
Two workers adjust U.S. flags on the Capitol as preparations continue for the second inauguration of President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. (AFP)
Two workers adjust U.S. flags on the Capitol as preparations continue for the second inauguration of President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. (AFP)
Gun shop customers shop for weapons at the Bullet Hole gun shop in Sarasota, Florida, as they listen to live streaming video of an announcement about gun control by U.S. President Barack Obama. Obama proposed a new assault weapons ban and mandatory background checks for all gun buyers. (Reuters)
Pro-democracy lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung, also known as ‘Long Hair,’ is blocked by security officials as he tries to approach Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying inside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong. (Reuters)
A French soldier peers into the barrel of a tank at a Malian air base in Bamako. France hit Islamist rebels in Mali with fresh air strikes and deployed armored cars, stepping up its intervention in the West African state as regional allies struggled to accelerate their plans to send in troops. (Reuters)
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)
Members of various non-governmental organizations hold lighted candles during a protest in Islamabad against bomb blasts a day earlier in Quetta. (Reuters)
Actress Emma Stone and 2013 Oscar host Seth MacFarlane present the 85th Academy Awards nominations for Best Actress in Beverly Hills, California. The 85th Annual Academy Awards will take place on February 24 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP)
Ethnic Chinese pay a visit to a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as it is decorated Chinese traditional lanterns in preparation of the upcoming Chinese New Year. (AP)
Lionel Messi of Argentina, FIFA World Player of the Year 2012, holds his FIFA Ballon d’Or trophy during the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2012 soccer awards ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland, January 7, 2013. (Reuters)
Qatar’s Kasola Mohammed (L) confronts Oman’s Ahmed Mubarak al Hahaijri during their Gulf Cup tournament soccer match at Isa Sports City in Isa Town, Bahrain. (Reuters)
Dancers perform at Independence Square ahead of the inauguration ceremony of President-elect John Dramani Mahama, in Accra, Ghana. (AP)
A boy cycles through floodwaters on a highway during a winter storm in Beirut, Lebanon. (Reuters)
Men in traditional ‘Befana’ costumes compete in the ‘Regatta of Befane’ (witches’ race) on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. (Reuters)