A quiet Himalayan mountain village springs to life for a colourful Buddhist festival designed to expel evil spirits and bring happiness .

ROLLING around in the snow, these young brown bears take a break from their play fight to share a tender hug with one another .

A unique business in Birkenhead, Merseyside is sure to leave you HALF-CUT with its unusual pub and barbers combination .

BEHIND the doors of this building, with its stacks of mattresses and discarded remains of wheelchairs, lies another victim of austerity cuts .

BRITISH kingfishers love to cool off by creating a splash .

FINALLY catching a meal, a pair of great white egrets fight over their dinner .

A baby girl has become the youngest British patient to receive a life-saving cardiac operation after her heart swelled to twice its normal size within days of her birth .

From vivid greens to glowing pinks, the colours of the aurora borealis fill the night sky above a snow covered Lapland .

A mother-of-one has revealed how a neighbour’s friend ‘mauled’ her face, leaving her scarred for life .

A BROWN bear wades through waters in Alaska and waits for his lunch .

This daredevil wildebeest tried a walk on the wild side - straight into the snatches of a huge 18 foot crocodile .

With stunning scenery and otherworldly vistas, Iceland’s rural beauty is inescapable – especially for Hollywood .