“Reem Riyashi (1982 – 14 January 2004) was a Palestinian mother of two from Gaza City who killed herself and four Israelis at the Erez crossing on January 14, 2004 in a suicide bombing attack. Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed that the attack by Riyashi was a joint operation mounted as a response to weeks of Israeli incursions into West Bank cities that had left about 25 Palestinians dead”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Reem Saleh Al-Riyashi, the first woman suicide bomber from Hamas, is shown with her daughter, Duha, in the Gaza Strip. She was married and the mother of two young children. (Photo by Getty Images)

Emperor penguins gathered together to keep their chicks warm in these pictures. Marine scientist Frederique Oliver snapped the protective parents in Antarctica as they huddled against the huge winds.The adorable birds have to battle temperatures on -20 degrees Celsius as well as winds of up to 40 knots on the ice. (Photo by Frederique Oliver/Caters News)

Chinese-born street artist DALeast, whose work is recognizable for its unique style anywhere he paints, has left a trail of stunning 3D graffiti spanning several continents. Based in South Africa with his wife, the 29-year-old artist spends around half a year traveling around the world and painting his graffiti artworks in different cities. Each piece of his street art looks as it’s made out of thousands of metal shards, which all come together beautifully to shape different animals, birds or humans in action.

“Sunward”. When the Mediterrenean Mantis opened its wings, It seemed very impressive at the sunshine... Photo location: Nicosia, Cyprus. (Photo and caption by Hasan Baglar/National Geographic Photo Contest)

When Colin Garratt went to photograph the traditional sentinels of the British countryside, he found they ranged from the dapper to the downright sinister. “They are not from the anaesthetised world of the craft fair”, says Colin Garratt, “but are the direct descendants of the ancient spectres which have haunted the landscape for centuries”. The Scarecrow Exhibition is at Geddes Gallery, London, from 25 to 30 March. (Photo by Colin Garratt)

In Omdurman, the largest city in Sudan, the Qadiriyya Sufi order meets every Friday outside Sheikh Hamed Al Nil mosque, which houses the tomb of their 19th century Sufi leader. (Photo by Ala Kheir, John Burns and Ibrahim Algrefwi/Brownbook)