The World

6 | California INTO THE INFERNO Wildfires burned at least 42,000 acres (17,000 hectares) of land in Southern California before gentler winds allowed firefighters to gain control of the blazes. A total of 800 homes were destroyed in the counties surrounding Los Angeles, and thousands of residents were forced to evacuate. This year the drought-plagued region has faced an almost relentless fire season, with 9,603 fires so far, up from 5,961 in 2007. Just over a year ago, the state endured a rash of immense wildfires that destroyed 2,000 homes and displaced 640,000 people.

7 | Washington G-20 Gluttony Delegates at the summit on the world financial crisis are drawing fire for their luxurious banquet, which included quail, lamb and bottles of 2003 Shafer Cabernet Hillside Select that can cost up to $499.

8 | Somalia Pirates Aim Higher With their capture of a colossal Saudi oil tanker on Nov. 15, Somali pirates seized their largest vessel yet amid a torrent of other hijackings in the Gulf of Aden, where there have been at least eight attacks in just the past two weeks. Pirates currently hold an estimated 17 vessels and some 300 crew for ransom. Some shipping firms are resorting to the long, costly route around Africa to avoid the gulf's dangerous waters.

Boeing 747 231 ft. Cargo ship, captured Sept. 25, 2008 529 ft. Oil tanker, captured Nov. 15, 2008 1,090 ft.

(SOURCES: BOEING; VESSELTRACKER.COM)

9 | India After the Dalai Lama Tibetan leaders assembled in Dharamsala to recalibrate their strategy for gaining autonomy from China after the Dalai Lama recently vented his frustration with Beijing and suggested he had "given up" the fight for independence. The spiritual leader has been absent from the discussions, which experts took as a sign that he did not want to influence the movement's direction.

10 | Germany Lagging on Kyoto Goals A U.N. report has given industrialized nations mixed reviews on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. While overall emissions have dropped 5% below 1990 levels, they have grown 2.3% since 2000. Authors attribute much of the upswing to the recovery of post-Soviet economies in Eastern and central Europe. Among the nations studied, 19 are falling behind on their emissions goals for 2012 under the Kyoto Protocol. The findings were released ahead of next month's climate conference in Poznan, Poland.

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