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

A middle-aged couple from Somerset have developed a rather unusual hobby to occupy their time: writing to killers on death row .

An adorable black bear cub struggles to find the perfect spot for an afternoon nap as he wriggles around on the branch of a maple tree .

A mother-of-three has revealed how her nine-month-old daughter was severely burnt after knocking a scalding bottle warmer over herself at daycare .

A former cosmetic rep who swapped make-up for a career as a Marilyn Monroe lookalike has pocketed a staggering $4million (£2,630,000) as a full-time doppelgänger .

High up in the mountains and thousands of feet off the ground, a party of climbers were in for a shock as they came face to face with this frightening leap of faith .

A brave praying mantis makes an unusual friend in an Oriental garden lizard .

Leaping out of the ocean, a group of gentoo penguins fly through the air before landing safely on an iceberg .

It's incredible to think anyone could live in such horrendous squalor - yet two men have been prosecuted for keeping their homes in such revolting conditions that it was no longer fit for their animals .

A Brit photographer has captured one of the world's most camera-shy species of fish - during a game of underwater peek-a-boo .

Most people have an angel at the top of their Christmas tree, but one bear at Chester Zoo decided he wanted to be the star of the show .

Peering curiously into a basket hanging off the arms of a snowman, this little squirrel appears fascinated by the snowy figure .