March 11, 2013

A woman lights candles during an event for the victims of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Tokyo. Japan marked the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing.

The mother of Ram Singh, the man accused of driving the bus on which a 23-year-old student was gang raped in December 2012, cries as she speaks to journalists outside the family's home in New Delhi. Police confirmed that Singh, one of the men on trial for his alleged involvement in the attack, committed suicide in an Indian jail Monday, but his lawyer and family allege he was killed.

Workers put up a red curtain on the central balcony, called the Loggia of the Blessings, of Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. Roman Catholic Cardinals begin a conclave Tuesday to elect the Church's 266th pontiff. After being elected in the conclave, the new pope will appear on the balcony.

A Bangladeshi opposition activist looks on after a street vendor's cart is burned during a protest and clash with police in Dhaka. The protest was called by an alliance of 18 parties to denounce trials of several opposition politicians accused of mass killings and atrocities during Bangladesh's 1971 independence war against Pakistan.

Malta's newly sworn-in Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat waves to the crowds from the balcony of the Presidential Palace in Valletta. The Labour Party won a national election, returning to power after 15 years in opposition.

Winter weather returns to France. Strong winds create snowdrifts along the side of the road as cars and trucks make their way on a road in Vicogne between Doullens and Amiens.

Gendarmes stand guard as visitors wait behind security barriers outside the courthouse in Silivri near Istanbul. The trial of nearly 300 people, who are charged with attempting to overthrow Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted government, resumed at Silivri prison complex.

A girl runs past pinwheels arranged in the shape of the Korean peninsula at Imjingak Pavilion near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) which separates the two Koreas in Paju, north of Seoul. North Korea has cut off a Red Cross hotline with South Korea as it escalates its war of words against Seoul and Washington.

Israeli and U.S. flags are seen at a workshop in the town of Kfar Saba as employees sew flags in preparation for the upcoming visit of U.S. President Barack Obama. Obama's three-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories will begin on March 20.

Balinese Hindu worshippers breathe fire during a ritual before Nyepi, near Monumen Nasional in Jakarta. Nyepi is a day of silence for self-reflection celebrating the Balinese Hindu new year, where people may not use lights, light fires, work, travel nor enjoy entertainment.

Cuba's pitcher Diosdany Castillo (C) walks off the field as Netherlands' players celebrate after defeating Cuba at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) second round game in Tokyo.

Two giraffes play in the early morning at Nairobi's National Park. The park is located just 7 km (4 miles) from Kenya's capital city center.

A vendor selling cotton candy crosses a road in Kolkata, India.

Palestinian fishermen pull in their nets from the waters of the Mediterranean Sea during sunset at the beach in Gaza City.