This picture of a mother with her emaciated child at an emergency feeding station in Niger has scooped the World Press Photo of the Year for Reuters photographer Finbarr O?Reilly.

O?Reilly ? from Canada ? captured the image on 1 August 2005, beating 83,044 images entered by 4,448 press photographers.

O?Reilly, 35, is Reuters chief photographer for West and Central Africa.

Last year Arko Datta, also from Reuters, won the title.

The awards ? in their 49th year ? were announced this morning in Amsterdam.