Copiapo, Chile — BMW car driver Stephane Peterhansel and co-driver Jean-paul Cottret, both from France, compete during the ninth stage of the 2011 Argentina-Chile Dakar Rally.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Natacha Pisarenko / Associated Press

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Wertheim, Germany — A man walks through a street flooded by the Main river in the historic center of Wertheim. The situation along many German rivers, mainly Mosel, Rhine and Oder, stayed critical, as melting snow caused rising water levels and flooding.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Marius Becker / AFP / Getty Images)

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Bonn, Germany — A street sign in the western German town of Bonn is surrounded by the floods of the river Rhine. At least four people were feared dead in Germany after several days of floods in large parts of the country, authorities said.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Patrik Stollarz / AFP / Getty Images

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Brisbane, Australia — A local resident looks on at the rapid rise of the Brisbane River. Ten people so far have been confirmed dead in towns in the Lockyer Valley and 78 are reported missing after devastating floods inundated the region. Evacuations are underway in several towns and suburbs in and around Brisbane with residents and emergency services fearing the worst floods in over 35 years.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: David Hardenberg / Getty Images

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Siliguri, India — Indian people warm themselves near a bonfire in a slum area of Siliguri. As thousands of homeless people sought refuge in temporary shelters, more than 80 people were reported to have died due to the cold weather in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Diptendu Dutta / AFP / Getty Images

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Kordofan, Sudan — A south Sudanese woman carrying her child stands in front of her home in Kordofan, located in the country's north-south border. The huge turnout at south Sudan's independence referendum has defied gloomy expectations and is almost guaranteed to reach the 60% of voters needed to make the poll valid, organizers said on Tuesday. Thousands of people took part in the third day of voting in a referendum expected to see the war-ravaged, oil-producing but poor region emerge as Africa's newest state.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Zohra Bensemra / Reuters

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Hyderabad, India — Indian police detain an activist of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, or All India Students Wing, as they try to enter Osmania University to support the students' demand to create a separate Telangana state in Hyderabad.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mahesh Kumar / Associated Press

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Colombo, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan children imprint their hands on a giant white cricket ball on display at Colombo's suburban Wattala area. The cricket ball, together with a replica of Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup, are touring the island to drum up public support ahead of the 2011 sub-continent World Cup that will be played between Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh from Feb. 19 to April 2.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP / Getty Images

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Jakarta, Indonesia — Workers select chillies in a stall at the Kramat Jati vegetable distributors center in Jakarta. Rising chilli and rice prices helped push up Indonesia's annual inflation to a 20-month high near 7% in December, and spurred the country's president and trade minister to urge households to plant food, such as chilli, at home. Global food prices hit a record last month, outstripping levels that prompted riots in 2008, and key grains could climb even further as weather patterns give cause for concern, the United Nations food agency said last week.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Enny Nuraheni / Reuters

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Spring, Texas — Ana Garcia's dog, Diva, wears a sweater to keep warm during a walk in Spring, Texas. Colder temperatures are forecast for the Houston area.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: David J. Phillip / Associated Press

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