Best pictures from February 7
A woman walks outside of a building during a snow storm at Shanghai's financial district. Shanghai will see temperatures dip below freezing on Friday and Saturday as the latest cold front hits the city, according to weather forecasts and media reports.CARLOS BARRIA/Reuters
A boy practising karate on the beach is silhouetted against the setting sun in Colombo.DINUKA LIYANAWATTE/Reuters
Footprints are seen in sand as a four-year-old boy runs while carrying his surfboard along Mollymook Beach, located 200 km south of Sydney.DAVID GRAY/Reuters
Indian policewomen stop protesters from marching towards the parliament during a protest accusing the government of ignoring key suggestions of the government panel set up to examine India's criminal justice system's treatment of violence against women in New Delhi, India. After examining more than 80,000 submissions, the panel, headed by retired Chief Justice J.S. Verma, came out with a 630-page report recommending amendments to the laws governing crimes against women. Women activists have accused the government of ignoring many key suggestions of the panel, including prosecuting army and paramilitary soldiers accused of sexual offenses and barring politicians facing rape charges from contesting elections.Altaf Qadri/The Associated Press
Free Syrian Army fighters walk through a dust-filled stairwell after a comrade fired a B-10 recoilless rifle at Syrian Army soldiers in the Haresta neighbourhood of Damascus.GORAN TOMASEVIC/Reuters
Horticulturist Elisa Biondi works on a display of vanda orchids at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in London. Over 4,500 orchids are being displayed for an Orchid festival as well as 550 bromeliads and 350 assorted foliage plants.Kirsty Wigglesworth/The Associated Press
Disguised members of a carnival band join the carnival parade in the historic center of Lucerne, Switzerland.Urs Flueeler/The Associated Press
A couple embrace next to a paramilitary police officer as the woman sees her partner off outside an entrance of the Beijing Railway Station. According to an official with the Ministry of Railways, railway authorities arranged 358 more passenger trains to start handling the estimated 5.2 million daily trips over the next 40-day travel rush period due to the Spring Festival, Xinhua News Agency reported. The Spring Festival, also known as the Lunar New Year, will begin on Feb. 10 this year and usher in the Year of the Snake.JASON LEE/Reuters
South Korean and U.S. marines run during a winter military drill in Pyeongchang, about 180 km east of Seoul. North Korea has vowed to conduct more rocket and nuclear tests in response to a U.N. censure for its launch of a long-range missile launch in December. On Tuesday, it vowed "stronger" but unspecified actions in addition to the test.LEE JAE-WON/Reuters
Dancers dance the opening waltz at the traditional Opera Ball in Vienna. Some 5,000 visitors enjoy one of Austria's most glittering social events, paying 250 euros ($335) for entry tickets and up to 18,500 euros ($24,800) for compartments.HERWIG PRAMMER/Reuters
A passer-by walks through the snow in a park in Zurich, Switzerland.Steffen Schmidt/The Associated Press