February 4, 2014

Snowboarder Sven Thorgren of Sweden trains on the slopestyle snowboard course during practice for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Rosa Khutor, Russia.

A boy looks through the window of the Saraswati temple, its walls filled with writings, during the Shreepanchami festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. Children are given their first writing and reading lessons at the temple during this festival in the belief that the goddess of education, Saraswati, will help them excel in education.

Sri Lankan military personnel march during the country's 66th Independence Day celebrations in the central town of Kegalle, about 40 kms from the capital Colombo.

A woman walks past a street mural in New York.

Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, perform prayers while sitting inside circles of burning "Upale" - dried cow dung cakes - on the banks of the Ganges River during the Magh Mela festival in the northern Indian city of Allahabad.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, left, takes a picture with his mobile phone as his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif watches him during their news briefing in Tehran, Iran.

Supporters attend a symbolic same-sex marriage outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland. Scotland votedy to allow same-sex marriages, becoming the 17th country to give the green light to gay marriages and paving the way for the first wedding ceremonies later this year.

Ethnic Yi women are seen on their way to a dragon worship ceremony in Shiping county, Yunnan province. The dragon worship ceremony is held every 12 years to pray for good fortune and harvest.

A detailed view of a glass sculpture 'Blue Chill Seaform Set with Marigold Lip Wraps' by U.S. artist Dale Chihuly, is on display during the launch of an exhibition of his work 'Dale Chihuly: Beyond the Object' at the Halcyon Gallery in London.

Members of the National Security Force practice crowd control during training to provide security at the 2014 World Cup, in Brasilia, Brazil. The World Cup will be held in 12 cities in Brazil in June.

Snow falls on the statue of Franklin D. Roosevelt at Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island in the borough of Manhattan in New York, Feb. 3, 2014.