Sendy Allen of the United States, listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's tallest woman, arrives at a Taipei hotel to meet reporters at the start of three-week tour of Taiwan. Allen, 41, who stands 231.7 cm (seven feet, 7-1/4 inches) tall and weighs 182 kg (401 pounds), plans to visit with pupils at the world's biggest elementary school in Taipei and with Taiwan school children and hopes to meet President Lee Teng-hui. 

Workers Party candidate Tang Liang Hong waves to the crowd following him through a section of town December 31. Tang, who was labelled an anti-Christian and a Chinese chauvinist by Lee Kuan Yew during a People's Action Party (PAP) rally, drew an estimated 5,000 people to his rally on Tuesday. 

EDITORIAL USE ONLY - NO COMMERCIAL OR BOOK SALES. A young masked girl sits on her father's shoulders as Belgraders with their children queue up for New Year presents during a party organised by the opposition Zajedno (Together) coalition in Belgrade center December 31. European Union diplomats said on Tuesday the Serbian government was ready to accept the recommendations of an OSCE report calling for President Slobodan-Milosevic to recognise local election results. 

Spanish Queen Sofia receives a kiss from a girl as King Juan Carlos (R) and Crown Prince Felipe look on at Baqueira Beret on December 31. The Spanish Royal family spent their Christmas holidays in this ski resort. 

Spanish King Juan Carlos takes to his skis at the resort of Baqueira Beret on December 31. The Spanish Royal family spent their Christmas holidays in this ski resort. 

Spanish King Juan Carlos (C) skis surrounded by tourists at the resort of Baqueira Beret on December 31. Spanish Royal family spent their Christmas holidays in this ski resort. 

Spanish Royal family (L-R) Jaime de Marichalar, Crown Price Felipe, Infanta Helena, Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos chat with each other as they pose for photographers at Baqueira Beret on December 31. The Spanish Royal family spent their Christmas holidays in this ski resort . 

Jewish settlers pray early December 31 in an Arab home in the "Casbah" in a bid to expand their presence in Hebron before the imminent Israeli troop redeployment. Six Jewish settlers here complied with Israeli soldiers who asked that they leave this building and were then detained for questioning by the police. Earlier soldiers and police detained another group of some 12 Jewish settlers as they tried to occupy other homes. The Jewish settlers oppose the imminent deal between Israel and the PLO which would give Palestinians self-rule in about 80 percent of Hebron. 

Jewish settlers pray early December 31 in an Arab home in the "Casbah" in a bid to expand their presence in Hebron before the imminent Israeli troop redeployment. Six Jewish settlers here complied with Israeli soldiers who asked that they leave this building and were then detained for questioning by the police. Earlier soldiers and police detained another group of some 12 Jewish settlers as they tried to occupy other homes. The Jewish settlers oppose the imminent deal between Israel and the PLO which would give Palestinians self-rule in about 80 percent of Hebron. 

Brothers of the religious Taiz? community hold evening prayers for the 70,000 participants at the European meeting of young adults held in Stuttgart, December 30. Young people from across Europe attended the nineteenth meeting of the Taiz? community, which began on December 28 and ends on January 1st. 

Brothers of the religious Taiz? community hold evening prayers for the 70,000 participants at the European meeting of young adults held in Stuttgart, December 30. Young people from across Europe attended the nineteenth meeting of the Taiz? community, which began on December 28 and ends on January 1st. 

Founder of the Taiz? community Brother Roger sits amidst children at an evening prayer service at the European meeting of young adults held in Stuttgart, December 30. The Taize community is made up of brothers from Catholic and various Protestant backgrounds from over 25 countries and works for reconciliation and peace. 

Commander Cerpa Cartolini (C) of the revolutionary Tupac Amaru talks to international reporters inside the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, December 31. Rebels allowed a group of about 20 journalists inside the house to observe conditions and to see the remaining 83 hoistages who have been held since December 17. 

Tupac Amaru rebels lead hostage Peruvian Foreign Minister Francisco Tudela inside the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, December 31. Rebels allowed a group of about 20 journalists inside the house to observe conditions and to see the remaining 83 hostages, who have been held since December 17. Rebel commander Nestor Cerpa Cartolini is at left. 

Tupac Amaru rebels hold hostages (L-R) Peruvian Foreign Minister Francisco Tudela, Congressman Gilberto Siura Cespedes, Japanese Ambassador Morihisha Aoki and Masami Kobayashi, head of Mitsui Peru, inside the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, December 31. Rebels allowed a group of about 20 journalists inside the house to observe conditions and to see the remaining 83 hostages, who have been held since December 17. Rebel commander Nestor Cerpa Cartolini to the right of Kobayashi. 

Commander Cerpa Cartolini (L) of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) talks to international reporters inside the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, December 31. Rebels allowed a group of about 20 journalists inside the house to observe conditions and to see the remaining 83 hostages who have been held since December 17. 

Two rebels stand guard inside the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima after a group of about 20 journalists were allowed to enter, December 31. Tupac Amaru rebels seized the compound December 17 and continue to hold 83 hostages. 

A Tupac Amaru rebel stands in front of the barricaded front door of the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, December 31. Rebels are using furniture and boxes to block entry. They seized the compound December 17 and continue to hold 83 hostages. 

Japanese Ambassador Morihisha Aoki stands inside the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, December 31. Rebels allowed a group of about 20 journalists inside the house to observe conditions and to see the remaining 83 hostages who have been held since December 17. Aoki, the host of the ill-fated cocktail party apologised on Tuesday for the embassy's involvement in the crisis. 

Honduras Ambassador Eduardo Martell (L) and Argentine Consul General Juan Antonio Ibanez are greeted by the Red Cross after being released from the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, December 31. Tupac Amaru rebels seized the compound December 17 and continue to hold 81 hostages. 

Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) Commander Cerpa Cartolini talks to international reporters inside the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, December 31. Rebels allowed a group of about 20 journalists inside the house to observe conditions and to see the remaining 83 hostages who have been held since December 17. 

Russian Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov stands next to his portrait in his central Moscow apartment. Picture taken 23 DEC 96. 

Russian President Boris Yeltsin sits next to a Christmas tree before recording his TV address to the nation which is to be aired around midnight December 31. 

Traders on the floor of the Paris stock exchange make merry, while still manning the phones, during their annual end of the year party December 31. Activity was extremely thin as many markets closed for New Year's Eve. 

Traders on the floor of the Paris stock exchange make merry, while still manning the phones, during their annual end of the year party December 31. Activity was extremely thin as many markets closed for New Year's Eve. 

Traders on the floor of the Paris stock exchange make merry during their annual end of the year party December 31. Activity was extremely thin as many markets closed for New Year's Eve. 

A homeless couple rests near their belongings in the Champs de Mars at the Eiffel Tower, December 31, as snow starts to cover the parc. Michele-Ange and her friend plan to spend New Year Eve in a nearby empty puppet theatre despite offers of a warmer shelter. The week-long cold wave which grips France has caused 11 deaths, police said. 

People's Armed Police routinely patrol past golden-tiled roofs clad by the first snow of winter in Beijing's Forbidden City December 31. The Forbidden City, for centuries the home of China's emperors, is now a public museum and major tourist attraction. 

The Global Music Network, which is the U.S. licensee for the opera trio known as "The Three Tenors," is suing Domino's Pizza over their 1999 commercial campaign which depicts three singers in formal attire identified as "Meatsa Trio." The three singers were allegedly chosen to resemble (L to R) Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavorotti, shown performing December 31, 1996 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and in the commercial sing in operatic style about the three meats included in the "Meatsa Pizza.

BK/HB 

Guinness Chairman Tony Greener sips from a giant eight pint glass of stout to publicize his company's earnings announcement March 20. Guinness PLC announced earnings per share at 34.8 pence for the year ended December 31, 1996, an increase of 6% on the 32.9p in 1995. Profit before tax was ?975-million ($1.56-billion USD) an increase of 5% over the previous year.

GUINNESS 

FILE PHOTO 31DEC96 - Tupac Amaru rebel Rolly Rojas, known as "The Arab," gestures to journalists inside the besieged Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima during an impromptu press conference December 31, 1996. Rojas, who is guerrilla leader Cerpa Cartolini's second-in-command, will leave the diplomatic compound to a "safe-house" across the street where he will represent the rebels in the negotiations for the release of 72 hostages with government representative Domingo Palermo.

PERU JAPAN 

- FILE PHOTO MAY 1993 - Members of the crack 63rd Paratroops Brigade based in the southern city of Nis take part in a regular exercise in May, 1993. A group of officers, including some from the elite 63rd Paratroop Brigade, warned Serbian President Slobodan-Milosevic at the weekend that they would refuse to fire on demonstrators and could act against the government. 

Belgrade students toss snow at each other during a protest against election rigging in Belgrade center December 30. A threat of dissidence in the Yugoslav army emerged on Monday as a fresh obstacle to efforts by President Slobodan-Milosevic to quell six weeks of street unrest against 50 years of unbroken socialist rule in Serbia. 

EDITORIAL USE ONLY - NO COMMERCIAL OR BOOK SALES. Belgrade students kick snow at each other during a protest against election rigging in Belgrade center December 30. A threat of dissidence in the Yugoslav army emerged on Monday as a fresh obstacle to efforts by President Slobodan-Milosevic to quell six weeks of street unrest against 50 years of unbroken socialist rule in Serbia. 

Opposition leader Vuk Draskovic(L) hugs Dejan Bulatovic, 21-year old worker who was imprisoned for 25 days for carrying effigy of Serbian President Milosevic, during a protest against election rigging in Belgrade center December 30. A threat of dissidence in the Yugoslav army emerged on Monday as a fresh obstacle to efforts by President Slobodan-Milosevic to quell six weeks of street unrest against 50 years of unbroken socialist rule in Serbia. 

Benjamin Gosalkar, a Jew, reads the holy book at a synagogue in Bombay. There are less than 8,000 Jews in India and the first Jewish community is believed to have settled in the country around 70 A.D.Picture taken 28 DEC 96. 

Flora Barukh looks at a Jewish calender after prayers at a synagogue in Bombay. There are less than 8,000 Jews in India and the first Jewish community is believed to have settled in the country around 70 A.D. Picture taken 28 DEC 96. 

Electronic ticket for the ski lifts and cable railways in Davos and Klosters, Switzerland, photographed December 30. Prince Charles, who will arrive in Klosters December 31 for his skiing holidays, offered one of his water colours, pictured is the mountain Tinzerhorn seen from Klosters, to front the cover of the ticket. 

Electronic ticket for the ski lifts and cable railways in Davos and Klosters, Switzerland, photographed December 30. Prince Charles, who will arrive in Klosters December 31 for his skiing holidays, offered one of his water colours, pictured is the mountain Tinzerhorn seen from Klosters, to front the cover of the ticket. 

Thousands of Moslem devotees ride an overcrowded train as they disperse after a three-day Biswa Ijtema (grand congregation) at Tongi, north of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, on December 30. The three-day annual event, the biggest after Haj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, was attended by some two million faithfuls from around the world. 

Crowds of holiday-makers attempt to beat the heat on Durban's beaches as the year draws to a close, December 30. With temperatures soaring to 37 degrees thousands of people packed onto the beaches to bathe in the cooling Indian Ocean waters. 

Residents of Guatemala City observe December 30 the peace flame lit December 29 by President-Arzu and the leaders of the URNG (Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unit), putting an end to 35 years of civil war. 

Hong Kong's chief executive-designate Tung Chee-hwa makes a point during a news conference in Hong Kong December 30 after an informal luncheon with members of Hong Kong's provisional legislature to be installed after the British colony reverts back to Chinese rule in the new year. Tung said the chamber would hold its first official meeting soon in Shenzhen, across the border from Hong Kong. 

First daughter Chelsea Clinton talks with friend Marc Mezvinsky, of Stanford, Calif., on the beach on Hilton Head Island December 30. 

Silas Manyagisha the former deputy prosecutor in Kigali (L) and Theodomir Ruzirabowa the former local administrator appear in court in the capital of Rwanda December 30. Two men are accused of being involved in masterminding genocide in Rwanda. 

Citizens of Kigali try to enter the court house where Silas Manyagisha the former deputy prosecutor of Kigali and Theodomir Ruzirabowa the former local administrator will appear for trial December 30. The two men are accused of being involved in masterminding genocide in Rwanda. 

Citizens of Kigali listen to the genocide trials of Silas Mayagisha the former Kigali deputy prosecutor and Theodomir Ruzirabowa the former administrator outside the court house December 30. The two men are accused of being involved in masterminding genocide in Rwanda. 

A Rwandan woman listens to the genocide trial of Silas Manyagisha the former deputy prosecutor of Kigali and Theodomir Ruzirabowa the former local administrator outside the court house December 30. The two men are accused of being involved in masterminding genocide in Rwanda. 

A robber holds a woman hostage as a police officer looks on (R) during an attempted bank robbery December 30 in Mexico City. The police shot to death the armed bank robber, ending a tense, five-hour drama. 

Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky has courted controversy at almost every turn in his meteoric rise from car dealer to Kremlin politician, and his new role negotiating in Chechnya is no exception. Loathed by communists and many business rivals alike, the 50-year-old entrepreneur who made a fortune under market reforms epitomises all that many Russians despise. Picture taken 05 NOV 96 

Russian President Boris Yeltsin looks into his glass during the New Year reception in the State Kremlin Palace, December 30. Yeltsin returned to the Kremlin last week following a heart bypass operation. 

Inside a ramshackle shelter constructed on the banks of the River Seine in central Paris, two homeless men prepare a hot drink December 30, as freezing temperatures continued throughout Europe. The two men, both of Polish origin, have lived in their tiny lean-to since four years. 

Outside a ramshackle shelter constructed on the banks of the River Seine in central Paris, two homeless men feed their dog 'Capitano' December 30, as freezing temperatures continued throughout Europe. The two men, both of Polish origin, have lived in their tiny lean-to since four years. 

South Korean students lie on a busy street during a rally in Seoul December 30 to protest against the National Assembly's passage of the new labour law and the National Security Planing Agency law. More than 1,000 students shout "Topple the Kim Young-sam government". 

A United Nations Command honour guard carry boxes containing the cremated remains of 24 North Korean soldiers before handing them over to North Korea at the truce village of Panmunjom December 30. The 24 soldiers were killed when their submarine became beached on the South Korean coast last September. 

Israelis line up for automated banking services at a Tel Aviv mall December 30, as more than a quarter of a million striking workers shut down large sectors of the economy in protest against the government's 1997 austerity budget. 

French film producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier (C) attends the funeral of his wife Sophie, with her son Pierre-Louis (R), in Mauvezin , near Toulouse, southwestern France December 30. Sophie Toscan du Plantier, 38, was found murdered in southern Ireland December 23. At left is Opera singer Barbara Hendricks . 

French film producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier (L) attends the funeral of his wife Sophie, with her son Pierre-Louis (R), in Mauvezin southwestern France December 30. Sophie Toscan du Plantier, 38, was found murdered in southern Ireland December 23. 

French film director Maurice Pialat (3rd from R) and French writer Bernard Henri-Levy (C) attend the funeral of Sophie, the wife of French film producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier in Mauvezin , near Toulouse, southwestern France December 30. Sophie Toscan du Plantier, 38, was found murdered in southern Ireland December 23. 

The 3 Tenors, (L-R) Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti, rehearse in Vancouver December 30 for a New Years Eve concert.
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