Pictures Of The Day: Tuesday 9th December 2014

PHOTOS: The Best Pictures Of The Day

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.

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Pictures of the day
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Polar bears Nobby and Nela celebrate their 1st birthday at Hellabrunn Zoo in Germany (credit:Rex Features)
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Polar bears Nobby and Nela celebrate their 1st birthday at Hellabrunn Zoo in Germany (credit:Rex Features)
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Hannah, a Jack Russell, is held by her owner, during the annual Peata Dog Carol Service in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. (credit:Brian Lawless/PA Wire)
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Protesters block an Amtrak train in Berkeley, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. Hundreds of people marched through Berkeley for a third night, blocking an interstate highway and stopping the train as activists rallied against grand jury decisions not to indict white police officers in the deaths of two unarmed black men. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Protesters rallying against police violence block both directions of Interstate 80 in Berkeley, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Nobel Peace Prize laureates Malala Yousafzai (R) and Kailash Satyarthi (L) are welcomed by Chairman of the Nobel Peace committee Thorbjoern Jagland before their press conference on December 9, 2014 at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo ahead of the ceremony to present them with the award. The 17-year-old Pakistani girls' education activist known as Malala shares the 2014 peace prize with the Indian campaigner Kailash Satyarthi, 60, who has fought for 35 years to free thousands of children from virtual slave labour. AFP PHOTO / ODD ANDERSEN (Photo credit should read ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:ODD ANDERSEN via Getty Images)
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Shrien Dewani at the Cape Town International Airport on December 9, 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. Dewani was found not guilty of organising his wife's murder while they were on honeymoon in Cape Town in 2010. (Photo by Bertram Malgas/Foto24/Gallo Images/Getty Images) (credit:Foto24 via Getty Images)
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Yolande Korkie, during a press conference in Johannesburg, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014, where she spoke of her husband, Pierre Korkie, who, according to American officials was killed by militants during an attempted rescue operation in Yemen, alongside American hostage Luke Somers, Saturday. Korkie says that she forgives those who are responsible for her husband's death. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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British businessman Shrien Dewani, left, prepares to leave the country at Cape Town, South Africa's airport Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014. On Monday Dewani had charges, relating to the murder of his newly wedded wife, Anni Dewani, thrown out of court. (credit:AP Photo)
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Riders get themselves in a spin as they dance The Nutcracker Suite - on their BMX BIKES. Two-wheeled wonders Keelan Philips and Louis Morris joined professional ballerina Amber Doyle for a run through 'the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' - one of ballet’s most celebrated dances. The trio's antics were captured on camera - and set to a remixed version of Tchaikovsky's classic tune against a wintery theatrical backdrop. The Ballet BMX was the brainchild of delivery company Whistl, who decided to put on a unique staging of the famous ballet to share some seasonal cheer with their customers and the British public. (credit:Rosie Hallam / Barcroft Media)
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Gamecocks fight at a cockpit as their owners and the public make bets in Antananarivo, Madagascar on December 06, 2014. Cockfight is a blood sport between two roosters which are specially bred birds, conditioned for increased stamina and strength. Cock fighting in Madagascar dates back to the 18th century when it entertained the Royal family. Still practiced all over the island of Madagascar for entertainment, it is also a source of income for many breeders. (Photo by Ihsaan Haffejee/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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Thick and hot smoke spews from Mount Sinabung in Karo on December 9, 2014. Indonesian local government relocated residents who lives in danger zones around Mount Sinabung following deadly eruptions in early February 2014 that killed about 17 people. (credit:SUTANTA ADITYA via Getty Images)
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An Indian paramilitary soldier guards as Kashmiri men stand in queues to cast their votes during the third phase polling of the Jammu and Kashmir state elections in Budgham, about 28 kilometers (17 miles) south west of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014. The elections are being held in five stages to allow government forces to better guard against any violence or anti-India protests. Results are due Dec. 23. (credit:Mukhtar Khan/AP)
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The colourful sky just before the sun rises over Gateacre, in Liverpool. (credit:Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
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Frosted roof tops as the sun rises over Cambridge city centre this morning. (credit:Chris Radburn/PA Wire)
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Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, is taking to the streets in a bid to stop thousands of puppies being bought without due consideration this Christmas, only to be heartlessly abandoned soon after. Every day Dogs Trust takes in dogs of all shapes and sizes, often accompanied by unbelievable reasons why their owners are giving them up. To convey the charity’s iconic slogan ‘A Dog is For Life, Not Just for Christmas®’, twelve striking artworks have been designed to depict the shocking reasons given to stunned Dogs Trust staff, across our 20 Rehoming Centres in the UK, by owners who no longer wish to care for their dogs. Launching in London on Monday 24th November which marks the day traffic to internet sites selling puppies peaks as consumers begin to search for Christmas presents.
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HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 08: Elijah Wood and Evangeline Lilly attend the ceremony honoring Sir Peter Jackson with a Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 8, 2014 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic) (credit:Michael Tran via Getty Images)
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From left: Actors Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Director Peter Jackson, actors Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood and Lee Pace attend a ceremony honoring Jackson with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, December 8, 2014 in Hollywood, California. Jackson's final installment of the Hobbit trilogy, 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,' will be released worldwide on Wednesday, December 17, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:ROBYN BECK via Getty Images)
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A woman poses for a photo by a snow-covered tree in Jilin, in northeast China's Jilin province on December 9, 2014. (credit:STR via Getty Images)
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Joint Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai arrives at her hotel after flying to Oslo, Norway, Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. The Nobel Peace Prize will be presented and shared between the youngest Nobel Prize winner ever, Taliban attack survivor Malala Yousafzai and Indian children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi in a ceremony in Oslo on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Montgomery County, Md., firefighters stand outside a house where a small private jet crashed in Gaithersburg, Md., Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. A woman and her two young sons inside the home and three people on the aircraft were killed, authorities said. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A man runs with a "toro encuetado," a structure resembling a bull and covered with exploding fireworks, as part of the celebrations in honor of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception on her feast day in Managua, Nicaragua, early Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception is Nicaragua's patron saint. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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President Barack Obama does a "fist bump" with a Adrianna Mitchell during an âHour of Codeâ event in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, Monday, Dec. 8, 2014, attended by middle-school students from Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Participants of a right-wing group's demonstration called 'Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West' (PEGIDA) gather in Dresden, eastern Germany, Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. Demonstrations by the group known as PEGIDA have been growing over the last two months and police estimated 8,800 people were on hand Monday night. Past protests have drawn praise and support from neo-Nazi groups but speakers sought to distance themselves from that, saying they were protesting against Islamic extremism and perceived abuses to Germany's asylum system, but not against asylum seekers or Muslims in general. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 09: A screen replay shows Steve Smith of Australia looking up to the sky in tribute to the late Phillip Hughes after reaching 63 during day one of the First Test match between Australia and India at Adelaide Oval on December 9, 2014 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images) (credit:Michael Dodge via Getty Images)
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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge meet recording artists Jay-Z and Beyonce as CEO, Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center Brett Yormark looks on during the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Center on December 8, 2014 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/WireImage) (credit:James Devaney via Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 08: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge pose with basketball player LeBron James (R) backstage as they attend the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Center on December 8, 2014 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Tim Rooke - Pool/Getty Images) (credit:Pool via Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 08: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge pose with basketball player LeBron James (R) backstage as they attend the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Center on December 8, 2014 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Tim Rooke - Pool/Getty Images) (credit:Pool via Getty Images)
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Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, is greeted by Chirlane McCray, left, wife of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, at the Northside Center, in New York, Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. Kate and Prince William arrived in New York City on Sunday, their first official visit to the U.S. since a 2011 trip to California. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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President Barack Obama meets with Britain's Prince William in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Russian political activist and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov plays chess against Shadow Work & Pensions Secretary Rachel Reeves at the Houses of Parliament in London, as part of the Sixth London Chess Classic. (credit:Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)
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Two police officers chat in front of the tent which was set up by pro-democracy protesters at the occupied area outside government headquarters in Hong Kong Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. Leaders of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, representing those studying at colleges, said last Thursday that they were considering a retreat from the protest sites and expect to come to a decision soon. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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International Security Assistance Forces honor guards take part in a flag-lowering ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. The U.S. and NATO ceremonially ended their combat mission in Afghanistan on Monday, 13 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks sparked their invasion of the country to topple the Taliban-led government. From Jan. 1, the coalition will maintain a force of 13,000 troops in Afghanistan, down from a peak around 140,000 in 2011. There are around 15,000 troops now in the country. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel delivers a speech to U.S. troops at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. Hagel visited the camp which once was a staging post for troops headed to Iraq. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Snow drifts over a farm in Teesdale, County Durham after an overnight downfall, as blustery and wintry weather will sweep across Britain this week bringing fears of disruption and travel chaos. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)