Best pictures from December 23
A man walks with his bicycle in front of a screen showing propaganda displays near the Great Hall of the People at Beijing's Tiananmen Square in this November 7, 2012 file photo. Rich Chinese are buying bicycles that cost more than the average citizen makes in three years, motivated by nostalgia for the days when two wheels were the primary means of transport.CARLOS BARRIA/Reuters
Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during the Angelus noon prayer he delivered from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012.Andrew Medichini/The Associated Press
Protesters shield themselves as Indian police prepare to beat them with sticks during a violent demonstration near the India Gate against a gang rape and brutal beating of a 23-year-old student on a bus last week, in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. The attack last Sunday has sparked days of protests across the country.Kevin Frayer/The Associated Press
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Lance Moore dives into the end zone for a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the first half of their NFL football game in Arlington, Texas December 23, 2012.MIKE STONE/Reuters
Local residents watch a column of smoke and ash rise from the Copahue volcano, located on the Chilean-Argentine border, from Caviahue in the Argentina patagonian province of Neuquen December 22, 2012. The volcano's constant activity prompted the provincial emergency committe (COE) network to issue a rutinary emergency operation in the closest Argentine localities to the volcano.STRINGER/Reuters
A woman and child walk along the tracks as people from Aamjiwnaang First Nation and supporters gathered for a meeting with officials as their blockade of the CN St. Clair spur line that began Friday, continues in Sarnia, Ont., Sunday, December 23, 2012.Dave Chidley/The Canadian Press
Trapper Ken Cowles holds a lynx pelt along with a trap near his home in Mulhurst Bay Alberta, Friday December 21, 2012. Cowles's trap line is in on of the last remaining slivers of undisturbed caribou habitat along the Little Smokey River but in 2009 and 2010, Alberta Energy sold 61 oil and gas leases right in the heart of what was left of the prime range.JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press
Blackcomb mountain ski patrollers ride the Solar Coaster chairlift in Whistler, B.C., early morning Friday, December, 21, 2012. Some 30 Blackcomb mountain patrollers look after 3,414 acres of terrain on a daily basis making sure that the ski hill is safe each day for skiers of all levels. To date the hill has received over 513cm of snow for the season.JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press
A Christian worshiper prays at the Church of Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012.Nasser Shiyoukhi/The Associated Press
A man walks in a clothing market destroyed in a fire in Kabul December 23, 2012. About 600 shops including Kabul's main money exchange, located within the market, were destroyed in the fire, according to media reports. No-one was injured but most goods were destroyed.MOHAMMAD ISMAIL/Reuters
Trees are decorated with lights to celebrate the upcoming Christmas and New Year at Garden of Morning Calm in Gapyeong, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Christmas is one of the biggest holidays in South Korea, where over half of the population are Christians.Ahn Young-joon/The Associated Press
A person with an umbrella walks through the Holocaust memorial during a cold and rainy day in Berlin, December 23, 2012.THOMAS PETER/Reuters
People take part in an annual Christmas bath in Warta river, with the outdoor temperature reaching 10 Celsius below zero in Uniejow near Lodz central Poland December 23, 2012.AGENCJA GAZETA/Reuters