The Huffington Post pictures of the day brings you the very best images from around the world chosen by our own photo editors, Elliot Wagland, Matthew Tucker and Tahira Mirza.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the stories of the day - leave a comment at the bottom of the blog.
A man waves to a child on a bus on the first day of classes after the holiday break, in Newtown, Conn.,Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. Nearly three weeks after the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, students and teachers from the school will return to class Thursday in the neighboring town of Monroe.
A postage stamp with an image of the present Dr. Who, Matt Smith. Dr. Who, who usually uses a police box for travel will be zooming through time and space on the edge of letters in 2013. Britain's Royal Mail is marking the 50th anniversary of`Doctor Who,' the science fiction program, with a series of stamps featuring each of the 11 actors who have played the title role. Those featured include the present doctor, Matt Smith as well as past Time Lords such as David Tennant, Christopher Eccleston and the first doctor William Hartnell.
A handout image supplied by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) - a general view of the border security fence along the Israel-Egypt border as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony to mark its completion on January 2, 2012 in Israel. The construction of the 4.7- meter-tall, 242-kilometer-long fence, built to prevent terrorist incursions, smugglers and illegal migrants took two years to complete and reportedly cost approximately NIS 1.6 billion.
The Renegades' riders perform during the Big Bash League match between the Melbourne Renegades and the Adelaide Strikers at Etihad Stadium on January 2, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia.
A fisherman casts his net on the waters of Dal lake on a cold day January 2, 2013 in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, India.
People sit around a bonfire to keep themselves warm on a cold in dense fog at Mayur Vihar, as temperature dips below 6 degree Celsius on January 2, 2013 in New Delhi, India. There was no respite from cold and dense fog in North India as mercury dipped two degrees below normal to stay at 4.8 degree Celsius.
President Barack Obama salutes as he gets off Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, Hawaii, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. The president is back in Hawaii for vacation after a tense, end-of-the-new-year standoff with Congress over the fiscal cliff.
Liverpool have completed the signing of Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea. The 23-year-old bolsters the Reds' strikeforce, after Fabio Borini's injury and the club's failure to sign Clint Dempsey left them with a dearth of options up front. Sturridge said he was "humbled and happy" to join the Anfield club.
Flooded gardens are seen in Ironbridge, Shropshire as the river Severn burst its banks after another night of rain fall.
Kashmiri state government employees shout slogans after being detained by police during a protest in Srinagar on January 2, 2013. The demontrators took to the streets against the state government demanding the regularisation of contractual employees.
A young snowy owl looks on January 2, 2013 at the zoo in Krefeld, western Germany.
Rafael van der Vaart is splitting up with his wife Sylvie after he admitted to hitting her. Van der Vaart, who spent two seasons at Tottenham Hotspur before joining SV Hamburg in the summer, is believed to have struck his wife in front of guests at a private New Year's Eve party. He told German tabloid Bild: "It was very foolish of me. I'm an idiot. I'm very sorry. It should never have happened." Sylvie added she had "forgiven him already" but the couple later announced they had separated. Van der Vaart posted a picture of him, Sylvie and their son Damian embracing on Christmas Day last week on Twitter (above).
Same sex couples exchange wedding vows on the first day of same-sex marriage
Nora Clouse (left)and Michelle Miller of Stevensville, Maryland, high five each other after being officially married at Black Walnut Point Inn on Tilghman Island, Maryland
Wayne MacKenzie(left) receives a smooch on the cheek from his spouse Clayton Zook shortly after their wedding ceremony at Black Walnut Point Inn on Tilghman Island, Maryland
Ruth Siegel (left) and Nina Nethery of Silver Spring, Maryland were the first couple married at midnight at the Black Walnut Point Inn on Tilghman Island
A Kashmiri boatman throws a piece of ice towards shore as he makes his way across Dal Lake in Srinagar. Thie Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir is in the midst of a 40-day spell of winter weather known locally as 'Chillai Kalan', during which the Kashmir Valley remains in the grip of extreme cold due to below-freezing nightime temperatures.
Picture taken in Genneviliers, outside Paris, of an apartment block where a fire broke out, killing at least five of its residents
The Hubble Space Telescope captured a spectacular image of the bright star-forming ring that surrounds the heart of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1097. In this image, the larger-scale structure of the galaxy is barely visible: its comparatively dim spiral arms, which surround its heart in a loose embrace, reach out beyond the edges of this frame.
This face-on galaxy, lying 45 million light-years away from Earth in the southern constellation of Fornax (The Furnace), is particularly attractive for astronomers. NGC 1097 is a Seyfert galaxy. Lurking at the very center of the galaxy, a supermassive black hole 100 million times the mass of our sun is gradually sucking in the matter around it. The area immediately around the black hole shines powerfully with radiation coming from the material falling in.
The distinctive ring around the black hole is bursting with new star formation due to an inflow of material toward the central bar of the galaxy. These star-forming regions are glowing brightly thanks to emission from clouds of ionized hydrogen. The ring is around 5000 light-years across, although the spiral arms of the galaxy extend tens of thousands of light-years beyond it.
Hundreds of hardy swimmers rang in 2013 with a plunge to raise funds for Sandy Relief into the icy sea off Brooklyn's Coney Island, New York
Shark fins drying in the sun cover the roof of a factory building in Hong Kong on January 2, 2013. Environmentalists and other concerned groups have raised concerns that the over-harvesting of fins is causing an enviormental calamity. Hong Kong is one of the world's biggest markets for shark fins, which are used to make soup that is an expensive staple at Chinese banquets.
Indian women hold placards during the Women Dignity march in New Delhi on January 2, 2013. Several hundred people took part in the solidarity march for women organised by the Delhi government which ended at Rajghat, the memorial for slain independence hero Mahatma Gandhi. A gang of rapists who savagely assaulted a woman on a bus in New Delhi tried to run her over after the fatal attack, reports said January 2, citing a police account of the incident.
From balcony sparklers to a stunning sunrise on Brighton beach, take a look at some of the best Twitter and Instagram scenes caught on camera during New Year celebrations:
We'd love to publish your Twitter and Instagram pictures - with a credit to you. Please email ukpicturedesk@huffingtonpost.com, with "My New Year's Eve Pictures" as the subject.
Head Coach Mark Richt of the Georgia Bulldogs is doused with Gatorade by Chris Conley #31 after the Capital One Bowl against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida
David Hasselhoff finally took in a game of football during his Manchester panto stint to see City beat Stoke 3-0 at Eastlands on New Year's Day. The latest American actor to get his own replica shirt after Tom Cruise and Robert Duvall turned up for the Manchester derby in December, the Knight Rider legend's name was incorrectly spelt 'Hasslehoff'.
The Aelfgythe Border Morris group arrive at the Crown, Withybed Green near Alvechurch, Warkwickshire.The Aellfgythe were one of four groups along with Plum Jerkum from Warwick, Armaleggan and Alvechurch Morris participating in the annual New Year's Day event
Swimmers take part in the Loony Dook New Years Day swim in the river Forth near the Forth Rail Bridge.
A car from the television programme Only Fools and Horses car takes part in the annual New Years Day Parade in London
The City of Torrance float participates in the 124th Tournamernt of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California
Phil Taylor celebrates winning the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship Final at Alexandra Palace, London.
Brace yourself for disappointment girls, Hugh Hefner is off the market... for the third time. The Playboy founder married former playmate Crystal Harris in a small ceremony at the playboy mansion in Los Angeles. There is a 60 year age gap between 26-year-old Crystal and Hugh, but that didn't stop the newlywed's from parading their wedding joy on Twitter.
Active Astronomy tweets a picture of Jupiter on New Years '2nd attempt at the New Year's Day Jupiter. This time with all four Galilean moons'
The Obama Inauguration tweeted 'Wishing you and your loved ones all the best in 2013. Happy New Year' @obamainaugural
Silhouetted Barack Obama and wife Michelle enjoy the fireworks with 'Happy New Year' message @BarackObama
Pregnant Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at 1 OAK Las Vegas at The Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Austrian maestro Franz Welser-Moest holds a plush toy as he conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra during the traditional New Year's concert at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. The concert is being broadcast to over 80 countries around the globe.
Palestinians hurl stones at Israeli soldiers, not seen, during clashes in the West Bank village of Tamoun, near Jenin. Palestinians say a raid by Israeli soldiers disguised as vegetable vendors to seize members of a militant group has sparked clashes in the northern West Bank.
Norway's Anders Jacobsen soars through the air during his competition jump at the second stage of the four hills ski jumping tournament in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany.
An Indian man shouts slogans during a protest to mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, India.The gang-rape and killing of a New Delhi student has set off an impassioned debate about what India needs to do to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. The country remained in mourning Tuesday, three days after the 23-year-old physiotherapy student died from her internal wounds in a Singapore hospital.
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By Elliot Wagland, Tahira Mirza, Matthew Tucker Posted: 01/01/2013 20:50 GMT | Updated: 02/01/2013 16:37 GMT