Best pictures from February 28
Visitors dance at the Opera Ball in Vienna February 27, 2014. The traditional ball is opened by the Austrian president and features a musical programme with soloists and artists from the Vienna Philharmonic and State Ballet before the 144 debutants and debutantes lead into the festivities with a Strauss waltz. Tickets start at 250 euros ($340) and a box costs as much as 18,500 euros ($25,000).LEONHARD FOEGER/Reuters
Frank Gehrke, chief of snow surveys for the Department of Water Resources, crosses a snow covered meadow after conducting the snow survey at Echo Summit Calif. on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014. The department says its latest survey shows the Sierra Nevada snowpack is still well below normal ó bad news for the drought-stricken state. Manual and electronic readings show the snowpack's statewide water content at 24 percent of average for the date.Rich Pedroncelli/The Associated Press
Asiatic lion Shiva, the mother of three cubs, looks out over her domain in the Besancon zoo, eastern France, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014. The Besancon zoo held off announcing the December 31 2013 births until this week, afraid the two females and a male might not survive. There are about 300 Asiatic lions in the wild, all in an Indian reserve, according to the WWF. It's one of the world's rarest species.Laurent Cipriani/The Associated Press
A man dressed as a demon performs with a bone during a religious procession at the Mahashivratri festival in the northern Indian city of Allahabad February 27, 2014. Hindus across the country celebrate Mahashivratri, better known as Lord Shiva's wedding anniversary.JITENDRA PRAKASH/Reuters
A Hindu holy woman smokes marijuana during the "Shivaratri" festival at the courtyard of the Pashupatinath Hindu temple in Katmandu, Nepal, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014. "Shivaratri," or the night of Shiva, is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of death and destruction.Niranjan Shrestha/The Associated Press
A Hindu devotee dressed as s demon lies on a representative funeral pyre during a ìShivratriî procession in Allahabad, India, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014. "Shivaratri", or the night of Shiva, is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of death and destruction.Rajesh Kumar Singh/The Associated Press
Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah (C) shakes hands with his supporters during an election campaign in Kabul February 27, 2014. The Afghan presidential elections will be held on April 5.OMAR SOBHANI/Reuters
Eintracht Frankfurt's team captain Pirmin Schwegler reacts after their Europa League soccer match against Porto in Frankfurt February 27, 2014.KAI PFAFFENBACH/Reuters
A man walks upon stacks of empty plastic bottles ready to be recycled at a factory in Chelghoum Laid, 360 km (224 miles) east of Algiers February 26, 2014. Picture taken February 26, 2014.LOUAFI LARBI/Reuters
Members of the Nepalese army demonstrate their skills during Army Day celebrations, which falls on the same day as the Shivaratri festival, in Kathmandu February 27, 2014.NAVESH CHITRAKAR/Reuters
Soldiers take part in a drill during a heavy snow in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, February 26, 2014. Picture taken February 26, 2014.CHINA DAILY/Reuters
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron greets German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Number 10 Downing Street in London February 27, 2014. Merkel cautioned Britain on Thursday that she could not promise a fundamental reform of Europe that would satisfy all Britain's wishes.TOBY MELVILLE/Reuters
FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2013, file photo, the angel Moroni statue, silhouetted against a cloud-covered sky, sits atop the Salt Lake Temple in Temple Square in Salt Lake City. A newly-posted article, part of a series of recent online articles posted on the website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, affirms the faith's belief that humans can become like God in eternity, but explains that the "cartoonish image of people receiving their own planets" is not how the religion envisions it.Rick Bowmer/The Associated Press
U.S. President Barack Obama signs a Presidential Memorandum establishing the My Brother's Keeper Task Force during an event at the White House in Washington February 27, 2014. The "My Brother's Keeper" initiative aims to improve opportunities for boys from minority groups.KEVIN LAMARQUE/Reuters
April Angeloni from California smokes a cigar during the competition for the longest ash in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014. Cigar enthusiasts from around the world come to Cuba during the annual Cigar Festival to visit tobacco farms and factories and savor new cigar brands.Ramon Espinosa/The Associated Press