The WORLD in a SNAP (10)

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DECEMBER 25: A white whale, also known as beluga, puffs a ring at Kamogawa Sea World in Kamogawa, east of Tokyo, Japan. (Itsuo Inouye/Associated Press)

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DECEMBER 25: Swiss guards line up as they wait for Pope Benedict XVI to deliver his "Urbi et Orbi" (to the City and to the World) speech from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican. Benedict XVI called for an end to the bloodshed in Syria and the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in his Christmas message, an appeal for peace that was challenged by deadly attacks on two Nigerian churches. (Andrew Medichini/Associated Press)

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DECEMBER 25: Russia's Grandfather Frost rides in downtown St. Petersburg, Russia on his way from Veliky Ustyug to Moscow to take part in the New Year celebrations. (Dmitry Lovetsky/Associated Press

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DECEMBER 25: Women pray during a Christmas mass in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Muhammed Muheisen/Associated Press)

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DECEMBER 25: A boy holds a balloon after buying it from a vendor on Christmas day in a Christian neighborhood in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Muhammed Muheisen/Associated Press)

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Chitwan, Nepal — Nepalese mahouts guide their elephants at Sauraha in Chitwan, southwest of Kathmandu. The three-day-long festival is celebrated with elephants, horses and bullock cart races as well as elephant soccer games and an elephant beauty pageant. PHOTOGRAPH BY: PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP / Getty Images

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Children dressed as angels arrive to reenact a nativity scene during Christmas celebrations in Sarajevo December 23, 2011. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

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A member of white garment Christian sect prays by a cross at the bar beach, where they live and worship in makeshift tents, in Lagos December 25, 2011. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

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Men sit for the examination to become religious scholars at the Jamia Binoria Al-Alamia Seminary Islamic Study School in Karachi December 24, 2011. About 1,300 students sat for the first semester exams to become religious scholars. REUTERS/Athar Hussain

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Fatima, 21, a supporter of the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan's Movement for Justice) looks up as she attends a rally in Karachi December 25, 2011. REUTERS/Insiya Syed

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An Occupy London Stock Exchange protestor wears a Santa hat and Guy Fawkes mask while sitting outside a tent on Christmas eve in front of St Pauls Cathedral in London, December 24, 2011. Protesters camping outside St. Paul's Cathedral will stay in place over the Christmas holidays after a judge presiding over an attempt to evict them deferred a decision until the new year. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

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Residents wade in a river near a bridge destroyed by flash floods brought about by Typhoon Washi in Iligan city in southern Philippines December 25, 2011. The Philippines disaster agency said on Friday more than 1,000 people were missing from a storm and flash floods last week, sharply raising the number of victims unaccounted for as the true extent of the disaster became known. REUTERS/John Javellana

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North Korean defector and artist Song Byeok paints next to another work of his, titled "Marilyn Monroe", which satirizes North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, at his atelier in Seoul December 23, 2011. Song, who previously worked as a propaganda painter in North Korea, defected to South Korea in 2002 and has since produced satirical paintings of the late North Korean leader and stereotypical imagery of the country. He had a debut exhibition of his paintings in January this year and will be having another exhibition in the U.S. in 2012. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

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Tourists visit ice sculptures during the lights testing period of the 13th Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, Heilongjiang province Dec. 25, 2011. Source: REUTERS/Sheng Li

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A horse carriage carrying tourists travels past ice sculptures during the lights testing period of the 13th Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, Heilongjiang province Dec. 25, 2011. Source: REUTERS/Sheng Li

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Tourists visit ice sculptures during the lights testing period of the 13th Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, Heilongjiang province Dec. 25, 2011. Source: REUTERS/Sheng Li

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A horse carriage carrying tourists travels past ice sculptures during the lights testing period of the 13th Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, Heilongjiang province Dec. 25, 2011. - Source: REUTERS/Sheng Li

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An employee pulls a dog sled carrying tourists in front of a snow sculpture ahead of the 13th Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, Heilongjiang province Dec. 26, 2011. Source: REUTERS/Sheng Li

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(Pope Benedict XVI leads Christmas Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Christmas Eve. Source: REUTERS/Max Rossi

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A woman prays while attending Christmas Mass at St. Anthony's Church in Lahore, Pakistan. Source: REUTERS/Mohsin Raza

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People dressed in Santa Claus costumes dance before they cut a 101-foot long cake as part of Christmas celebrations in Chandigarh, India Source: REUTERS/Ajay Verma

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Father Frost, the Russian equivalent of Santa Claus, greets people during a parade in central St. Petersburg, Russia. Source: Alexander Demianchuk / Reuters

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Members of the clergy pray in the Grotto, where Christians believe the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, in the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. (Reuters)

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REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar -- A Tharu woman wearing traditional ornaments participates in a parade to mark an Elephant Race event at Sauraha in Chitwan, about 170 km (106 miles) south of Kathmandu December 26, 2011. Elephants and mahouts from Chitwan will participate in the Elephant Race, which begins on Monday, where elephants will play in an exhibition soccer match and various other sports and activities.

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DECEMBER 25: A fisherman carries the biggest fish caught during a winter fishing event as he poses for photographs on the frozen surface of Shitoukoumen Reservoir in Changchun, China, during the annual Changchun Ice and Snow Festival. (China Daily via Reuters)

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DECEMBER 25: Tian Tian licks a 'panda cake' in her enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland. The United Kingdom's only pair of giant pandas were treated to an extra helping of panda cake to celebrate their first Christmas in Scotland. Yang Guang and Tian Tian - or Sunshine and Sweetie - have been getting used to their new home in Edinburgh Zoo since arriving from China on Sunday December 4. (Andrew Milligan/PA)

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DECEMBER 26: Investec Loyal of Australia competes during the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race in Sydney, Australia. (Kurt Arrigo/Rolex/Reuters

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DECEMBER 26: Elephants play an exhibition soccer match during the elephant festival in Sauraha, Chitwan, Nepal. (Niranjan Shrestha/Associated Press

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DECEMBER 26: People carry balloons during a Christmas balloon parade in Panama City, Panama. (Arnulfo Franco/Associated Press

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DECEMBER 26: People carry balloons during a Christmas balloon parade in Panama City, Panama. (Arnulfo Franco/Associated Press)

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DECEMBER 26: Liu Xiaoming puts glasses made of cardboard onto his sand sculpture of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, at the Jiangtan Park on the banks of Yangtze River in Wuhan, China. (Reuters)

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A winter swimmer jumps with a mop into the icy water of the Songhua River in Harbin, Heilongjiang province December 26, 2011. REUTERS/Sheng Li

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A Tharu woman dressed in traditional attire smiles as she participates in a parade marking an Elephant Race event at Sauraha in Chitwan, about 170 km (106 miles) south of Kathmandu December 26, 2011. Elephants and mahouts from Chitwan will participate in the Elephant Race, which begins on Monday, where elephants will play in an exhibition soccer match and various other sports and activities. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

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Catholic faithful wear the typical dress of a "maruja", or woman mariner, during the annual procession for St. Benedict, who is also known in Brazil as the "black saint", in Braganca in the northeastern state of Para, December 26, 2011. The procession began in the 18th century when a group of black slaves were allowed by their owners to form the Fraternity of St. Benedict, and decided to dance through the streets as an expression of their gratitude. REUTERS/Paulo Santos

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Children pray for family members who died in the 2004 tsunami, at their boarding school in Banda Aceh, Aceh province December 26, 2011. Survivors gathered in neighborhood mosques and homes to remember those killed by the tsunami triggered by an undersea earthquake off the island of Sumatra seven years ago. REUTERS/Tarmizy Harva

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Supporters of Pakistan People's Party hold an image of Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto during a candlelight vigil to commemorate her death anniversary in Lahore December 26, 2011. Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack after an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007, weeks after she returned to Pakistan after years in self-imposed exile. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza

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Kim Ludbrook / EPA - In South Africa’s Fertility Caves, Christianity mixes with traditional beliefs - Members of the United Apostolic Church pray at the divine Fertility Caves deep in the Maloti Mountains near Clarens, South Africa, on Dec. 14. The congregants retain some of their traditional pre-Christian belief system of ancestor worship in parallel with their Christianity. Living in the caves are several witch doctors, known as sangomas, who help interactions with the spirit world

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DECEMBER 28: A mahout paints his elephant's nails to prepare for a beauty contest during the Elephant Race event at Sauraha, Nepal. (Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters

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DECEMBER 28: Indian paramilitary soldiers perform neck exercises after rehearsals for the upcoming Republic Day parade in New Delhi. (Manish Swarup/Associated Press

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A limousine carrying a portrait of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il leads his funeral procession in Pyongyang in this photo taken by Kyodo, on December 28, 2011. (Reuters/Kyodo)

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New Delhi — Rickshaw drivers warm themselves around a bonfire on a cold morning as northern India continues to endure bitter cold, with the nationwide death toll rising to more than 100, according to news reports. PHOTOGRAPH BY: Kevin Frayer / Associated Press

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Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan — A Kyrgyz girl joins crowds gathered at a holiday display including a New Year's tree at Ala-Too Square at the center of the nation's capital. PHOTOGRAPH BY: VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO / AFP

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Palestinian women who are members of the security forces of Hamas demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. Hatem Moussa - ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Artists of French performance art company "La Machine" work on an ice sculpture featuring a sperm whale on December 27, 2011 in Nantes, western France as part of christmas celebrations. FRANK PERRY - AFP/Getty Images

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Pakistani Sajid Manzoor, 15, applies soap on his body while washing following his daily work at a brick factory on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. Muhammed Muheisen - ASSOCIATED PRESS

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DECEMBER 29: Sikh girls participate in a religious procession to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Guru Gobind Singh in Jammu, India. Singh was born December 22, 1666 and is the tenth and last Sikh guru in a sacred lineage of ten Sikh gurus. (Channi Anand/Associated Press)

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DECEMBER 29: A Sikh warrior blows fire from his mouth during a religious procession ahead of the anniversary of the birth of Guru Gobind Singh in Jammu, India. The celebration of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, will be on December 31. (Channi Anand/Associated Press)

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DECEMBER 29: Organizers toss confetti from a window during the annual "air worthiness test" in Times Square. The Times Square Alliance conducted it's airworthiness test in preparation for the release of one ton of confetti by hand from various buildings in Times Square at midnight on New Year's Eve. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

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A woman smokes a cigarette as she walks her pet dog on a pedestrian street in downtown Shanghai December 28, 2011. REUTERS/Aly Song

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A Catholic priest walks inside a church made of snow in the Bavarian village of Mitterfirmiansreut, near the German-Czech border, December 28, 2011. The snow church is likely to become a tourist attraction till the beginning of spring. REUTERS/Petr Josek

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Mitterfirmiansreut, Germany — Two men stand in a snow church in Mitterfirmiansreut. The church was made of 1,400 cubic meters of snow and aims to commemorate the winter of the years 1910/11, when so much snow fell that believers of Mitterfirmiansreut were no more able to go to church in the neighbouring commune of Mauth. So they decided to build their own church, made of snow. PHOTOGRAPH BY: ARMIN WEIGEL / EPA

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Bethlehem, West Bank — Greek Orthodox clergy clean the Church of the Nativity, believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. Armenian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox clergymen screamed and beat one another with broomsticks during Wednesday's cleanup inside the Church of the Nativity, when the sides accused the other of crossing into their territory. PHOTOGRAPH BY: Bernat Armangue / Associated Press

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Mitterfirmiansreut, Germany — Visitors stand around a snow church just after its inauguration in Mitterfirmiansreut. The church is made of 1,400 cubic meters of snow and aims to commemorate the winter of the years 1910/1911, when so much snow fell that believers of Mitterfirmiansreut were unable to go to church in neighboring Mauth, so they decided to build their own church — made of snow. PHOTOGRAPH BY: ARMIN WEIGEL / AFP / Getty Images

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Moscow, Russia — A child walks amid snowmen built in a park in central Moscow. New Year's is the biggest holiday of the year in Russia, and is followed by the Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7. PHOTOGRAPH BY: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / AFP / Getty Images

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Beijing, China — Local residents enjoy skating and sliding on the frozen lakes of Shichahai district in Beijing. Winter has brought a light snowfall and temperatures rarely above freezing in China's capital. PHOTOGRAPH BY: ADRIAN BRADSHAW / EPA

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Islamabad, Pakistan — Pakistani Parveen Asallam, 7, looks on while standing at the entrance of her family's home in a slum in Islamabad. PHOTOGRAPH BY: Muhammed Muheisen / Associated Press

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Lorne, Australia — Lovefoxxx of CSS performs at the Falls Music Festival in Lorne, Australia PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mark Metcalfe / Getty Images

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Ahmadabad, India — Indian students of Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidya Pratishthanam sit near a formation they made with lighted candles to welcome the new year in Ahmadabad. PHOTOGRAPH BY: Ajit Solanki / Associated Press

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Hotel of Ice in Romania Wooing Winter Guests - Tourists have dinner inside the Balea Lac Hotel of Ice Dec. 28, 2011. Source: REUTERS/Radu Sigheti

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A waiter serves dinner to tourists inside the Balea Lac Hotel of Ice in the Fagaras mountains Dec. 28, 2011. Source: REUTERS/Radu Sigheti

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Tourists visit a room inside the Balea Lac Hotel of Ice in the Fagaras mountains Dec. 28, 2011. Source: REUTERS/Radu Sigheti

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A bartender arranges ice glasses inside the Balea Lac Hotel of Ice Dec. 28, 2011. Source: REUTERS/Radu Sigheti

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Elephants Play Soccer in Nepal - An elephant tries to kick a ball during a soccer match on the final day of the Elephant Race event at Sauraha in Chitwan Dec. 28, 2011. - Source: REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

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A mahout rides his adorned elephant after participating in an elephant beauty contest on the final day of the Elephant Race event at Sauraha in Chitwan Dec. 28, 2011. - Source: REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

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Pakistani villagers travel on a horse-cart in the outskirts of Lahore. The World Bank said it would provide Pakistan with $5.5 billion in development aid over the next two years. (AFP)

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Mohammad Ismail, Reuters / Landov - Dec. 29, 2011 - Kabul, Afghanistan Children watch as a man holds balloons for sale on the street.

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REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach Revellers enjoy a thrill ride at the opening of the world's biggest beer fest, the Munich Oktoberfest, in Munich, Germany,

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REUTERS/Feisal Omar - Somali fishermen carry a Hammerhead shark from the shores of the Indian ocean in Hamarweyne district, Somalia's capital Mogadishu,

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Antxon, a Spanish unemployed homeless man, sleeps under a bridge in Pamplona northern Spain, Wednesday Dec. 28, 2011, while the Spanish Royal House has announced on its official website the budget of Spanish King Juan Carlos and his family. This is the first time that the Spanish Royal House announces this. Spain suffers a strong economic crisis with more than five million unemployed. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

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Afghan refugee children collect items of potential use from a pile of garbage on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

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A shaman performs a ritual for good luck in 2012 as he prays in front of an image of Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez in Lima, Peru, Thursday Dec. 29, 2011. Fernandez was diagnosed with treatable thyroid cancer on Tuesday, and will undergo surgery on Jan. 4. (AP Photo/Karel Navarro)

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David Bullock / UGC Deer at Seven Mile Hill, The Dalles, Ore.

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aipal Singh / EPA - An Indian Sikh devotee spits fire as he performs during a religious procession taken out by community members ahead of the birth anniversary of the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, in the northern Indian city of Jammu, the winter capital of Kashmir, on Thursday, Dec. 29. Guru Gobind Singh Ji was the last Sikh Guru who initiated the special order or sect of the Sikhs called the 'Khalsa Panth.' Guru Gobind Singh's birth anniversary will be celebrated on Dec. 31.

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Jaipal Singh / EPA - An Indian Sikh devotee breaks a tube light with his teeth as he performs during a religious procession by community members ahead of the birth anniversary of the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, in the northern Indian city of Jammu, the winter capital of Kashmir, on Dec. 29.

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Mikos (shrine maidens) arrange 'Hamaya' (arrows intended to destroy evil spirits) to which 'Emas' (wooden plaques) are attached featuring a picture of dragon in celebration of the forthcoming 'Year of the Dragon' at Sosha Shrine in Himeji, Japan. Japanese years are commonly associated with the twelve animals Mouse, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. (photo: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)

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Originally from the Amazon, these most fearsome of fish were introduced to Papua New Guinean waters just 15 years ago. In Brazil, their human-like teeth were required for crushing nuts and seeds -

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Japanese macaques live mostly in northern Japan, where the snow can lie for up to four months of the year and the average temperature of winter is -5 ° C

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Japanese macaques live mostly in northern Japan, where the snow can lie for up to four months of the year and the average temperature of winter is -5 ° C

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Taunton, England — Glass-maker and blower Will Shakespeare makes glass ornaments in his workshop at Shakespeare Glass and Gallery. He is hand-making over 100 glass baubles a day to deal with the Christmas demand. PHOTOGRAPH BY: Matt Cardy / Getty Images

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Guatemala City, Guatemala — A pedestrian walks past devil pinatas as a vendor peddles on the streets. Guatemalans celebrate the annual "Burning of the Devil," setting fire to effigies and trash as a symbolic cleansing of evil spirits. PHOTOGRAPH BY: Daniel Leclair / Reuters

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SAN SALVADOR — Clay figurines for use in holiday decorations are displayed at a street market in El Salvador's capital. PHOTOGRAPH BY: JOSE CABEZAS / AFP/Getty Images

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Tokyo — A couple strolls through the year-end lights display "Blue Ocean" at the Shiodome business and shopping district in Tokyo. PHOTOGRAPH BY: FRANCK ROBICHON / EPA

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Kunduz, Afghanistan — An Afghan girl looks on as she waits with women for the distribution of food by the German humanitarian organization KinderBerg International. PHOTOGRAPH BY: FABRIZIO BENSCH / Reuters

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Oberhausen, Germany — A ray swims in its aquarium. PHOTOGRAPH BY: Martin Meissner / Associated Press

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Montreal, Quebec — An acrobat, one of a cast of 52 that includes musicians and singers, performs in "Quidam." The production, which premiered in Montreal in 1996, is the ninth stage show produced by Cirque du Soleil. PHOTOGRAPH BY: ROGERIO BARBOSA / AFP/Getty Images

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Roebershagen, Germany — Ice sculptures glow with color at the Karls theme park. Thirteen artists from Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Russia created a forest landscape made entirely of snow and ice for the exhibition PHOTOGRAPH BY: BERND WUESTNECK / EPA

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Istanbul — Dervishes perform during Mevlana's Reunion Anniversary Commemoration Ceremonies. PHOTOGRAPH BY: OSMAN ORSAL / REUTERS

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Chandigarh, India — A worker packs bags of onions at a wholesale vegetable market in northern India. PHOTOGRAPH BY: AJAY VERMA / REUTERS

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Zell an der Mosel, Germany — The tower of the former city wall is decorated as a candle for Christmas in Zell an der Mosel, Germany. - PHOTOGRAPH BY: Harald Tittel / Associated Press

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Kalash Valley, Pakistan — Kalash tribal girls in traditional costumes take part in the annual Chatarmas religious festival of the Kalash community. The local Kalash tribe worships deities similar to ancient Greek gods and goddesses. PHOTOGRAPH BY: HAMMAD KHAN FAROOQI / EPA

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Beijing — People take pictures at a shopping mall. Despite China's Catholic population being just over 6 million, Christmas is still celebrated in China, although not so much as a religious festivity. Youngsters take part of the celebrations, believing it is trendier to join in the western festivities, while for many others it is just an excuse to have fun and buy presents for their loved ones. PHOTOGRAPH BY: DIEGO AZUBEL / EPA

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A presentation by Nubia Nubia_group@yahoo.fr http://nubiagroup-powerpoint-collection.blogspot.com/