Oroumieh, one of the biggest saltwater lakes on Earth, has shrunk more than 80 percent to 1,000 square kilometers (nearly 400 square miles) in the past decade 

Student Focus is one of the largest international programmes for photography students. Involving 230 educational institutions worldwide, its aim is to support and inspire the future generation of photographers 

The Arlette Gruss Circus presented its new show in Bordeaux called 'History' created for its 37 artists who perform various acts under the 2,700 square metres tent 

Areas near the river Thames has suffered a week of flooding after the river burst it's banks 

A 10-man brass band belting out Rio's anthem 'Cidade Maravilhosa' kicked off the four-footed fest as dog owners gathered to party down with pooches on Copacabana beach  

Carnival officially begins on the last day of February but pre-Carnival celebrations are already underway on the streets of Rio de Janeiro 

The Munduruku tribe has seen their land encroached on by wildcat gold miners and the tribe's leaders travelled to the capital Brasilia to demand the federal government remove non-indigenous miners from their territory 

Every year, couples from all over the world flock to the bridge to attach padlocks of all shapes and sizes to its metal railing as a symbol of their love 

Thousands of Asian and foreign couples exchanged or reaffirmed marriage vows  in the mass wedding ceremonies across Asia on the Oriental Valentine's Day

Gunfire erupted in Caracas when armed members of a pro-government vigilante group arrived on motorcycles and began firing on anti-Maduro student protesters

Three newlywed couples took part in the adventure wedding challenge featuring sky coaster and water challenges to prove their true love

The orphaned elephants raised by the Trust are returned back to join the undomesticated elephant population in Tsavo National Park

Children who work in the production of bricks, spend long hours in dust-filled environments. They carry loads of bricks on their heads and suffer from back injuries

Dozens of people were injured in a second day of anti-government protests in the Bosnian town of Tuzla 

'Orchids', the first festival on the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's events calendar showcases thousands of exotic and rare orchids in the Princess of Wales Conservatory 

Tai Guan Ren, which means 'carry the peace and luck envoy', is an annual Dong Minority festival usually celebrated during the beginning of the Chinese New Year 

A Spanish cargo ship broke in two after hitting a sea wall off the southwestern coast of France in high winds and was leaking some fuel into the water 

The western US states' worst drought in decades has reduced the land to a parched moonscape

Participants prepare for the ski and snowboard slopestyle qualification in the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park 

The Chinese Lunar New Year of Horse also known as the Spring Festival is celebrated from the first day of the first month of the lunar year

Nuremberg International Toy Fair is the world's biggest trade fair for toys 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, world powers and regional bodies started a long-delayed peace conference aimed at bringing an end to a nearly three-year civil war 

For more than three decades, Pakistan has been home to one of the world's largest refugee communities of Afghans who have fled the repeated wars and fighting 

'Up Helly Aa' celebrates the influence of the Scandinavian vikings in the Shetland Islands and has employed this theme in the festival since 1870 

Another bizarre night at the Grammys, from Taylor Swift head-banging at the piano, to a mass wedding officiated by Queen Latifah

A ceremony at the memorial site of the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau took place 69 years after the liberation of the camp by Soviet troops 

Dozens were hurt during clashes triggered by the demolition of a squatter settlement for business developments in suburban Quezon City 

Israeli troops killed Bilal Eweda and wounded another in a cross-border confrontation with protesters in the Gaza Strip 

Every year, Vietnamese families prepare a feast to say goodbye to the Kitchen God before he takes off for his journey, offering him carp to ride 

As Lunar New Year, the most important holiday of the year is nearing, many Vietnamese people buy peach blossoms and other different flowers to decorate their houses

Muslim Congregation focuses on prayers and supplication and does not allow political discussion 

Chinese Spring Festival, the most important traditional festival in China celebrated by Chinese communities in various countries around the world