Pictures of the Week: February 8 – February 15

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From The Pope’s resignation and murder charges for Oscar Pistorius to carnival celebrations in Rio and a meteorite hitting Earth, TIME presents the best images of the week.

TOPSHOTS-SYRIA-CONFLICT
Feb. 11, 2013. A Syrian girl stands at the entrance of a makeshift home set up in the catacombs of the ruins of an ancient building in the Roman city of Serjilla in northwestern Syria.Daniel Leal-Olivas—AFP/Getty Images
Revellers dance atop a float of the Inocentes de Belford Roxo samba school on the first night of the annual carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome
Feb. 10, 2013. Revelers dance atop a float of the Inocentes de Belford Roxo samba school on the first night of the annual carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome.Pilar Olivares—Reuters
TOPSHOTS-TUNISIA-POLITICS-UNREST-OPPOSITION-FUNERAL
Feb. 8, 2013. Tunisians carry the coffin of assassinated opposition leader Chokri Belaid ahead of his burial at El-Jellaz cemetery in a suburb of Tunis.Fethi Belaid—AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOTS-PALESTINIAN-POLITICS-GAZA-VOTE
Feb. 11, 2013. Young Palestinian men from Gaza City crowd at a registration point in a school in Gaza City.Marco Longari—AFP/Getty Images
FASHION-US-DELPOZO
Feb. 10, 2013. A model wears designs by Delpozo at the Mercedes-Benz fashion week in New York.Don Emmert—AFP/Getty Images
Worshippers gather around candles stuck to jars with honey, during a religious mass in the church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin in the city of Blagoevgrad
Feb. 10, 2013. Worshipers gather around candles stuck to jars with honey during a religious mass in the church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin in the city of Blagoevgrad, some 100 km (62 miles) south of the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.Stoyan Nenov—Reuters
Revellers use fire extinguishers during a flour fight at the "O Entroido" festival in Spain's northwestern village of Laza
Feb. 11, 2013. Revelers use fire extinguishers during a flour fight at the "O Entroido" festival in Spain's northwestern village of Laza.Miguel Vidal—Reuters
VATICAN-POPE-MASS-ASH WEDNESDAY
Feb. 13, 2013 Pope Benedict XVI arrives for the mass for Ash Wednesday, opening Lent, the forty-day period of abstinence and deprivation for the Christians, before the Holy Week and Easter, on at St Peter's basilica at the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI made his first public appearance on Wednesday since his shock resignation announcement, asking thousands of cheering pilgrims at the Vatican to "keep praying for me". Vincenzo Pinto—AFP/Getty Images
China Lunar New Year
Feb. 10, 2013. A Chinese performer portraying the Emperor is seen during a recreation of the Sacrifice to Heaven ritual on the first day of the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.Diego Azubel—EPA
Mali Fighting
Feb. 9, 2013. Footprints from worshipers are left in the sand at the ancient Askia mausoleum's mosque, built in 1495 in Gao, northern Mali.Jerome Delay—AP
TOPSHOTS-INDIA-RELIGION-HINDU-KUMBH
Feb. 10, 2013. An Indian woman holds up the corners of two saris to dry on the banks of the confluence of the Yamuna, Ganges and mythical Saraswati rivers at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India.Roberto Schmidt—AFP/Getty Images
Hindu Devotees Gather For The Maha Kumbh
Feb. 8, 2013. A Hindu devotee is seen silhouetted through a drying sari as he prays after having bathed on the banks of Sangam during the Maha Kumbh Mela.Daniel Berehulak—Getty Images
File photo of Pope Benedict XVI arriving for a meeting at the Romano Maggiore seminary in Rome
Feb. 8, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI is helped as he arrives to attend a meeting with seminarians at the Romano Maggiore seminary in Rome.Tony Gentile—Reuters
TOPSHOTS-SYRIA-CONFLICT
Feb. 8, 2013. A Syrian woman cries holding her injured son in a taxi as they arrive at a hospital in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, following shelling by government forces.Aamir Qureshi—AFP/Getty Images
APTOPIX Mexico Human Sacrifices
Feb. 8, 2013. A skull with dental mutilations from the recently discovered Xaloctan site is displayed at the National Institute of Anthropological Studies at Mexico's National Autonomous University in Mexico City. Archaeologists say they have turned up about 150 skulls of human sacrifice victims at a field near the Teotihuacan pyramids. Experts are puzzled by the unexpected find of such a large number of skulls at what appears to have been a small, unremarkable shrine. The heads were carefully deposited in rows or in small mounds, mostly facing east toward the rising sun, sometime between 660 and 860 A.D.Dario Lopez-Mills—AP
Bratislav Stojanovic, a homeless man, hold candles as sits in a tomb where he lives in southern Serbian town of Nis
Feb. 9, 2013. Bratislav Stojanovic, a homeless man, holds candles as he sits in a tomb where he lives in the southern Serbian town of Nis.Marko Djurica—Reuters
TOPSHOTS-INDIA-RELIGION-HINDU-KUMBH
Feb. 9, 2013. An Indian devotee looks through her veil as she offers prayers during the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad.Manan Vatsyayana—AFP/Getty Images
APTOPIX Spain Carnival
Feb. 9, 2013. A performer spits fire during a carnival celebration in Madrid.Andres Kudacki—AP
TOPSHOTS-CHILE-PRISON-UPRISING
Feb. 9, 2013. Inmates hold a member of the Chilean Gendarmes during an uprising at a prison in Atnofagasta, Chile. Four Gendarmes and ten inmates were injured during the uprising, which was brought under control within a few hours.Francesco Degasperi—AFP/Getty Images
*** BESTPIX *** Major Snowstorm Bears Down On New York City
Feb. 9, 2013. Brooke Linsky knocks a snow-covered branch in Central Park in New York City.John Moore—Getty Images
APTOPIX Spain Festival Carnival
Feb. 9, 2013. A costumed participant covered in oil and soot, carrying bull horns on his head and cowbells on a belt to represent the devil, jumps while taking part in carnival celebrations in the small village of Luzon, Spain.Daniel Ochoa De Olza—AP
India Maha Kumbh
Feb. 10, 2013. "Naga" sadhus or Hindu naked holy men shout slogan before taking a holy dip at "Sangam," the confluence of Hindu holy rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, during the Maha Kumbh festival at Allahabad, India.Manish Swarup—AP
Hungarians attend the traditional Buso Carnival in Mohacs
Feb. 10, 2013. Hungarians attend the traditional Buso Carnival in Mohacs, southern Hungary. At the Buso Carnival, which lasts for six days, locals bury the winter and party before the start of lent. According to legend, the masks helped locals scare away the Turks in the 16th century.Laszlo Balogh—Reuters
People dance with dragon lanterns on the first day of the Lunar New Year in Wuhu
Feb. 10, 2013. People dance with dragon lanterns on the first day of the Lunar New Year in Wuhu, Anhui province, China.Jianan Yu—Reuters
Dancers perform a fire dragon dance during a folk art performance to celebrate traditional Chinese Spring Festival at an amusement park in Beijing
Feb. 10, 2013. Dancers perform a fire dragon dance in the shower of molten iron spewing firework-like sparks during a folk art performance to celebrate the traditional Chinese Spring Festival at an amusement park in Beijing.Kim Kyung-Hoon—Reuters
Chinese Lunar New Year
Feb. 10, 2013. An acrobat performs in a plastic bubble as shoppers look on in a shopping center during celebrations to mark the Year of The Snake, on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, Bangkok, Thailand. Barbara Walton—EPA
COLOMBIA-CARNIVAL-BARRANQUILLA
Feb. 10, 2013. A traditional "Son de Negro" dancer took part in the second day of carnival parades in Barranquilla, Colombia.Luis Acosta—AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOTS-INDIA-RELIGION-HINDU-KUMBH
Feb. 10, 2013. Millions of devotees congregate at the Sangam or confluence of the Yamuna, Ganges and mythical Sarawati rivers on the auspicious day of 'Mauni Amavasya' during the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad.Roberto Schmidt—AFP/Getty Images
APTOPIX India Maha Kumbh Stampede
Feb. 10, 2013. An Indian man weeps as he holds his wife who was killed in a stampede on a railway platform at the main railway station in Allahabad, India. At least ten Hindu pilgrims attending the Kumbh Mela were killed and more then thirty were injured in a stampede on an overcrowded staircase, according to Railway Ministry sources.Kevin Frayer—AP
A soccer fan takes a photograph with his mobile phone at an open soccer viewing centre before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations final match between Nigeria and Burkina Faso in Lagos
Feb. 10, 2013. A soccer fan takes a photograph with his mobile phone at an open soccer viewing center before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations final match between Nigeria and Burkina Faso at Testlim Balogun stadium in Lagos, Nigeria.Akintunde Akinleye—Reuters
BRAZIL-CARNIVAL-SAO PAULO-PARADE
Feb. 10, 2013. Revelers of Gavioes da Fiel samba school performs atop a float during the second night of carnival parades at the Sambadrome in Sao Paulo, Brazil.Yasuyoshi Chiba—AFP/Getty Images
APTOPIX Brazil Carnival
Feb. 10, 2013. Performers from Inocentes de Belford Roxo samba school prepare before participating in a carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Hassan Ammar—AP
Hand of reveller is seen as she dresses outside the Sambadrome for the first night of the annual Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro
Feb. 10, 2013. The hand of a reveler is seen as she dresses outside the Sambadrome for the first night of the annual Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro.Pilar Olivares—Reuters
TOPSHOTS-COLOMBIA-CARNIVAL-BARRANQUILLA
Feb. 10, 2013. A dancer takes part in the second day of carnival parade in Barranquilla, Colombia.Luis Acosta—AFP/Getty Images
Devotees offer prayers while taking a holy bath at the Bagmati River at Pashupatinath Temple during the Swasthani Bratakatha festival in Kathmandu
Feb. 10, 2013. Devotees offer prayers while taking a holy bath at the Bagmati River at Pashupatinath Temple during the Swasthani Bratakatha festival in Kathmandu.Navesh Chitrakar—Reuters
India Maha Kumbh
Feb. 10, 2013. Hindu devotees walk across pontoon bridges to take a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati River, during the Maha Kumbh festival, in Allahabad, India. Led by heads of monasteries arriving on chariots and ash-smeared naked ascetics, millions of devout Hindus plunged into the frigid waters of the holy Ganges River in India in a ritual that they believe will wash away their sins. Manish Swarup—AP
Participants relax after a sauna bath during the European Sauna Marathon in Otepaa
Feb. 10, 2013. Participants relax after a sauna bath during the European Sauna Marathon in Otepaa, Estonia.Ints Kalnins—Reuters
A flash of lighting is seen over St.Peter's Basilica during a rainstorm at Vatican
Feb. 11, 2013. A flash of lighting is seen over St. Peter's Basilica during a rainstorm at Vatican.Alessandro Di Meo—ANSA/Reuters
TOPSHOTS-VATICAN-POPE-CONSISTORY
Feb. 11, 2013. This handout picture released by the Vatican Press Office shows Pope Benedict XVI leaving an ordinary consistorio at The Vatican the same day. Osservatore Romano/AFP/Getty Images
Brazil: First Day of Parades at Rio de Janeiro's Sambodromo
Feb. 11, 2013. Members of samba school Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel take part in a parade at the 'sambodromo' of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Antonio Lacerda—EFE/Sipa USA
TOPSHOTS-PORTUGAL-CARNIVAL-CLOWN PARADE
Feb. 11, 2013. A girl with make-up on her face watches the clown parade through a window in Sesimbra, Portugal.Patricia De Melo Moreira—AFP/Getty Images
Pakistan Daily Life
Feb. 11, 2013. A Pakistani boy, left, shouts at children, not seen, while he and his sister stand outside their home on a wooden bridge over sewage and rubbish, in a Christian neighborhood in Islamabad, Pakistan.Muhammed Muheisen—AP
A woman stands behind a metal screen at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City
Feb. 11, 2013. A woman stands behind a metal screen at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City.Baz Ratner—Reuters
APTOPIX Fashion Week Behind the Scenes
Feb. 11, 2013. In this photo made with a long exposure and flash, a model is prepared backstage before the Betsey Johnson Fall 2013 collection is shown during Fashion Week in New York.John Minchillo—AP
Mali Fighting
Feb. 11, 2013. Malian people gather around the leg of an Islamic fighter outside the police station in Gao, northern Mali, Monday Feb. 11, 2013, one day after Mujao fighters engaged in a firefight with Malian forces. French and Malian government forces have regained control of this northern city, after Islamic fighters fought a prolonged battle.Jerome Delay—AP
ROMANIA-BRITAIN-FRANCE-FOOD-MEAT
Feb. 12, 2013. A worker transports pork meat at "DOLY-COM" abattoir, one of the two Romanian companies exporting horse meat to EU countries, in Roma village, 450km north from Bucharest.Daniel Mihailescu—AFP/Getty Images
SPAIN-BASQUE-CARNIVAL
Feb. 12, 2013. Young boys wear Momotxorro costumes during the Alsasua carnival in the Northern Spanish village of Alsasua, Navarra province.Rafa Rivas—AFP/Getty Images
HONG KONG-LUNAR-CULTURE-OPERA-BAMBOO
Feb. 12, 2013. An actress looks on in the backstage of the Bamboo Theatre, a 800-seat temporary theater made of bamboo to house a special series of Cantonese opera shows, in Hong Kong.Philippe Lopez—AFP/Getty Images
APTOPIX Brazil Carnival
Feb. 12, 2013. A performer from the Sao Clemente samba school is tossed in the air during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro.Silvia Izquierdo—AP
Burning of the Hoppeditz in Duesseldorf
Feb. 13, 2013. Carnival revelers carry the carnival fool Hoppeditz to its grave in Duesseldorf, Germany. A procession of 200 'mourners' carried the puppet to its symbolic burning, which takes place on Ash Wednesday and marks the end of the carnival season.Oliver Berg—Zuma Press
A girl looks at a man dressed up as the devil during the Congos and Devils celebration in Nombre de Dios
Feb. 13, 2013. A girl looks at a man dressed up as the devil during the 'Congos y Diablos' or Congos and Devils ritual celebration in Nombre de Dios, 130 km (81 miles) from Panama City.Carlos Jasso—Reuters
BESTPIX Valentine's Day Celebrated At California Of Sciences
Feb. 13, 2013. Biologist Crystal Crimbchin hands out Valentine's Day cards to African Penguins at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Calif.Justin Sullivan—Getty Images
BESTPIX Enthusiasts Participate In The Royal Shrovetide Football
Feb. 13, 2013. Rival teams the 'Up'ards and Down'ards' battle for the ball during the annual Ash Wednesday 'no rules' football match in Ashbourne, England. First played in the 17th Century between teams from opposite ends of the Derbyshire town, hundreds of participants aim to get a ball into one of two goals that are positioned three miles apart at either end of Ashboune. The match starts on Shrove Tuesday and can last until 10 PM. If a goal is scored before 6 PM, then a new ball is 'turned up' again and a new game started. If the goal is after 6 PM then the game ends for that day and continues into the next day.Laurence Griffiths—Getty Images
TOPSHOTS-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-SETTLER
Feb. 13, 2013. An Israeli settler sits praying among the rubble of his house that was demolished by Israeli police in the outpost of Maale Rehavam, in the Israeli occupied Palestinian West Bank.Janos Chiala— AFP/Getty Images
India Daily Life
Feb. 13, 2013. A girl carries her brother on a railway track in Garib Nagar in Mumbai, India. Rafiq Maqbool—AP
APTOPIX India Maha Kumbh
Feb. 13, 2013. Hindu holy men make offerings to the fire as they chant mantras to be initiated as 'Naga sadhus' or naked Hindu holy men, at the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India. Saurabh Das—AP
Mali Fighting
Feb. 13, 2013. A young Malian girl walks in a Madrassa, or Quranic school, in Gao, northern Mali.Jerome Delay—AP
OLY-2020-IOC-WRESTLING-IND
Feb. 13, 2013. Indian wrestlers warm up before an evening practice session at the Mahatma Phule Vyayam Mandir Kushti (traditional Indian wrestling) academy in Mumbai.Indranil Mukherjee—AFP/Getty Images
A model presents a creation from Ralph Lauren Autumn/Winter 2013 collection during New York Fashion Week
Feb. 14, 2013. A model presents a creation from the Ralph Lauren Autumn/Winter 2013 collection during New York Fashion Week.Lucas Jackson—Reuters
ISPS Handa Australian Open - Day 1
Feb. 14, 2013. Karrie Webb of Australia waits for kangaroos to clear the fairway during day one of the ISPS Handa Australian Open at Royal Canberra Golf Club in Canberra, Australia. Stefan Postles—Getty Images
India Maha Kumbh
Feb. 14, 2013. A comb and a bowl of vermillion powder lie on a shelf as a Hindu holy man is reflected in a mirror kept for the use of devotees after bathing, near Sangam, confluence of Hindu holy rivers of Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, at the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India.Saurabh Das—AP
A model poses nude while people attend a drawing workshop on Valentine's Day in Mexico City
Feb. 14, 2013. A model poses nude while people attend a drawing workshop on Valentine's Day in Mexico City.Edgard Garrido—Reuters
Members of the Druze community take part in a rally in the Druze village of Majdal Shams on the Golan Heights
Feb. 14, 2013. Members of the Druze community take part in a rally in the Druze village of Majdal Shams on the Golan Heights, which stands at the heart of a long-standing conflict between Israel and Syria.Baz Ratner—Reuters
Mideast Bahrain
Feb. 14, 2013. A Bahraini anti-government protester holds a petrol bomb in a street during clashes with riot police in Sanabis, Bahrain.Hasan Jamali—AP
APTOPIX Mideast Bahrain
Feb. 14, 2013. Wounded Bahraini anti-government protesters are treated at a house after shot with pellets fired by riot police during clashes in Daih, Bahrain.Hasan Jamali— AP
Trail of a falling object is seen above the Urals city of Chelyabinsk
Feb. 15, 2013. The trail of a falling object is seen above the Urals city of Chelyabinsk. About 400 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky in central Russia.www.chelyabinsk.ru/Reuters
TOPSHOTS-SKOREA-NKOREA-MILITARY-NUCLEEAR
Feb.15, 2013. South Korean Army 155mm Howitzers fire live rounds during a drill in Cheorwon, 70 km northeast of Seoul.Yonhap/AFP/Getty Images
A school boy in the company of two men cover their faces as a commuter train races past during the early morning in the Kibera slums
Feb.15, 2013. A school boy and two men cover their faces as a commuter train races past during the early morning in the Kibera slums in Kenya's capital, Nairobi.Noor Khamis—Reuters
South African 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius breaks down during his court appearance in Pretoria
Feb. 15, 2013, South African 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius breaks down during his court appearance in Pretoria in this picture taken by Antonie de Ras. Pistorius, a double amputee who became one of the biggest names in world athletics, broke down in tears after he was charged in court with shooting dead his girlfriend, 30-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp, in his Pretoria house.Antonie de Ras—Reuters
VATICAN-POPE-PARISH PRIESTS-AUDIENCE
Feb. 14, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI is reflected on the floor as he arrives for an audience with Rome's parish priests at the Paul VI hall at the Vatican. Gabriel Bouys—AFP/Getty Images

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