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Refugees from Afghanistan make their way out of the sea, as their boat, on which they the Aegean sea from Turkey, hit rocks on the Greek island of Lesbos. Any link between extremism and the thousands of people fleeing violence is false, a top European human rights official. (AP/Santi Palacios)

Animal right activists protest hold dead animals and pictures of abused animals during a gathering in Madrid, Spain. The animals displayed at the demonstration were discarded by animal farms and collected from waste bins. (AP/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

Villagers ride a motorbike past smoke and ash rising from the eruption of Mount Bromo in Probolinggo in eastern Java island. The volcano and popular tourist site erupted earlier this week, reportedly causing the closure of a local airport due to the ash. (AFP/Aman Rochman)

A Palestinian protester takes cover from tear gas smoke during clashes with Israeli soldiers in the village of Abud between Ramallah and Nablus in the northern West Bank. Clashes erupted after Palestinian villagers tried to break the blockade at the main entrance of the village. (AFP/Abbas Momani)

Supporters of the President of the National Council for Transition in Central African Republic Alexandre-Ferdinand N'Guendet, a presidential candidate, parade on a truck in Bangui. The country braces for a constitutional referendum aimed at ending its sectarian strife. (AFP/Marco Longari)

Saudi women vote at a polling center during the country's municipal elections in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi women are heading to polling stations across the kingdom on Saturday, both as voters and candidates for the first time in this landmark election. (AP/Aya Batrawy)

Pakistani Christian children dressed as Santa Claus and as angels participate in a Christmas celebration in Lahore, Pakistan. Although Pakistani Christians are in the minority, Christmas is a national holiday and is observed across the country as an occasion to celebrate. (AP/K M Chaudary)

FC Barcelona's Spanish defender Gerard Pique (C) heads a ball during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona vs RC Deportivo La Coruna at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. (AFP/Pau Barrena)

Southampton's German-born Portuguese defender Cedric Soares (L) vies with Crystal Palace's Senegalese defender Pape Souare during the English Premier League football match between Crystal Palace and Southampton at Selhurst Park in south London. (AFP/Glyn Kirk)

Argentina's German Schulz (R) is tackled by Scotland's James Johnstone (L) during the match between Argentina and Scotland at the Rugby Sevens series Cape Town leg at the Cape Town stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. (AFP/Gianluigi Guercia)

Yuling Zhu of China returns a shot against Kasumi Ishikawa of Japan during the women's single quarter final match of the 2015 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Odivelas. (AFP/Patricia De Melo Moreira)

Austria's Marcel Hirscher competes during the first run of a men's World Cup giant slalom in Val D'Isere, France. (AP/Armando Trovati)