SWEDEN Serbian President Boris Tadic (left) hands Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt his country's application to join the European Union (EU) in Stockholm on December 22. Sweden is the current holder of the EU presidency (XINHUA/AFP)

MEXICO Members of Mexico City's gay community celebrate the approval of homosexual marriage in the Mexican capital on December 21 (XINHUA/AFP)

THE CZECH REPUBLIC A northern white rhino steps off a transport box in a zoo in Dvur Kralove on December 16. The zoo is transferring four of these rare animals to a wildlife preserve in Kenya in a last-ditch attempt to ensure the survival of the endangered species (XINHUA/AFP)

THE UNITED STATES A skier approaches Capitol Hill under heavy snowfall on December 19 in Washington, D.C. A major snowstorm blanketed much of the eastern United States before Christmas (XINHUA/AFP)

INDIA A visitor examines a traditional Chinese painting at an exhibition in New Delhi on December 23 (WANG YE)

BRAZIL The world's biggest floating Christmas tree, measuring 85 meters in height and 520 tons in weight, is lit in the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon in Rio de Janeiro on December 23 (SONG WEIYONG)