Monastic dormitories stand on the hillside at the Serthar Wuming Buddhist Study Institute on November 4, 2006 in Serthar County of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. The Wuming Buddhist Study Institute is located in Larung Gar Monastery on an altitude of 3,700 meters (about 12,136 feet). The institute has the largest conglomeration of monks and nuns in Tibetan Areas, with over 40,000 monastics from the Tibet Buddhism Nyingma School, Gelug School, Sakya School and Kagyu School, including more than 10,000 nuns. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

Scaffolding holding a remnant of the Soviet Union, the hammer and sickle, is seen on a rooftop of an abandoned building in the town of Pripyat on January 25, 2006 near Chernobyl, Ukraine. The town of Pripyat, deserted since the 1986 catastrophe, once housed 30,000 people, the majority of being workers from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Days after the catastrophe the inhabitants were relocated to other locations in the Soviet Union. The town of Pripyat has remained uninhabited since. Prypyat and the surrounding area will not be safe for human habitation for several centuries. Scientists estimate that the most dangerous radioactive elements will take up to 900 years to decay sufficiently to render the area safe.

Mah Chan, a Long Neck Padaung hill tribe woman weaves a scraf for sale to tourists in a small village where 30 familes live July 13, 2006 in Chiang Dao, Thailand. All the Long Neck villages are set up for tourists and just over a year ago the hill tribe members were hand picked to move closer to Chiang Mai from more remote communities so that they could be more accessible. The Padaung women famously wear brass rings around their necks, beginning at five-years-old, to distort the growth of their collarbones and making them look like they have long necks. They are originally from eastern Burma near the Thailand border. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

South Korean bee farmer Ahn Sang-Kyu protests Japan's claim of sovereignty over disputed islets May 2, 2006 in Seoul, South Korea. Ahn, a local bee farmer, released over 140,000 bees and attracted them to his body to protest Japan's sovereignty claims over a tiny group of islands located off the east coast of South Korea, called the Dokdo islets by the Koreans and Takeshima by the Japanese. The volcanic islets located about 90 kilometres east of South Korea's Ullung Island, have been a source of diplomatic friction between South Korea and Japan for years. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Dai Shuqing's husband sits among adopted stray dogs at an animal shelter on December 15, 2006 in the outskirts of Xian of Shaanxi Province, China. The animal shelter, established by animal lover Dai Shuqing, is located at an abandoned warehouse which houses some 100 dogs and costs over 2,000 yuan (about US $255) per month. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

These are the stunning panoramic shots of some of the worlds most beautiful locations. Company AirPano travel the world photographing its wonders from above. Their shots include famous cities – such as New York, Paris and Barcelona – as well as natural marvels, like volcanoes and waterfalls. The team, which consists of 12 members – nine photographers and three tech specialists – began looking into this style of photography in 2006. Project coordinator Sergey Semenov revealed after initially working with spherical panoramas on land, the group decided to take to the skies. They made a list of the 100 Best Places on the Planet, which they hoped to photograph over the coming years. Here: Dubai. (Photo by Airpano/Caters News)

“Maria Rosaria (Mara) Carfagna (born December 18, 1975 in Salerno) is an Italian politician and former showgirl and topless model. After obtaining a degree in law, Carfagna worked for several years on Italian television shows and as a model. She later entered politics and was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Forza Italia party in 2006. On May 8, 2008, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi appointed her Minister for Equal Opportunity, a move that received international attention due to her background and her appearance. Carfagna has been called «The most beautiful minister in the world», and was ranked number one on Maxim's «World´s Hottest Politicians»”.

Photo: Minister Mara Carfagna attends a press conference for the Pink Box Project held at Palazzo Marino on November 24, 2008 in Milan, Italy. The Pink Box is a tracking device, designed to help women drivers in danger. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images). MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 24 2008

Lu Wei-ming (L), priest of the Wei-ming temple, and a worshipper burn a Taoist paper amulet during a prayer ritual at the temple in New Taipei city January 8, 2015. The shrine, down a narrow alleyway in a bustling district of the city, is dedicated to a deity who has watched over homosexuals for four centuries. Priest Lu founded the temple in 2006, at a time gays were excluded from most religious ceremonies. (Photo by Pichi Chuang/Reuters)