Jan. 24, 2013 Sloane Stephens of the United States hits a forehand return to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus during their semifinal match at the Australian Open. Aaron Favila/AP Jan. 22, 2013 Farmer Bintou Samake plants beans while carrying her son Mahamadou on her back at a farm. Joe Penney/Reuters, Landov Jan. 22, 2013 A fighter from the Sadik unit of the Free Syrian Army’s Tahrir al Sham brigade fires his Draganov sniper rifle from inside a house during heavy fighting in the Mleha suburb. Goran Tomasevic/Reuters, via Landov Jan. 21, 2013 Models pose around a plastic palm tree in the snow in front of Tower Bridge during a “pop-up beach resort” promotion on the day that many consider to be the most depressing of the year. Britain is braced for a continuation of the bad weather that has shuttered schools and wreaked transportation havoc in recent days, with several weather warnings issued. Carl Court/AFP/Getty Jan. 24, 2013 Free diver Natalia Avseenko, dressed as the Lady of Orda, cave swims into the depths of the chilly cave. With her ghostly form illuminating the icy water, this spiritlike woman could be King Arthur’s Lady of the Lake. Yet these captivating images belong to another legend—from the freezing wastelands of Russia’s Ural Mountains, where temperatures reach minus 40 degrees Celsius. This is a re-creation of the Lady of Orda Cave, a beautiful spirit said to dwell in the world’s longest underwater “crystal” cave. Avseenko, a former champion free diver, spent two days in the bone-chilling water re-creating the story. She held her breath for up to three minutes at a time and dived to depths of 17 meters, posing for the eerie shots. Viktor Lyagushkin/Barcroft Media, via Landov Jan. 21, 2013 Huntmaster Tim Coulson at the Lauderdale Hunt exercises the hounds in the snow at Scarce Law. Widespread snowfall is affecting most of the United Kingdom, with school closures and transportation disruption. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Jan. 24, 2013 A Pakistani boy holds on into his donkey after losing control of it as he and others walk in a field toward the main road. Muhammed Muheisen/AP Jan. 20, 2013 People lift the Jarramplas, Juan Jose Prieto, 26, after they threw turnips at him during the Jarramplas Festival. The centuries-old festival takes place annually every Jan. 19–20 on Saint Sebastian Day. Though the exact origins of the festival are not known, it is generally believed to symbolize the expulsion of all bad things. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Jan. 21, 2013 President Obama kisses the first lady as their daughters, Sasha (left) and Malia (second from left), look on during the inaugural parade. Thousands marched during the 57th presidential-inauguration parade after the ceremonial swearing-in. Gerald Herbert/AP