World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

A man dressed as a Chinese emperor performs on rollerskates during a temple fair in Beijing, China



People carry a shopping cart full of donated items to a food bank in Madrid



Hot cakes: Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, perform prayers while sitting inside circles of burning 'Upale' (dried cow dung cakes) on the banks of the river Ganges

[Mr Lick]

A mannequin wearing a gas mask and a helmet inside a guard house in Independence Square, Kiev, Ukraine



Sri Lankan military personnel march during the country's 66th Independence Day celebrations in Kegalle

[Mr Lick]

The Prince of Wales sits on a 'throne' on a trailer as residents of the Somerset village of Muchleney show him their flood-devastated village



Russian President Vladimir Putin pets a snow leopard cub at the snow leopard sanctuary in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi



An extreme freediver swims with a pair of Beluga whales beneath the White Sea off Karelia, the Arctic



A stranded vole floats on debris near the banks of the River Severn in Aust Warth, South Gloucestershire



A photo issued by the UK Border Force of one of thirteen endangered iguanas that have been seized by Border Force officers at London's Heathrow Airport



Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch hooks up with Sesame Street's Murray Monster to tape a video explaining how to count fruit



Serial Schwopper Joanna Lumley (centre) is joined by Strictly Come Dancing stars Abbey Clancey (left) and Zoe Ball to launch the new 'Love, Mum' Shwopping campaign to raise money for mothers living in poverty around the world



The Defence Forces Ireland issued this photo of extensive flooding along the river Shannon in the areas of Ballinalose and Athlone, Ireland



Members of the media sit with their mouths bound by tape and cloth in the colours of the Egyptian flag at a demonstration by Kenyan and Nairobi-based foreign media calling for the release of detained Al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste and his colleagues, outside the Egyptian embassy in Nairobi, Kenya

[Mr Lick]

Ongoing construction at Sochi Winter Olympic village

As media staff from around the world stream into Sochi before Friday's opening ceremony, all around the media hotel area and inside the main Olympic zone, construction continues apace. The delays do not affect athletes' accommodation




Litter bins are piled high waiting to be distributed around Sochi















A stray dog crosses a road outside the Olympic Park. A pest control company has been given a contract to exterminate stray dogs in Sochi after one found its way into a rehearsal for opening ceremony last week















Pallets of hand soap and sugar stand in the street waiting to be distributed around the Olympic village



The interior of a hotel awaiting completion at Gorky Gorod 960

[Mr Lick]

Palestinian brides are seen during a mass wedding ceremony in Gaza City



Flight Leiutenant Andy Power greeted by daughter Jessica (7) and Harry (3) as families greet 617 Squadron RAF returning to Lossiemouth, Scotlland, after a tour of duty in Afghanistan



Prince Charles arrives in Muchleney, Somerset. The Prince's trip to the Somerset Levels, with villages surrounded by water and hundreds of homes and businesses affected, comes a day after the head of the Environment Agency admitted his organisation has not done enough to prevent flooding in Somerset

[Mr Lick]

A lucky photographer has managed to photograph these adorable images that of the playful first moments in the lives of young polar bear cubs in Manitoba, Canada



London Mayor Boris Johnson meets with frustrated commuters as the 48-hour strike by London Underground workers gets underway



A pair of inquisitive red squirrels get to grips with some wildlife photography in Formby, Merseyside

[Mr Lick]

This scaredy-cat was forced to take cover in a tree after being set upon by an angry elephant. In an unusual twist of fate the terrified lioness was filmed sprinting through the Central Serengeti in Tanzania with a plucky pachyderm hot on its tail. Seconds later she can be seen darting up a tree and trying to take cover in the sparse branches, while the determined elephant reaches up with its trunk and grabs at the frightened feline. The tables turned on the lioness when she was separated from a pride of lions that were feeding on a kill. She took refuge in a tree but when she suddenly decided to make a dash for freedom, one brave elephant gave chase, following the lioness for a kilometre, before she was once again forced to seek safety in another tree



Reuters photographer Jacky Chen (yes, really) took this picture of a North Korean solider demostrating his martial arts skills after he spotted Chen on the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Sinuiju

[Mr Lick]

Part of the section of the Dawlish sea wall, Devon, which has been destroyed by gale force winds and high seas



US dance company Diavolo Dance Theater perform at Victorian Arts Centre in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

[Mr Lick]

An employee of Giro displays the Giro Discord helmet, which is intended for all-mountain skiers. The product is designed to better withstand low-energy impact



Uruguayan bride Elena Vargas prepapres to take to the field at the Jardines del Hipodromo stadium in Montevideo. Vargas, a supporter of Uruguayan soccer club Danubio, had her dream wedding to fiance Marcelo Gomez on the pitch at the football club

[Mr Lick]

A villager evacuates his belongings on a motorcycle as Mount Sinabung continues to spew ash at Simpang Empat village in Karo district, Indonesia



An ice covered steam locomotive in Postojna railway station, Slovenia



Miao women watch the traditional Chinese New Year buffalo fighting competition at the Miao Minority village of Biasha in Guizhou Province



A Miao barber offers a rather scary-looking haircut to a tourist before the buffalo fight begins

[Mr Lick]

The Renault KWID concept car is displayed during the Indian Auto Expo in Greater Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi



The proposed 'Dream Island' resort to be built on Yeongjongdo Island near Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, South Korea, by 2020. The planned resort will consist of a water park, aquarium, hotel, shopping mall and golf course.

[Mr Lick]

Strong winds and rain batter the UK



Waves pound Dawlish, Devon, where a section of sea wall under the railway line collapsed, leaving the track suspended in mid-air. The line is of strategic importance as it connects the South West with the rest of England.



As well as wrecking the railway line in Dawlish, the storm left thousands of homes without power.

[Mr Lick]

In Plymouth, police said the Hoe area was being hit by large waves which were causing damage to some properties. "We are currently working with the local authority to make the area as safe as possible," a spokesman said.









A view of the 148-year-old West Pier in Brighton, East Sussex, part of which collapsed in the high winds and stormy seas.

[Mr Lick]

Essex explosion destroys Clacton homes



A gas explosion and fire has "flattened" two houses in Cloes Lane, Clacton, injuring 10 people. A man in his 70s was airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries; 19 properties were evacuated.

























Electricity supplies were turned off while emergency service made the area safe. One family pet had a lucky escape from the blast - rescuers found a guinea pig in the rubble left by the explosion.

[Mr Lick]

The campaign for Afghanistan's presidential election is under way as the candidates take part in a debate at Tolo television station in Kabul. The election is scheduled to take place on 5 April, with 11 candidates to replace Hamid Karzai, who cannot stand again.



City workers and anti-government protesters clean a street in Bangkok where some are still camping following Sunday's general election.

[Mr Lick]

A Spanish cargo ship broke in two after hitting a sea wall off the south-western coast of France in high winds. Two helicopters lifted 12 crew members to safety.



Commuters experience travel chaos as London Underground workers walk out over Transport for London proposals to cut jobs and shut ticket offices. The 48-hour walkout by the RMT and TSSA unions means a limited Tube service until Friday morning.

[Mr Lick]

Russian fire fighters trying to extinguish burning compressed gas tanks of a derailed train in the city of Kirov, some 1,200 km east of Moscow, Russia



An official of the Center for Research and Technology Volcanoes Development (BPPTK) releases a drone quadcopter to monitor activity from the Mount Sinabung volcano at Sibintun village, February 4, 2014. Indonesia's Mount Sinabung volcano erupted and killed at least 11 people on the western island of Sumatra, the first time it is known to have claimed any lives, a senior government official said

[Mr Lick]

A power company worker removes broken wires next to an ice-covered car in Pivka, Slovenia, February 4, 2014



Russian punk rock band Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (R) and Maria Alyokhina attend a news conference in New York, February 4, 2014. Pussy Riot will perform at Amnesty International's Bringing Human Rights Home concert in Brooklyn.



Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban speaks to his supporters in central Bangkok, February 4, 2014



Girls listen to a teacher giving a lesson in an improvised school on the grounds of a monastery sheltering internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the district of Boy Rabe, in the capital Bangui, Central African Republic, February 4, 2014

[Mr Lick]

Devon and the south-west hit by huge waves

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

London Underground strike action

Station staff across the capital are taking part in industrial action to protest against ticket office closures. Here's a selection of pictures from this morning's commute






Commuters queue for access to the Jubilee line at Waterloo station

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

Anti-Balaka Christian militiamen in Bangui, Central African Republic as the fighting between Muslim Seleka militias and Christian anti-Balaka factions continues



The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's 'Secret Symphony' promotion at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, Australia



Anti-government protesters look out from the fabric partition at their camp near the interior ministry building in Bangkok, Thailand



A heavy snowfall followed by freezing rain made for a treacherous journey to work for many New Yorkers



Brrrr you'll catch frostbite. A life-like statue of man dressed only in his underpants stands in the Wellesley College Campus, covered in snow. The statue entitled Sleepwalker is part of an exhibition by sculptor Tony Matelli organised by the Massachusetts college's museum

[Mr Lick]

When it comes to winter, Minnesotans pretty much think the rest of us are wimps. With a daytime high of about 2 degrees on Jan. 25, almost 10,000 people showed up on Gull Lake to fish. The annual Brainerd Ice Fishing Extravaganza is a big deal because whoever catches the biggest fish wins a pickup truck. And while it may look like it, it is no day at the beach. The cold hard truth is that most people don't catch a thing. Ice fishing is less about fish than it is about beer, and buddies. It is Minnesotans staring into the icy void, with unbending faith that somewhere down there is the catch of their dreams. The big one. The legend maker. Or not. Some of the trophies were barely bigger than bait. And Minnesotans once again proved to the rest of that we need not be casualties of the cold, but conquerors.









A walleye caught by Daniel Schwanke measured just under 23 inches and weighed 4.17 lbs. That was good enough for second place in the contest. Schwanke won a new Arctic Cat ATV with his catch. The winning fish was a 4.73 lb. walleye, caught by Art Karskoy of Nisswa, Minn































Names are posted on the big fish leader board. The 150th-largest fish weighed in at the contest was a .26-pound perch by Scott Clark of Bagley, Iowa. For his small fish he won a new ATV.

[Mr Lick]

Something hit Mars sometime in the past couple of years, and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was there to see the mess it made.

This image of a fresh impact crater was captured by the orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE, on Nov. 19, 2013. The mission's science team ordered up the picture because a different camera on the orbiter, known as the Context Camera, recorded a change in the terrain between July 2010 and May 2012.

The impact, perhaps involving a meteorite, must have happened sometime between those dates

The crater itself is only about 100 feet (30 meters) across, but the dusty debris that's splattered around the crater spreads out as far as 9.3 miles (15 kilometers). The disturbed material has a bluish tinge because the colors in the picture have been "stretched" to highlight subtle differences in composition. It's thought that hundreds of impacts leave impressions on Mars every year — but not many of them are as impressive as this one