A Shiite fighter from the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) patrols in the village of Ayn Nasir, south of Mosul, on October 29, 2016, after recapturing it from Islamic State group jihadists in an ongoing operation to retake the city of Mosul. Iraqi paramilitary forces launched an operation to cut the Islamic State group's supply lines between its Mosul bastion and neighbouring Syria, opening a new front in the nearly two-week-old offensive. (Photo by Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP Photo)

Syrian government troops patrol the newly captured al- Sakhour neighbourhood in the eastern part of the northern city of Aleppo on December 7, 2016 Rebels in Aleppo called for a five- day truce and the evacuation of civilians Wednesday after losing more than three quarters of their territory including the Old City to a Syrian army offensive. (Photo by George Ourfalian/AFP Photo)

An Indian priest worships six-year-old Hindu girl Anushka Chetterjee dressed as the Hindu goddess Durga at a “pandal” for the celebrations of the “Durga Puja” festival in Kolkata on September 28, 2017. The five-day Durga Puja festival, which commemorates the slaying of the demon king Mahishasur by the goddess Durga, marks the triumph of good over evil. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP Photo)

SpaceX and NASA Launch of the PACE spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Brevard County, Florida on February 8, 2024. Photo shows launch and booster landing back at CCSFS about 7 minutes 30 seconds after launch. In the foreground is one the new modular lifeguard stands at Minuteman Causeway, replacing the old wooden tower. (Photo by Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via USA Today Network)

A five-month-old cheetah seated in the back of a Land Cruiser growls at an outstretched hand after being taken from traffickers in Ethiopia and driven to Harirad, Somaliland, in 2020. This photo is part of the work of more than 100 artists in Why We Photograph Animals, a new collection of wildlife photography that aims to help understand why people have photographed animals at different points in history and what it means in the present. (Photo by Nichole Sobecki/Thames & Hudson)

Adorable cartoonish characters created by a Brazilian illustrator Lucas Levian accentuate the most prominent details of the pictures that he has found on Instagram. The original photos were completely bland and uninteresting; however, Lucas Levitan manages to add a comical effect to them by skillfully adding a character that is doing something completely unexpected. Who would imagу placing a little guy with an iron onto the forehead of an old man? (Photo by Lucas Levitan)

Saying 50-year-old armwrestler Jeff Dabe has big hands would be a huge understatement! Dabe’s bear paws are so big that he has been compared to cartoon characters like Popeye and Wreck-It Ralph. His forearms are 49 cm in circumference and his palms look like they could crush a man’s skull like a watermelon. Luckily, Jeff only uses his enormous guns for arm wrestling and operating heavy equipment.

It's often said that pets and their owners can start to look alike, but these adorable photographs take the old mantra to a new extreme. They are the work of Svetlana Valyiskaya (27), from St Petersburg, who snaps pets in everyday poses in her spare time from her job as a commercial photographer. The vibrant costumes and scenes, which Svetlana designs herself, have made the photos a hit in her native Russia – and it's not hard to see why. She said: “I really love animals, they are loyal, faithful and true and always interesting to work with – plus they never criticise the photographs afterwards”. (Photo by Svetlana Valyiskaya/Mercury)