A dog sits on a mat as Tibetans-in-exile offer prayers outside a temple at the Tibetan refugee colony in New Delhi. China said it would "resolutely crack down" on any attempts to instigate violence in Tibetan-inhabited areas, where authorities have launched a deadly clampdown on protesters. – AFP Photo

Policemen patrol after a former policeman of Nuevo Leon State was killed, at the Santa Lucia neighborhood in Mexico, after clashes between a group of gunmen and the Mexican Army. More than 40.000 people have been killed in rising drug-related violence in Mexico since December 2006, when President Felipe Calderon deployed soldiers and federal police to take on organised crime. – AFP Photo

Nepalese Hindu devotees perform rituals at the Hanuman Ghat during month-long Madhav Narayan festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Hindu women observe a month-long fast, eating only once a day and pray to Goddess Swasthani for the longevity of their husbands during the festival. – AP Photo

A Hindu devotee performs a ritual bath during the Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The festival is rooted in Hindu legend and was brought from southern India by 19th century immigrants who came to the Malaysian peninsula to work in rubber estates and government offices. – AP Photo

An orphan eats a snack at the National Loi Taileng School near the army's headquarters in Shan State along the Myanmar-Thai border. The students, ages 6 to 20, lost their parents in the decades-long war, according to the older students and the school's principal Herngfah Taihermg. – Reuters Photo

Indian Muslim women arrive to cast their vote as it rains in Gonda, India. Residents in India's largest state, Uttar Pradesh, began voting Wednesday in a month-long local election with repercussions for the whole nation. The state of Uttar Pradesh is so large, with 200 million people, that voting is spread over seven phases and will last until March 3. Results will be declared March 6. – AP Photo

A worker measures felt boots known as valenki before their shrinkage at a plant in the Belarus Smilovichi village, some 40 km (25 miles) south of the capital Minsk. Although valenki, the traditional winter footwear in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, are not water-resistant, valenki made of wool felt are very light, warm and are optimised for a cold snowy environment. – AFP Photo

A man on a bicycle passes docked ferries in the port of Piraeus, near Athens, during a 24 hour strike. Unions have called a 24-hour general strike for Tuesday, in response to the new austerity measure. – AP Photo