A man climbs up a wooden pole to get a prize during celebration of Maslenitsa, or Pancake Week, a pagan holiday marking the end of winter, near Rumyantsevo, Moscow region, Russia, February 26, 2017. (Photo by Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters)

This jaw-dropping footage shows one brave diver getting up close and personal with a group of sharks as he feeds them a long-awaited meal. Ken Kiefer from Houston, Texas captured his friend, Jake, reaching right into the mouth of a hammerhead. (Photo by Ken Kiefer/Caters News Agency)

Seven-year-old Dihan Awallidan from Garut, West Java, is not like other boys his age. While most children crave chocolate and candy, Dihan is addicted to cigarettes. The second-grader picked up the habit at the age of 3 and now smokes up to three packs a day, using the pocket money he gets from his enabling parents to feed his addiction. (Photo by Rezza Estily/JG Photo)

Girls dressed up in traditional Egyptian clothes from the early 20th century pose for a picture before they get their photos taken on the historical Al-Moez street of Islamic Cairo, Egypt, January 17, 2016. (Photo by Asmaa Waguih/Reuters)

A South Indian dancer puts finishing touches to his make up as he gets ready to performs a traditional dance during a promotion event for Indian tourism in the Kerala state, in Kolkata, Eastern India, 28 January 2020. (Photo by Piyal Adhikary/EPA/EFE)

A university in the Philippines in March 2024 has come up with a novel way to stop students cheating in exams – by getting them to wear hats in the shape of animated characters and random objects such as a crate of beer. (Photo by Angelo Ebora/beampix/Solent news)

Belarussian rhythmic gymnast Melitina Staniouta takes a selfie as she has her make-up done in Minsk, May 29, 2016. Photos show her training and competing, as well as trying on her official Olympic uniform and getting ready for a photo shoot. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

In more “raccoons are getting more like us” news, a drunk raccoon was found in a liquor store in Virginia, US in the first decade of December 2025. The animal had got into the shop via some loose ceiling tiles, knocked bottles of spirits off the shelves, lapped up the contents and passed out in the toilets. Once it had sobered up, it was released back into the wild – no doubt with a crashing hangover. (Photo by AP Photo)