Best images from around the world in the past 24 hours — February 3

• 

• 

  Riot police stand guard opposite anti-government protesters at a roadblock in Kiev on February 3, 2014. Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Ukraine on Sunday in a bid to wring new concessions from President Viktor Yanukovich, buoyed by pledges of support from Europe and the United States. More than 50,000 people could be seen on Kiev’s barricaded Independence Square, which has become the epicentre of a two-month protest movement. Aris Messinis / AFP photo

• 

  Bruno Mars performs on February 2, 2014, during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Tom Pennington / Getty Images

• 

  Indonesian soldiers search for victims on February 3, 2014, following Mount Sinabung’s eruption in Payung village. The rumbling volcano in western Indonesia unleashed fresh clouds of searing gas, killing more than a dozen people. Binsar Bakkara / AP Photo

• 

  Skiers crest a mountain near the start of the men’s downhill ski course in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia, on February 3, 2014, ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Alessandro Trovati / AP Photo

• 

  Soldiers shield officials leaving a government office where prime minster Yingluck Shinawatra had held a meeting on on February 3, 2014, as anti-government protesters gather outside in Bangkok. Thai anti-government protesters, who have been camped out in north Bangkok, packed their tents and marched downtown Monday as they consolidated efforts to topple Shinawatra, a day after a disrupted general election. Athit Perawongmetha / Reuters

• 

  Villagers perform a ritual during the traditional firecracker festival in Dong Ky, Bac Ninh province, Vietnam, on February 3, 2014. The festival which is held on the fourth day of the first lunar month every year, has attracted thousand of people. Luong Thai Linh / Reuters

• 

  A man prays as sunlight shines through hanging incense coils at the Tin Hau Temple in Hong Kong on February 3, 2014, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year holiday. Chinese communities across Asia came together to usher in the Year of the Horse, with tens of thousands of worshippers flocking to temples across China to pray for good fortune in the new year. Alex Ogle / AFP photo

• 

  Afghanis listen to presidential candidate Zalmay Rasool in Kabul on February 3, 2014. Afghanistan’s campaign to elect Hamid Karzai’s successor kicked off, as the killing of a front-runner’s aides highlighted the security threat to the poll. Gunmen last Saturday shot dead two aides of Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign minister seen as a strong contender, in the western city of Herat, officials said. Wakil Kohsar / AFP photo

• 

  Police officers disperse a crowd celebrating on the streets of Seattle, Washington, after the hometeam won the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII on February 3, 2014. The Seattle Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos 43-8 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday, to win their first NFL championship. Jason Redmond / Reuters