![Taiwan's President and Nationalist Party presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou attends a news conference in Taipei. (Reuters) "Taiwan Politics"](http://blogs.voanews.com/photos/files/2012/01/reuters_taiwan_president_ma_ying_jeou_12Jan12-878x571.jpg)
Taiwan's President and Nationalist Party presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou attends a news conference in Taipei. (Reuters)
![Indian soldiers train on stunt motorcycles in preparation for an upcoming Republic Day parade in New Delhi. (AP) India Republic Day](http://blogs.voanews.com/photos/files/2012/01/ap_india_republic_day_12Jan12-878x620.jpg)
Indian soldiers train on stunt motorcycles in preparation for an upcoming Republic Day parade in New Delhi. (AP)
![An Afghan artist and his students display an oversized page from the Quran at the Naser Khusro Balkhi Library during an opening ceremony in Kabul. (AFP) "Afghanistan Quran"](http://blogs.voanews.com/photos/files/2012/01/afp_afghanistan_kuran_12Jan12-878x584.jpg)
An Afghan artist and his students display an oversized page from the Quran at the Naser Khusro Balkhi Library during an opening ceremony in Kabul. (AFP)
![Anti-government protesters run through tear gas during clashes between protesters and riot police in the village of Diraz, west of Manama, Bahrain. (Reuters) "Bahrain Protest"](http://blogs.voanews.com/photos/files/2012/01/reuters_bahrain_protest_12Jan12-878x605.jpg)
Anti-government protesters run through tear gas during clashes between protesters and riot police in the village of Diraz, west of Manama, Bahrain. Hundreds of anti-government protesters took to streets of Diraz demanding the downfall of the ruling family. (Reuters)
![American volunteer Torrey Utne feeds a seal at the Pieterburen seal creche, north of the town of Groningen, northern Netherlands. (AP) "Netherlands Orphaned Seals"](http://blogs.voanews.com/photos/files/2012/01/ap_netherlands_ophaned_seal_12Jan12-878x585.jpg)
American volunteer Torrey Utne feeds a seal at the Pieterburen seal creche, north of the town of Groningen, northern Netherlands. Storms that have lashed the Dutch coast this year have created a wave of orphaned baby seals, some so young their umbilical cords are still attached, wrenched from their mothers and washed up on beaches and dikes. (AP)
![Victoria Azarenka from Belarus returns the ball during her semi-final win over Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland at the Sydney International tennis event, Australia. (AFP) "Australia International Tennis"](http://blogs.voanews.com/photos/files/2012/01/afp_australia_tennis_12Jan12-878x655.jpg)
Victoria Azarenka from Belarus returns the ball during her semi-final win over Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland at the Sydney International tennis event, Australia. (AFP)