Best pictures from February 24
A mahout washes himself next to his elephant ahead of the religious festival Nawam poya Perahera at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo. Over 50 elephants are participating in a street parade for Gangaramaya temple's annual Perahera festival, along with a nightly procession of traditional dancers, fire twirlers and traditional musicians.DINUKA LIYANAWATTE/Reuters
A pilgrim holds rosaries as she waits for Pope Benedict XVI to lead the Angelus in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican. Pope Benedict, speaking in his last Sunday address before his resignation, said he was following God's wishes and that he was not abandoning the Roman Catholic Church.ERIC GAILLARD/Reuters
Luis Amezquita hangs upside down over the Periferico avenue during a slacklining practice in Guatemala City. According to Amezquita, this is the first time in Guatemala that anyone is attempting to practice slacklining over a street. Slacklining is an extreme sport that requires one to balance on a line anchored between two points.JORGE DAN LOPEZ/Reuters
An Israeli dressed as a zombie poses for a photo during an annual Zombie Walk procession for the Jewish holiday of Purim in Tel Aviv. Purim is a celebration of the Jews' salvation from genocide in ancient Persia, as recounted in the Book of Esther.AMIR COHEN/Reuters
A young Jewish settler, dressed in costume, rides a bicycle during a parade for the holiday of Purim in the West Bank city of Hebron. Purim is a celebration of the Jews' salvation from genocide in ancient Persia, as recounted in the Book of Esther.RONEN ZVULUN/Reuters
A South Korean burns Daljips, a wooden hut built on top of a hill, to celebrate the first full moon of the Lunar New Year, in Yongin, South Korea. According to the lunar calendar, the first full moon falls on Sunday and is the day Koreans traditionally eat special treats and wish for a bountiful harvest in the year.Lee Jin-man/The Associated Press
A dog runs in a snow shaft in Ljubljana, Slovenia. About 40cm of snow fell on Saturday night, according to local weather forecasts.SRDJAN ZIVULOVIC/Reuters
An unidentified ski jumper sits in a lift on his way to the jumping hill prior to his jump of the Nordic Combined individual Gundersen team competition of the Nordic Ski World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy.Matthias Schrader/The Associated Press
Cardinal Tom Collins greets congregents outside the front door of St. Michael's Cathedral after celebrating mass in Toronto.J.P. MOCZULSKI/The Globe and Mail
Hindu priests lift up an oil lamp as they perform an evening prayer ceremony for the victims of the explosions which took place in Hyderabad on Thursday, on the banks of the river Ganges in the northern Indian city of Allahabad.JITENDRA PRAKASH/Reuters
Catholic worshippers light candles after a mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Aparecida do Norte.PAULO WHITAKER/Reuters
In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during his last Angelus noon prayer, from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican. Benedict XVI gave his pontificate's final Sunday blessing from his studio window to the cheers of tens of thousands of people packing St. Peter's Square, but sought to reassure the faithful that he wasn't abandoning the church by retiring to spend his final years in prayer. The 85-year-old Benedict is stepping down on Thursday evening, the first pope to do so in 600 years, after saying he no longer has the mental or physical strength to vigorously lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.L'Osservatore Romano/The Associated Press
A costumed enthusiast, right, takes a closer look at another cosplay enthusiast taking a rest at the Animation and Comics Fair in Beijing, China. Cosplay, from the term costume play, involves participants dressing up as their favorite cartoon characters.Andy Wong/The Associated Press