Men in traditional ‘Befana’ costumes compete in the ‘Regatta of Befane’ (witches’ race) on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. (Reuters)
A Pakistani man looks through a broken window of the Jaffar Express train after an attack at a railway station in Quetta in restive Baluchistan province, killed at least five people and seriously injured 20 others. (AFP)
Men jump into the waters of a lake in an attempt to grab a wooden cross on Epiphany Day in Sofia, Bulgaria. Orthodox priests throughout the country bless the waters by throwing a cross into it as worshipers try to retrieve the cross. It is strongly believed that catching the cross brings health and prosperity to the person who catches it. (Reuters)
Spain’s Guell Gerard Farres rides his Honda motorcycle during the first stage of the Dakar Rally 2013, from Lima to Pisco, January 5, 2013. (Reuters)
Indians wearing traditional Assamese attire raise their khol, a traditional percussion instrument of Assam, as they participate in an attempt to create a Guinness record, in Titabar, about 350 kilometers (219 miles) east of Gauhati, India. 14,833 people participated in the event. (AP)
A house destroyed by a bushfire is seen in ruins in Dunalley, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) east of Hobart, January 5, 2013. Over 100 homes have been destroyed in Australia’s island state of Tasmania by dozens of bush fires, driven by record high temperatures last week across the country. (Reuters)
Newly ordained bishops lay on the floor as Pope Benedict XVI leads the Epiphany mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. (Reuters)
In celebration of Twelfth Night, marking the end of the twelve days of winter festivities, an actor representing The Holly Man walks past St Paul’s Cathedral, in a free performance by The Bankside Mummers on the Bankside, near Shakespeares Globe, in London. (AP)
Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke (R) and teammate Ed Cowan run between the wickets on the fourth day of the third cricket Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia. (AFP)
Members of the Edo Firemanship Preservation Association display their balancing skills atop bamboo ladders during a New Year demonstration by the fire brigade in Tokyo, Japan. (Reuters)