Best images from around the world in the past 24 hours — February 17

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  Drums queen Thalia Cristina enters a Jacarezinho samba school practice session on February 16, 2014, ahead of Carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Jacarezinho 'favela' was previously controlled by drug traffickers and is now occupied by the city's Police Pacification Unit. Carnival officially begins February 28, but pre-Carnival celebrations are already underway. Mario Tama / Getty Images

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  An Indonesian soldier removes volcanic ash from a Buddha statue at Borobudur temple in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia, on February 17, 2014. Mount Kelud in East Java province erupted February 13, killing four people and spewing ash and rock that covered much of the island. More than 56,000 people were displaced. Bimo Satrio / EPA

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  A bulldozer removes barricades on February 16, 2014, at the site of recent clashes with riot police in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. Scores of Ukrainian anti-government protesters ended a two-month-old occupation of city hall in Kiev on Sunday to meet a government amnesty offer. Vlad Sodel / Reuters

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  Venezuelan demonstrators protest during demonstration of opposition to the Venezuelan government n Caracas, Venezuela, February 16, 2014. Santi Donaire / EPA

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  A young South Sudanese boat driver waits for passengers to board to cross Lake Yirol, on their way to reach the village of Pankar, South Sudan, on February 16, 2014. Fighting between forces loyal to South Sudanese president Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar erupted on December 15, sparking heavy clashes across the country that have left thousands dead and displaced close to 900,000 people. Fabio Bucciarelli / AFP photo

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  Crowds bow on February 16, 2014, to the statues of North Korea’s late leader Kim Jong Il, right, and his father, North Korea’s founder Kim Il Sung, which tower over the capital Pyongyang on a hill. North Korea marked the anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong Il on Sunday. Jon Chol Jin / AP photo

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  A boy eats a sausage on a stick on February 16, 2014, during a picnic with his family by the banks of Pacora River, on the outskirts of Panama City. The banks of Pacora River, which runs under one of the bridges of the Pan-American Highway, is a popular location during the dry season for the city dwellers to spend the day barbecuing and picnicking with their families. Carlos Jasso / Reuters

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  Pope Francis kisses a baby on February 16, 2014, as he is welcomed by faithfuls upon his arrival for a visit to the parish of San Tommaso on the outskirts of Rome. Andreas Solaro / AFP photo

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  A Thai anti-government protester stands next to soldiers during a protest in Bangkok on February 17, 2014, against the government’s repeatedly delayed payments for rice. Pornchai Kittiwongsakul / AFP photo

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  Rebel fighters fire a machine gun on February 17, 2014, at a government forces’ checkpoint on a road leading to Idlib, near the Syrian city of Hama. More than 140,000 people have been killed in three years of fighting, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Abu Hadi Al-Hamwi / AFP photo

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  An anti-government student protects herself during clashes with the National Guard in Caracas on February 16, 2014. Supporters and opponents of Venezuela’s leftist government have been staging rival rallies amid spiralling discontent at the country’s stubborn inflation and shortage of basic goods. Juan Barreto / AFP photo