Hector Andrade / Agencia Uno via AP

Firefighters and investigative police officers carry the bodies of firefighters who died battling wildfires in a mountain near Carahue, southern Chile, on Jan. 5, 2012. Nearly 50 wildfires have sprung up in southern Chile, destroying hundreds of houses, forcing the evacuations of thousands of people and causing millions of dollars in damage to the forestry and tourism industries that fuel the economy in the country's Patagonia region.

Ariel Marinkovic / EPA

A photograph made available on Jan. 06, 2012, showing one of the wildfires in the area of Quillon on Jan. 04.

Hector Andrade / Reuters

Rescue team members walk past burnt woodland as they carry the body of a firefighter after a forest fire near Temuco city on Jan. 05.

The Associated Press reports from SANTIAGO, Chile: 

Five firefighters are dead and three others missing in Chile, where spreading wildfires are being fueled by high winds and dangerously dry conditions.

Gov. Miguel Mellado says a brigade of local firefighters was caught in the flames when winds suddenly shifted in Cautin, about 450 miles south of the capital, Santiago.

As well as those killed and missing, two other firefighters suffered severe burns as they battled blazes in the Cordillera de la Costa. Continue reading.

See more pictures of the fires on PhotoBlog.

Natasha Baydakova / AP

In this photo released by Natasha Baydakova on Wednesday Jan. 4, 2011 showing a Welsh corgi dog named Ole.

AP reports: Search and rescue team member Bill Whittle said he was "positive" that the Welsh corgi — named Ole — had been buried in Saturday's avalanche.

"The avalanche guys were up there on Monday investigating and they were looking for the dog too and never seen any signs," he said.

But on Wednesday, Ole showed up exhausted and hungry back at the motel, four miles from where the slide occurred, the Billings Gazette reported.

Read the full story here.

Holger Bennewitz / Reuters

An aerial photograph shows a break in highway BR 356 that was washed away after several days of heavy rains swelled the Muriae River in Campos, 142 miles northeast of Rio de Janeiro, Jan. 5, 2012. Civil Defense officials said the 4,000 residents of the town are being evacuated, and they expect the flooding to continue for three to four months.

AP reports: SAO PAULO — Civil defense officials say they are evacuating an entire town after floodwaters burst a nearby dike in southeastern Brazil.

The Civil Defense department of Rio de Janeiro state says the waters of the Muriae River are expected to reach the town of Tres Vendas by Thursday afternoon and its 4,000 residents are being taken to temporary shelters.

Elsewhere in Rio de Janeiro state, another 4,000 people were forced to leave their homes and three people were killed by heavy rains and mudslides in recent days.

Leonardo Berenger/Parceiro / AFP - Getty Images

People watch water run through the badly damaged Route BR-356, connecting Belo Horizonte and Sao Joao da Barra, in Rio de Janeiro State, after floodwaters burst a nearby dike on Jan. 5, 2012. The Civil Defense department of Rio de Janeiro state says the waters of the Muriae River are expected to reach the town of Tres Vendas and its 4,000 residents are being taken to temporary shelters. Eight people were killed in floodwaters or mudslides in the southern states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais in recent days, while thousands have been evacuated.

Leonardo Berenger/Parceiro / AFP - Getty Images

A girl stands on the top of the roof of her house, where her family has gathered belongings in Campos, Rio de Janeiro State, after floodwaters burst a nearby dike on Jan. 5, 2012.

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Rayf Ruot and his wife Deanna, from Barnstead, N.H. are undecided voters. "Something in my heart has been telling me to look into this guy a little," Rayf said, adding " I want to see where he stands with Israel. The prosperity of this country depends on the relationship with Israel. The Bible is very clear about that." The couple stay warm next to a working pot-bellied stove while waiting for  Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum at a "Faith, Family and Freedom" Town Hall event held at the Merrimack Valley Railroad in Northfield, N.H. Thursday.

John Makely / msnbc.com

Msnbc.com's John Makely and Mike O'Brien are in New Hampshire this week talking to voters about what they're looking for in a candidate. Read the full story.

Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum presents his ideas at a "Faith, Family and Freedom" Town Hall event held at the Merrimack Valley Railroad in Northfield, New Hampshire.

Meet Iowa voters, and learn what issues matters most to them as they consider a candidate

Iowa voters describe the characteristics they're looking for in a candidate

Robert Michael / AFP - Getty Images

Spectators stand in heavy snowfall to watch the men's 4 x 7,5 km relay event of the IBU biathlon World Cup in Oberhof, eastern Germany on Jan. 5, 2012.

Eurosport reports: Italy came from behind to snatch victory from Russia in the IBU Biathlon World Cup men’s 4x7.5km relay event in Oberhof, Germany to end a long wait for a relay win.

It was Italy's first victory in a men's relay since 1993.

Jens Meyer / AP

Biathlets prepare for the start during heavy snow storm at the men's 4 x 7.5 km relay at the Biathlon World Cup in Oberhof, Germany, on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012.

For most of the race it looked as though the Russian team of Anton Shipulin, Evgeniy Garanichev, Evgeny Ustyugov and Alexey Volkov would easily collect the win as they led from the first leg.

But despite taking over with a 43.6 second lead from Italy in the final leg, Volkov picked up three penalties with the rifle as the Russian team slipped to second.

Robert Michael / AFP - Getty Images

An unidentified athlete competes during heavy snowfall in the men's 4 x 7,5 km relay event of the IBU biathlon World Cup in Oberhof.

Tobias Schwarz / Reuters

Italy's Lukas Hofer reacts winning in the 4x7.5 km men's relay competition at the Biathlon World Cup in the eastern German ski resort of Oberhof Jan. 5, 2012. Italy won the competition, Russia placed second and Sweden placed third.

Yesterday in PhotoBlog, we ran images from the women's relay

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Imagine camping with friends when suddenly your campsite is invaded by the roar of a helicopter rotor.  That's what happened to Brian Vogt and his friends on Jan. 2 while sleeping in their tents in Rainier National Park.  "We thought we heard 'A ranger has been shot and killed, shooter at large,' " camper Brian Vogt wrote in an email exchange with The Seattle Times. But it wasn't all that clear.

Matt Pokrywka via AP

Jen Berthiaume, left, Natalia Martinez-Paz, center, and Brian Vogt are seen celebrating New Year's Eve, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011, while camping at Mount Rainier National Park, Wash. A helicopter crew searching for the gunman who killed a Mount Rainier National Park ranger on New Year's Day came across the small group of campers and used an unusual method to warn them the shooter was at large.

That's when the pilot let fly his backup plan. He dropped a coffee cup with a warning scrawled in ink: "A ranger has been shot shooter at large. Call on cell if able to Pierce Co Sheriff."

Jen Berthiaume via AP

In these photos provided by Jen Berthiaume, a messages scrawled onto coffee cups that were dropped to a group of campers Jan. 2, 2011 while a search was going on for an armed suspect in Mount Rainier National Park, Wash., are seen. A helicopter crew searching for the gunman who killed a Mount Rainier National Park ranger on New Year's Day came across a small group of campers and used an unusual method to warn them the shooter was at large, writing messages on paper coffee cups and dropping them to the campers telling them of the danger.

Brian Vogt via AP

In this photo provided by Brian Vogt, the campsite of Vogt and his companions are seen as a helicopter hovers nearby at Reflection Lakes at Mount Rainier National Park, Wash., Monday, Jan. 1, 2012.

Read the rest of the story on the Seattle Times.

See our previous PhotoBlog post from the day of the shooting.

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Submitted by Andrew Schwartz / UGC

Penguin, Antarctic Peninsula

Our readers have submitted some stunning photos from far-flung corners of the globe. This week's gallery features images from the Serengeti, the Antarctic, the Pacific Coast and other beautiful settings.

Scroll through this gorgeous set of images and vote for your favorite at the bottom.

Submitted by Robert Weiser / UGC

Pacific coast, Baha, Mexico

Submitted by Jesse Brisendine / UGC

Saint George, Utah

Submitted by Thomas Young / UGC

Pacific Coast near Montara, Calif.

Submitted by James Sumner / UGC

Cape buffalo, Botswana

Submitted by Steve Stillman / UGC

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Submitted by Peter McIntosh / UGC

Autumn Valley, Rabun County, Ga.

Submitted by Greg Sorlie / UGC

Elephants and lion in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Submitted by Kelly Shortreed / UGC

Smith River, Oregon Coast Range

Submitted by Jim McAnallen / UGC

Iguana on St. Maarten, Caribbean

Submitted by Kevin Pappas / UGC

Colorado River, Grand Canyon

Submitted by Rebecca Brenden / UGC

Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Submitted by Ed Monster / UGC

Letchworth State Park, Castile, N.Y.

Submitted by Ron Haak / UGC

Zebras on the Serengeti, Tanzania

Submitted by Karen Kloke / UGC

Lower Mesa Falls on Henry's Fork of the Snake River, Idaho

Submitted by Pat Abbott / UGC

Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, Wash.

If you have photos you'd like to share, submit them for a chance to be featured in the weekly gallery by clicking here.

You can also join our It's A Snap Facebook community by clicking here, and share your photos with others.

Matthew Cavanaugh / Getty Images

Republican Presidential candidate and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum holds up raffle money won and then donated to his campaign at a Rotary Club breakfast in Manchester, N.H. on Jan. 05. Santorum gave the money back to the club. Santorum continued his campaign in New Hampshire for the upcoming primary election after he finished second in the Iowa Caucus, losing to Mitt Romney by only eight votes.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Audience members listen to Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain during a campaign town hall meeting at the Boys and Girls Club Jan. 5, in Salem, N.H. McCain, who ran against President Barack Obama in 2008, endorsed Romney on Wednesday. Romney eked out an eight-vote victory in the Iowa Caucuses against former U.S. Senator Rick Perry, who is also stumping in New Hampshire.

Win McNamee / Getty Images

Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, speaks with his wife Callista during a town hall meeting at Littleton Opera House on Jan. 5, in Littleton, New Hampshire. After finishing 4th in the Iowa Caucus, Gingrich continued his campaign in New Hampshire for the upcoming primary.

• Romney now focus of attacks
• Debate on Sunday, Jan. 8 - ask a question via Facebook
• Santorum tries Iowa message for N.H bounce
• Gingrich takes aim at Romney
• More politics news

The mother of three children who died with their grandparents in a Christmas day fire in Stamford, Conn., addressed mourners at their funeral today.

Madonna Badger wailed as she followed the three coffins out of the church. More than 500 people attended the service in the heart of Manhattan on Thursday.

John Moore / Getty Images

Matthew Badger, left, and Madonna Badger, the parents of the three children killed in the fire, grieve as one of the caskets is carried into St. Thomas Episcopal church on Thursday. Madonna Badger's friend, Michael Borcina, stands behind them as he comforts her. Borcina and Madonna Badger were the only two to survive the fire.

Investigators said that Badger’s friend Michael Borcina took smoldering embers out of the fireplace because Badger’s daughters were afraid they might hurt Santa when he dropped down the chimney.

Eduardo Munoz / Reuters

Madonna Badger, her husband Matthew, and their relatives watch the arrival of their daughters' caskets during their funeral service at Saint Thomas Episcopal Church in New York on Jan. 5. The pallbearers were 18 firefighters from Stamford, Conn., who responded to the fire.

The embers were left near an entryway where they ignited the house. The girls' grandparents also died in the fire. The grandfather died trying to help one of the girls get out.

Eve Arnold / MAGNUM PHOTOS

Marilyn Monroe on the set of John Huston's "The Misfits" in 1960.

Eve Arnold, a globe-trotting photojournalist who captured iconic images of Marilyn Monroe, has died, the Magnum photo agency said Thursday. She was 99.

Magnum spokeswoman Fiona Rogers said Arnold died peacefully Wednesday in a London nursing home.

Born in Philadelphia in 1912 to Russian immigrant parents, Arnold began working as a photographer in the 1940s and took pictures for Life magazine during a golden age of magazine photojournalism.

Her subjects included New York bartenders, Cuban fishermen and Afghan nomads; celebrities such as Joan Crawford and Elizabeth Taylor; and political figures including Jacqueline Kennedy, Malcolm X and Margaret Thatcher.

Eve Arnold / MAGNUM PHOTOS

Monroe resting in Bement, Ill., in 1955.

Her most famous shots include portraits of Monroe taken throughout the actress's career and collected in her book "Marilyn Monroe: An Appreciation."

"Themes recur again and again in my work," Arnold once said. "I have been poor and I wanted to document poverty; I had lost a child and I was obsessed with birth; I was interested in politics and I wanted to know how it affected our lives; I am a woman and I wanted to know about women."

Arnold joined the Magnum agency in the 1950s — the first woman admitted to the collective — after her images of fashion shows in Harlem caught the attention of photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Eve Arnold / MAGNUM PHOTOS

Monroe on "The Misfits" set in Nevada.

Arnold settled in London in the 1960s, working for the Sunday Times newspaper. In the 1970s she traveled to the United Arab Emirates, photographing and filming Dubai's ruling family for "Behind the Veil," and was one of the first American photographers to work in China.

The photos she took there were exhibited in her first solo show, at the Brooklyn Museum in 1980, and published as "In China."

Arnold was a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and in 1995 was named Master Photographer by New York's International Center of Photography.

In 2003 she was named an officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, by Queen Elizabeth II for services to photography.

She is survived by her son, Frank, and three grandchildren. Funeral details were not immediately available.

Here are two clips of Arnold in a 1987 interview about her Monroe work

AP reports - Dozens of farmers were warned to evacuate land north of the Dutch capital Thursday as a dike protecting the area threatened to collapse.

Robin Utrecht / AFP - Getty Images

A Dutch local resident watches floodwaters through his window, in Dordrecht on Jan. 5. Gale force winds and heavy rains are expected along the Dutch coast. About a quarter of the country sits below sea level.

Local mayor Ben Plandsoen told national broadcaster NOS that a polder — reclaimed land that is drained by pumps and mills — would likely be submerged under some 40 centimeters (16 inches) of water if the dike protecting it breaks.

Catrinus Van Der Veen / EPA

People walk on a bridge over the Dutch Groninger Museum as the building is threatened by high water in Groningen, northern Netherlands, on Jan. 5. Although there are fears that the high water caused by heavy rains and storms could flood the museum, it was still open for the public on Jan. 5.

"You just don't know how the dike will hold up," he said. "It is saturated, so you don't know how much pressure it can take."

Vincent Jannink / EPA

A Dutch police officer watches the high water situation in Tolbert, in the north of the Netherlands, on Jan 5, where a dyke may fail and flood farmland, following heavy rains and storms hitting the coastal country.

Continue reading in the full story...

Antonio Parrinello / Reuters

Mount Etna spews volcanic ash during an eruption on the southern Italian island of Sicily on Jan. 5, 2012. Mount Etna is Europe's tallest and most active volcano.

Mount Etna erupted on Thursday for the first time in 2012, forcing the temporary closure of Sicily's busiest airport, the Italian news agency ANSA reports. Europe's tallest active volcano spewed spectacular fountains of lava and sent up a plume of black smoke rising 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) above sea level. That prompted authorities to limit air traffic to Sicily's Catania Airport until midday, ANSA reported. Etna erupted 18 times during 2011, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. 

See more volcano eruptions on PhotoBlog.

Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters

A chef holds the head of a bluefin tuna after cutting its meat at a sushi restaurant in Tokyo on Jan. 5, 2012. The 269-kilogram (593 lbs) tuna caught off the coast of northern Japan, was sold at a record of 56.49 million yen ($736,234) in the country's first fish auction of the year.

Franck Robichon / EPA

The record-breaking fish on display at Tsukiji market.

msnbc.com staff and news services report from TOKYO: 

This tuna is worth savoring: It cost nearly three-quarters of a million dollars.

A bluefin tuna caught off northeastern Japan fetched a record 56.49 million yen, or about $736,000, Thursday in the first auction of the year at Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market.

The price for the 593-pound tuna beat last year's record of 32.49 million yen or about $416,000.

A Sushi-Zanmai shop in Tsujiki was selling fatty tuna sushi from the prized fish for 418 yen ($5.45) apiece Thursday.

"It's superb. I can do nothing but smile. I am very happy," said Kosuke Shimogawara, a 51-year-old customer, who pointed out that if sold at cost, each piece of sushi could cost as much as 8,000 yen ($96). Read the full story.

Shizuo Kambayashi / AP

Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura Co., center left, cuts the bluefin at his Sushi Zanmai restaurant.

Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters

A chef holds part of the fish after cutting.

Yoshikazu Tsuno / AFP - Getty Images

A customer eats sushi freshly sliced up from the bluefin.

Philippine Army via EPA

Damaged houses after a landslide hit a community of small-scale miners at Napnapan village in Pantukan town in Compostella Valley, Southern Mindanao, Philippines, on Jan. 05, 2012.

Philippine Army via EPA

People search for relatives after the landslide.

Philippine Army via EPA

The landslide occurred at dawn in the village of Napnapan, where hundreds of small-scale miners were staying with their families.

The Associated Press reports from MANILA, Philippines: 

A landslide tore through a small-scale gold mining site in the southern Philippines on Thursday, killing at least 25 people and burying dozens more, months after government officials warned miners that the mountain above them was guaranteed to crumble.

The mountainside in Napnapan village in Pantukan township collapsed around 3 a.m., when most residents were asleep, sweeping away about 50 houses, shanties and other buildings, officials said.

Aside from those confirmed dead, more than 100 people were believed buried in the rubble, Compostela Valley provincial Gov. Arturo Uy said. Continue reading.

Diego Azubel / EPA

A Chinese man dives into a pool cut out of the frozen waters of the Songhua Jiang river in sub-zero temperatures during a winter swimming event as part of the International Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, China on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012. The three-month long festival attracts visitors from all over China as well as a number of foreign guests who brave below zero temperatures to see colorful large ice and snow sculptures, ride horse-drawn carriages and enjoy a number of winter activities set up on the sidelines of the festival.

See other winter swimmers from China

Slideshow: China's Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

Sheng Li / Reuters

The annual winter festival in northeastern China opens on Jan. 5, 2012.

Launch slideshow

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Kacper Pempel / Reuters

A mostly elderly crowd dances to the samba rhythms of DJ Wika Szmyt in a Warsaw, Poland club on Jan. 4.

Slideshow: DJ Granny

Kacper Pempel / Reuters

Click to see 73-year-old DJ Wika spin the tunes for her audience.

Launch slideshow

There was something about DJ Wika Smytz that stopped me in my photo editing tracks today. She had this certain charisma and charm that made me want to see more. Photographer Kacper Pempel captured her youthful exuberance in a setting that is usually reserved for much younger generations.

If I were walking the streets of Warsaw and heard the samba styling of DJ Wika, I don’t think I could resist entering the club.

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Diego Azubel / EPA

Visitors ride a horse-drawn carriage at the International Harbin Ice and Snow Festival held in Harbin, China's northern Heilongjiang province, Jan. 5, 2012. The annual three-month long festival will officially open on Jan. 6. The festival attracts visitors from all over China as well as a number of foreign guests who brave below zero temperatures to see colorful large ice and snow sculptures, ride horse-drawn carriages and enjoy a number of winter activities set up on the sidelines of the festival.

Slideshow: China's Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

Sheng Li / Reuters

The annual winter festival in northeastern China opens on January 5th, 2012.

Launch slideshow

Related: Light it up! Testing period gets underway at Harbin Ice and Snow World

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Jacky Naegelen / Reuters

France's Stephane Peterhansel and his co-pilot Jean-Paul Cottret of France drive their Mini Monster during the fourth stage of the fourth South American edition of the Dakar Rally 2012 from San Juan to Chilecito Jan. 4, 2012.

AP reports: CHILECITO, Argentina -Nine-time champion Stephane Peterhansel moved into first place in the Dakar Rally with a commanding victory in Wednesday's fourth stage.

The Frenchman, racing in a Mini, won the 326-kilometer (202-mile) special stage from San Juan to Chilecito in northwestern Argentina, a tricky drive featuring dried riverbeds, by more than five minutes.

The pre-race favorite, Peterhansel rose from fifth, and nearly three minutes behind, to first, and 5:41 up on the field.

He has won six times on motorbikes, and three in cars, and the stage win was his 58th.

Jerome Prevost / AFP - Getty Images

France's Olivier Pain rides his Yamaha during the Stage 4 of the 2012 Dakar Rally between San Juan, San Juan province and Chilecito, la Rioja province, Argentina, on Jan. 4, 2012. Spain's Marc Coma won the stage.

Bryn Lennon / Getty Images

Cyril Despres of France and Team Red Bull KTM arrives at the bivouac after stage four of the 2012 Dakar Rally from San Juan to Chilecito on Jan. 4, 2012 in Chilecito, Argentina.

Related:

Argentina-Chile-Peru Dakar Rally features 15 days of racing

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Helicopters fight a massive forest fire affecting the commune of Ranquil, in southern Chile's Bio Bio region, some 450 Km south of Santiago, on Jan. 4, 2012. Forest fires in southern Chile, fueled by intense heat and strong winds, advanced further Wednesday after destroying nearly 45,000 hectares, officials said. The worst of the blazes were concentrated in Chile's Bio Bio region, where about 24,800 hectares have been destroyed, according to Chile's National Emergency Office (Onemi). Some 600 people have been evacuated from the area and some 160 homes have been destroyed.

AP reports: SANTIAGO, Chile — Firefighters in Chile battled three huge wildfires Monday that have burned about 90 square miles (23,000 hectares) of forest, destroyed more than 100 homes and have driven away thousands of tourists while causing millions of dollars in losses.

Chile's normally rainy southern regions are suffering from a nationwide heat wave, on top of a drought that makes fires increasingly likely. The country was battling 48 separate fires on Sunday alone, and red alerts were declared for the regions of Magallanes, Bio Bio and Maule.

Ariel Marinkovic / EPA

Firefighters triying to control the fire on the outskirts of Quillon, a rural town located 450 kilometers south of Santiago, Chile, on Jan. 4, 2012.

Ariel Marinkovic / EPA

Firefighters try to control the fire on the outskirts of Quillon, a rural town located 450 kilometers south of Santiago, Chile, on Jan. 4, 2012.

AFP - Getty Images

Tourists hike at the Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile on Jan. 04, 2012. Firefighters reported that most outbreaks in the national park Torres del Paine, where the fires started a week ago, were no longer spreading. The fires consumed 14,504 hectares.The park, which is visited every year by thousands of tourists, was partially reopened to the public Wednesday.

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