In Brief

Deadline For Zimbabwe Exiles In South Africa
Exiled Zimbabweans queue at Home Affairs offices in Johannesburg, Friday, 31 December 2010 to legalise their stay in South Africa.

Zimbabweans living illegally in the country had until that date to apply for legal residency and to submit fraudulently acquired South African documents to authorities.Egyptian Christians Clash With PoliceRiot police try to put out a fire during clashes with Egyptian Christians in front of al-Abasseya Cathedral in Cairo late night January 2, 2011. Angry Coptic Christians clashed with police on Sunday as they demanded more protection for Egypt’s Christians following a New Year’s Day church bombing that killed 21 of their brethren.Seoul Open To Talks With North KoreaSouth Korean army trainees participate in military training at a recruit training centre in Nonsan, 155 km south of Seoul, on January 3, 2011. South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak on January 3, reached out to North Korea, saying Seoul was open to talks and offering closer economic ties despite high tensions on the peninsula.Afghan Checkpoint Attack By TalibanAfghan police men stand around the lifeless body of a Taliban militant, who was killed during a clash with Afghan police in Laghman east of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. A group of Taliban militants attacked a police check post stationed on the Laghman to Nangarhar highway on Sunday night, and one of the militants was killed in the attack, Afghan officials said.
Big Ben Lights UpFIREWORKS saw in the New Year in various parts of the world. Here the dramatic display behind the Big Ben clock tower during 2011 celebrations in London January 1, 2011.Greenpeace Eyes On CO2 In HungaryGreenpeace activists with eyeball-shaped helmets line up outside the Hungarian Foreign Ministry in Budapest on January 3. The activists said Hungary, which took over the rotating presidency of the European Union on January 1, should tackle issues such as CO2 emissions, genetically modified crops, pollution and renewable energy.Sudan Vote AheadA picture released by the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) on January 3, 2011 shows dust billowing upon the departure of a UN helicopter that airlifted voting materials to the inaccessible area of Tali in the Central Equatorial State on January 2, 2011 just a week before balloting begins in Southern Sudan’s long-awaited referendum on independence.