OUR pick of the top photos from around the globe today includes a shot of the freighter Nord Bright making its way past New York City’s One World Trade Center.
The tower, now up to 90 floors, is scheduled to be completed in 2013. Informally known as Freedom Tower, it’s the main part of the new World Trade Center complex being built in Lower Manhattan on the site of the original buildings, which were destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attack.
The new 105-storey structure will be the tallest building in the USA.
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Freighter Nord Bright passes One World Trade Center, now up to 90 floors, and the lower Manhattan skyline in New York.
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The aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, are seen near the city of Tromsoe, northern Norway.
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The aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, are seen near the city of Tromsoe, northern Norway.
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Actress Katherine Heigl attends the "One For The Money" premiere at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square theater in New York.
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A model wears a creation by Andre Lima during the Sao Paulo Fashion Week in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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Models wear creations by Lebanese designer Elie Saab as part of his Women's Spring Summer 2012 Haute Couture fashion collection presented in Paris. AP.
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An African guineafowl at the zoo in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
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Martha cuddles her baby gorilla at Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas.
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Garth Brooks is greeted by fans outside the Rogers County Courthouse, in Claremore, Oklahoma.
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A woman walks on a snowy path near a park in Bucharest, Romania.
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Soccer ball in rain waterlogged on the pitch in the African Cup of Nations Group A soccer match between Zambia and Libya in Estadio De Bata, in Bata, Equatorial Guinea.
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Luke Donald of England, the World's Number One golfer, plays among the 250ft high sand dunes in Abu Dhabi's Liwa Desert
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Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic takes a drink during a break as she plays Sara Errani of Italy in their quarterfinal at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia.
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Indians look at a damaged vehicles at the scene where a bus was driven into numerous vehicles and pedestrians in the city of Pune, central India.
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Pope Benedict XVI arrives in St. Paul's outside the walls Basilica to leads a Vespers celebration in Rome. AP.
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First lady Michelle Obama is applauded on Capitol Hill in Washington, prior to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.
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Egyptians gather in Tahrir Square to mark the one year anniversary of the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, Egypt. AP.
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Mari Vartmann and Aaron Van Cleave of Germany preform in the Pairs Short Program during the ISU European Figure Skating Championships at Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England. Getty.
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Kei Nishikori of Japan serves in his quarterfinal match against Andy Murray of Great Britain during day ten of the 2012 Australian Open at Melbourne Park.
Making a different but equally striking impact on the skyline have been the recent displays of the Northern Lights, triggered by intense solar activity. Spectacular sightings of the aurora have delighted stargazers, including these green and blue swathes of light dancing over Norway.
>>> See more Northern Lights pictures here
Also dazzling onlookers were creations by Lebanese designer Elie Saab as part of his Women’s Spring Summer 2012 Haute Couture fashion collection presented in Paris, along with a creation by Andre Lima during the Sao Paulo Fashion Week in Sao Paulo, Brazil and actress Katherine Heigl posing at the One For The Money premiere in New York.
Not to be outdone, an African guineafowl flaunts its plumage at the zoo in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, while Martha the gorilla’s attention is all focused on cuddling her new baby at Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas. Zookeepers have kept their distance to allow the rare and endangered gorillas to bond.
Garth Brooks also drew the crowds when he was greeted by fans outside the Rogers County Courthouse, in Claremore, Oklahoma. Jurors decided that the hospital must return Brooks’ $500,000 donation plus pay him $500,000 in punitive damages.
The decision came in Brooks’ breach-of-contract lawsuit against Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital in Yukon. Brooks said he thought he’d reached a deal in 2005 with the hospital’s president, James Moore, but sued after learning the hospital wanted to use the money for other construction projects.
While clear skies allowed the Northern Lights to put on an awesome show, severe winter weather affected southern and eastern Romania causing train delays and havoc on the road network.
