JAPAN ECONOMY
The sun is seen through clouds over a container terminal at a port in Tokyo, Japan, 12 November 2012. According to data released by the Cabinet Office, Japan's economy contracted at an annualized 3.5 percent in the July-September period, its steepest rate since the aftermath of the March 2011 disaster, following weak exports and sluggish consumption.
BANGLADESH DAILY LIFE
Plenty of room on top.....Students crowd onto the roof of a train as they travel to a university to attend an admission test in Chittagong, Bangladesh 12 November 2012.
local alcoholic brew
Sri Lankan toddy tapper Lal Perera, a rare survivour of a fall from a high coconut tree, cycles after work at a coconut grove in the southern town of Wadduwa, south of Colombo on July 22, 2012.Toddy tappers could be Sri Lanka's first "on-line" workers maintaining an ancient tradition of tight rope walking, but the entire trade is now on the line and facing extinction. There is no technology to make it safer for tappers who must climb over 50-foot-high coconut palms to collect fermented sap, or toddy, from flowers to make a local alcoholic brew, coconut syrup and exotic palm sugar.
HAITI-DISASTER-FLOOD
Haitians walk on the street which destroyed in recent flood in Vertieres, suburb of Cap-Haitian (274 Km from Port-au-Prince) November 11, 2012. Flood waters inundated impoverished areas of Cap Haitien, Haiti's second largest city, killing as many as 16 people, including three children, city officials said November 9, 2012.
Mammut's Biggest Peak Project in History
Stephan Siegrist climbs Cerro Stanhardt in Patagonia, southern Argentina, in August, 2012. This climb took place as part of Mammut's "Biggest Peak Project in History" to celebrate the company's 150th anniversary as an alpine equipment provider.
Myanmar Earthquake
People take refuge at a temporary shelter following Sunday's strong earthquake in Kyaukmyaung township in Shwebo, Sagaing Division, northwest of Mandalay, Myanmar, Monday, Nov. 12, 2012. The earthquake collapsed a bridge and damaged ancient Buddhist pagodas in northern Myanmar, and piecemeal reports from the underdeveloped mining region said mines collapsed and as many as 12 people were feared dead
dia Hindu Festival
An Indian man dressed as a monkey god Hanuman participates in a religious procession ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of light, in Allahabad, India, Monday, Nov. 12, 2012. Diwali, or Deepavali, the annual Hindu Festival of Light, will be celebrated on Nov. 13.
Indonesia Tobacco Protest
People on motorbikes watch pro-smoking activists staging a protest performance against a bill on stricter tobacco control in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Nov. 12, 2012. A survey released in September found that Indonesian men rank as the world's top smokers, with 67 percent of all males over 15 years old smoke in the country, one of seven top tobacco producers
ENVIRONMENT-PAGEANT
Miss Earth contestants walk with street children to a waiting bus during a visit to a government-run shelter for street children in Manila on November 12, 2012. Around 91 contestants from around the globe will be vying for this year's crown, which will be held on November 24, in the country's capital city, with a theme in line with that of United Nations' (UN) celebration of the International Year of Sustainable Energy for all
the Miss Earth beauty pageant
Contestants pose for photographers during a press presentation of the Miss Earth beauty pageant at a hotel in Manila on November 6, 2012. Around 91 contestants from around the globe will be vying for this year's crown, which will be held on November 24, in the country's capital city, with a theme in line with that of United Nations' (UN) celebration of the International Year of Sustainable Energy for all
ENVIRONMENT-PAGEANT
Miss Earth contestants (L-R) Amryl Nurse of Ttinidad & Tobago, Martina Gresova of Slovak Republic, Battsetseg Turbat of Mongolia, Teresa Fajksova of Czech Republic, Lorraine Ditsebe of Botswana, and Zerina Sirbegovic of Bosnia & Herzegovina, pose for photos during a visit to a shelter for street children in Manila on November 12, 2012.
PHILIPPINES-ENTERTAINMENT-ENVIRONMENT-PAGEANT
Miss Earth contestants (L-R) Chelsy Liven of Indonesia, Battsetseg Turbat of Mongolia, Tamerin Michele Jardine of South Africa, Jenna Seymour of Australia, Lea Sara Witter of Switzerland, Cindy Khon-Cybulkiewicz of Colombia, Phoebe Tan of Singapore, and Caila Goncalves of Brazil along with street children plant a tree during a tree planting activity at a government-run shelter for street children in Manila on November 12, 2012. Around 91 contestants from around the globe will be vying for this year's crown, which will be held on November 24, in the country's capital city, with a theme in line with that of United Nations' (UN) celebration of the International Year of Sustainable Energy for al