephant lying dead on a paddy field in Panbari village, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Gauhati, India. The elephant was hit by a train and killed while crossing railway tracks with a herd of wild Asiatic elephants.

 In this Sept. 26, 2012 file photo, South Korean special army soldiers demonstrate their martial arts skills during the 64th anniversary of Armed Forces Day at the Gyeryong military headquarters in Gyeryong, south of Seoul, South Korea.

In this Sept. 26, 2012 file photo, a worker is seen partially submerged under water as he tries to repair a broken pipe in Caracas, Venezuela. 

In this Sept. 9, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama, right, is picked-up off the ground by Scott Van Duzer, left, owner of Big Apple Pizza and Pasta Italian Restaurant during an unannounced stop, in Ft. Pierce, Fla.

In this Oct. 14, 2012 file photo provided by Red Bull Stratos, pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria jumps out of the capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos. In a giant leap from more than 24 miles up, Baumgartner shattered the sound barrier while making the highest jump ever with a tumbling, death-defying plunge from a balloon to a safe landing in the New Mexico desert. 

In this Oct. 12, 2012 file photo, spectators gather to watch the space shuttle Endeavour make its way down Manchester Blvd. in Los Angeles. Endeavour's 12-mile road trip kicked off as it moved from its Los Angeles International Airport hangar en route to the California Science Center, its ultimate destination. 

In this Oct. 30, 2012 file photo, a parking lot full of yellow cabs is flooded as a result of superstorm Sandy in Hoboken, NJ.

In this Nov. 11, 2012 file photo, a young man and a woman enjoy swimming in flooded St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy. High tides flooded Venice, leading Venetians and tourists to don high boots and use wooden walkways to cross St. Mark's Square and other areas under water.

In this Nov. 22, 2012 file photo, people stand near a house sitting in the middle of a new main road on the outskirts of Wenling city in east China's Zhejiang province. Authorities have demolished the five-story home that stood incongruously in the middle of a new main road and had become the latest symbol of resistance by Chinese homeowners against officials accused of offering unfair compensation.

In this Nov. 17, 2012 file photo, smoke rises during an explosion from an Israeli forces strike in Gaza City. Israel bombarded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip with nearly 200 airstrikes widening a blistering assault on Gaza rocket operations by militants to include the prime minister's headquarters, a police compound and a vast network of smuggling tunnels. 

 In this Nov. 29, 2012 file photo, members of the Palestinian delegation react as they surround Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, center, applauding, during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly after a vote on a resolution on the issue of upgrading the Palestinian Authority's status to non-member observer state passed in the United Nations in New York.

Front row from left, Britain's Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of Defence Philip Hammond, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander, Foreign Minister William Hague, Prime Minister David Cameron, Queen Elizabeth II, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, Home Secretary Theresa May, Secretary of State for Business Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Justice Chris Grayling and other members of the Cabinet pose for a group photograph in The Pillared Room, at 10 Downing Street in London, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. Queen Elizabeth II sat in on a Cabinet meeting for the first time on Tuesday, taking a seat between British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague to observe the weekly discussion of government business.

Indian army soldiers perform Mallakhamb, a traditional Indian gymnastics on a vertical wooden pole during a rehearsal for Victory Day celebrations in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012. The Indian Army celebrates Victory Day on December 16, to commemorate its military victory over Pakistan in 1971.

 Indian army soldiers in ceremonial dress pay gun salute at the martyrs’ column during Victory Day celebrations in Kolkata, India, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. The Indian Army celebrates Victory Day on December 16, to commemorate its victory over Pakistan in 1971, which gave birth of a new nation Bangladesh. 

A member of Indian army on a motorcycle jumps through a fire ring as he performs during a rehearsal for “Vijay Diwas” or Victory Day celebrations in Mumbai, India, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012. The Indian Army celebrates Victory Day on December 16, to commemorate its military victory over Pakistan in 1971.

New recruits of the Jammu and Kashmir police participate in a parade in Sheeri, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Srinagar, India, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012. About 900 police officers have completed a nine-month training session in handling non-lethal weapons for controlling street protests in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said Wednesday. 

In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 photo, Syrian rebels attend a training session in Maaret Ikhwan, near Idlib, Syria. The training is part of an attempt to transform the rag-tag rebel groups into a disciplined fighting force. 
   

                                                               COURTSEY:"The Huffington Post UK"