Europe's week in pictures

The news in pictures - and some of the more striking images - from the past seven days across Europe.

Austria's glitterati gather in their finery for the traditional Viennese Opera Ball...

...while outside protesters who object to the ball and to the right-wing Freedom Party stage protests

Fugitive mafia boss Vincenzo Virga is arrested in Palermo, Italy, by masked Italian police officers

Croatian firemen battle to control a forest fire, started when strong winds brought down power cables south of Split

Nato Secretary-General George Robertson tries on a WWI Austrian officer's cap and enjoys a Czech beer during a visit to Prague

A carnival season which marks the run-up to Lent gets under way in the Canary Islands with a fancy dress contest

Russian soldiers marked the Day of the Defender of Fatherland with parades and music

Russian girls from a special school for sick children enjoy pancakes for Maslenitsa holiday, which marks the end of winter

Circus juggler Shirly Sada goes to her wedding in Malaga, Spain, by elephant: she married a trapeze artist