2007 was a year of international drama, tabloid scandals and jaw-dropping public-relations blunders; of underreported turmoil and overreported political gaffes. The world watched as tumult engulfed Pakistan after its embattled president imposed emergency rule, while it turned away from the atrocities in Somalia as it — like neighbor Sudan — descended into chaos. The drama of the Don Imus firing made headlines, while former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani made ill-advised political hay over his role on 9/11. And then there was the woman who had a pencil stuck up her nose for 50 years. The powerful, the profound, the painful and the peculiar: These are the most noteworthy news events of the year.