COVER

The Best Photos of the Year (Cover Story)

TIME presents a collection of the most compelling images of 2006—photographs that capture the essence of the years most memorable events, from the devastation of Beirut to a volcanic eruption in Indonesia to a head-butt no soccer fan will ever forget. Feast your eyes and cast your mind back to a remarkable year

ASIA

China's Quest for Justice

A small but growing band of Chinese lawyers is pushing for reform in the country's courts. The political hurdles are huge, but their case is being heard

BRIEFING

Letters (Notebook)

Ascendancy of the Centrists?

GLOBAL ADVISER

Cold Comforts (Diversions)

Golfing in the dead of winter? No, but Scotland's Loch Lomond Golf Club offers much more

Small World (Site Seeing)

A new travel website gives locally-owned, environmentally-conscious accomodations equal footing on the Web

Cab Savvy (TIME Traveler)

A new guidebook to help travelers deal with one of modern China's most daunting challenges: taxi drivers

A New Chapter (City Guide)

Flush with tourist dollars, the cultural capital of Siem Reap points the way towards Cambodia's future