The United Nations 10 Stories the World Should Hear More About: These include stories that have not gotten much media attention, such as the status of millions of refugees worldwide who have been in exile for over five years. Stories that present a different side of familiar news are also on the list. For example, political instability in Somalia has magnified the effects of the country’s worst drought in a decade.

Top 10 Stories of 2006, as chosen by U.S. editors and news directors in a vote conducted by The Associated Press: Top stories (in descending order) were Iraq, U.S. elections, nuclear standoffs, illegal immigration, Congressional scandals, Saddam Hussein on trial, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, Defense Sec. Rumsfeld’s resignation, British thwarting of plot to bomb trans-Atlantic flights, and Darfur.

2006 Year-End Google Zeitgeist: Top search of the year? Bebo. (A social networking site—I had to Google that because I had no idea what it was.) Google’s top news search of the year was Paris Hilton.

IMDb.com’s Top 25 for 2006: Based on IMDb user searches, Johnny Depp, star of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, topped the list for the third year in a row. Star couple Brad Pitt (#4) and Angelina Jolie (#2) made the list, as did Pitt’s ex Jennifer Aniston (#11). Tom Cruise was #8 (wife Katie Holmes, however, was not among the 25).

Top photo from Candace's Flickr stream (CC) : August 26, 2006—A young girl stands in front of new makeshift shelters for people just arriving at Abu Shook IDP camp in El Fasher, North Darfur Sudan on Saturday August 26, 2006. The crisis in Darfur continues to worsen.