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A Hindu holy man applies m&d on his body on the banks of river Ganges during the Kumbh Mela festival in Haridwar. The Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious festival, which is held every three years and rotates among four Indian cities, attracts huge crowds of devotees who believe a dip in the river cleanses them of sin and frees them from the cycle of life and rebirth. -- PHOTO: AFP
A bookcase is displayed the day before the opening of the Milan International Furniture Expo, in Milan, Italy. -- PHOTO: AP
Mexican matador Arturo Macias is gored by a bull during a bullfight in The Maestranza bullring in Seville. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Sobhieh Hijazi holds a framed picture of her brother who has went missing during the Lebanese Civil War during the opening of jointly-held exhibitions, titled 'Missing' and 'In a Sea of Oblivion', held in commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the start of the war, which ended in 1990, in Beirut City Center. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
An Indian potter arranges newly-made earthen pots for drying in Allahabad. The demand for earthenware pots is very high in summer when they are used to store cool water for drinking. -- PHOTO: AFP
A man walks in front of a mural in Los Angeles. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki squeezes a water bubble out of her beverage container, showing her refracted image on the middeck of space shuttle Discovery, in this image provided by NASA. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
The nearly completed Marina Bay Sands integrated casino resort is pictured at sunrise from the Merlion Park in Singapore. Singapore's economy has rebounded from its worst ever recession last year, and the government revised upwards its target for gross domestic product growth to between 7.0-9.0. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
The Esma Sultana brick Mansion, a three-store brick building was constructed by Armenian architect Sarkis Balyan in 1875 next to Ortak�y Mosque (L). It was presented to Esma Sultana (1873-1899), the daughter of Ottoman Sultan Abd�laziz, as a wedding gift. The mansion remained in the possession of the Ottoman dynasty until 1915. The building was used first as a tobacco warehouse and then as a coal depot from 1920 until 1975, when it was destroyed by a fire -- PHOTO: AFP
Fireworks are seen over the illuminated Golden Temple, the Sikhs holiest shrine, on the festival of Baisakhi in Amritsar, India. Baisakhi, which marks the Sikhs New Year day is also a harvest festival. -- PHOTO: AP
Smoke billows from a volcano in Eyjafjallajokull. A volcanic eruption in Iceland spewed black smoke and white steam into the air on Wednesday and partly melted a glacier, setting off a major flood that threatened to damage roads and bridges. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Buttons are for sale at a Tea Party Express rally where former Alaska Governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin spoke, on Boston Commons in Boston, Massachusetts. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
People dressed as monkey god Hanuman, left and as a leprosy patient, right walk in a procession during Charak festival on the last day of Bengali calendar in Calcutta, India. -- PHOTO: AP
Dancers of the Rhine National Opera Ballet compagny perform on stage behind a veil on which images of dancers are projected during the rehearsal of 'Dance', choregraphed by Lucinda Childs at the Theatre de la Ville in Paris. The ballet performs at the Theatre de la Ville. -- PHOTO: AFP
Masked demonstrators protest in memory of landslides victims at the Morro do Bumba slum in Niteroi, on the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian officials said the death toll from floods and mudslides in Rio has risen to at least 249 as crews continue searching through the debris. -- PHOTO: AP
Pigeons are seen outside the Blue Mosque, Afghanistan's most magnificent and biggest mosque, thought to be the location of the Tomb of Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed and the fourth Caliph of Islam, in Mazar-i-Sharif north of Kabul, Afghanistan. -- PHOTO: AP
Remi Vincentini, 6, lays flowers next to a dead gray whale that washed up on Arroyo Beach in southwest Seattle. The 35 foot-long mammal was discovered still alive on Wednesday afternoon on the beach by a nearby resident. When she discovered it she said it was still trying to breath. NOAA officials planned to tow the whale to a nearby state park where they planned to perform a necropsy to determine why the animal died. -- PHOTO: AP
A child looks at bullet holes after a gunfight between soldiers and gunmen in Cadereyta, on the outskirts of Monterrey. A clash between soldiers and suspected members of organised crime left two gunmen detained, and a 14 year-old girl injured by a splinter in the face, according to local media. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Wendi Lynn G. wears a tea bag earring during the 2010 Tax Day Tea Party in Pleasanton, California. Tea Parties were held across the United States to denounce tax day. More than a thousand people attended the Tax Day Tea Party at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. -- PHOTO: AFP
Spanish bullfighter Antonio Ferrera is tackled by a bull during a bullfight at The Maestranza bullring in Seville. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Bedouin children ride bicycles near camels in the Negev desert village of Tarabin, southern Israel. The Israel Cycling Federation donated about 800 all-terrain bicycles to Bedouin children on Thursday, as part of its project 'Bikes-4-All', collecting used bikes for re-distribution to those who cannot afford them. -- PHOTO: AP
A Hindu devotee gets his hand pierced with iron pins during the 'Bhotka Parab' festival on the occasion of Bengali New Year in Purulia, about 350 kilometres west of Calcutta, India. The devotees pierce their body and tongue with steel hooks and pins in the belief that the ritual will help them in fulfilling their wishes. -- PHOTO: AP
Palestinians hold pictures of their relatives imprisoned in Israeli jails, during a demonstration calling for their release, in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Palestinians will mark the annual prisoner's day on Saturday to call for the release of over 6,000 Palestinian prisoners currently held in Israeli prisons. -- PHOTO: AP
Fibre glass and coloured mirror sculptures by renowned French sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle are part of a new unique installation sponsored by the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the District Department of Transportation through its Transportation Enhancement Program in Washington, DC. The New York Avenue Sculpture Project is the first and only major outdoor sculpture corridor in the Nation's capital, featuring changing installations of world-class art by women. -- PHOTO: AFP
The volcano in southern Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull glacier sends ash into the air just prior to sunset. Thick drifts of volcanic ash blanketed parts of rural Iceland on Friday as a vast, invisible plume of grit drifted over Europe, emptying the skies of planes and sending hundreds of thousands in search of hotel rooms, train tickets or rental cars. -- PHOTO: AP
Three statues of Mazu guardians placed aside before the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage at the Dajia Jenn Lann Temple in Dajia, on the central east coast of Taiwan. The image of Mazu, Goddess of the sea, and many thousands of followers will travel some 280 kilometres to sister Mazu temples. -- PHOTO: AP
Balloons fill the air as runners participate in the 3.2-mile remembrance run at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., to mark the third anniversary of the shootings at Virginia Tech, where 32 people plus the shooter died. -- PHOTO: AP
Members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers take part in a march through the streets of Tampa, Florida to try to persuade the supermarket chain Publix to pay more for its tomatoes and take a stand against abusive work conditions in the fields. The produce pickers group has already persuaded McDonald's, Whole Foods and Subway to pay an extra penny per pound for tomatoes. -- PHOTO: AP
People walk by a fountain spraying red-coloured water in downtown Bucharest. Water from fountains in central Bucharest was coloured in red by the Romanian Hemophilia Association, the organiser of the "Red Friday", an approach designed to draw attention to this disease which affects some 2,000 people in Romania. -- PHOTO: AFP
Sudanese Sufis perform during their Friday traditional weekly gathering in Omdurman, west of Sudan's capital of Khartoum. Sudan began counting millions of ballots on Friday after five days of voting in the first open polls in 24 years, tainted by boycotts and accusations of fraud. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Ice chunks carried downstream by floodwaters caused by volcanic activity lie on the Markarfljot river bank, some 120km east of the capital Rejkavik, Iceland. The Eyjafjallajokull glacier volcano began erupting for the second time in a month on Wednesday, sending ash several miles into the air. Winds pushed the plume south and east across Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia and into the heart of Europe causing travel chaos. -- PHOTO: AP
Israeli kindergarten children wave Israeli flags and balloons in the national colours in Jerusalem on the eve of Memorial Day for fallen Israeli soldiers and the 62nd anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel. Israel marks Memorial Day before celebrating the 62nd anniversary of its creation. -- PHOTO: AFP
Spanish matador Morante de la Puebla performs a pass during a bullfight in The Maestranza bull ring in Seville. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Police block an angry crowd of counter-protesters after the neo-nazi group, The American National Socialist Movement held a rally in front of the Los Angeles City Hall. Police in riot gear formed a line in front of a crowd of about 500 counter-protesters who gathered at City Hall today to protest the white supremacist rally. -- PHOTO: AFP
A South Korean worker prepares lanterns to celebrate Buddha's upcoming birthday at the Chogye Temple in Seoul, South Korea. -- PHOTO: AP
Honour guards carry the coffins of the late Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria Kaczynska in front of the President's Palace in Warsaw on Saturday. -- PHOTO: AP
Filipino cyclists wear costumes as they join the 12th "Tour of the Fireflies" in suburban Manila, Philippines. Thousands joined the event which is aimed at promoting cleaner air, greener communities and non-motorised transportation. -- PHOTO: AP
A young boy supports his mother, as they join others in front of Montreal City Hall, protesting Bill 94, the Quebec government tabled to require people to uncover their faces to identify themselves in order to receive government services. -- PHOTO: AP
Fifteen year-old girls pose for pictures during Quinceanera celebrations in Mexico City. The city hosted a mass version of the traditional Mexican coming-out celebration, or Quinceanera, for more than 300 fifteen-year-old girls, providing them with dresses, music and a tour through the historic centre. -- PHOTO: AP
Uganda's King of the Tooro Kingdom, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, during his 18th birthday in the royal palace at Fort Portal, Uganda as he assumes the full duties of King of the Tooros. At left is Uganda's president, Yoweri Museveni. -- PHOTO: AP
Festival goers walk through the grounds of the Empire Polo Field during the second day of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California. -- PHOTO: AP
A Palestinian girl stands next to a poster of Ahmed Saadat, jailed leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), as she takes part in a candlelight vigil to mark Palestinian Prisoners' Day in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Hamas and Fatah closed ranks to mark Palestinian Prisoners' Day, in the first joint initiative by the bitter rivals since the latter was routed from Gaza in 2007. -- PHOTO: AFP
A poultry trader sleeps in a hammock over ducks at her stall in a market in the suburbs of Hanoi. Health and agricultural experts and officials from nearly 80 countries and territories are gathering in Hanoi for the 3-day 'International Ministerial Conference on Animal and Pandemic Influenza'. -- PHOTO: AFP
Paraguayan Maka Indians dance during the celebration of the American Indian Day in Puente Remanso, on the outskirts of Asuncion. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Local residents ferry children from a school along a flooded street in the village of Radul, some 200 km north of Kiev. Melting snow has caused flooding in parts of Ukraine, local media reported. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Elvis impersonators dive into the 59F (15C) Lewis and Clark Lake for the second annual 'Polar Plunge' for Special Olympics west of Yankton, S.D. The event drew 49 teams consisting of 108 plungers who jumped from the East Midway boat ramp. The event raised more than $24,000 from the plungers and sponsors alone. -- PHOTO: AP
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva poses with indigenous people during a celebration for Indigenous Day at Raposa Serra do Sol reserve in Uiramuta, Roraima state. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
War protesters demonstrate outside a fundraiser where President Barack Obama is scheduled to appear to benefit the Democratic National Committee and the re-election campaign for Senator Barbara Boxer. -- PHOTO: AFP
People take part in a parade for the opening ceremony of the annual 'Festival Internacional de Cine Pobre' (low budget films) in the coastal town of Gibara in eastern Cuba. The festival, Cuba's answer to the Sundance festival in the US, gathers hundreds of intellectuals, artists and filmmakers in the colonial village of Gibara. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Paramilitary police stand next to religious figurines excavated from a destroyed temple in the earthquake-hit Gyegu town in Yushu County, Qinghai province April 19, 2010.The official death toll from an earthquake on China's remote Tibetan plateau has climbed to 2,039, state media said on Tuesday. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
The 'Boeoegg' burns on the Sechselaeuten meadow in Zurich, Switzerland. The Sechselaeuten (ringing of the six o'clock bells) is a traditional end of winter festival with a parade of guilds in historical uniforms on horsebacks and the burning of the Boeoegg, a symbolic snowman, at 6pm. The faster the Boeoegg explodes, the hotter the summer will be according to traditional weather rules. -- PHOTO: AP
An armoured vehicle from the Centurion Company, 2-1 Infantry Battalion, 5/2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team is framed by a bolt of lightning during a storm at Combat Outpost Terminator in Maiwand District, Kandahar Province. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Two Sukhoi Su-30 planes from the Venezuelan Air Force take part in a military parade to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Venezuela's independence in Caracas. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Lighting seen amid the lava and ash erupting from the vent of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in central Iceland early morning as it continues to vent into the skies over Europe. Low-energy lightning is sometimes active during eruptions, arcing between particles as they exit the volcanic vent at around 100 metres per second. -- PHOTO: AP
A street vendor selling tea walks with a stool on her head in Sudan's capital Khartoum. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Children fly kites, at sunset in Amman, Jordan. -- PHOTO: AP
Jaza Syed does his best to curl up on two chairs outside a gate at Logan International Airport in Boston, while waiting for his flight on Tuesday back to London Heathrow Airport. -- PHOTO: AP
