Nearly the entire Australian Navy will take a two-month Christmas break this year. Anchor Lisa Mullins explains that it's part of an effort to make the Navy a more family-friendly employer.

Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with William Langewiesche, International Correspondent for Vanity Fair, about the rise in pirate activity off the coast of Somalia. The country is next to one of the world busiest international shipping routes. Now it's also one of the most dangerous places for ships. Langewiesche is author of "The Outlaw Sea: A World of Freedom, Chaos, and Crime."

The World's Jason Margolis has an update on the Saudi-owned oil tanker that's in the hands of pirates off the coast of Somalia. The tanker is loaded with 100 million dollars worth of crude oil that was destined for the United States.

Today on The World: Somali pirates are still holding a Saudi oil tanker; Tourists experience what it's like to illegally cross the US-Mexican border; And a US businessman turns his love of Russian icons into a world-class museum.

The World's Marco Werman introduces us to the pop-electronica of French singer elodieO. She's spent time in Paris, London and New York, and that has a lot to do with how her music sounds today.

For our Geo Quiz we wanted you to list seven countries whose citizens are now allowed to come to the United States without a visa. But they do need to fill an online form. The answer is: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and South Korea. Jason Strother reports from Seoul on what the new rules mean for South Koreans who want to travel to the US.

Our daily geography quiz.

Anchor Lisa Mullins tells us about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is setting up its first international offices in three Chinese cities.

Dalai Lama

Exiled Tibetans are holding a historic meeting to chart the future of their movement. Will this be the end of conciliation? Or the beginning of confrontation? The World's Mary Kay Magistad reports.

Tibet protests

Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr isn't happy with plans to keep US troops in Iraq for a few more years. Sadr is urging Iraq's parliament to reject those plans. He's also threatening to reignite armed resistance to the US military presence in Iraq. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks to former Iraqi government spokesman Laith Kubba about Sadr and the US-Iraqi status of forces agreement.