Initial results from the LHC

Since November 2009 the LHC has collided p+p at total center of mass energy of 0.9, 2.36 and 7 TeV, and Pb+Pb at 2.76 TeV per nucleon pair. Initial results obtained by the three collaborations ALICE, ATLAS and CMS will be discussed. The focus will be on data related to the study of QCD under extreme conditions of temperature and density, i.e. on results obtained primarily from the Pb+Pb run. The ``standard picture'' of heavy ion collisions, based on studies at energies up to the highest available at RHIC, will be confronted with the newly available much higher energy data from the LHC.