تصاویر دیدنی

Vladimir Putin
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been atypically flamboyant during his Siberian summer vacation. Known for his icy demeanor, Putin flashed a beefcake side during photo shoots of him swimming, fishing, boating and riding bare-chested atop a horse. At 56, Vlad still boasts admirable pecs — but should avoid swimming butterfly when the camera's rolling.

Gordon Brown
Given the political setbacks U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has suffered this year, you'd expect he'd want to get away from it all. Instead, Brown is sticking close to home — after a spot of community work in his Scottish constituency, he's heading with wife and sons for a few days in England's beautiful Lake District

Silvio Berlusconi
After weeks of unwanted attention concerning allegations that he may have caroused with an underage beauty and high-priced call girls, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is doing vacation penance. Kind of. Berlusconi is spending August in his Arcore villa near Milan, where he'll submit to a specialized diet and exercise regime to reduce a bulging waistline.

Angela Merkel
Despite elections looming in September, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is taking time out in August for some R&R. Vacation began with a visit to the Bayreuth opera festival; Merkel will follow that up with several days of hiking in northern Italy. The end of those peaceful mountain paths will mean Merkel's return to the campaign trail — and a fight to remain in power.

Barack Obama
U.S. President Barack Obama will suspend recession-fighting for a week in August to take a break with his family in tony Martha's Vineyard. Obama (with his daughters, above, on a beach in Hawaii last August) chose a vacation spot where a week's rent ranges from $30,000 to $50,000, a decision that is already being exploited by Republican foes. On the other hand, it might make their labeling Obama a "socialist" slightly harder.

Nicolas Sarkozy
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has never hidden his admiration for big bucks and luxury, and he married the right woman to make sure his vacations have plenty of both. Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni are spending August in the swank Côte d'Azur estate of Cap Nègre — owned by his in-laws the Bruni-Tedeschis, who have made millions from tire-manufacturing. After his recent collapse in Paris, let's hope Sarko doesn't have to run every day

Hu Jintao
For decades, China's Communist Party leadership met at the seaside town of Beidaihe, 186 miles (300 km) east of Beijing, to hash out big decisions and relax at a secluded government resort on the shores of Bohai Bay. In 2003 newly installed President Hu Jintao cancelled the annual summer enclave, part of a campaign to tamp down images of official extravagance. Now official media stress that Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao work hard — even on public holidays, when they can be seen sharing dumplings with miners or visiting migrant workers crammed into train stations