A policeman speaks by mobile phone at a souvenir shop decorated with suits of armor as he sheltered from heavy snow in Kiev, Ukraine. (AFP)

Two boys walk past a mural depicting former South African President Nelson Mandela at Alexandra township in Johannesburg, South Africa. (AP)

Bangladeshi police stand guard during a rally by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) lawyers in front of the High Court premises during a nationwide strike in Dhaka. (AFP)

A man talks on the phone as Nepalese Hindu devotees light oil lamps during the Bala Chaturdasi festival at the Pashupatinath Temple in Katmandu. (AP)

Union members from around the country rally at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing to protest a vote on Right-to-Work legislation. Republicans control the Michigan House of Representatives; and if the law is passed, it would make requiring financial support of a union as a condition of employment illegal. (AFP)

Dead fishes and crabs are seen at the Marapendi lagoon in the Barra de Tijuca neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AFP)

Snow covers roses left at a monument for Norwegian opera singer Kirsten Flagstad outside the Opera House in Oslo, Norway. (Reuters)

A gallery employee poses next to an artwork named Tom Na H-iu by Japanese video and performance artist Mariko Mori at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, England. (Reuters)

A dog is dressed up in a Santa Claus costume during the inauguration of Christmas celebrations in Athens’ main Syntagma Square, Greece. (AP)

A cyclist rides past a giant illuminated snowman displayed as part of holiday season decorations on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France. (Reuters)