Pictures of the Month: January

Israeli soldiers mourn during the funeral of their comrade Alex Mashavisky at a cemetery in Beersheba January 7, 2009. Mashavisky was killed during Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

A Kashmiri villager cries after her house was damaged during a gun battle in Sopore, 48 km (30 miles) north of Srinagar, January 28, 2009. A senior member of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group was killed in a fierce gun battle with Indian soldiers in Kashmir, police said. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier appears at the end of his Spring-Summer Haute Couture 2009 fashion show in Paris January 28, 2009. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen

People attend the 'We Are One' Opening from the Washington Monument as they watch the Opening Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC January 18, 2009. REUTERS/Mark Blinch

Belarus' Maxim Bulash jumps during a ski freestyle FIS Europe cup competition in Raubichi, near Minsk, January 29, 2009. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

Actress Meryl Streep reacts to winning the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for "Doubt" at the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles January 25, 2009. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

Former U.S. President George W. Bush embraces President Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, after Obama's inaugural address at the inauguration ceremony in Washington, January 20, 2009. REUTERS/Jason Reed

Sabbah Abu Halima, who is suffering from very deep burns on her arm and leg, lies on a bed at Shifa hospital in Gaza January 22, 2009. The doctors treating Abu Halima at Gaza's Shifa hospital said the burns were caused by white phosphorus incendiary shells used by the Israeli army. Shifa doctors said they received about 10 cases of severe phosphorus burns during Israel's three-week assault on the Islamist Hamas stronghold in the Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Jerry Lampen

Parents react as they leave a building where families received assistance near the scene of a knife attack at a creche in Dendermonde January 23, 2009. An assailant killed two children and an adult in the knife attack in western Belgium, authorities said. Ambulance services said at least 10 others had been injured. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois waves to the media after he addressed questions about charges brought against him of conspiracy and bribery, including allegations he was seeking to benefit financially from his appointment of a successor to the U.S. Senate seat that was vacated by President-elect Barack Obama during a news conference in Chicago, December 19, 2008. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes

Paramilitary police recruits stand still as they balance hats on their heads during a training session at a military base in Wuhan, Hubei province, January 14, 2009. REUTERS/Stringer

A headstone with a portrait of local resident in traditional dress is seen at a cemetery in the Carpathian settlement of Ilintsy, some 700 km (435 miles) west of Kiev, January 7, 2009. REUTERS/Denis Sinyakov

Afghan army soldiers fire a mortar to calibrate it at Combat Outpost Keating in eastern Afghanistan January 19, 2009. REUTERS/Bob Strong

A Chinese honor guard stands during a fireworks display celebrating the Chinese New Year in New York's Chinatown district January 26, 2009. Chinese around the world celebrated the Lunar New Year of the Ox. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Israeli police stand guard as a Palestinian worshipper prays on the street in Arab East Jerusalem January 23, 2009. Israel had informed Muslim worshippers that access to the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, and to Jews as Temple Mount, would be limited due to security concerns. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

An Israeli woman and her two children take cover during a rocket attack near Kfar Aza, just outside the northern Gaza Strip January 7, 2009. The woman came to meet her husband, an Israeli army officer currently serving on the Gaza border. Rockets exploded as they were waiting for him. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Passengers stand on the wings of a U.S. Airways plane as a ferry pulls up to it after it landed in the Hudson River in New York, January 15, 2009. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Swimmers prepare to participate in the opening ceremony of the UK Cold Water Swimming Championships at Tooting Bec Lido in London January 24, 2009. REUTERS/Kieran Doherty

President Barack Obama takes the Oath of Office as the 44th U.S. President with his wife Michelle, daughters Malia (2nd R) and Sasha (R) by his side at the U.S. Capitol in Washington January 20, 2009. Obama became the first African-American president in U.S. history. REUTERS/Chuck Kennedy/Pool

Performers dressed in traditional costumes and wearing stilts rest after their show as a crowd watch another performance at the Summer Palace temple fair celebrating Chinese new year in Beijing January 29, 2009. Hundreds of millions of Chinese welcomed the Year of the Ox, and have packed temple fairs and set off fireworks and firecrackers for the week-long traditional holiday. REUTERS/David Gray

U.S. actor Mickey Rourke arrives for the UK premiere of his film "The Wrestler, at Leicester Square in London January 5, 2009. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

Indigenous people march during the first day of the 2009 World Social Forum near the mouth of the Amazon River in the city of Belem January 27, 2009. REUTERS/Paulo Santos

Protesters hold a large Palestinian flag in front of the Colosseum during a protest against Israel's attacks on Gaza, in Rome January 17, 2009. REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico

A flare fired by Israeli forces is seen over the northern Gaza Strip January 16, 2009. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

A man holds a Soviet flag as he swims in an ice-covered pond during an event marking the 65th anniversary of the end of the 900-Day Siege of Leningrad by Nazi-Germany during World War II, in St.Petersburg January 25, 2009. REUTERS/Alexander Demianchuk

A vendor walks past souvenirs of Barack Obama at the Barack Obama Nyang'oma Kogelo Primary School, 430km (267 miles) west of Kenya's capital Nairobi, January 19, 2009, during cultural celebrations in honor of Obama. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

Then president George W. Bush (C) meets with former President George H.W. Bush (L), then President-elect Barack Obama (2nd L), former President Bill Clinton (2nd R) and former President Jimmy Carter (R) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington January 7, 2009. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

A member of the White House staff walks off with a portrait of outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington January 13, 2009. REUTERS/Jason Reed

Scaffolders, who were given the day off because of high temperatures, jumps off Beach Pier in Melbourne January 29, 2009. Temperatures are expected to reach 43 degrees centigrade today in Melbourne, according to local media. REUTERS/Mick Tsikas (AUSTRALIA)

A Palestinian woman holding an empty gas canister rests while waiting at a filling station in the northern Gaza Strip January 25, 2009. REUTERS/Jerry Lampen (GAZA)

Human weights pose for photographers as they stand in a line in order of their weight at a Gymbox gym in London January 21, 2009. A British gym is trying to add human interest to otherwise dreary workouts by replacing traditional dumbbell weights with human ones.The Gymbox chain gym in central London says fitness enthusiasts can now swap their usual lumps of metal for human beings in a range of shapes and sizes. REUTERS/Stephen Hird (BRITAIN)

In this photo, reviewed by the U.S. Military, a sign marks a closed-off area, at Camp Justice, the location of the U.S. Military Commissions court for war crimes, at the U.S. Naval Base, in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, January 19, 2009. REUTERS/Brennan Linsley/Pool

Suspected robbers lie on the ground after being arrested near a bus station in Foshan, Guangdong province January 13, 2009. Local police stormed and arrested 18 suspects, local media reported. REUTERS/China Daily

An unidentified skier soars through the air during the World Cup Nordic Combined ski jumping competition in Predazzo, Val di Fiemme January 10, 2009. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

A member of the Palestinian security forces (R) kicks a Palestinian stone-thrower, protesting Israel's offensive in Gaza, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem January 8, 2009. REUTERS/Eliana Aponte

Pro-Israel demonstrators take part in a demonstration called by the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg January 14, 2009. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

Iranian men covered in mud take part in the Ashura religious festival in Khorramabad, 491 km (307 miles) southwest of Tehran, January 7, 2009. Muslims all over the world mourn the slaying of Imam Hussein, a grandson of Prophet Mohammed, during the first ten days of the Islamic month of Moharram. Imam Hussein was killed by his political rivals along with 72 companions in Iraq some 1,300 years ago. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl

An Israeli mourner attends the funeral for soldier Dagan Vertman at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem January 6, 2009. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

Israeli soldiers carry equipment just outside the northern Gaza Strip January 6, 2009. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Men ride their horses on Epiphany Day, before the annual race organized by Orthodox believers in the Romanian village of Pietrosani, 45km (30 miles) north of Bucharest, January 6, 2009. Epiphany Day falls on January 6 every year and it celebrates the end of the Christmas season festivities in Romania. REUTERS/Mihai Barbu

Palestinian children wounded by an Israeli tank shell rush into Shifa hospital in Gaza January 5, 2009. An Israeli tank shell killed three Palestinian children in their home in eastern Gaza City, medical officials said. They said several other Palestinians were wounded in the incident in Gaza's Zeitoun neighbourhood. An Israeli military spokeswoman said she was checking the report. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

A police officer walks through a sea of shoes after demonstrators threw shoes near the residence of Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Downing Street, during a protest against the Israeli attacks on Gaza at Trafalgar Square in London January 3, 2009. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

Kang Ki-jeong (L) and Choi Jae-seong, lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party, sleep on a sofa which is used as a barricade to block a doorway of the National Assembly plenary session hall in Seoul January 4, 2009. The green sign reads, "Never happen! Wiretapping of mobile phones!" REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak

Japanese monkeys gather to soak in a hot spring at a snow-covered valley in Yamanouchi town, central Japan January 2, 2009. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

The USC Trojans head coach Pete Carroll reacts as water is poured on him during his team's 38-24 victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 95th Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, California January 1, 2009. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok

Switzerland's Roger Federer (R) cries as Spain's Rafael Nadal makes his speech after Nadal won their men's singles final match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne February 1, 2009. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne (AUSTRALIA)

Serena Williams of the U.S. hugs her trophy after winning her women's singles final match against Russia's Dinara Safina at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 31, 2009. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne (AUSTRALIA)

A young girl jumps rope on the sidewalk next to her family's belongings after she, her parents, and her four brothers and sisters, received a court order of eviction that was carried out by McLennan County Deputy Constables in Waco, Texas, December 31, 2008. REUTERS/Larry Downing

Actress Kate Winslet holds her awards for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for "Revolutionary Road" and Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for "The Reader'' at the 66th annual Golden Globe awards in Beverly Hills, California January 11, 2009. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez waits for Argentine President Cristina Fernandez at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas January 22, 2009. Fernandez is on an official visit to Venezuela. REUTERS/Alejandro Rustom

Barack Obama takes the Oath of Office as the 44th President of the United States as he is sworn in by U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts with his wife Michelle by his side during the inauguration ceremony in Washington, January 20, 2009. Obama became the first African-American president in U.S. history. REUTERS/Jim Young

Pope Benedict XVI looks at a lion cub held by a performer of the Medrano Circus during his weekly general audience at the Vatican January 28, 2009. REUTERS/Osservatore Romano

A group of Italian youths pose for a picture as they attend a ceremony marking the 64th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz camp by Soviet troops and to remember the victims of the Holocaust, in Auschwitz Birkenau January 27, 2009. REUTERS/Peter Andrews

A suspected cholera patient is pushed on a wheelbarrow to Mabvuku Polyclinic in Harare, January 26, 2009. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo

A passenger carries his belongings at a railway station in Kunming, Yunnan province January 12, 2009. REUTERS/Stringer

A government soldier carries her infant on her back at Mushake in eastern Congo, January 26, 2009. Congolese Hutu rebels said they had clashed for the first time with a Rwandan-Congolese force deployed to crush them and civilians expressed fears they would be caught up in the violence. REUTERS/Alissa Everett

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama dance at the Home States Ball in Washington January 20, 2009. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Spectators watch a fireworks display amidst the rain during a New Year's eve countdown in Fort Bonifacio, Metro Manila January 1, 2009. REUTERS/John Javellana