Boys pan for gold on a riverside at Iga Barriere, 25 km (15 miles) from Bunia, in the resource-rich Ituri region of eastern Congo February 16, 2009. Ituri is one of many areas of the country to have experienced bitter ethnic conflict between rival tribes in recent years. Massacres have left tens of thousands dead. It is this fighting that led U.S. authorities to take the unprecedented step of naming Congo in section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank financial regulation act, which says U.S.-listed companies that source gold, tungsten, tantalum and tin from Congo or its neighbours must assure the U.S. stock exchange regulator that their business is not helping fund conflict. (Photo by Finbarr O'Reilly/Reuters)

“The Songkran festival is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 15 April. It coincides with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast Asia. The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water upon others. Thais roam the streets with containers of water or water guns. In addition, many Thais will have small bowls of beige colored talc sold cheaply and mixed with water which is then smeared on the faces and bodies of random passerbys as a blessing for the new year” – Wikipedia. (Photo by Seua Yai)

Pensioner Karl Szmolinsky, who raises a breed of rabbits called giant grays, shows Robert 2, an 8.5kg giant grey who is 74cm long and has ears 25.5cm long, in the backyard of his house on January 15, 2006 in Eberswalde, Germany. In November Szmolinsky sold eight giant greys to a delegation from North Korea, whom he said want to raise the breed as a source of meat for the North Korean population. Szmolinsky said his rabbits reach a maximum weight of 10.5 kg (23.1lbs.). (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Melissa Sinclair livestock apprentice prepares seven year old Maisie the Highland cow ahead of the International Highland Cattle Show being held at Pollock Country Park on September 15, 2011 in Glasgow, Scotland. This year's event , takes place on Saturday 17th in the grounds of the park, with 30 breeders from across the UK attending with more than 100 head of cattle competing in 12 classes, to win the supreme champion. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Marcos Trujillo cleans the engines of a boat made by Contender in preparation for tomorrow's opening day of the four day long Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center on February 15, 2012 in Miami Beach, Florida. The boat show features more than 3,000 boats and 2,000 exhibitors from all over the globe. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

An animation artist has thrown a group of Disney characters into the real world – and it's not pretty. Jeff Hong, from New York, has taken the childhood favourites and turned their lives upside down. In a series of nightmarish pictures on his Tumblr, the cartoons who once lived happily ever after are now facing up to reality. And judging from these images they're not adjusting well. Photo: Beauty is everything for this belle of the ball. (Photo by Jeff Hong)

“March 19, 2012 was the first rehearsal for the Victory Day Parade at the training ground in Alabino (near Moscow, Moscow Military District). Since the end of February troops and vehicles from various units and formations of the Armed Forces began arriving to Alabino training ground. The first rehearsal included only military vehicles. During the ride the average speed of vehicles is 12 km/h, the distance depending on the type of vehicle from 12 to 15 meters”. – Vitaly Kuzmin

Performers dressed as Pikachu, a character from Pokemon series game titles, march during the Pikachu Outbreak event hosted by The Pokemon Co. on August 9, 2017 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. A total of 1, 500 Pikachus appear at the city's landmarks in the Minato Mirai area aiming to attract visitors and tourists to the city. The event will be held through until August 15. (Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)