A woman tries to stay cool at a beach in Melbourne,
Australia, where temperatures soared above 40C (104F) for the third day in a row.
Flowers sparkle in the winter sunshine outside the Houses of Parliament in London,
England, which is experiencing its coldest winter in 13 years.
In the
Philippines, a woman inspects roasted pigs up for sale, despite concerns that a strain of the Ebola virus might have spread from infected pigs to five farm workers.
Vietnamese performers mark the 220th anniversary of the Dong Da-Ngoc Hoi battle, when Vietnamese troops defeated an invading Qing dynasty army from China.
And in
China, people pray to the god of fortune, Cai Shen, who is said to return to earth from the heavens on the fifth day of the lunar new year.
Barack Obama is sworn in as America's 44th president - and its first African-American leader - in a ceremony in Washington DC watched by millions around the world.
Millions of people in the US and around the world watched as he pledged to "preserve, protect and defend" the US constitution.
The new president was joined on stage by his wife Michelle and his young daughters Sasha and Malia, who will be the youngest White House residents for many years.
Security was intense, with roads and subways closed and some 40,000 security personnel on duty, including police snipers in position on the roof of the White House.
