Friday: The day in photos

A woman pleads for aid after losing her belongings in a fire in Dhaka, Bangladesh. No one was injured in the fire, which was believed to have been caused by a short circuit.  (Abir Abdullah / EPA)

The French navy helicopter carrier Jean de Vienne passes through the Suez Canal in Egypt on its way to Somalia to take part in the European Union‘s anti-piracy operation. The operation will begin Dec. 8, when warships will begin patrolling the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden. The piracy threat has prompted many ships to use longer but safer routes to avoid the Suez Canal and the Somali coast.  (AFP / Getty Images)

Iraqis pray in Firdoos Square in central Baghdad during a protest of a security agreement to allow U.S. troops to remain in the country until 2011. Many of the protesters were Shiite Muslim followers of anti-American cleric Muqtada Sadr.  (Ali Yussef / AFP/Getty Images)

Palestinian protesters demonstrating against the return of Jewish settlers to Homesh in the northern West Bank disperse amid tear gas fired by Israeli forces. The Israeli government removed settlers from Homesh in 2005 but they have begun to reestablish homes there.  (Jaafar Ashtiyeh / AFP/Getty Images)

The Citibank offices on Park Avenue in New York were a focus of concern as the financial giant was searching for ways to rebuild investor confidence. Among the options being considered was sale of all or parts of the company.  (Jin Lee / Associated Press)

A newborn rests in a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, where the maternal mortality rate is among the highest in the world because of generally poor health conditions and malnutrition.  (S. Sabawoon / EPA)

A scuba Santa brings adds a pre-Christmas touch to a feeding session for moray eels and rays at Sunshine International Aquarium in Tokyo.  (Junji Kurokawa / Associated Press)

President Bush‘s helicopter perpares to land on the South Lawn of the White House to take him to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. From there he flew to Lima, Peru, to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.  (Ron Edmonds / Associated Press)