A pregnant woman poses on June 19, 2018 in Vertou, western France. France had an estimated population of 68.4 million by January 1, 2024, representing a further year-on-year increase of 0.3 percent, limited by a marked drop in the birth rate, the INSEE national statistics bureau of France reported on January 16, 2024. In 2023, 678,000 babies were born in France, 6.6 percent fewer than the previous year, the lowest number of births in any year since 1946. Over the same period, there were 631,000 deaths, down 6.5 percent on 2022, a year marked by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and episodes of extreme heat. (Photo by Loic Venance/AFP Photo)

Relatives clean the body of Paul Sampe Lumba who has been dead for seven yeas during the Ma'nene ritual at Panggala Village on August 26, 2016 in Toraja, Indonesia. The Ma'nene ritual in performed during a ceremony every three years, where the dead are exhumed for a change of clothes, among the people of Toraja as an expression of the love of the surviving family. (Photo by Sijori Images/Barcroft Images)

Every year, participants in the Burning Man Festival descend on the playa of Nevada's Black Rock Desert to form a temporary city – a self-reliant community populated by performers, artists, free spirits, and more. Last week, an estimated 68,000 people came to Burning Man 2013 from all over the world to dance, express themselves, and take in the spectacle. Gathered below are some of the sights from the festival, which lasted a week and came to its conclusion yesterday

With more than 40,000 followers on Twitter and 26,400 fans on Vine, it looks like Marutaro the hedgehog from Japan is one of the most popular hedgehogs on the Internet. And as his owner keeps on posting Marutaro’s pictures online daily, Marutaro’s popularity continues to grow. There are hundreds of cute photographs and videos of this little fellow, but the ones with little paper cut-out faces are probably the cutest. As Marutaro lies on his back, his owner gives him a variety of silly expressions and smiles. The 20 best of them will definitely boost your mood!

“About nine years ago Photographer Bob Carey and his wife, Linda moved to America's East Coast. Even though the move was exciting, exhilarating, and inspiring, it was a big and dramatic change. The self portraits were a perfect way of expressing himself. He posed in different surroundings wearing a pink tutu. The result is a wonderful, inspiring and poetic series of self portraits: The Tutu Project” – Michael Werner. (Photo by Bob Carey via TheTutuProject.com)

Joseph Szabo was a frustrated high-school teacher in need of inspiration – so he started photographing his students, and captured all the angst and excitement of being caught between childhood and adulthood. Here: “Priscilla”, 1969. (Photo by Joseph Szabo/Courtesy of Michael Hoppen Gallery/The Guardian)

A preparatory model of the Imperial State Crown of India worn in 1911 by King George V stands next to original ledgers dating from 1735 in Garrard's flagship store in Mayfair on April 6, 2011 in London, England. Garrard is the world's oldest jewellers having been founded by George Wickes in 1735 and soon after appointed as goldsmith to the Prince of Wales. For over 160 years Garrard held the title of Crown Jeweller, bestowed by Queen Victoria in 1843, Garrard have served six successive monarchs. They have produced several royal crowns as well as the engagement ring presented to Kate Middleton by Prince William and formerly Princess Diana's engagement ring. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

In this photo submitted by the Washington Post tilted “The Moment Time Stopped”, survivors piled bodies of the dead outside for weeks after earthquake on January 14, 2010 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck in 2010, and the Haitian government has said more than 300,000 people were killed. The exact toll is unknown because there was no systematic effort to count bodies among the chaos and destruction. (Photo by Carol Guzy/AP Photo/The Washington Post)