New Year's Eve preparations - in pictures

People around the world prepare to celebrate the New Year

Edinburgh, Scotland: Some of the 5.5 tonnes of fireworks at Edinburgh Castle for the city's Hogmanay celebrations

Madrid, Spain: A clockmaker checks and adjusts the Puerta del Sol Square clock, the emblematic chronometer that will ring the bells bidding farewell to 2011 and welcoming the new year

New York, USA: Organisers toss confetti from a window during the annual air worthiness test in Times Square during preparations for New Year's Eve celebrations

Ahmedabad, India: A man has his beard trimmed into the shape of 2012 to welcome the New Year

Hong Kong: Models wearing different national costumes smile during a promotional event outside the Times Square shopping mall, a popular New Year countdown venue

Hair-Raising Matchstick Sculptures by David Mach

Creative Drawing with Fingers

New York Night Photos

Radical Animal Haircuts

(Photos by Mladen Penev, via)

Capturing Speed on a Tokyo Train

Photographer Appuru Pai took this incredible series aboard the Yurikamome Transit Line in Tokyo, Japan. Yurikamome is Tokyo’s first fully automated transit system, controlled entirely with computers with no drivers on board.

North Korea Mourns Kim Jong Il

North Koreans have shown extraordinary displays of grief in the days since the death of their leader Kim Jong Il on December 17th. Today marked the start of a two-day funeral ceremony, as thousands of North Koreans lined the snowy streets of Pyongyang to witness the procession of vehicles as it made its way to Kumsusan Memorial Palace. Collected here are images -- most of them official North Korean releases -- of the public mourning in North Korea.

Basset Hounds Running

Honda Destroys Flooded Cars

The horrible Thailand floods of this year hit a Honda factory causing 1055 cars to be overrun by water. Yesterday Honda made the public statement that they will not be attempting to fix or refurbish these vehicles.

The company had them crushed right in front of the presses snapping cameras.

Creative Art Made by Burning Matches

Google's New London Office