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Pictures of the week: From a roar that hit the spot to smoke-filled skies
Here's our pick of the best pictures around the world this week...

Hear my roar! Young leopard Fred attempts to show his sister, Ginger, who's boss in their enclosure at Dvur Kralove Zoo, Czech Republic. Ginger looks unimpressed. (Action Press/REX)

Mount Sinabung spews ash as stars glisten above. The volcano in Indonesia has been active since November. More than 25,000 villagers from the surrounding area have been evacuated, while the ash has coated the ground below in a thick blanket of grey soot. (Reuters)

The Saudi Hawks Display Team perform stunning aerial displays at the Bahrain International Airshow in Sakhir, Bahrain. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

A message from the gods? Lightning strikes during the doubles match between Rameez Junaid of Australia and Adrian Mannarino of France, and Rohan Bopanna of India and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan, during the 2014 Australian Open in Melbourne. Australia has been in the grip of a heatwave this week. Temperatures rose above 45C and dozens of bush fires raged through communities in the south and west of the country. The fires have claimed one life in North Grampians, west of Victoria. (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images)

Pie-eyed: World Scotch Pie winner Stephen McAllister, from Kandy Bar Bakers in Saltcoats, Scotland, celebrates the only way he knows how at The Scotch Pie Awards in Dunfermline, Scotland. (PA)

Taking a break: A family wrapped up in traditional Mongolian wear rest on a sleigh, while their camel, adorned in colourful garments, waits by their side. The family are attending the annual Thousand Camel Festival in West Ujimqin Banner, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The festival boasts races, polo competitions and performances of traditional Mongolian music and dance. (Unimedia Images/REX)

Is this real or fake? Talented painter Roberto Bernardi, 33, spends up to a month painstakingly perfecting paintings that look real. The 39-year-old Italian artist uses oil on canvas to produce extraordinary art that can fetch up to £76,000. (Roberto Bernardi/Caters)

A Naga Sadhu, or Hindu holy man, offers blessings to a woman after taking a holy dip at the meeting point of the Ganges River and the Bay of Bengal, India. The man, covered in white, bathed in the water during Makar Sankranti - a Hindu festival that marks the start of the harvest season. (Reuters)

The beginning of the apocalypse? The Luminarias festival, where riders guide horses through bonfires, is held annually in the small town of San Bartolome de los Pinares in central Spain. The festival dates back 500 years and is held the night before St Anthony's Day, the patron saint of animals. It is believed the smoke from the bonfires bless the animals and protect them for the year to come. (Reuters)

A trend for next season? Photographer Tim Tadder snapped the moment a water balloon popped over a model's head. (Tim Tadder)

Smoke billows from a vast fire at a recycling plant in Sherburn-in-Elmet, where 15,000 tonnes of tyres burned this week. The blaze was so fierce that the nearby town of York was blanketed by the black smoke. The plume reached heights of 6,000ft - high enough to be seen from space. The cause of the fire is not yet known. (PA)

Pictures of the week: From flooded homes in Britain to wildfire in California

Here's our pick of the best pictures around the world this week...

Staff and residents are rescued as the floodwaters rise at the Mercure Box Hill Burford Bridge Hotel, Dorking. Two separate storms have battered Britain this Christmas week. Rivers have burst their banks, flooded homes have been left without power, and high winds have caused travel chaos. (Tony Kershaw/REX)

This impressive castle is in fact made of ice. It is being constructed for the 30th Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, in Harbin, China. According to the festival organisers, nearly 10,000 workers were employed to build the ice and snow sculptures, which require about 180,000 square metres of ice and 150,000 square metres of snow. The festival kicks off on January 5, 2014. (Reuters)

What are you looking at? Ring-tailed Lemurs inspect a scale during an animal stocktaking at the Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg, Germany. (Reuters)

Eve Grayson, a reindeer herder of the Cairngorm Reindeer Herd, feeds the deer in snowy conditions in Aviemore, Scotland. This is the only reindeer herd in Britain as the animals are not native to the land. Reindeer were introduced to Scotland in 1952 by Swedish Sami reindeer herder, Mikel Utsi. Starting with just a few reindeer, the herd has now grown in numbers over the years and is currently at about 130 by controlling the breeding. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Haven't you forgotten someone? Onlookers hoping for a rare glimpse of Prince George were sorely disappointed after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived for the traditional Christmas Day church service without their newborn at St Mary Magdalene Church on the royal estate in Sandringham, Norfolk. (PA)

Displaced families wait at Tomping United Nations base near Juba international airport, where some 12,000 people from the Nuer tribe have sought refuge as conflict rages in South Sudan. The country, which gained indepedence from Sudan in 2011, has quickly descended into violance after clashes between rival groups of soldiers in Juba spread across the nation. (Reuters)

Stuart Radbourne (C), huntsman and joint-master with the Avon Vale Hunt, leads the riders and hounds for their traditional Boxing Day hunt, at Lacock in Wiltshire, England. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

A layer of ice coats the leaves of a Japanese maple tree after an ice storm in Toronto, Canada. (Reuters)

Spot the baby: A shopper taking advantage of the Boxing Day sales in Leicester covers her child's pram with clothes while the baby sleeps soundly. (PA)

Brrr, it's cold in there! Swimmers emerge from the Serpentine river on Christmas Day in Hyde Park, London. For over 100 years, swimmers have taken part in the Christmas Day "Peter Pan" swim in the Serpentine. (Reuters)

Pope Francis holds a replica of the baby Jesus at the end of his first Christmas night mass as Pontiff in the Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (Reuters)

Fire fighters battle a brush fire in the Simi Valley, California. Strong winds and dry conditions hindered the crews hoping to put out the flames. (ZUMA/REX)

Pictures of the week: From a homemade boat in India to a colourful run in the Philippines

Here's our pick of the best pictures from around the world this week..

Hot lava from Mount Sinabung volcano spews skyward in Indonesia's North Sumatra province. About 20,000 villagers have been evacuated since authorities raised the alert status for Sinabung to the highest level. (Reuters)

Row, row, row your boat: A fisherman rows a makeshift boat to fish in the Bay of Bengal at Visakhapatnam, in Andhra Pradesh, India (Reuters)

The first koala joey to be born in the UK in May of last year finally has a name. Pictured here with a toy koala he was given a name after keepers found out he was male. He was christened 'Yooranah', an indigenous Australian term meaning 'loving'. (PA)

No longer the 'Windy City': This stunning aerial view over Chicago shows the 'Windy City' encased in ice as a weather phenomenon known as a 'polar vortex' wreaked havoc across vast swathes of America and Canada. (Hank Cain/@WCL_Shawn/Twitter)

A large wave crashes over the promenade at high tide in Aberystwyth, Wales, as Britain endured more floods and winds. (Reuters)

Students hold candles at a mourning ceremony for Run Run Shaw in front of a building donated by Shaw at the University of South China. The Hong Kong media mogul died on Tuesday at the age of 106. (Reuters)

The beauty of the Northern Lights in Whalsay, Shetland. The Lights can be seen as a green glow on the left. They were also seen in southern England and the last time they were so clear was 151 years ago.(SWNS)

Anglers cast lines through holes into a frozen river during an ice fishing competition in Hwacheon-gun, South Korea. The annual event attracts thousands of competitors where participants compete with traditional lures or with bare hands. (Getty)

Bright lights, big city: Visitors watch fireworks during the opening ceremony of the 30th annual Harbin International Ice and Snow festival in Harbin, in northeastern's China's Heilongjiang province. (PA)

Flying high: A participant prepares to fly a large tiger-shaped kite at the 26th International Kite Festival in Mumbai, India. Kite-flyers from numerous countries participated in the day-long festival. (PA)

'What are you looking at?' The Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Hospital in Queensland, Australia, has been inundated with tiny flippers at the start of the New Year. 18 short-neck turtles, no bigger than a 50p coin, have recently hatched at the sanctuary. (Rex Features)

Participants throw coloured powder in the air during the 2014 Colour Run in Manila, Philippines. The event was founded in the U.S. in January, 2012, as an event to promote healthiness and happiness by bringing the community together. (Rex Features)

Pictures of the week: From baby twin pandas to a very slimy beauty treatment

Here's our pick of the pictures from around the world this week...

Zookeepers were stunned when giant panda Lun Lun gave birth to not one - but two - baby panda's at Zoo Atlanta this week (Reuters)

A pink, orange and purple sunset is pictured at Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire. Britain has been experiencing the longest heatwave since 2006 with temperatures regularly hitting the mid-30s (Drew Buckley / Rex Features)

The jet set: Holidaymakers have been soaring above the waves on jet packs which can thrust you into the air at 30mph. (Rex)

Off to Edward Snowden's hiding place? Vladimir Putin rides in a submersible in the Baltic Sea near Gotland Island, Russia. Putin is regularly pictured demonstrating his "masculine" hobbies, from arm wrestling to riding topless on a horse (Photo by Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images)

A hospital breakfast is seen beside Saurav Kumar, a boy who ate one of the contaminated free meals given to primary school children in Patna, India. At least 23 children died as a result of eating the lunches funded by the government (Reuters)

A child holds up balloons with images of former South African President Nelson Mandela in Mexico City. Supporters around the world wished the anti-apartheid leader happy birthday as he celebrated his 95th in a hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, where he is recovering from a lung infection (Reuters)

A teddy bear goes fishing in this pothole artwork. A woman who was sick of the potholes on her road turned them into artwork. Laura Murphy from Hailsham, East Sussex, was so annoyed by the six-month wait to fix the potholes outside her home that she made these arty snaps to get the council's attention - and it worked (M & Y News Ltd / Rex Features)

Keith Straw, 58, dressed in a pink ballet tutu and pink camouflage leg warmers bows his head under the scorching sun during the Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley National Park, California. The 135-mile race, which bills itself as the world's toughest foot race, goes from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, California in temperatures which can reach 55C (Reuters)

A DC-10 tanker drops bright orange fire supression retardant on a wildfire near Idyllwild Wild, Palm Springs, California. Wildfires are a common occurence during this time of year (ZUMA / Rex Features)

Rule Britannia: A royal supporter is covered in Union Jacks as he stands outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, where Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is due to give birth (Reuters)

Clinical-Salon Ci:z.Labo in Tokyo, Japan, demonstrates a unique facial treatment called "Celeb Escargot Course". The 10,500 yen (£69) hour-long treatment relies on snail's slime which is believed to make one's skin supple as well as remove dry and scaly patches (Reuters)

Pictures of the week: From a firewalker to wild ponies swimming in Virginia

Here's our pick of the pictures around the world this week...

Sparks fly as a man, moving briskly, runs barefoot across a pile of hot coals. The traditional ceremony in Jinhua city, China, is believed to grant the daredevil firewalker luck and prosperity and prevent disaster (Imaginechina / Rex Features)

Human skulls adorned with a crown of flowers and the name and date of its owner's death are placed in rows at the Bone House in Hallstatt, Austria. The Bone House, known as Beinhaus, is home to 1,200 skulls and bones and was founded in the 12th century due to a lack of space at the village's small cemetery. Remains were dug up after ten to 15 years and taken there to make way for the newly deceased (Reuters)

Keep close: Three one-month-old meerkats made their first trip outside their enclosure this week in Bristol Zoo Gardens. Pictured here are two of the tiny triplets, carefully snuggled under mother Babushka's arms (Tim Ireland/PA Wire)

Andy Laird, 19, was left red-faced after he discovered his Vauxhall Corsa was submerged under 3ft of sea water. The teenager had parked his car on the beach at Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, and then left it to have lunch with his family. When he returned to the beach at 5pm he was shocked to find the tide had come in so suddenly his car was now 50ft from the shore. (SWNS)

Boats are illuminated as a bolt of lightning streaks across the sky over Poole Harbour as heavy storms brought a temporary halt to Britain's heatwave to a dramatic end (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Time for a shower: Visitors to an exhibition in Taiyuan, China, were able to fully immerse themselves in art by interacting with 3D paintings (Rex)

Dancers in yellow and orange perform in front of thousands holding up coloured card in the May Day stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. The Ariring mass games got underway this week with an extraordinary spectacle of thousands of dancers, acrobats and singers participating in the patriotic and celebratory show. This week is particularly significant to North Koreans as it is the 60th anniversary of the day the armistice was signed to suspend hostilities between North and South Korea (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

An estimated one million Catholics gathered on Brazil's famed Copacabana beach to hear Pope Francis celebrate mass (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Baby parrots, whose feathers haven't begun to grow yet, are seen for sale in Dimapur, India (Caisii Mao / Rex Features)

A wagon of the crashed train that killed 80 people in north-western Spain is lifted from the wreckage. The country is in mourning after the terrible accident (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge present their son, Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge, to the world's media outside St Mary's Lindo Wing in London.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Where's my swimming cap? Wild ponies keep their heads above the water during the 88th Annual Pony Swim in Virginia, America. The tradition sees 118 ponies make a five-minute swim across the Assateague Channel to Chincoteague Island where they are auctioned for money for the local fire volunteer service (Photo by Maddie Meyer/The Washington Post)

Pictures of the week: From Ramadan prayers to bull runners in Spain

Here's our pick of the pictures from around the world this week...

A child joins in as members of the Muslim community attend midday prayers at Strasbourg Grand Mosque, France, on the first day of Ramadan (Reuters)

Far out: This planet - 63 light years away - bears an incredible resemblance to Earth - but exoplanet HD 189733b is far from hospitable. Temperatures are 1,000C, winds howl at more than 4,000mph, and it rains silicate glass (PA)

Orphaned kitten Tigger has been adopted by Harley the British bulldog. The adorable pair are inseparable; Tigger often sleeps with his surrogate mum and Harley even washes him (SWNS)

Make a wish: A rare double rainbow is seen above towering skyscrapers in Guangzhou, China (HAP/Quirky China News / Rex Features)

A giant statue of Jane Austen's romantic hero Darcy from the book 'Pride and Prejudice' surprises a swimmer in the Serpentine, London. The enormous structure is inspired by the infamous scene from the TV adaptation where Darcy, played by Colin Firth, emerges from a lake with a wet shirt - capturing millions of British hearts (PA)

Donkey sandwich: Jack Johnston, 15 months, is caught in a cuddle with two micro miniature donkeys called 'Snuggle Pot' and 'Livingstone' in Yea, Australia (David Caird/Newspix / Rex Features)

This dramatic picture shows revelers crouching at the entrance to a bull ring after the fourth running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain (Reuters)

Pictures of the week: From a shy baby meerkat to a spectacular sunrise

Peekaboo: Four week old meerkat cub Monty is all cosy inside a Wellington Boot at Blair Drummond Safari Park in Stirling, Scotland (PA)

Prime real-estate: A small house built on a rock on the river Drina near Bajina Basta, Serbia (Reuters)

A damaged sign still stands among the wreckage outside the Plaza Towers elementary school, where seven children died in a huge tornado. Poignantly it was to have been "Super Kids Day" in Moore, Oklahoma, when the tornado struck. It tore through the suburb of Oklahoma City, flattening buildings and killing 24 people, including ten children (Reuters)

A spectacular skyline in this photograph taken near Bursa in Turkey. (Sky away from the Lights © Tunç Tezel, 2010)

Smoke billows from a burning car as firemen work to extinguish the flames in Rinkeby, a suburb of Stockholm. Swedish youths torched cars, schools and a police station on several nights of rioting this week (Reuters)

Don't forget your Oyster m'am: Queen Elizabeth and the Duke Of Edinburgh arrive in style during a visit to Cambridge

Three wolf cubs jostle for position in front of the camera at a zoo in Luoyang, China (HAP/Quirky China News / Rex Features)

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish bride Hannah Batya Penet dances during her wedding ceremony in Jerusalem, Israel. Some 25,000 people joined to celebrate the wedding of Penet to Shalom Rokeach, the eldest grandson of the Chief Rabbi of Belz, Yissachar Dov Rokeach. The Belz Hasidic dynasty is one of the largest Hasidic groups in the world (Reuters)

The spectacular sunrise is reflected in the water as a fisherman casts his net into the Brisbane River, Australia (Jeff Camden/ Newspix/ Rex Features)

Pictures of the week: From a dramatic lightning storm to a

playful whale

Lightning strikes the Willis Tower in Chicago during extreme weather earlier this week (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A burnt Jeep is charred white, while its wheels are turned to liquid after wildfires in the Black Forest, Colorado, raged through homes and communities (Reuters)

"That tickles mum!": African lion 'Tiombe' plays with her six-week old cub at Monarto Zoo, Adelaide, Australia (Dylan Coker/Newspix / Rex Features)

An aerial view of the Chrysler Building in New York City (Jason Hawkes)

The base of a tree is covered in caterpillar's webs. Hundreds of moth caterpillars have invaded a Cambridge park and covered the trees in the creepy white stuff (Rex Features)

3-2-1... blastoff: A soldier runs away from the launching pad as China's manned spacecraft prepares to launch for a 15-day mission (Reuters)

Protesters supporting whistle-blower Edward Snowden march to the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong where he is in hiding. The National Security Agency contractor revealed the U.S. government's top-secret monitoring of phone and Internet data (Reuters)

Dozens of sheep, goat and cattle storm down a hill in Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China (Reuters)

Still waters under a small yellow ferry as it passes through thick fog over Xin'an River in Jiande, Zhejiang province, China (Reuters)

A ball of fire rises into the air after an explosion in Istanbul's Taksim Square. Protesters are still occupying the square and Gezi Park after two weeks of protest and fierce clashes with police. At least five people have died and 5,000 have been injured (Reuters)

A boy walks past a mural painted outside the house former South African President Nelson Mandela once lived in, in Johannesburg's Alexandra township. Mandela has spent more than a week in hospital with a recurring lung infection. His condition has been described as stable but serious (Reuters)

A humpback whale puts on a spectacular show for spectators as it jumps out of the water and crashes onto the surface in Newcastle, New South Wales (Peter Lorimer/Newspix / Rex Features)

Pictures of the week: From car in a sinkhole to auto in the snow
Here's our pick of the pictures around the world this week...

Going down: A Chinese family got the shock of their lives when a giant sinkhole appeared in the road and their car tumbled into it. Luckily the family escaped unharmed (Rex)

Force of nature: A dramatic lightning bolt lights up the Grand Canyon's walls (TRAVIS ROE/U.S. DEPT OF THE INTERIOR/CATERS)

The world's longest Lego railway track - in Denmark of course - is more than 2.5 miles long (Rex Features)

A man stands in his damaged apartment after a car bombing in Reyhanli, in Hatay province near the Turkish-Syrian border (Reuters)

A bird flies underneath an atmospheric phenomenon known as a "sun dog" in the sky over Seaside Heights, New Jersey (Reuters)

Bangladeshis struggle against waves as they crashes onto the shore of the Bay of Bengal as cyclone Mahasen approaches. Despite fears of catastrophe the storm passed through with minimal casualties. A total of 18 people have been killed in Burma, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as a result of the cyclone (Reuters)

A dead tree stands in front of shallow water and a dried-up area of Lake George, 31 miles north of Canberra, Australia as a terrible drought affects the country (Reuters)

A man attaches prayer petitions with names written on cards to lotus lanterns at Jogye temple in preparation for the birthday of Buddha which falls on May 17 in South Korea (Reuters)

Summer weather: Snow fell in Shropshire (pictured), Devon and Dartmoor this week as an unusual blast of cold weather swept the nation (SWNS)

Pictures of the week: From colourful devotees in India

to a flying car

Here's the pick of the pictures around the world this week.

Devotees wearing traditional blue clothing walk on a pathway made of cement bags to offer prayers at a shrine along the Arabian Sea in Mumbai, India (Reuters)

Prince Harry pays tribute to those who died during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The young royal will spend a week in America on an official tour (Reuters)

Dinner is served! This is the moment a lucky bird had an easy meal when an unsuspecting fish jumped out of the water. The cormorant had been paddling in wait of a meal at the El Dorado Regional Park in California. Seconds after this photo was taken he gobbled up the poor rainbow trout whole. (Dr. Andrew Lee/Solent News / Rex Features)

Not the Netherlands, but China. Villagers trim stunning tulip blossoms in Qushui County Tulip Farm (ZUMA / Rex Features)

Queen Elizabeth arrives for the State Opening of Parliament, at the Palace of Westminster where she unveiled the coalition goverment's legislative programme (Reuters)

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Supersquirrel! This creature was caught flying between trees in Novosibirsk, Russia, just like the comic book hero Superman (Caters)

Tourists on traditional boats paddle through the water tunnels guarded by the military on the island of Nangan, near northern Taiwan (Reuters)

Rescue workers were astonished when they pulled a woman alive from the rubble of the Rana Plaza building 17 DAYS after it collapsed. The woman, identified as Reshma Begum, survived by scavenging biscuits from the bags of her dead colleagues. More than 1,000 people perished in the disaster in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Reuters)

Emergency services wear protective clothing during an exercise simulating a chemical attack on an underground station in South Korea. The United States, Japan and South Korea remain on alert despite reports that North Korea has moved a set of missiles from a launch site (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

A supporter of former cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan takes part during a rally in Islamabad, Pakistan. Khan suffered severe injuries after he fell from a stage during a political rally. Pakistanis go to the polls on May 11 (PA)

The commute home? The Terrafugia TF-X is a partially electric-powered FLYING car, which has the ability to take off vertically, meaning passengers should be able to take off from their homes and soar above traffic

Pictures of the week: From a protective mother to a competitive Duchess

Here's our pick of the pictures around the world this week...

This is the incredible moment a protective mother came to the rescue of her vulnerable calf as it was preyed upon by a pack of hyenas. The angry elephant charged at the hungry animals - and was successful at saving her baby. The amazing picture was captured by Jayesh Mehta in the Savuti region of the Chobe national park in Botswana (Caters)

Two people sit on a bench in a flooded park in Buenos Aires. Catastrophic flash floods have killed at least 57 people in unseasonable weather in Argentina (Reuters)

U.S. President Barack Obama pulls a funny face while playing tennis during the 135th annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House in Washington (Reuters)

A lone child walks among debris and rubble strewn across a street as a result of intense fighting in Deir al-Zor, Syria. The United Nations has warned it will soon run out of money to cope with the exodus of Syrian refugees fleeing across the borders to safety (Reuters)

Soldiers of the U.S. Army 23rd chemical battalion give a demonstration of their equipment at Camp Stanley in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul. Tensions are high after North Korea made threats of war against its southern neighbour and the US (Reuters)

Pedestrians and New York's iconic yellow taxis are seen from the observatory of One World Trade Center, built at the Ground Zero site in New York City (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The Solaris Building in Singapore is treated to a unique extension by '3D Joe and Max', street artists who used chalk to produce a stunning 3D illusion (3D Joe and Max / Rex Features)

A bird's eye view shows rice paddy fields glowing gold in the sunlight in Guangxi Zhuang, China (ZUMA / Rex Features)

Residents are stumped after council workers painted the UK's shortest double yellow lines - measuring a miniscule 13in - onto their street in Cambridge. Motorists will be fined £50 to £70 if they misjudge their parking in Humberstone Road, Cambridge (Geoffrey Robinson / Rex Features)

Monks release glowing lanterns during the Loy Krathong Buddhist Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand (Photo by Daniel Nahabedian, Chiang Mai, Thailand)

Pictures of the week: From a hungry gorilla to North Korean border guards in high heels

'Motaba' the gorilla is bananas for, ahem, bananas, but 6-year-old Ella O'Brien and her 4-year-old sister Bridget are safe from the ape thanks to a glass partition (Newspix / Rex Features)

Lost in a sea of brilliantly colourful flowers at the appropriately named Flower Fields in Carlsbad, California (Reuters)

This otherwordly image of a waterfall in California was created by colourful glow sticks placed under water as well as long exposure photography (Sean Lenz/Kristoffer Abildgaard/Rex Features)

Unlikely friends: Cindy, an 8-week-old kitten, has found an unusual friend in Harvey, an 8-year-old golden retriever. Dogs and cats are normally enemies - think Tom & Jerry - but old hound Harvey has become protective of the young tabby at the Lost Dogs Home in Melbourne (David Caird/Newspix / Rex Features)

Like others this week Louis Maier was affected by the news of Margaret Thatcher's death. But the tattoo-enthusiast paid an unusual permanent tribute to the former Prime Minister - by tattooing her face onto his leg. His tribute to the Tory leader refers to claims she helped invent the Mr Whippy ice cream when she worked as research chemist exploring the effect of emulsifiers (SWNS)

Gun check, hat check, high heels, check - these North Korean soldiers are ready to report for duty at the border with China along the banks of Yalu River. The hermit kingdom is said to be preparing for a further missile launch further heightening tensions in the region. (Reuters)

A woman and child pass graffiti daubed on a wall on the Falls Road in west Belfast. In life as in death Margaret Thatcher polarised opinion and in parts of the country 'street parties' celebrating the former Prime Minister's death were held. Those held in Bristol and Brixton, London, ended in violence (Reuters)

An orphaned polar bear pulls a quizzical look at the camera with a teddy bear by its side. This young polar bear cub was left an orphan after its mother was shot dead by hunters. But the adorable animal has become a global sensation after it was rescued by an Alaskan zoo and built a relationship with some of its current occupants - teddy bears (SWNS)

Russian President Vladimir Putin lies on the snow while playing with his two dogs in Russia. This image is the latest in his photoshoots which put the leader in decidedly macho poses, such as riding bare-chested on a horse or swimming in a lake (Reuters)

Let there be light: This dramatic image of lightening was taken of the night sky over Patterson, Arkansas (Reuters)

Two years ago a destructive earthquake devastated the New Zealand city of Christchurch, claiming 185 lives. Now the city has found innovative ways to rebuild such as using giant shipping containers for small business start-ups (Caters)

'Marooned' by Steve Brockett shows villas surrounded by a sea of greenhouses in Spain. The picture was an entry to the Environmental Photographer of the Year Awards (Steve Brockett)

Pictures of the week

Hundreds of beautiful cranes obscure the sky by a lake in northern Israel. The stunning image was taken by Liron Hamelnick, 29, at Hula Lake Park in the Middle Eastern country. The majestic birds use the lake twice a year as a brief stopover from Europe to Africa (Caters)

A line of Masai people wait to cast their vote. Millions of Kenyans voted in an election amid fears of a repeat of violence and bloodshed that shocked the African nation five years ago. Allegations of doctored votes were raised by current Prime Minister Raila Odinga but his rival Uhuru Kenyatta has retained a lead as counting draws to a close. In 2007 more than 1,200 people were killed after the result was disputed (Reuters)

This photo of a bright blue glacier was taken by Marketa Kalvachova, 32, who is dubbed the 'Ice Queen'. The photographer travels thousands of miles every year to find the unusual landscapes in the coldest corners of the globe (Caters)

Pictures of the week: floods in Britain and More

Torrential rain and strong winds brought flooding to Britain this week. A man died in Somerset after his car became trapped in a river. Hundreds of homes were left without power. The bad weather is set to continue into the weekend (PA)

Incense smoke wafts past the face of an Indian Hindu devotee as she prays as part of a ritual at sunset in the holy Yamuna River during the Chhath Puja festival in New Delhi. Chhath prayers, an ancient Hindu festival popular amongst the working class, is performed to thank the Sun God for sustaining life on earth (PA)

A waterspout was recorded off the coast of Batemans Bay in Australia. The giant funnel of cloud and water did not cause any damage (AFP)

Icicles form on a tree as the afternoon sun melts the snow in Banff National Park near Lake Louise, Canada (Reuters)

Part of Whitehall was cordoned off on Friday after a naked man climbed onto a statue (PA)

Eyeballs", the wild owl, was captured and taken to a sanctuary in Devon after terrorising residents in Northam. The eagle owl attacked a poodle and gardener and was becoming a danger to children (Caters)