February 27, 2014

A pair of boots sit on top of a barricade at Independence Square in Kyiv. Ukraine put its police on high alert after dozens of pro-Russia armed men seized government buildings in the Crimea region and raised a Russian flag.

Demonstrators use slingshots against National Guard troopers during a protest against the government near Caracas, Venezuela.

Children play in a camp for the Nuer ethnic group in South Sudan. Thousands have been killed and almost 900,000 forced from their homes by more two months of battles between rebel and government forces.

A Hindu holy man, or sadhu, cleans his teeth using a twig at the Pashupatinath Temple during the Shivaratri festival in Kathmandu, Nepal.

An Indian Hindu devotee holds a python during a procession for Maha Shivaratri in Allahabad, India. Hindus mark the Maha Shivratri festival by offering special prayers and fasting to Lord Shiva, the god of destruction.

People taking part in a protest against poor sanitation run away from a water cannon and stun grenades fired by members of the South African Police Services in Cape Town.

Women dressed in costumes for "Weiberfastnacht" (Women's Carnival) celebrate in front of Cologne's Cathedral, Germany.

Dancers of the state opera ballet perform during a dress rehearsal for the Opera Ball in Vienna, Austria.

Children cool off during a warm day in Singapore. Singapore and Malaysia are grappling with some of the driest weather, forcing the city and state to ration water for farming and fisheries.

A nominee for Queen of the Carnival of Santa Cruz shows off her outfit under the watchful eyes of the jury in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife, Feb. 26, 2014.

Members of the Nepalese army demonstrate their skills during the Army Day celebrations, which falls on the same day as the Shivaratri festival, in Kathmandu.