Kevin Frayer / AP

Hindu holy man Baba Sanjay poses before and after he had his head and face shaved as part of an initiation ritual where he was to become a Naga Sadhu.

Kevin Frayer, a photographer with The Associated Press, took a series of photos of Hindu holy men before and after they had their beards and hair shaved off as part of the initiation ritual to become Naga Sadhus — naked holy men — at the Maha Kumbh Festival in Allahabad, India.

The initiation of new Naga Sadhus can only be performed at the Kumbh Mela, which occurs once every 12 years and sees millions of devotees converging at the confluence of three holy rivers: the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.

Editor's note: Photos taken on Feb. 13, 2013 and made available to NBC News today.

Kevin Frayer / AP

Baba Ramshwal.

Kevin Frayer / AP

Brihaspst Giri.

Kevin Frayer / AP

Baba Vinod.

Kevin Frayer / AP

Baba Giri.

Daniel Becerril / Reuters

Catholics pray near windows covered partially with cement blocks inside St. Teresa of Avila church in Monterrey, Mexico, on Feb. 17, 2013.

Daniel Becerril / Reuters

A green light indicates there is no danger as a priest distributes Holy Communion to the congregation inside the church.

A church in the Mexican city of Monterrey has set up extreme security measures to protect worshippers, bricking up its windows and introducing a traffic light system to warn churchgoers if a crime is taking place nearby.

During mass, a green light is activated above a side door of the St. Teresa of Avila church to indicate that there is no sign of danger outside.

When the amber light is lit, it indicates caution, while the red light represents danger from criminal activity, such as a shooting, taking place near the church.

A concrete wall has also been constructed in front of the main facade of the church. 

Daniel Becerril / Reuters

A concrete wall has been built in front of St. Teresa of Avila church.

Last week, Mexico's new administration offered the first details of a long-touted shift in the country's war on drugs, saying the government will spend $9.2 billion this year on social programs meant to keep young people from joining criminal organizations in the 251 most violent towns and neighborhoods across the country. 

"It's clear that we must put special emphasis on prevention, because we can't only keep employing more sophisticated weapons, better equipment, more police, a higher presence of the armed forces in the country as the only form of combating organized crime," President Enrique Pena Nieto said.

-- Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related:

6 arrested in Acapulco tourists' rape

Mexicans weary of drug gangs form vigilante patrols

Slideshow: Mexico's drug war, drug culture

Mahmud Turkia / AFP - Getty Images

Thousands of Libyans celebrate the second anniversary of the Libyan uprising at Martyrs' Square in Tripoli on Feb. 17, 2013.

Reuters reports — Thousands took to the streets on Sunday to celebrate two years since the start of Libya's revolution and a national political leader promised to end the sense of neglect experienced by Benghazi, the country's second city.

Mohammad Hannon / AP

Libyans release lanterns into the air at Nasr Square during the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in Benghazi on Feb 17.

One thousand kilometers east of the capital Tripoli, Benghazi was the cradle of the revolt that ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi, but many citizens feel that they are yet to see the fruits of their military struggle.

"I'm not here to celebrate; a revolution should be celebrated once its goals are fulfilled. In Benghazi we keep bringing up demands and nothing happens," Mohammed al-Shokri, 26, said. Read the full story.

Slideshow: Conflict in Libya

Goran Tomasevic / REUTERS

An uprising in Libya ousts dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

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This story was originally published on Sun Feb 17, 2013 7:51 PM EST

Alessandro Bianchi / Reuters

Faithful shout slogans as Pope Benedict XVI leads the Sunday Angelus in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, Feb. 17. Pope Benedict, speaking before a larger than usual crowd at his penultimate Sunday address, asked the faithful to pray for him and for the next pope.

Tony Gentile / Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI blesses the faithful.

The crowd chanted "Long live the pope!," waved banners and broke into sustained applause as he spoke from his window. The 85-year-old Benedict, who will resign on February 28, thanked them in several languages.
 

Speaking in Spanish, he told the crowd which the Vatican said numbered more than 50,000: "I beg you to continue praying for me and for the next pope".

-- By Philip Pullella, Reuters

Read the full story.

Updated Mach 5: Pope Benedict XVI waves to the faithful as he arrives in St. Peter's Square for his final general audience on Feb. 27, in Vatican City. (Christopher Furlong  / Getty Images)

Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, gets out of her car after qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 17 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Patrick went out eighth in the qualifying session Sunday and covered the 2 1/2-mile superspeedway in 45.817 seconds, averaging 196.434 mph.
 

She waited about two hours as 37 fellow drivers tried to take her spot. Only four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon even came close to knocking her off.

-- By Mark Long, Associated Press

Read the full story.

Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 16.

Arshad Butt / AP

Pakistani relatives of Saturday's bombing victims mourn next to the bodies in a mosque in Quetta, Pakistan, Feb. 17. Angry residents demanded government protection from an onslaught of attacks against Shiite Muslims a day after scores of people were killed in a massive bombing that a local official said was a sign that security agencies were too scared to do their jobs.

Dozens of people including schoolchildren were killed Saturday in a bomb attack carried out by extremists from Pakistan's Sunni Muslim majority, police said.

A spokesman for Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni group, claimed responsibility for the bomb, which caused casualties in Quetta's main bazaar, a school and a computer center. Police said most of the victims were Shiites.

-- By Gul Yousufzai, Reuters

Read the full story.

Naseer Ahmed / Reuters

A man prepares graves for the burial of victims.

Naseer Ahmed / Reuters

A girl cries during the funeral for victims of Saturday's bomb attack.

Musa Farman / EPA

A Pakistani paramilitary soldier inspects the belongings of a boy at the scene.

Yslb Pak / Zuma Press

Fire rages from destroyed buildings Feb. 16 at the site of the attack.

Naseer Ahmed / Reuters

Smoke rises in a Shiite Muslim area after the attack Feb. 16.

Photo Courtesy of Antonio Ramirez

Antonio Ramirez, who was aboard a Hornblower Cruise on Thursday, snapped this photo of the dolphins swimming in a "super mega-pod."

Thousands of dolphins spanning across seven miles of ocean were sighted off the coast of San Diego on Thursday, a boat captain told NBC 7 San Diego.

Capt. Joe Dutra of Hornblower Cruises said he saw a “super mega-pod” of common dolphins Thursday around noon while he was on his daily tour. He said the pod was more than seven miles long and five miles wide.

Dutra said the boat tour followed the pod for more than an hour and said he’s never seen anything like it.

“When you see something that is honestly truly beyond belief,” the captain said.

Guests aboard the boat started screaming and pointing when they first saw the school of adult and juvenile common dolphins. Dutra estimated there were about 100,000 dolphins swimming in the area.

For more, visit NBCSanDiego.com

“They were coming from all directions, you could see them from as far as the eye can see,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of stuff out here… but this is the biggest I’ve ever seen, ever.”

Whale and dolphin watching tours have done particularly well this year, with dozens of animal sightings reported.

Marine mammal expert Sarah Wilkin said the reason the large pod might be there is because there’s plenty of food in the area, including sardines, herring and squid.

“They’re attracted to kind of the same thing, they might wind up in the same place,” she said.

Though dolphins typically travel in groups of 200 or less, Wilkin said “super-pods” are not unheard of.

“They’re definitely social animals, they stick together in small groups,” she said. “But sometimes, the schools come together.”

Dutra, who’s been boating for decades, said he felt lucky to enjoy such a rare phenomenon.

“You had to be there to experience it,” he said.  “It was truly spectacular.”

Janet S. Carter / The Free Press via AP

Snow flurries create a haze along Washington Street as winter weather sets in over Kinston, N.C., Feb. 16.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for eastern Massachusetts, including the Boston area, and Rhode Island through 7 p.m. ET Sunday. Up to 10 inches of snow accumulation was possible for some areas on Sunday, the weather service said.

The culprit is a large dip in the jet stream that brought colder-than-average temperatures to the eastern U.S., Weather.com reported, resulting in freeze warnings for parts of northern Florida. That was combined with a low-pressure system heading north that was expected to be off New England Sunday morning.

-- By Gil Aegerter, Staff Writer, NBC News

Read the full story.

Jeff Tuttle / Reuters

First grade student Livie Classenn recites the Pledge of Allegiance to start the day at the Walton Rural Life Center Elementary School, in Walton, Kan., Jan. 18. Students at the school do farm chores at the beginning of each school day. The Walton Rural Life Center - a kindergarten through fourth grade charter school in rural Kansas - uses agriculture to teach students about math, science, economics.

Jeff Tuttle / Reuters

A dozen fresh farm eggs sold by the students is pictured.

Working with animals, for example, is a study in math because students count eggs in dozens, add and subtract money earned and spent, measure animal food in fractions of each container and equate perimeter lengths with animal pens.

Feeding the animals is not just a chore, said Walton Rural Life Center teacher Amanda Paulus.

"It gives them a lot of responsibility in that they are actually caring for something that depends on them," Paulus said.

-- By Kevin Murphy, Reuters

Read the full story.

Jeff Tuttle / Reuters

Second-grade student Madison Schroeder washes the eggs after the morning farm chores.

Jeff Tuttle / Reuters

Second-grade student Brylee Budde counts the money earned from selling eggs.

Jeff Tuttle / Reuters

Third-grade students Cody Eye and Elizabeth Harder feed the hogs.

Jeff Tuttle / Reuters

Wool that was sheared by the students is washed and dried before the students make yarn from the material.

Jeff Tuttle / Reuters

First-grade student Destiny Smith prepares hay to feed the cows.

Aj Reynolds / AP

Preston Abrams cries while being held by his mother Heather Abrams during a send off for the 1-214 Field Artillery in Elberton, Ga., Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. The 1-214 Field Artillery will leave Elberton for Mississippi on Feb. 26, 2013 and then deploy to Afghanistan.

Aj Reynolds / AP

Members of the 1-214 Field Artillery march in a parade during a send off for the 1-214 Field Artillery in Elberton, Ga., Friday.

Vassil Donev / EPA

epa03586135 A 25-minute-long exposure shows stars trailing across the sky over a chapel near Sofia, Bulgaria, 15 February 2013. EPA/VASSIL DONEV

A 25-minute-long exposure shows stars trailing across the sky over a chapel near Sofia, Bulgaria, 15 February 2013.

Pascal Guyot / AFP - Getty Images

Children play beside the tomb of the Askia on February 15, 2013 in Gao, northern Mali.  The European Union on Friday announced fresh aid worth 20 million euros to help restore law and order in Mali as well as the return of basic state services such as education after months of trouble.

Related story:

• Gunbattle rocks Gao after rebels surprise French, Malians

David J. Phillip / AP

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jason Heyward catches a ball during a spring training workout on Friday, Feb. 15, 2013, in Kissimmee, Fla.

Steve Nesius / Reuters

New York Yankees pitchers run during a workout at the team's spring training complex at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., on Friday, Feb. 15.

A blue, undefinable sadness settles into me every February. I can almost feel it like an ache deep in my bones. It has a lot to do with the weather. The warm days of last summer are a distant memory, and even the good spirits of the holidays are starting to fade.

However, then the pictures from the first week of spring training come along, I’m reminded that soon a day will come when I’ll be able to sit in the sunshine, with a bag of sunflower seeds clutched in one hand and a cold drink in the other, as I cheer for our team when the players run onto the field.

That thought is all I need to get me to spring.

From SpringTrainingOnline.com:

Spring training is almost as old as baseball itself. The best evidence points to spring training first taking place in 1870, when the Cincinnati Red Stockings and the Chicago White Stockings held organized baseball camps in New Orleans. Other baseball historians argue that the Washington Capitals of the National League pioneered spring training in 1888, holding a four-day camp in Jacksonville, Fl.

By 1900, spring-training was firmly established as a baseball ritual, with most American and National League teams heading out of town so players could train and managers could evaluate. Small Florida and Arizona communities were suddenly known across the nation because of the allure provided by major-league baseball.

Fred Thornhill / Reuters

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey does push-ups as catcher Josh Thole offers encouragement at the team's spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla., on Thursday, Feb. 14.

Chris O'Meara / AP

Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell hits a ball to the infield during a workout on Friday, Feb. 15 in Fort Myers, Fla.

David J. Phillip / AP

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jason Heyward signs autographs for fans before a workout on Friday, Feb. 15, in Kissimmee, Fla.

Chris O'Meara / AP

Minnesota Twins pitching coach Ron Anderson watches as Glen Perkins throws during a spring training workout on Friday, Feb. 15 in Fort Myers, Fla.

See more MLB coverage at NBCSports.com

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David Guttenfelder / AP

North Korean synchronized swimmers perform at a mass synchronized swimming exhibition event in Pyongyang on on Feb. 15.

David Guttenfelder / AP

Young North Korean synchronized swimmers perform at an exhibition event in Pyongyang on on Feb. 15.

See more photos by Associated Press photographer David Guttenfelder in PhotoBlog.

Related links:

• North Korea crisis: China talks softly to avoid alienating nuclear-armed neighbor
• Much at stake for US as tensions rise in troubled China seas
• South Korean, US Marines join forces in half-naked snow run

Slideshow: World Press Photo 2013 award winners gallery

Chen Wei Seng via World Press Photo

View the award winning images selected by World Press Photo.

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World Press Photo announced the winners of the 56th annual photojournalism contest on Friday. Click on the picture above to view this year's winning images.

John MacDougall / AFP - Getty Images

The sculpture of polar bear Knut is exhibited at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin on on Feb. 15.

Markus Schreiber / AP

Late polar bear Knut is on display at the Natural History Museum in Berlin, on Feb. 15. Knut was hand-raised after his mother rejected him. He rose to stardom in 2007 as a cuddly cub, appearing on magazine covers, in a film and on mountains of merchandise. He died in 2011 after suffering from encephalitis.

Reuters -- Knut, the hand-reared polar bear who captured Germans' hearts before his early death in 2011, returned to his adoring Berlin public on Friday as a life-sized model bearing the animal's real fur.

Knut will stand for a month in the entrance foyer of the city's natural history museum, which has modified its entrance for the anticipated rush of visitors, a museum spokeswoman said.

The museum is keen to stress that Knut has not been stuffed. Rather, a replica of the bear was made, based on Knut's skeleton, in one of his favorite poses, and this was covered with the creature's pelt, in a procedure known as dermoplasty.

Continue reading.

Arnd Wiegmann / Reuters

Knut plays with a blanket during the bear's first presentation in Berlin zoo on March 23, 2007.

The 56th annual World Press Photo Contest has selected a picture by Paul Hansen of the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter as the World Press Photo of the Year 2012.

The picture shows a group of men carrying the bodies of two dead children through a street in Gaza City on Nov. 20, 2012. They are being taken to a mosque for a burial ceremony while their father's body is carried behind on a stretcher. Two-year-old Suhaib Hijazi and his older brother Muhammad were killed when their house was destroyed by an Israeli missile strike. Their mother was put in intensive care. 

Paul Hansen / Dagens Nyheter via World Press Photo

The photo was selected from a total of 103,481 images submitted by 5,666 photographers from 124 countries.

"The strength of the picture lies in the way it contrasts the anger and sorrow of the adults with the innocence of the children," jury member Mayu Mohanna said. "It's a picture I will not forget."

Slideshow: World Press Photo 2013 award winners gallery

Chen Wei Seng via World Press Photo

View the award winning images selected by World Press Photo.

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Dan Anderson / AFP - Getty Images

Kendall Jenkins kisses the ground after stepping off the Carnival ship Triumph at the Alabama Cruise terminal in Mobile, Alabama, on February 14, 2013.

NBC News

NBC News reports: The crippled Carnival Triumph cruise ship — described as a "nightmare" of filth — finally docked in Mobile, Ala., Thursday night at about 10:30 p.m. EST, but officials said it would still be hours before all the passengers would be able to get off.

Weary passengers could be seen lining up and filing off of the The Triumph, the largest cruise ship ever to dock in Mobile, but officials said it could be up to five hours before everyone was back on dry land. Read the full story.

Bebeto Matthews / AP

NEW YORK: Newlyweds Danielle Brabham, 39, and Michael Lynch, 41, from Miami Shores, Fla., pose for pictures at the Empire State Building viewing platform after their Valentine's Day wedding. Brabham and Lynch were among three couples chosen for the 19th Annual Weddings Event, "Love is in the Air," designed by celebrity designer Preston Bailey, after submitting their personal love stories to the Empire State Building's Facebook page.

Getting married on Valentine's day would certainly make it easy to remember your wedding anniversary. Here's a round-up of pictures from the many group weddings that took place today:

Tomas Bravo / Reuters

MEXICO CITY: A couple takes part in a mock wedding during Valentine's Day celebrations in the Coyoacan neighborhood in Mexico City.

Ernesto Benavides / AFP - Getty Images

LIMA, PERU: Couples get married inside a public pool during a mass wedding on Valentine's Day. Over 200 couples participated.

Enrique Castro-Mendivil / Reuters

LIMA, PERU: A newlywed couple laughs in a public swimming pool during a mass wedding on Valentine's Day.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

NEW YORK: Newly-married couple Brian Bondy and Melissa Cohn stand on a mock heated beach in Times Square after being photographed on Valentine's Day. Bondy proposed to Cohn on 'Good Morning America' this morning and the couple then had a 'flash wedding' in Times Square. The mock heated beach was set up by the Aruba Tourism Authority.

Jay Directo / AFP - Getty Images

MANILA: Couples stand in a queue at a gymnasium for a mass wedding in Manila, Philippines, on Feb. 14. Some 400 couples exchanged vows inside a packed gymnasium on the outskirts of Manila's Makati financial district, as a school band played love songs that drowned out the heavy traffic outside.

Cheryl Ravelo / Reuters

MANILA: A girl is flanked by grooms as she accompanied her father (rear) to register before a Valentine's Day mass wedding in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines. More than 3,000 couples were simultaneously married nationwide.

Joe Raedle / Getty Images

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.: Arlene Joseph and Stuart Joseph smile after being wed during a group Valentine's day wedding at the National Croquet Center. Approximately 40 couples tied the knot.

Slideshow: Valentine’s Day around the world

Lintao Zhang / Getty Images

From San Francisco to Sri Lanka, China to Cuba, love and romance know no boundaries. See the many ways Cupid's favorite holiday is celebrated across the globe.

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Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images

President Obama looks through a magnifying glass while visiting a classroom in Decatur, Ga.

Jason Reed / Reuters

President Obama plays a game in a preschool classroom at an early childhood learning center in Decatur, Ga., on Feb. 14. Obama flew to Georgia to push his plan to ensure high-quality preschool, unveiled during his State of the Union address this week.

Jason Reed / Reuters

President Obama high-fives with a child.

Jason Reed / Reuters

AP reports: President Barack Obama on Thursday pitched a new plan to make preschool available to all 4-year-old children, declaring, "Education has to start at the earliest possible age." Read full story

Jason Reed / Reuters

President Obama reads a card during a game with children.

Related content on PhotoBlog:

• House fly has an encounter with President Obama
• Obama, McKayla Maroney 'not impressed' during White House visit
• Deal done, Obama heads back to Hawaii with a weary wink
• Harmless missile fire in the White House

Follow @NBCNewsPictures

Pornchai Kittiwongsakul / AFP - Getty Images

Thai couple Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat make a new world record for longest continuous kiss at 58 hours, 35 minutes, and 58 seconds during an event n Pattaya, southeastern Thailand on Feb. 14.

Narong Sangnak / EPA

Ekkachai Tiranarat kisses his wife Laksana during an attempt to break the Guinness World Record time for longest continuous kiss in Thailand on Valentine's Day. The Laksanas were eventually successful by beating nine other married couples with a time of 58:35:58.

Narong Sangnak / EPA

Ekkachai Tiranarat and his wife Laksana cry after they achieved the new world record for the longest continuous kiss.

After 58 hours, 35 minutes and 58 seconds, Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat of Thailand were the last couple still kissing -- beating the competition and holding the new Guinness World Record for world’s longest continuous kiss.

The competition which began Tuesday in Pattaya, Thailand,  pitted nine married couples in a contest worth more than $9,000 in cash and prizes.

The milestone must still be verified by officials from Guinness World Records.

Related links:

• Slideshow: Guinness World Records 2013
• Earlier in PhotoBlog: Thai couples attempt to break world record for longest kiss

Slideshow: Valentine’s Day around the world

Majdi Fathi / Corbis

From San Francisco to Sri Lanka, China to Cuba, love and romance know no boundaries. See the many ways Cupid's favorite holiday is celebrated across the globe.

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Win McNamee / Getty Images

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton jokes with U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta after she was presented the Department of Defense's highest award for public service at the Pentagon on Feb. 14, in Arlington, Va.

Related links:

• The making of Hillary Clinton: 15 moments that define her public life
• Hillary Clinton most popular U.S. politician, poll shows

Slideshow: A political life

AP

Hillary Clinton's life has taken her from first lady to senator to secretary of state.

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Stefan Postles / Getty Images

Karrie Webb of Australia waits for a mob of kangaroos to clear the fairway during day one of the Women's Australian Open at Royal Canberra Golf Club on Thursday, Feb. 14 in Canberra, Australia. 

Kangaroos are not the only creatures troubling golfers in Canberra this week. According to The Associated Press, Swedish golfer Daniela Holmqvist used a tee to extract potentially fatal venom from her ankle after she was bitten by a spider during her qualifying round for the LPGA Tour's season-opening tournament.

Bullit Marquez / AP

Filipino theater artist Monique Wilson flashes the No.1 sign with students from St. Scholastica's College, an all-girls' school,  as they dance at their campus as part of a global campaign dubbed One Billion Rising, to end violence against women and children on Valentine's Day Thursday Feb. 14, 2013 in Manila, Philippines. Thousands of women and children in various cities in the country danced in the streets, in malls and other places to express support for the One Billion Rising Campaign which also counts Australia and New Zealand as the first countries "to rise" for the campaign.

Bullit Marquez / AP

Students from St. Scholastica's College, an all-girls' school, flash the No.1 sign as they dance at their campus in a global kickoff campaign dubbed One Billion Rising, to end violence against women and children on Valentine's Day Thursday Feb. 14, 2013 in Manila, Philippines.