Japan's economy has been struggling for two decades and faces some of the same problems the U.S. has. Here, a man in Tokyo passes an electronic board displaying falling global markets. Yuriko Nakao/Reuters/Landov hide caption

A person's DNA can say a lot about a person, but not why someone has committed a horrific crime like mass murder. iStockphoto.com hide caption

After a 1996 mass killing, Australia tightened its gun laws. Here, graffiti covers the wall of the hospital holding the suspect of the massacre that left 35 people dead. Rick Rycroft /AP hide caption

Jennie and Kristian Aspelin pose in a pumpkin patch with their children two weeks before three-month-old Johan died. Courtesy of the Aspelin family hide caption

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, joined by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., speaks to reporters about the "fiscal cliff" negotiations at the Capitol on Friday. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

U.S. Sen. John Kerry (left), who was nominated Friday to be secretary of state, is shown shaking hands with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani during a trip to Pakistan last year. Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Each FEMA-registered family with kids can pick out toys at the volunteer-run Staten Island store. Margot Adler/NPR hide caption

Tom Hooper won an Academy Award for best director for The King's Speech last year. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images hide caption

Mike Score, president of Hantz Farms, shows off a small-scare version of what Hantz Woodlands will look like. Sarah Hulett for NPR hide caption

Dixon has gathered her Nativity collection from many sources around the world. She says this set is made of banana fronds and was given to her by a friend who was a missionary in Nigeria. Jeff Brady/NPR hide caption

A child's message rests with a memorial for shooting victims on Sunday in Newtown, Conn. Jason DeCrow/AP hide caption