Dec. 25, 2012. A volunteer firefighter places a star on top of a Christmas tree in the Hurricane-Sandy-damaged neighborhood of Breezy Point, Queens, in New York City.
Dec. 27, 2012. A cup of coffee with the words “come together” written on it in a Washington, DC, Starbucks. CEO Howard Schultz says the words are intended as a message to lawmakers about the damage being caused by the divisive negotiations over the “fiscal cliff.”
Dec. 28. 2012. Dressed in military costumes, Spaniards celebrate the festival of “Els Enfarinats” in Ibi in the province of Alicante, by fighting with eggs and flour. The mock battle has been held annually for 200 years as part of the Day of Innocents.
Dec. 28, 2012. A Palestinian protester uses his slingshot to throw back a tear-gas canister fired by an Israeli soldier during clashes in the West Bank village of Nabi Salah.
Dec. 28, 2012. Participants in the 29th annual Chaos Communication Congress, or 29C3, in Hamburg. The “hacker conference” discusses the role of technology in society and its future.
Dec. 28, 2012. An internet bar in Beijing the day China adopted a regulation requiring the nation’s 500 million internet users to register their real names—the latest move from the ruling Communist Party to control online activity.
Dec. 27, 2012. A man works on installing one of the panels of new Waterford crystal on the giant ball that marks the new year over Times Square in New York City.
Dec. 26, 2012. Hamadryas baboons eating at the Safaripark Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek, the Netherlands. During the Christmas season the animals received an extra meal.
Dec. 28, 2012. A container ship makes its way into Newark Bay in Bayonne, New Jersey. A temporary deal between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance was reached to avert a strike at East Coast ports.
Dec. 27, 2012. US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell returns to Capitol Hill on Thursday to deal with the looming “fiscal cliff.”