Day in pictures

Afghan Shia men in Kabul thrash themselves with chains and blades during the annual Ashura ceremonies, in which participants mourn the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussein.

A Bosnian Orthodox priest celebrates a Christmas service in Sarajevo. Christmas for most Orthodox Christians falls on 7 January.

Polar bear Knut is in his element at the Tiergarten Zoo in Berlin, Germany, as a cold snap grips Europe.

In southern France, heavy snow covers the port city of Marseille. Schools are closed in some regions and cold weather is forecast to continue for several days.

In a suburb of Tokyo, an employee of the Japanese company Ogawa Rubber puts the finishing touches to a mask of US President-elect Barack Obama.

A performer for the theatrical group La Clique rehearses a hoop act at the Sydney festival in Australia.

In Bali, Indonesia, two tourists are propelled into the air during a slingshot rise.

A group of Gelada monkeys huddle together to keep warm at Stuttgart's Wilhelma zoo in Germany.

People queue for petrol in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, where the fuel is both scare and expensive.

Spanish motorcyclist Jordi Viladomis rides towards a dramatic skyline in the fifth stage of 2009 Dakar rally, being held in Argentina and Chile this year instead of Africa because of security concerns.

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