Friday: The day in photos
Lamas perform a ritual during the annual Buddha Thangka unfolding ceremony at the Wutun Shang Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Qinghai province, China. Thangka is a kind of Tibetan tapestry woven with gold or silk, usually with an embroidered image of Buddha on the surface. (China Photos / Getty Images)
A tourist poses in front of a symbol of American capitalism, the New York Stock Exchange, on a day when the government reported that the U.S. economy contracted in the fourth quarter at a 3.8% annual rate. That was the fastest decline in gross domestic product since 1982 but was better than an even steeper drop feared by analysts, data showed. (Emmanuel Dunand / AFP/Getty Images)
Shuttered shops in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, N.Y. -- some vacant, some closed for the season -- tell the story on a day of sobering economic news. The government reported that gross domestic product declined at a 3.8% annual clip in the fourth quarter, the worst performance in more than 25 years. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)
Palestinians stand outside tents that have been set up by an Islamic charity for families who lost their homes during Israel’s recent military offensive in the devastated area of eastern Jabaliya, in the northern Gaza Strip. (Adel Hana / Associated Press)
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The Air Force Thunderbirds fly over Raymond James Stadium during rehearsals for Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla. The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
Young Venezuelan musicians perform in a recording session in Caracas under a program led by conductor-composer Jose Antonio Abreu. The program, called “Sistema” (System), selects children, many from the poorest parts of Caracas, and teaches them music at the highest level. (Thomas Coex / Associated Press)
Tthe Cartier and Maybach teams compete in the Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow, which is held in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The show attracts some of the world’s best polo players as well as thousands of spectators. (Oli Scarff / Getty Images)
A Pakistani child looks on as women from the Bajaur region and Mohmand district wait to be registered at the Jalozai refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan. More than 200,000 people have fled the fighting in those areas. (Emilio Morenatti / Associated Press)
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Australians seeking respite from the heat take to the waters off St. Kilda in Melbourne. (Scott Barbour / Getty Images)
Pelicans get their meal at the zoo in Hanover, Germany. They are scheduled to move to a new home in the zoo next year. (Nigel Treblin / AFP/Getty Images)
British tycoon Richard Branson takes part in a “Refugee Run” simulation during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Among other challenges, participants face attack by rebels, border corruption, black marketeering and refugee camp life. (Pierre Verdy / AFP/Getty Images)
A store employee arranges a wedding dress display, second from top left, in central Athens. Greece’s National Statistics Service says more Greeks are opting for civil weddings, apparently to avoid the high cost of traditional church ceremonies. (Thanassis Stavrakis / Associated Press)
