Pictures of the day: 6 March 2012

These underwater pictures of swans stretching for their food show just why they have such long necks. National Geographic photographer, Viktor Lyagushkin, took these underwater pictures of swans ducking for food at the Blue Lake in southern Russia. Swans cannot dive as ducks do, explained Viktor. Instead they use their long necks to reach deep water weeds...

2020VISION: Britain's most ambitious nature photography project

Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) mating pair, Babbacombe Bay, Devon. Did you know? The ink of the Common Cuttlefish is the basis for the brown painter's colour called sepia.

2020VISION: Britain's most ambitious nature photography project

2O2OVISION is the most ambitious nature photography initiative ever staged in Britain. It aims to establish in the public mind the crucial link between people's wellbeing and a wilder UK - to show that healthy ecosystems are not optional, but are something fundamental to us all. As such 20 of Britain's top nature and wildlife photographers have come together to document some of our country's ecosystems.
Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) interacting with a diver, Lundy Island, Bristol Channel. Photographer Alex Mustard comments: "Once in the water seals transform from blubbery blobs into bullet-like acrobats. This particularly curious ageing male with hardly any teeth remaining fancied my camera as a tasty snack. Up this close you realise seals don't have the sweetest breath." Did you know? Britain's coastline holds 40% of the global grey seal population.

Pictures of the day: 5 March 2012

...The Perito Moreno glacier is seen after the rupture of a massive ice wall. The glacier, a massive tongue of ice in the Santa Cruz province that covers 250 square kilometres (97 square miles), advances yearly into a lake, known as Lago Argentino. As Perito Moreno moves forward, it cuts off a river feeding the lake. Water builds up pressure and slowly undermines the ice, forming a tunnel until ice comes tumbling down. The phenomenon repeats itself at irregular intervals, with the last major ice falls occurring in 2008

Pictures of the day: 5 March 2012

Telegraph reader Tram Anh Le sent us this remarkable photograph of clouds drifting over Hong Kong: This photograph was taken with an infra-red camera. The view is from the 110th floor Ozone Bar (Ritz Carlton, Kowloon) and it shows a massive bank of clouds descending over Hong Kong island and Victoria Harbour on March 2, 2012. What is particularly nice about this shot is that the sunlight is bounced off one of the skyscrapers and it lights the harbour just as a ferry crosses over the splash of light on the water. If you have a photograph you'd like us to consider for a picture gallery, please email it to mypic@telegraph.co.uk, supplying a little info on where and when the picture was taken.

Winners of a competition held to find Britain's cutest sleeping cats

Animal charity Cats Protection held a competition to find the nation's cutest kipping kitties. The top ten pictures submitted to the online contest have been released, timed to coincide with National Sleep Awareness Week (5 to 11 March).

Pictures of the day: 5 March 2012

A reptile called a Plumed Crested Basilisk runs across a man-made pond built by art teacher and photographer, Brian Bevan, set up a laser system to capture the creature in full swing. Brian, from Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, was so keen to photograph the reptile which is known for its ability to 'walk on water' he bought the Basilisk and built a special tank for it. He then created a laser-beam system to trigger the camera in a bid to get his shot. Basilisks are also known as the Jesus Christ lizard for their ability to walk on water. They manage this by running very fast and generating enough force with their feet to keep their bodies both upright and above the surface. Their long fringed toes increase surface area and when startled they can run at speeds of up to five metres per second.

Oxford student boasts about 'great rack' in librarian contest

An Oxford University student has been criticised for her "sexist" attempt to win votes in an election to become a librarian - by boasting about her breasts.

Oxford University student Madeline Grant (right) Photo: Facebook

9:41AM GMT 05 Mar 2012

Madeline Grant, 19, wrote on her manifesto for Union Librarian: "I don't hack, I just have a great rack."

The brunette also said she was "committed to helping members pull" and claimed she once had "a hug'n'kiss from Johnny Depp".

Former model Madeline entered herself into the election for Union Librarian at the elite institution last month.

The English undergraduate even claimed she dated "a shady Japanese businessman for Union ball sponsorship".

But her campaign has been condemned by students who have accused her of "damaging the perception of women".

A union member told student paper Cherwell: "Whilst this manifesto is clearly meant to be humorous, it shows a distinct lack of judgement.
"It is disappointing to see female members of committee campaigning on the back of gender at all, let alone in a way which promotes the use of sexuality.
"The suggestion that anyone should be voted in on such a basis is deeply offensive to both male and female voters and is also very damaging to the perception of the women associated with the Union.
"This year's three successive female presidents are testimony to the fact that the Union has moved far beyond outdated sexual stereotypes and it is deeply saddening to see women objectifying themselves in manifestos."
Madeleine, who has posted numerous pictures of herself posing half-naked on her Facebook page, said: "I hope no-one is offended by my manifesto - it was only meant to be a light-hearted satire on an organisation which is often seen very seriously."
Madeline's parents John, 71, and mum freelance writer Sally Jones, 57, live in a £460,000 sprawling detached farmhouse in Ashorne, Warks.

No US base in Bangladesh

Envoy Mozena refutes media reports on special forces

Staff Correspondent

The US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Dan Mozena, yesterday rejected news reports that there is a permanent base of US special forces in the country.

“There is no question of US bases in Bangladesh," he told reporters after a meeting at the Detective Branch headquarters at the capital's Minto Road.

“US special forces come here often for various purposes and leave. We have cooperation with Bangladesh and it is all about partnership.

"It's a small team coming and going and what I read in newspaper about bases and all sorts of things, I think that was very creative. It has no bases," he said replying to a query.

Mozena's comments come two days after the BBC quoted US Pacific Commander Admiral Robert Willard as saying at a Congressional hearing, “We have currently special forces assist teams -- Pacific assist teams is the term -- laid down in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, as well as India."

The Bangladeshi media published the report on Saturday.

The US ambassador yesterday visited different units of the DB, including the bomb disposal unit, Special Weapon and Tactics (Swat) and counter-terrorism unit, CTTUC.

Earlier, he spoke at a meeting at the DB office where Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Benazir Ahmed, DB Joint Commissioner Maruf Hassan and commissioners Monirul Islam and Mahbubor Rahman were present.

Terming Bangladesh "a land of hope," Mozena said some people did not share the vision of a Golden Bangladesh and sought to destroy the Bangladesh of peace, tolerance, harmony and democracy.

"These people seek to impose their own values of hatred and intolerance on Bangladesh,” he said, adding, “We call these people terrorists. These terrorists are the enemy of Bangladesh, of America and of every democracy in the world.”

Over the past decade, the US has provided over $19 million in assistance to train and equip Bangladesh police officers, he said

Misjudgement led to Teesta treaty hope: Indian minister

This photo from July 2005 shows the massive Teesta Barrage at Doani which was built to supply water to lands in Teesta Irrigation Project area. But the river flow is declining, making the irrigation project ineffective. Star Online Report

Indian Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal thinks there was “a little misjudgement” on his part to assume that Mamata Banerjee was on board on the proposed agreement with Bangladesh on Teesta water-sharing.



During an interactive session titled ‘Idea Exchange’ with the journalists of Indian Express, Bansal went on record for the first time in pointing out the issue on which there has been divergence of opinion between Mamata government and central Indian government.



Journalists of the newspaper asked what exactly led to the failure to sign the proposed Teesta river water-sharing agreement with Bangladesh during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in September last year following last-minute objections from Mamata.



“On Teesta, there was a little over-enthusiasm on my part in presuming that she was on board. What has been happening all these years is that our water goes unmeasured. We had agreed to work out about 75 per cent of the water, but about 25 per cent of the water was left. And for that, the treaty was to be worked out,” Bansal replied.



Continued Bansal: “For the first time, we were putting into the treaty that the regeneration of water in their portion would also be treated as water from the river.”



“The topography of the area is such that there is huge regeneration of water in a certain stretch of the river which falls on the other side after the water leaves our last barrage. They were not agreeable to take that into account. We thought that it was acceptable to them.”



The newspaper published an item on Sunday on the interactive session.



Asked what gave him the impression that the Mamata Banerjee government was on board, Bansal said: “That was a little misjudgement. There were discussions with them. Our view was that it’s acceptable. Without that, we wouldn’t have included that in the treaty, PM wouldn’t have asked (Mamata Banerjee) to go to Bangladesh.”



When a journalist of the newspaper pointed out that there was the impression that the Indian government backs down on the issue of China usurping river waters, Bansal said, “When we talk to any country, we never talk from a position of weakness. As far as the suggestion that China is taking away our water, it is not based on facts. The fact is, we don’t have a river water treaty with China and there is no enforceable international law on river water. All that we have are conventions.”



Terming that the fears expressed about the Brahmaputra as “misplaced”, Bansal said: “From time to time, there have been reports that China is undertaking construction activity on the Brahmaputra which could reduce the flow of water to India. But, China has repeatedly said they will never do anything that is against international conventions and laws.”



“Our independent assessment is that there is no such construction activity that could divert water on a large scale,” the Indian minister said.

Poland train crash leaves 14 dead

It appears to be one of the worst rail disasters in the country in recent years. Photo: BBCBBC Online

Two trains have collided in southern Poland, leaving 14 people dead, local officials say, and 50 hurt.



The accident occurred on Saturday evening on the Warsaw-Krakow mainline at the small town of Szczekociny, according to Polish TV.



Two express trains, one of which was on the wrong track, collided head-on, a senior railway official said.



Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived at the scene early on Sunday morning, with three other cabinet ministers.



"This appears to be one of the most serious railway accidents in recent years," Transport Minister Slawomir Nowak told the TVN24 news channel.



Some passengers remain trapped in the wreckage, police say. Helicopter ambulances from Warsaw and Wroclaw are helping to take the injured to hospitals.



"The rescue is difficult and complicated," firefighter Jaroslaw Wojtasik told Polish television.



"The damage to the wagons is huge. We have contact with victims. We are approaching very cautiously."



Engineering works

The accident occurred at 21:15 (20:15 GMT), when a train travelling north from Przemysl to Warsaw collided with a southbound train from Warsaw to Krakow.



Scheduled engineering works were taking place on one track at Szczekociny station at the time of the accident.



The Krakow train was on the wrong track, Andrzej Pawlowski, a member of the board of the state railway company PKP, told the TV station TVN24.



Three coaches are reported to be especially damaged, and the rescue operation is focusing on finding passengers there.



The three coaches were "completely destroyed - like a concertina", one eyewitness told the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper.



Another passenger estimated that his train was travelling about 120km/h (75 mph), when it started braking very sharply.



"Then we felt a powerful impact, and we were thrown about the compartment," the passenger told TVN24.

The week in pictures: 2 March 2012

Two snakes were spotted competing in a a tug-of-war over a catfish on the banks of the Arkansas River, America. Each firmly clamped its mouth down on the meal and refused not to let go. At one point, one of the animals appears determined to swallow the catch first. The bizarre battle was captured on camera by Steve Creek, from Lavaca, Arkansas...

The week in pictures: 2 March 2012

This night-time view from the International Space Station shows the Atlantic coast of the United States. Metropolitan areas from the Virginia/Maryland/Washington DC area are visible in the image that spans almost to Rhode Island. Boston is just out of frame at right. Long Island and the New York City area are visible in the lower right quadrant. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are near the centre. Parts of two Russian vehicles parked at the orbital outpost are seen in left foreground.

SL in final, India out

Sri Lanka pacer Nuwan Kulasekara (R) is congratulated by teammates after he took the final Australian wicket to give his side a nine-run win in their ODI at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.Photo: AFP

BeetleCam: remote-controlled cameras get up close to lions in the Masai Mara

"My brother Matt once again joined me and we headed for the Masai Mara in Kenya, home to an astonishing density of very large lions!" As the days progressed the BeetleCams managed to infiltrate several prides, including groups of wily cubs. Playful and inquisitive, the cubs surrounded BeetleCam before flipping it over and carrying it into a bush for a closer inspection. Luckily the cubs soon lost interest and the BeetleCams, which the brothers are now building bespoke versions to order for other photographers around the world, lived to photograph another day.

Lady Gaga launches youth foundation with Oprah Winfrey at Harvard

Pop star Lady Gaga descended on Harvard University with Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday to launch her new foundation aimed at empowering young people.

Lady Gaga arrives at Harvard University to launch her Born This Way Foundation in Cambridge

Photos of paint splashes in mid-air by Martin Klimas show what music looks like

German artist Martin Klimas set out to answer the question "What does music look like?". In order to find out, he selects some music, puts splatters of different colours of paint on a translucent sheet over the diaphragm of a speaker and then turns up the volume. The vibrations of the speaker send the paint up into the air, creating beautiful patterns and sculptural forms, and Klimas photographs the results. He typically chooses dynamic and percussive music such as Steve Reich, Miles Davis or Jimi Hendrix.