Indian Hindu holy men, or Sadhus, are silhouetted as they celebrate in the water at Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, during the royal bath on Makar Sankranti at the start of the Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad.  (Reuters)

Supporters of Pakistani Sunni Muslim cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri listen to speeches while awaiting his arrival in Islamabad, as a youth runs across the street holding a national flag. (AP)

The crescent moon is seen behind an ice sculpture during ice and snow sculptures festival at the ‘Eight Lakes’ Park-Resort outside Almaty, Kazakhstan. (Reuters)

Young Tunisian boys make victory signs during a gathering as part of the festivities marking the second anniversary of the uprising that ousted long-time dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in Tunis. (AFP)

Yacouba Konate, 56, wears a French flag to show his support for the French military intervention in Mali, in the capital, Bamako. (Reuters)

Air pollution hangs over the skyline as the sun rises over Beijing’s central business district. Dense smog shrouded the city with pollution at hazardous levels for a fourth day and residents were advised to stay indoors. (AFP)

A couple looks at reproductions of work by Russian classical painter Vasily Surikov, displayed in ice frames, during an international festival of snow and ice sculpture called ‘The Magical Ice of the Siberia’ next to the Yenisei River in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. (Reuters)

Maria Sharapova of Russia signs autographs after defeating compatriot Olga Puchkova in their women’s singles match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. (Reuters)

Young women dressed in kimonos walk on a snow-covered street to attend a coming-of-age ceremony in Tokyo. A storm system grasped central Japan Monday, causing heavy snowfall around the capital city. (AFP)

An employee works on a dragon lantern at a traditional lantern factory for the coming Chinese Lunar New Year, in Zibo, Shandong province. The Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival, begins on February 10 and marks the start of the Year of the Snake. (Reuters)

A flock of ducks is being fed on a pond at the Royal Lazienki Park in Warsaw, Poland. (Reuters)

Revelers pose while parading in the streets during a carnival marking the Orthodox St. Vasilij Day in the village of Vevcani, some 170 km (106 miles) from the Macedonian capital Skopje.  The annual carnival features a 1,400-year-old celebration with pagan roots. (Reuters)