Best pictures from December 15
A skater speeds on rain-wet ice on lake Orlangen, south of Stockholm December 15, 2013. The ice is now between 60 and 100mm (3-4 inches) thick and can easily hold the weight of the skaters.TT NEWS AGENCY/Reuters
Andreas Matt of Austria, right, performs on his way to win the final of the men's ski cross World Cup event of Val Thorens, French Alps, ahead of Victor Oehling Norberg of Sweden, second right, who finished second, Jean Frederic Chapuis of France, left, who finished third, and Franz Promok of Austria, second right, who finished fourth, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013.Laurent Cipriani/The Associated Press
Skier's and snowboarders dressed up in Santa Claus costumes ski down Whistler-Blackcomb mountain together in Whistler, British Columbia on December 14, 2013. The annual 'Santa Day' is held at Whistler Blackcomb Ski resort every year with the first 100 people dressed up get a free lift ticket.Ben Nelms/The Globe and Mail
Revelers dressed as Santa Claus pose for a picture at a park during the SantaCon event in New York December 14, 2013. Pub crawlers dressed like Santa Claus took part in New York's annual SantaCon. The revelers wore Santa suits or red minidresses with white trim and nearly all had Kris Kringle hats topped with a white pom-pom.EDUARDO MUNOZ/Reuters
Members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club warm up before swimming at the beach at Coney Island in New York December 15, 2013.ERIC THAYER/Reuters
Fergus an eight year old lab plays in what's likely the most snow he has ever seen say his owner Duncan Alexander, as they recently moved to Hamilton from Scotland. Hamilton residents dig out from under at least 18 cm of snow Sunday morning. Saturday's snowfall broke the previous daily record of 9 cm in 2001.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
Birds fly over the Rhine river in Leverkusen December 15, 2013.INA FASSBENDER/Reuters
The coffin of former South African President Nelson Mandela is carried by military personnel at the end of his funeral service in his ancestral village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape province, 900 km (559 miles) south of Johannesburg, in this still image taken from December 15, 2013 video courtesy of the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).REUTERS TV/Reuters
A woman walks down a patch following a storm that left around 18 cm of snow in Toronto, Sunday December 15, 2013.Mark Blinch/The Globe and Mail
African migrants walk on a road after choosing to permanently leave their open detention facility, which began operating last week in the southern Israeli desert December 15, 2013. Israel's parliament has moved to ensure African migrants who enter the country illegally can be held without charge. The new regulations enables authorities to send migrants to what the government describes as "open facilities".AMIR COHEN/Reuters
Canada's pilot Kaillie Humphries with brakeman Heather Moyse compete in the women's bobsled World Cup event on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, in Lake Placid, N.Y. (Mike Groll/The Associated Press
Army cadets hold a large photo of Army head coach Rich Ellerson during an NCAA college football game against Navy, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, in Philadelphia. Navy won 34-7.Matt Slocum/The Associated Press
A group of Zulu warriors, from KwaZulu Natal watch a fly past from near a public viewing tent during the burial of former South African president Nelson Mandela in Qunu, South Africa, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013.Antoine de Ras/The Associated Press
A woman and her dog walk through Trinity Bellwoods park during a snow storm in Toronto, December 14, 2013. Approximately 15 to 20 cm of snow may fall by Sunday morning for areas near the Lakeshore in Toronto and Mississauga, according to weather forecaster Environment Canada.AARON HARRIS/Reuters
Dimitar "Mitko" Todorov, a Roma from the Bulgarian city of Plevna, walks past a graffiti at a former ice factory that serves as his home in Berlin, December 5, 2013. Mitko keeps a tidy squat, a tartan blanket on the bed and his clothes stowed away. Lit by candles, heated by a gas canister and padlocked when he is out, it is the 39-year-old Roma's haven inside an old graffiti-covered ice factory in Berlin.THOMAS PETER/Reuters
A local boy, Anda, looks out from his hut's window at the burial ground of late former South African President Nelson Mandela ahead of his funeral in Qunu, December 15, 2013.YANNIS BEHRAKIS/Reuters