Pictures of the day from The Huffington Post brings you the very best news and sports images from around the world, chosen and created by our own photo editors, Elliot Wagland, Tahira Mirza and Michael Cripps.
Pictures of the day
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A man dressed as Santa Klaus rides a wave with a stand up paddle (SUP) on November 18, 2014 in Varazze, near Genoa, as the bad weather created good surfing conditions in Mediterranea. (credit:OLIVIER MORIN via Getty Images)
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Nacho Figueras and Prince Harry playing in the Sentebale Polo Cup presented by Royal Salute World Polo at Ghantoot Polo Club on November 20, 2014 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Royal Salute) (credit:Chris Jackson via Getty Images)
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Benedict Cumberbatch makes the 'Genius Issue' of Time magazine
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The coffin of Spain's Duchess of Alba, Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James-Stuart is seen at a funeral chapel set up in the Town Hall of Sevilla on November 20, 2014. Spain's eccentric Duchess of Alba, one of the nation's richest women who has more titles than any other aristocrat on earth, died today at the age of 88. AFP PHOTO/ JORGE GUERRERO (Photo credit should read CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:CRISTINA QUICLER via Getty Images)
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SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon is officially sworn in as Scotland's First Minister in the Court of Session, Edinburgh, making her the fifth person to hold the top job. (credit:Ciaran Donnelly/PA Wire)
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Queen Elizabeth II during an inspection of personnel from No 1 (Fighter) Squadron as she visits RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, on her 67th wedding anniversary. (credit:Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
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United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage (R) poses for a selfie photo with party worker Lee Jarvis at a polling station on November 20, 2014 in Rochester, England. Polls have opened and voting is taking place in the Rochester and Strood parliamentary by-election. (credit:Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 20: Imogen Thomas pictured with daughter Ariana during the launch for London Zoo's Meet Santa Experience on November 20, 2014 in London, England. Photo by Alex Huckle/Getty Images) (credit:Alex Huckle via Getty Images)
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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 20: Imogen Thomas pictured with daughter Ariana during the launch for London Zoo's Meet Santa Experience on November 20, 2014 in London, England. Photo by Alex Huckle/Getty Images) (credit:Alex Huckle via Getty Images)
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ROCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 20: Student Gurpreet Baines sets fire to a United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) rosette outside party headquarters on November 20, 2014 in Rochester, England. Polls have opened and voting is taking place in the Rochester and Strood parliamentary by-election. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images) (credit:Peter Macdiarmid via Getty Images)
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Swiss Davis Cup team players Marco Chiudinelli (R), Michael Lammer (2ndR), Stanislas Wawrinka (2ndL), Roger Federer (L) and team captain Severin Luthi (C) pose prior to attend the draw of the Davis Cup final France vs Switzerland on November 20, 2014 in Lille. Switzerland will play against France for the Davis Cup final from November 21 to November 23. AFP PHOTO PHILIPPE HUGUEN (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:PHILIPPE HUGUEN via Getty Images)
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Top players from across the globe converge on ExCel London to compete in their favourite cerebral board games including Chess, Scrabble, Magic: The Gathering and eSports - Hearthstone and Starcraft II. (credit:Rex Features)
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Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP shakes hands with Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP before the drivers' press conference during previews ahead of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on November 20, 2014 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) (credit:Clive Mason via Getty Images)
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Carol Vorderman is the new Ambassador for the RAF Air Cadets, RAF Syerston, Nottighamshire, Britain. (credit:Rex Features)
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Carol Vorderman is the new Ambassador for the RAF Air Cadets, RAF Syerston, Nottighamshire, Britain. (credit:Rex Features)
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A man carries a wreath sent by the President of the Government, as he arrives at Duenas Palace, residence of Spain's Duchess of Alba, on November 20, 2014 in Seville, Spain. Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James-Stuart, Duchess of Alba, with more titles than any other aristocrat in the world, died 88-year-old. (credit:Sergio Camacho via Getty Images)
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Cortana, the most personal digital assistant on the market available on Windows Phone devices, and Danny MacAskill, world-renowned trials cyclist, have successfully completed one of the largest loop-the-loop challenges to ever be set on water. Danny rode round a monumental five-metre loop, illuminating the Cortana signature in front of one of London’s most iconic landmarks in the process.Microsoft’s personal assistant Cortana is renowned for her instantaneous, intelligent and customised approach - she knows what you want and how to #makeithappen. With her proactive help, useful advice and instant solutions, Danny was able to fulfil a life-long aspiration seamlessly.The loop-the-loop stunt adds to Danny MacAskill’s hugely impressive collection of challenges including the ‘Imaginate’ video, which has already received over 27 million views and ‘Way Back Home’ boasting over 32 million views.
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Undated handout photo issued by Essex Police of a pod of whales that were escorted escorted away from shore by the Essex Police marine unit helicopter crew, after they were spotted close to shallow water at St Lawrence Bay on Tuesday. (credit:Essex Police/PA Wire)
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PHUKET, THAILAND - NOVEMBER 20: Seulkee Joo of Korea competes in the final of the Ladie's Wakeboard during the 2014 Asian Beach Games at Bangneow Dam on November 20, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) (credit:Cameron Spencer via Getty Images)
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A Thai student flashes a three-finger salute, an unofficial symbol of resistance against the army's May coup, as she stands by a poster of the latest Hunger Games film, at a cinema hall in Bangkok on November 20, 2014. Thai police said they have detained three university students from outside Bangkok cinemas on November 20 as at least two theatres cancelled opening screenings of 'The Hunger Games' in the junta-ruled nation. AFP PHOTO/Christophe ARCHAMBAULT (Photo credit should read CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT via Getty Images)
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A Thai student (C) is escorted out of a cinema hall by plainclothes police officers after she flashed a three-finger salute, an unofficial symbol of resistance against the army's May coup, in Bangkok on November 20, 2014. Thai police said they have detained three university students from outside Bangkok cinemas on November 20 as at least two theatres cancelled opening screenings of 'The Hunger Games' in the junta-ruled nation. AFP PHOTO/Christophe ARCHAMBAULT (Photo credit should read CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT via Getty Images)
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United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) candidate Mark Reckless arrives at his local polling station with his wife Catriona on November 20, 2014 in Rochester, England. Polls have opened and voting is taking place in the Rochester and Strood parliamentary by-election. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images) (credit:Peter Macdiarmid via Getty Images)
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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 19: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge meets a finalist in the child champion award, Georgia Alvey, from Cotsford Junior school in County Durham at the Place2be Wellbeing in Schools Awards Reception at Kensington Palace on November 19, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Hackett/WPA Pool/Getty Images) (credit:WPA Pool via Getty Images)
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BEVERLY HILLS, CA - NOVEMBER 19: Actress Reese Witherspoon arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of 'Wild' at AMPAS Samuel Goldwyn Theater on November 19, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California.(Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage) (credit:Jeffrey Mayer via Getty Images)
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Supporters grab Ivorian player Gervinho on the pitch at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on November 19, 2014 at the end of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations group D qualifying football match between Ivory Coast and Cameroon. (credit:ISSOUF SANOGO via Getty Images)
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Guests look at the exhibits on show at the Auckland War Memorial Museum's World of Wearable Art (WOW) exhibition opening at Auckland Museum on November 20, 2014 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Michael Bradley/Getty Images for Auckland War Memorial Museum) (credit:Michael Bradley via Getty Images)
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Policemen run after supporters invading the pitch at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on November 19, 2014 at the end of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations group D qualifying football match between Ivory Coast and Cameroon. (credit:ISSOUF SANOGO via Getty Images)
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A policeman beats a man as people run on the pitch at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on November 19, 2014 at the end of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations group D qualifying football match between Ivory Coast and Cameroon. (credit:ISSOUF SANOGO via Getty Images)
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Israeli fashion model Bar Refaeli poses for photographers during the red carpet of Marie Claire´s XII Fashion Prix Ceremony in Madrid, Spain. Wednesday Nov. 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Abraham Caro Marin) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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FERGUSON, MO - NOVEMBER 19: Police confront demonstrators protesting the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown outside the police station on November 19, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown was killed by Darren Wilson, a Ferguson police officer, on August 9. A grand jury is expected to decide this month if Wilson should be charged in the shooting. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (credit:Scott Olson via Getty Images)
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FERGUSON, MO - NOVEMBER 19: Police arrest a demonstrator protesting the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown outside the police station on November 19, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown was killed by Darren Wilson, a Ferguson police officer, on August 9. A grand jury is expected to decide this month if Wilson should be charged in the shooting. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (credit:Scott Olson via Getty Images)
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FERGUSON, MO - NOVEMBER 19: A Protestor in a Guy Fawkes mask, raises his hands in front of a line of police outside the Ferguson Police Department as part of continued demonstrations in regards to the shooting death of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, USA, on November 19, 2014. People are waiting for the grand jury decision in the case of 18 year-old black teenager shot and killed by a police officer, in Ferguson, Missouri. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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A CSX freight train plows its way past the Cemetery Rd. overpass in Lancaster, N.Y. Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014. A lake-effect snow storm dumped over five feet of snow in areas across Western New York. Another two to three feet of snow is expected in the area, bringing snow totals to over 100 inches, almost a years' worth of snow in three days. (AP Photo/Gary Wiepert) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steve Corbett opens his window under snow drifts and greets his neighbor's dog Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014, on Central Avenue, in Lancaster, N.Y. A lake-effect snowstorm dumped over 5 feet of snow in areas across western New York. Another 2 to 3 feet of snow is expected in the area, bringing snow totals to over 100 inches, almost a year's worth of snow in three days. (AP photo/Gary Wiepert) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Prince Harry during a visit to The Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman, on the final day of his three day visit to the middle east. (credit:Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Teleg/PA Wire)
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Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens spotted out in London (credit:Rex Features)
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People participate in the first ever Skiram yoga session, hosted by Crystal Ski Holidays, at Union Chapel in Islington in London, which will run for 3 days. (credit:John Phillips/PA Wire)
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Kevin Spacey, left, and Billy Joel perform during a tribute concert to Billy Joel, the recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A protestor holds a flare as others parade with banners during a protest against university tuition fees in London, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014. University tuition fees nearly trebled four years ago, a move that sparked violent student protests. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A police officer holds his baton at the ready during a scuffle with a protester during a march against student university fees near the Houses of Parliament in central London on November 19, 2014. The demonstration organised by the Student Assembly Against Austerity, alongside the Young Greens and National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts demands free education and an end to tuition fees, education cuts and student debt. (credit:JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images)
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Prince Harry visits the Old Muttrah Souk on November 19, 2014 in Muscat, Oman. Prince Harry is on a three day visit to Oman before heading to Abu Dhabi to compete in a charity polo match for his charity Sentebale. (credit:Pool via Getty Images)
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SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon delivers a speech to members of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, after she was voted in as First Minister of Scotland. (credit:Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)
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A Druze man watches as others surround the flag draped coffin during the funeral of Druze Israeli police officer Zidan Sif in the Druze village of Yanuh-Jat, northern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014. Sif, 30, died of his wounds on Tuesday after Two Palestinian cousins armed with meat cleavers and a gun stormed a Jerusalem synagogue during morning prayers Tuesday, killing four people in the cityâs bloodiest attack in years. Police killed the attackers in a shootout. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge meets finalist in the child champion award Georgia Alvey, right, from Cotsford Junior school, County Durham, at the Place2be Wellbeing in Schools Award at Kensington Palace, London Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Paul Hackett, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge attends the Place2be Wellbeing in Schools Award at Kensington Palace, London Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Paul Hackett, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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