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.
pics of the day
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Olympic swimming superstar Michael Phelps arrives to appear in court December 19, 2014 in his home state of Maryland, for driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding at the John R. Hargrove, Sr. District Court Building in Baltimore, Maryland. The 18-time gold medalist swimmer was arrested on September 30,2014 and was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol, excessive speed and crossing double lane lines. Lawyers specializing in DUI cases doubted Phelps would do jail time, given how no accident occurred and that a decade has elapsed since his last offence. 'He's probably looking at a suspended jail sentence,' Scott Richman, who has prosecuted hundreds of DUI cases, told the Baltimore Sun newspaper. (credit:PAUL J. RICHARDS via Getty Images)
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Three of the newly born cheetah quadruplets rest at their enclosure in Prague's zoo, Czech Republic, Friday, Dec. 19, 2014. The four cubs we're born on Nov. 21, 2014. Scientists say every cheetah cub is critical to saving the species, which is threatened with extinction in the wild. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish leaves after giving evidence at the coroner's court set up to hear the inquests into the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster in Warrington, North West England on December 19, 2014. Dalglish, ex-player and team boss on the day, broadcast a message to fans asking for calm, as the disaster unfolded at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium on April 15 1989. (credit:OLI SCARFF via Getty Images)
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DEYANG, CHINA - DECEMBER 19: (CHINA OUT) Firefighters work at an scene of a chain collision accident on December 19, 2014 in Deyang, Sichuan province of China. A chain collision traffic accident happened at Chengnan (Chengdu - Nanchong) expressway and at the same time a liquefied gas tanker exploded, which caused more than ten vehicles involved in and at least three people died. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images) (credit:ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images)
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Israeli border guards detain a Palestinian protester during clashes following a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the West Bank village of Turmus Aya, north of Ramallah, on December 19, 2014. A Palestinian senior official, Ziad Abu Ein, died earlier this month in a confrontation with Israeli troops in Turmus Aya during a protest march against settlements. (credit:ABBAS MOMANI via Getty Images)
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Bear Grylls Adventure: A kayaker struggles for his life after being sucked under by ferocious rapids. Galen Volckhausen, from Little Rock, Arkansas, was attempting a run of Big Falls on the South Fork of the Payette River, Idaho, in June
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Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, meets characters from the finale of the Horse of the Year show, including Duck, who is Jessica Mordie, a student from the Chiswick Arts Educational schools on December 18, 2014 in London, England. Camilla made the annual visit to the equestrian show, with 2014 marking her 10th year of attendance. (credit:WPA Pool via Getty Images)
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A saltwater crocodile shows the strength of its powerful jaws as it crunches down on a dead sea turtle. (credit:NT Parks and Wildlife)
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A saltwater crocodile shows the strength of its powerful jaws as it crunches down on a dead sea turtle. (credit:NT Parks and Wildlife)
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A man dressed as Santa Claus poses for photographers with king penguins at the Marineland animal exhibition park in Antibes, southeastern France, Friday, Dec. 19, 2014. Marineland Antibes was founded in 1970. First, it was a small oceanarium with a few pools and animals but now it is one of the biggest in the world and receives more than 1,200,000 visitors per year. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Window cleaners dressed as zodiac animal of horse, and sheep clean the glass exterior of a hotel in Tokyo, Friday, Dec. 19, 2014. During the year end âzodiac" hand over event, the outgoing Year of Horse handed a window wiper to successor the Year of Sheep. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 19: St Mary's Cathedral is illuminated as part of a Christmas lights display in celebration of Christmas on December 19, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images) (credit:Brendon Thorne via Getty Images)
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Leah Woerdehoff poses with a 3D art work during a preview at the Natural History Museum in Kassel, central Germany, on December 19, 2014. From December 21, 2014 until September 6, 2015, the museum presents a special show with paintings made with a special three-dimensional technique playing with optical illusions. Visitors are invited to take pictures of themselves while interacting with the art. AFP PHOTO / DPA / UWE ZUCCHI +++ GERMANY OUTRESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE, MANDATORY MENTION OF THE EXHIBITION UPON PUBLICATION, TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo credit should read UWE ZUCCHI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:UWE ZUCCHI via Getty Images)
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An helicopter evacuates Florian Scheiber of Austria after he crashed during the FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill on December 19, 2014 in Val Gardena. AFP PHOTO / OLIVIER MORIN (Photo credit should read OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:OLIVIER MORIN via Getty Images)
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Various at LBC Radio studios, London, Britain - 19 Dec 2014Kevin Lee Light, aka Jesus of Hollywood and Nigel Farage
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Various at LBC Radio studios, London, Britain - 19 Dec 2014Kevin Lee Light, aka Jesus of Hollywood and Nigel Farage
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Ed Sheeran, David Walliams and Barbara Windsor appear on 'The Jonathan Ross Show' TV Programme (credit:Brian J Ritchie/REX)
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Miley Cyrus wax figure is dressed up for christmas at Madame Tussaud on December 18, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Anita Bugge/Getty Images) (credit:Anita Bugge via Getty Images)
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Jennifer Lopez arrives at the The PEOPLE Magazine Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on December 18, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (credit:Steve Granitz via Getty Images)
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BEVERLY HILLS, CA - DECEMBER 18: Kate Hudson arrives at the The PEOPLE Magazine Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on December 18, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage) (credit:Steve Granitz via Getty Images)
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Russian police officers detain protesters who were going planning on asking Vladimir Putin their own questions at today's news conference, in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014. The Russian economy will rebound and the ruble will stabilize, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday at his annual press conference, he also said Ukraine must remain one political entity, voicing hope that the crisis could be solved through peace talks. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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This picture taken on December 18, 2014 shows a man dressed up as Santa Claus bungee jumping at a theme park in Changsha, central China's Hunan province. The park organised a series of Santa Claus-themed events ahead of Christmas. CHINA OUT AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:STR via Getty Images)
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This picture taken on December 18, 2014 shows theme park employees wearing christmas costumes piling into a Dongfeng S30 car in Changsha, central China's Hunan province. Twenty employees of the theme park dressed up as Santa Claus to take part in the event, with 19 successfully squeezing into the car. CHINA OUT AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:STR via Getty Images)
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Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto, 51, (C) sits in the lawyer's room in Sepang, outside Kuala Lumpur on December 19, 2014. An Australian woman who was arrested entering Malaysia with crystal methamphetamine is innocent and was only carrying a bag for a stranger, a lawyer seeking to spare her the death penalty said on December 15. (credit:MOHD RASFAN via Getty Images)
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Dancers clad in Santa Claus outfits perform as part of a flash mob event to entertain Christmas shoppers at Tobu Department Store in Tokyo on December 19, 2014. Some 30 dancers took part in the event. AFP PHOTO / Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:TORU YAMANAKA via Getty Images)
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People gather for a special service of prayer and reflection at St. James Church on December 19, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. 33-year-old cafe manager Tori Johnson and 38-year-old Sydney barrister Katrina Dawson were killed during a siege in the early hours of Tuesday morning after Man Haron Monis took hostages at the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Martin Place. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images) (credit:Brendon Thorne via Getty Images)
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CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 19: Flowers and toys are seen laying up against a fence across the road from the scene of a multiple stabbing in the suburb of Manoora on December 19, 2014 in Cairns, Australia. Eight children have been found dead and a 34-year-old woman is in hospital with chest injuries at a home in North Queensland. The children, aged 18 months to 15 years have reportedly been stabbed and the women is said to be stable and cooperating with police. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images) (credit:Ian Hitchcock via Getty Images)
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CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 19: (AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND OUT) A woman reacts at the scene of a mutliple stabbing in the suburb of Manoora on December 19, 2014 in Cairns, Australia. Eight children have been found dead and a 34-year-old woman is in hospital with chest injuries at a home in North Queensland. The children, aged 18 months to 15 years have reportedly been stabbed and the women is said to be stable and cooperating with police. (Photo by Dominic Chaplin/Fairfax Media via Getty Images) (credit:Fairfax Media via Getty Images)
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CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 19: A member of the public lays a a bunch of flowers across the road from the scene of a multiple stabbing in the suburb of Manoora on December 19, 2014 in Cairns, Australia. Eight children have been found dead and a 34-year-old woman is in hospital with chest injuries at a home in North Queensland. The children, aged 18 months to 15 years have reportedly been stabbed and the women is said to be stable and cooperating with police. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images) (credit:Ian Hitchcock via Getty Images)
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Lady Gaga out and about in New York, NY on December 18, 2014. (credit:Morgan Dessalles/ABACA USA)
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The Cavalier Girls perform during an NBA basketball game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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In this courtroom sketch, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is depicted sitting in federal court in Boston Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, for a final hearing before his trial begins in January. Tsarnaev is charged with the April 2013 attack that killed three people and injured more than 260. He could face the death penalty if convicted. (AP Photo/Jane Flavell Collins) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Boston Marathon bombing victim Marc Fucarile arrives at federal court in Boston Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, where bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is scheduled for a final hearing before his trial begins in January. Tsarnaev is charged with carrying out the April 2013 attack that killed three people and injured more than 260. He could face the death penalty if convicted. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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BERLIN, GERMANY - DECEMBER 18: A wax figure of the multiple world player of the year, Lionel Messi, is unveiled at Madame Tussauds on December 18, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Anita Bugge/WireImage) (credit:Anita Bugge via Getty Images)
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A man disguised as Santa Claus slides by a pulley at Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 18, 2014. AFP PHOTO / YASUYOSHI CHIBA (Photo credit should read YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:YASUYOSHI CHIBA via Getty Images)