Freedom

Curacao and St Maarten have become autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, joining Aruba, which gained the status in 1986.

Renowned kinetic sculptor Arthur Ganson creates mechanical art with existential themes. The former MIT artist-in-residence has a permanent exhibit at their museum.

The jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has been awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. The committee praised Mr Liu for his long and non-violent struggle for human rights in China.

A recent lawsuit demands something unprecedented in American law: formal recognition that a 26-year-old chimp named Tommy, kept alone in a cage in a local warehouse, is a person, possessing a legal right to bodily liberty.

James Wheltan and Bill Liao created the open source coding movement CoderDojo, where kids learn how to code, out of nothing except a belief that learning, especially programming, should be free and open.

A new technology that sees through walls has detractors who fear a signficant loss of privacy, adding more "Big Brother" capabilities to governments. Wi-Vi's importance in saving lives may trump these concerns, however.

Hundreds of student protesters marched through central London in freezing conditions campaigning against plans to raise tuition fees in England.

MakerBot Industries, a leading 3-D printer manufacturer, has purged user-generated files for printing parts for a firearm from its database, but it can't stop other sites from mirroring the files.

Tradition demands that statues depicting Ganesh are praised through prayer and offerings and then released into the sea. This will take away the year's misfortunes and set the stage for a prosperous future.

Pakistan's Parliament condemned the U.S. Bin Laden mission as a "violation of Pakistan's sovereignty," and expressed deep distress at an apparent "campaign to malign Pakistan."