The Best PHOTOS of the Year: Part III

As 2013 nears its end, rediff.com presents a selection of the most enduring images of year from around the world

Also check out: Part I  '   Part II

This is the last of the three-part photo features...

This Photograph: People gather on Ipanema Beach as the sun sets on August 4, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Following Pope Francis' visit last week, Brazil's World Cup is set to begin in just over six months.

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Olympic skeleton racer Noelle Pikus-Pace poses for a portrait during the 2013 US Olympic Team Media Summit in Park City, Utah September 30, 2013.

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Patrons watch coverage of the US Supreme Court ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act at the Stonewall Inn in New York June 26, 2013. The US Supreme Court handed a significant victory to gay rights advocates by ruling that married gay men and women are eligible for federal benefits and paving the way for same-sex marriage in California.

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A warbler is weighed at a ringing hut on a private reserve in East Sussex on August 21, 2013 in Rye, United Kingdom. The BTO are currently in the process of recording migrating hirnundines and other birds at the reserve.

Hirundines comprise of Sand Martins, House Martins and Swallows, all of which roost in high numbers on the reserve over summer before continuing their migratory route back to Africa. The reserve is close to the East Sussex coast, and forms an ideal habitat for many resident and migratory birds, comprising of low lying reedbeds and marshy peat bog.

The site is one of the world’s largest ringing stations, and with the help of BTO staff, trained ringers and volunteers as many as 1000 hirundines can be ringed in one evening at this time of year. Many other birds are also ringed including Nightjar, Grasshopper Warbler and Sparrowhawk. Volunteers capture the birds using long mist nets which are erected and run through the reedbeds before the birds come in to roost every evening.

The birds details are then recorded before being released the following morning to contiinue it's journey. The Information gathered including age, weight and sex allows the BTO to monitor long-term population and global migration patterns which is important for conservation.

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Members of the North Florida Survival Group wait with their rifles before heading out to perform enemy contact drills during a field training exercise in Old Town, Florida, December 8, 2012. The group trains children and adults alike to handle weapons and survive in the wild. The group passionately supports the right of US citizens to bear arms and its website states that it aims to teach "patriots to survive in order to protect and defend our Constitution against all enemy threats".

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A man falls from a high floor of a burning building in central Lahore May 9, 2013. Fire erupted on the seventh floor of the LDA plaza in Lahore and quickly spread to higher floors leaving many people trapped inside the building. At least three people fell from the high floors trying to avoid the fire that engulfed the building, local media reports.

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South Africa's Riaan Van Niekerk rides his KTM during the 5th stage of the Dakar Rally 2013 from Arequipa in Peru to Arica in Chile, January 9, 2013. Picture taken January 9, 2013.

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A hibiscus flower is seen on an ash-covered plant at Mardingding village in Karo district, Indonesia's north Sumatra province November 19, 2013. The volcano continued to emit volcanic ash on Monday, throwing an 8,000m (26,247 ft)-high plume into the atmosphere, as thousands of residents fearful of more eruptions remained in temporary shelters, according to local media.

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A radio-controlled Superman plane, flown by designer Otto Dieffenbach, passes the moon during a test flight in San Diego, California June 27, 2013. Otto and business partner Ed Hanley are a small start-up company that creates flying radio-controlled planes, designed in the form of people, characters and objects, for commercial and promotional uses.

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A man comforts his daughter on their roof as they inspect damage to their neighbourhood as parts of southern Queensland experiences record flooding in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Oswald on January 29, 2013 in Bundaberg, Australia. Four people died and thousands were evacuated in Bundaberg as the city faced its worst flood disaster in history.

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Marching band members wait to perform during a procession walking to bathe on the banks of Sangam, the confluence of the holy rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, on the auspicious bathing day of Mauni Amavasya during the Maha Kumbh Mela on February 10, 2013 in Allahabad. The Maha Kumbh Mela, believed to be the largest religious gathering on earth, is held every 12 years on the banks of Sangam, the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. The Kumbh Mela alternates between the cities of Nasik, Allahabad, Ujjain and Haridwar every three years. The Maha Kumbh Mela celebrated at the holy site of Sangam in Allahabad, is the largest and holiest, celebrated over 55 days, and attracts over 100 million people.

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Pope Francis waves from the Popemobile on his way to attend the Via Crucis on Copacabana Beach during World Youth Day celebrations on July 26, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More than 1.5 million pilgrims joined the pontiff for his visit to the Catholic Church's World Youth Day celebrations

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An Alcurrucen's ranch fighting bull stands alone surrounded by a crowd of runners on the way to entering the bullring during the second day of the San Fermin Running Of The Bulls festival, on July 7, 2013 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway 'The Sun Also Rises', involves the running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona, this year for nine days from July 6-14.

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Firefighters put out a Falla during the last day of the Las Fallas Festival on March 20, 2013 in Valencia, Spain. The Fallas festival, which runs from March 15 until March 19, celebrates the arrival of spring with fireworks, fiestas and bonfires made by large puppets named Ninots.

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A young girl cries with her mother during the vigil for eight-year-old Martin Richard, from Dorchester, who was killed by an explosion near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 16, 2013 at Garvey Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The twin bombings resulted in the deaths of three people and hospitalized at least 128.

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A protestor gestures during clashes with Turkish police near Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan office, between Taksim and Besiktason June 4, 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey. The protests began initially over the fate of Taksim Gezi Park, one of the last significant green spaces in the centre of the city. The heavy-handed viewed response of the police, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government's increasingly authoritarian agenda has broadened the rage of the clashes.

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Lightning strikes the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in downtown on June 12, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. A massive storm system with heavy rain, high winds, hail and possible tornadoes is expected to move into Illinois and much of the central part of the Midwest today.

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Students from St Andrew's University indulge in a tradition of covering themselves with foam to honor the 'academic family' on November 4, 2013, in St Andrews, Scotland. Every November the 'raisin weekend' which is held in the university's St Salvator's Quadrangle, is celebrated and a gift of raisins (now foam) is traditionally given by first year students to their elders as a thank you for their guidance and in exchange they receive a receipt in Latin.

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People ride an overflowing train at a railway station on October 15, 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Eid Al-Adha, known as the 'Feast of the Sacrifice', is one of the most significant festivals on the Muslim calendar. The holiday marks the end of the Haji Pilgrimage and serves as day to remember the Islamic profit Ibrahim, and his willingness to sacrifice his son to God. On this day, Muslims in countries around the world start the day with prayer and spend time with family, offer gifts and often give to charity. It is customary for Muslims family to honour Allah by sacrificing a sheep or goat and sharing the meat amongst family members.

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Highland dancers perform the Real of Tulloch during competition at the Cowal Highland Gathering on August 30, 2013 in Dunoon, Scotland. First held in 1894, the Cowal Games are held over three and are one of the largest in the world attracting competitors from Canada, USA, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

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