Best pictures from March 13
Law enforcement officials monitor a fire at the Whispering Pines Motel in Tasley, Va.. Investigators believe the fire to be the work of an arsonist in Accomack County who has set more that 65 fires since November. The motel is the largest fire set so far. Parts of the motel date to the 1930s. A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.Jay Diem
Newly elected Pope Francis I (L), Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica after being elected by the conclave of cardinals, in a photograph released by Osservatore Romano at the Vatican. White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney and the bells of St. Peter's Basilica rang out on Wednesday, signaling that Roman Catholic cardinals had elected a pope to succeed Benedict XVI.OSSERVATORE ROMANO/Reuters
The comet PANSTARRS is seen next to the waxing crescent moon off the western coast of Southern California, in Los Angeles. The comet will be visible until the end of March.GENE BLEVINS/Reuters
An Indonesian youth jumps into the water as he and others play in a dirty river at a slum in Jakarta, Indonesia.Tatan Syuflana/The Associated Press
Villagers and Buddhist monks protest against a copper mine project during a visit by Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Sarlingyi township. People whose land was seized to allow the expansion of the copper mine in northwestern Myanmar, prompted protests that were crushed by police, should be compensated before the project goes ahead, according to an official report published on Tuesday.Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters
A man tries to extinguish a fire following shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, according to the Free Syrian Army, in Jobar area in Damascus.STRINGER/Reuters
Nuns hold umbrellas in Saint Peter's Square while waiting for smoke to rise from a chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel during the second day of voting for the election of a new pope, at the Vatican. Roman Catholic Cardinals started a conclave on Tuesday to elect a successor to Pope Benedict, who abdicated last month.ALESSANDRO BIANCHI/Reuters
An image of a cat painted on a tree hole by Wang Yue is seen in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province. Wang Yue, 23, has painted on 15 tree holes at a street in her hometown after her first try in January. Wang came up with the idea for her college graduation project, inspired by street graffiti arts and the bare tree holes in various shapes in her neighbourhood.PILLAR LEE/Reuters
North Korean members of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards attend military training in this picture released by the North's official KCNA news agency in Pyongyang. North Korea said on March 5, 2013 that it will scrap the armistice signed in 1953 that ended a three-year war with South Korea if the South and the United States continue with two-month long annual military drills. The Korean characters read,"Let's destroy the United States' imperial invaders by fire, who are sworn enemies of North Korean people!" (top L) and "Death to the U.S." (R).KCNA/Reuters
Dead fish are seen at the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon in Rio de Janeiro. Thousands of fish have been removed from the lagoon after oxygen levels dropped due to pollution, according to local media. Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon will host the rowing competitions in the 2016 Olympic Games.SERGIO MORAES/Reuters
A woman cycles as she carries baskets to sell in a market near Lapdaung mountain in Sarlingyi township, Myanmar.Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield, Expedition 34 flight engineer, watches a water bubble float freely between him and the camera, showing his image refracted, in the Unity node of the International Space Station, in this handout photo courtesy of NASA.NASA/Reuters
Abzal Rakimgaliev of Kazakstan performs his men's short program at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2013 in London, ON..Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail