24 hours: Annual light procession in Ebensee, Austria

Men carry "Lichterkappen" (light caps) during "Gloecklerlauf", a traditional annual procession, in the village of Ebensee in the Salzburg area Jan 5, 2013. The procession was recorded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to Austria's national Inventory of the Intangible Cultural Heritage as a special local tradition dating back to pre-christian times. During "Gloecklerlauf", men carry "Lichterkappens", a giant paper wrapped candle lit wooden frame decorated with Christian or traditional themes on their heads, running from house to house to banish evil ghosts. Picture taken Jan 5, 2013. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (centre) waves to his supporters after speaking at the Opera House in Damascus Jan 6, 2013, in this handout photograph released by Syria's national news agency SANA. A defiant al-Assad presented what he described as a new initiative on Sunday to end the war in Syria but his opponents dismissed it as a ploy to cling to power. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) greets French actor Gerard Depardieu during their meeting in Sochi Jan 5, 2013. Depardieu arrived in Russia on Saturday to meet Putin, who granted him citizenship after a public spat in France over his efforts to avoid a potential 75 percent income tax. Picture taken Jan 5, 2013. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

Bulgarian men dance in the icy waters of the Tundzha river during a celebration for Epiphany Day in the town of Kalofer, some 150 km (93 miles) east of Sofia Jan 6, 2013. It is believed that the ritual of dancing in the river will bring good health throughout the new year. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

France's Cyril Despres rides his KTM motorcycle during the second stage of the Dakar Rally 2013, from Pisco to Pisco, Jan 6, 2013. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

A man wrapped up in a quilt walks in front of the Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque) on a cold winter morning in the old quarters of Delhi Jan 6, 2013. The current cold weather in northern India has killed more than 100 homeless people, an aid group said last week. Temperatures in Chandigarh have dipped to 4 degrees Celsius (39.2 degrees Fahrenheit), according to local media. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo (right) reacts next to teammate Sami Khedira during their Spanish first division soccer match against Real Sociedad at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Jan 6, 2013. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

Gregor Schlierenzauer of Austria soars through the air during his first jump of the fourth event of the 61st four-hills ski jumping tournament in Bischofshofen, Jan 6, 2013. Schlierenzauer won the tournament ahead of Anders Jacobsen of Norway and Tom Hilde of Norway. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

A man dressed as Hindu goddess Kali, the goddess of power, performs with a burning camphor tablet on his tongue during a religious procession ahead of the "Kumbh Mela", or Pitcher Festival, in the northern Indian city of Allahabad Jan 6, 2013. During the festival, hundreds of thousands of Hindus take part in a religious gathering at the banks of the river Ganges. The festival is held every 12 years in different Indian cities. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

A tennis fan takes a picture on her tablet device as Andy Murray of Britain signs autographs after defeating Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in the men's final match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament Jan 6, 2013. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

A man smokes a cigarette as he chews qat, a mild stimulant, at a market place in the Old Sanaa city Jan 6, 2013. Qat dominates life in Yemen, where most men spend half the day chewing it, even at work, and experts say it is ravaging Yemen's frail economy and sucking up precious water. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

Members of the Greek Orthodox clergy and altar servers wait for the arrival of the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem Metropolitan Theophilos at the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem Jan 6, 2013, during the Eastern Orthodox Christmas. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

Lawyers loyal to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) shout slogans during a strike in front of the Judge court in Dhaka Jan 6, 2013. Bangladesh's opposition alliance, led by former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, called for a dawn to dusk nationwide strike protesting against the latest hike in fuel oil prices effective from the end of Thursday, local media reported. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

AC Milan's Stephan El Shaarawy (top) is challenged by Siena's Gianluca Pegolo (bottom left) and Luis Carlos Neto (bottom right) during their Italian Serie A soccer match at San Siro stadium in Milan, Jan 6, 2013. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

France's Guerlain Chicherit and his navigator Jean-Pierre Garcin get out from their SMG during the second stage of the Dakar Rally 2013, from Pisco to Pisco, Jan 6, 2013. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

Newly ordained bishops lay on the floor as Pope Benedict XVI leads the Epiphany mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Jan 6, 2013. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

A paramilitary soldier stands guard beside a border gate at the India-Pakistan joint check-post at the Wagah border near Lahore Jan 6, 2013. -- PHOTO : REUTERS

A burnt out car blocks Dee Street in east Belfast Jan 6, 2013. Pro-British militant groups are instigating and exploiting the riots that have rocked the Northern Irish capital Belfast in the past month, a police officers' representative said on Sunday. The violence, which stems from Loyalist protests over the removal of the British flag over Belfast City Hall, is among the worst in the province since a 1998 peace accord ended three decades of sectarian conflict. -- PHOTO : REUTERS