Photography

This Week in Pictures: Mar. 28-Apr. 3

  • Workers from the French Red Cross and police stand at the memorial plaque for the victims of the Germanwings A320 crash in Le Vernet, France, March 28, 2015. Germanwings Flight 4U 9525, carrying 144 passengers and six crew members from Barcelona, Spain, to Dusseldorf, Germany, crashed on March 24 in the French Alps.
  • Men hold ID cards as they wait in line to register to vote in a polling station during elections in Kano, Nigeria, March 28, 2015. Nigerians voted on Saturday in the first genuine electoral contest since the end of military rule in 1999.
  • A bleached “bathtub ring” is visible on the rocky banks of Lake Powell on March 28, 2015 in Lake Powell, Utah. As severe drought grips parts of the western United States, a below average flow of water is expected to enter Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the two biggest reservoirs of the Colorado River Basin. Lake Powell is currently at 45% of capacity and is at risk of seeing its surface elevation fall below 1,075 feet above sea level by September, which would be the lowest level on record. The Colorado River Basin supplies water to 40 million people in seven western states.
  • A boy injured during an attack by the Islamist group al Shabaab at Maka Al-Mukarama recuperates at a hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia, March 28, 2015. A hotel siege by al Shabaab militants in the Somali capital has ended and the final death toll from the attack stands at 14, a senior government official said on Saturday.
  • Cows rest before being milked in Tapia de Casariego, northern Spain, March 28, 2015. The liberalization of the European dairy sector, designed to take advantage of the expected increase in global demand in the coming years, could backfire in countries like Spain, which could see its market flooded in milk from neighboring countries like France, ruining local farmers.
  • A woman holds her child as she waits to vote in a poling station in Kano, Nigeria, March 28, 2015. Nigeria’s electoral commission said on Saturday it would extend voting into an extra day in polling stations that had technical issues with biometric card-reading machines.
  • Christian worshipers gather at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed by many to be the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ, during Palm Sunday in Jerusalem’s Old City, March 29, 2015. Palm Sunday marks for Christians Jesus Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem when his followers laid palm branches in his path, prior to his crucifixion.
  • A man pulls his camel as he sits in an auto rickshaw during a dust storm in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, March 29, 2015.
  • Estrella Ruiz, 10, cries as she is embraced by her father Juanlo, 44, while he carries a float bearing the statue of the Virgin inside a church as they take part as penitents in the “Salud” brotherhood in a Palm Sunday procession at the start of Holy Week in Malaga, southern Spain, March 29, 2015. Hundreds of Easter processions take place around the clock in Spain during Holy Week, drawing thousands of visitors.
  • A man leaves a polling booth as he casts his vote in the second-round local elections in Nice, France, March 29, 2015. France goes to the polls to vote in a two-round departmental election for local officials on March 22 and March 29.
  • Penitents take part in a procession during Palm Sunday, a few days prior to Holy Week, in Pamplona northern Spain, March 29, 2015. Spain’s devoted Catholics take part in a lot of religious ceremonies during Holy Week.
  • Sea lions lay on marina docks in Astoria, Oregon, March 29, 2015. More than 2,300 California sea lions have taken over the docks of the coastal community and are expected to stay until the smelt and salmon runs they feed on are finished in late May, according to officials.
  • A statue of Jesus Christ is left in a chapel before the Palm Sunday procession in Suchitoto, March 29, 2015. Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey and marks the start of Holy Week.
  • Afghan boys carry foreign-made spare parts of vehicles as they cross into Pakistan through rugged mountainous Toorkham border in Afghanistan, March 29, 2015. Afghan traders smuggles goods ranging from cosmetics, food, crockery and spare parts of vehicles by using cheap labor who risk their lives for meager pay.
  • Nigerians participate in the Palm Sunday service at the Our Lady of the Apostles catholic church in Kaduna, Nigeria, March 29, 2015. Nigerians are going to the polls to vote in presidential elections. Nigerian officials say voting continued in some areas on Sunday because of technical problems. More than 40 people were killed in election-related violence Saturday, though millions were able to cast ballots in a presidential election that analysts say is too close to call.
  • Crew members work on the Airbus A320 that slid off a runway at the end of Air Canada Flight 624 at Halifax Stanfield Airport in Enfield, Nova Scotia, March 29, 2015. The Air Canada plane slid off a runway and suffered heavy damage while landing in the east coast city of Halifax on Sunday, sending more than 20 passengers and crew to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The incident happened shortly after midnight. The airline said in an update on Sunday afternoon that all but one of those admitted to hospitals had now been released.
  • People rowing boats enjoy night view of cherry blossoms in full bloom on Chidorigafuchi moat in Tokyo, Japan, March 30, 2015 after the Meteorological Agency announced on 29 March cherry blossoms became in full bloom, five days earlier than in an average year.
  • Spanish legionnaires stand after a change of honor guard at the statue of the Christ of Mena (not pictured) outside a chapel during Holy Week in Malaga, southern Spain, March 30, 2015. Hundreds of processions take place around the clock in Spain during Holy Week, drawing thousands of visitors.
  • A farm worker poses for a photo with a handkerchief tied around his face to shield against the sun and pesticide sprayed on fruits and vegetables in the farms in the Las Casitas neighborhood of San Quintin, Baja California, March 30, 2015. Thousands of farm workers went on strike on March 17 to demand better wages and working conditions in the agricultural region of Baja, California, halting the harvest of vegetables and fruits for export to the U.S., local media reported.
  • Villagers watch the rescue operation at the site of a damaged house after a hillside collapsed onto a house in a landslide at Laden village, west of Srinagar, March 30, 2015.
  • Iraqi security forces and allied Shiite militiamen prepare to attack Islamic State extremists in Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq, March 31, 2015. Iraqi forces battled Islamic State militants holed up in downtown Tikrit, going house to house Tuesday in search of snipers and booby traps, and the prime minister announced security forces had reached the city’s center.
  • A woman crosses the Millennium Bridge during strong winds in London, March 31, 2015.
  • Supporters of the presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressive Congress hits another supporter with a motorbike during celebrations in Kano, March 31, 2015. Nigeria’s opposition APC declared an election victory on Tuesday for former military ruler Buhari and said Africa’s most populous nation was witnessing history with its first democratic transfer of power.
  • Relatives mourn during the funeral of the victims who died after a hillside collapsed onto a house at Ledhan village, west of Srinagar, India, March 31, 2015. Heavy rains and a landslide in the Himalayan region of Kashmir killed 17 people Tuesday, as Indian authorities continued working to rescue stranded villagers.
  • An actress portraying Mary during the crucifixion of Christ takes part in the interactive street-threaterperformance of Il-Mixja (The Way) in Attard, outside Valletta, Malta, March 31, 2015. The Passion play was held in the grounds of Mount Carmel Mental Hospital as part of a series of Holy Week activities in the run-up to Easter taking place all over Malta.
  • A woman takes advantage of warm spring weather temperatures on the beach in Nice, France, March 31, 2015.
  • Bodies of landslide victims lying inside a house in the village of Laden at Chadoora some 25 miles west of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, March 31, 2015. Fifteen bodies were retrieved by rescuers from the mud and debris of a residential house hit by landslides in Liden village as flood threat reduced with the substantial decrease of waters in rivers. Last year 300 people were killed across Indian Kashmir during the floods that hit the region.
  • A girl collects wax from a penitent large candle during the Holy Week procession of “Nuestro Senor Atado a la Columna, Maria Santisima de la Paz y San Juan Evangelista” in Arcos de la Frontera, Spain, March 31, 2015. Hundreds of processions take place throughout Spain during the Easter Holy Week.
  • Ultra-Orthodox Jews watch others prepare special matzoh, a traditional handmade Passover unleavened bread, at a bakery in Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv, Israel, March 31, 2015. Jews are forbidden to eat leavened food during the Passover holiday, which celebrates the biblical story of the Israelites’ escape from slavery and exodus from Egypt.
  • Filipino children evacuees play at the river in Mamasapano, Maguindanao Province, Southern Philippines, March 31, 2015. The Philippines’ military announced a halt to a month-long military offensive against Muslim rebels that prompted the exodus of tens of thousands of people in southern Philippines. Armed Forces chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang called the operation a success against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. The rebel group is a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed a peace agreement with the government last year.
  • Kashmiris carry the shroud-covered bodies of victims who were killed in a landslide during their funeral on March 31, 2015 in Laden, Kashmir, India. Thousands of people participated in the funeral of fifteen people who were killed after their homes were destroyed in a landslide in Laden village on Monday.
  • Members of the Iraqi security forces ride bicycles in Tikrit, April 1, 2015. Iraqi troops and Shi’ite paramilitary fighters were battling Islamic State on Wednesday in northern Tikrit, which officials described as the Sunni Muslim militant group’s last stronghold in the city.
  • A vehicle drives on the Hungarian M35 highway as strong winds blow sand over the route, near Debrecen, 226 kms east of Budapest, Hungary, April 1, 2015. The Hungarian Meteorological Service (OMSZ) reportedly ordered a first degree warning on eight counties and commanded a second degree warning to nine counties in the country. First degree (or yellow) warning means that the strength of the wind is expected to be over 70 km/h, the second degree (or orange) warning is issued when the wind will likely be stronger than 90 km/h. The strong wind caused some damage on properties but no human casualties been reported yet.
  • Mount Sinabung releases pyroclastic flows seen from Tiga Serangkai, North Sumatra, Indonesia, April 1, 2015. Mount Sinabung, among about 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia, has sporadically erupted since 2010 after being dormant for more then 400 years.
  • In this Tuesday, March 31, 2015 aerial photo, a cargo ship plies up the Mississippi River towards New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish, La.
  • Penitents take part in the “Procesion del Silencio” (Silence Procession) by the “Cristo de las Injurias” brotherhood, during the Holy Week in Zamora, Spain, April 1, 2015. Hundreds of processions take place throughout Spain during the Easter Holy Week.
  • Albany, Oregon firefighters examine the smoldering remains of South Albany High School’s cafeteria, early April 1, 2015, after a four-alarm fire destroyed the building, one of 11 buildings on the campus. There was no immediate report of injuries or what caused the fire.
  • Agricultural greenhouses are damaged by gale on April 1, 2015 in Yuncheng, Shanxi province of China. Seven levels of gale hit Yuncheng today in Yuncheng.
  • A member from the Iraqi security forces beats an Islamic State insurgent, who was captured in Tikrit, April 1, 2015. Iraqi troops and Shi’ite paramilitary fighters were battling Islamic State on Wednesday in northern Tikrit, which officials described as the Sunni Muslim militant group’s last stronghold in the city.
  • A Ukrainian serviceman of the ‘Donbass battalion’ fires a rocket-propelled grenade launcher during a training session at a shooting range near of the eastern city of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 1, 2015. Eastern Europe is seeing an upswing in military exercises, people training to be reservists and talk of resuming conscription. Some countries have even gone ahead and brought back the draft because Russia’s recent behaviour has the Baltic republics and Central Europe rattled.
  • Firefighters battle a wildfire along the Mojave Riverbed between Apple Valley and Victorville Calif., March 31, 2015. The Southern California desert wildfire pushed by gusty winds has burned two outbuildings and prompted evacuation of homes east of Los Angeles.
  • A Kenya Defense Force soldier runs for cover near the perimeter wall where attackers are holding up at a campus in Garissa, April 2, 2015. 147 people were killed on Thursday when Islamist militant group al Shabaab stormed the Kenyan university campus.
  • A man walks during a sand storm in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 2, 2015.
  • U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd L), U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman (2nd R) and staff watch a tablet in Lausanne as U.S. President Barack Obama makes a statement on the status of the Iran nuclear program talks, April 2, 2015. A preliminary nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers is a firm basis for a future accord that could end a 12-year nuclear standoff between Tehran and the West, though details must be worked out, Kerry said on Thursday.
  • More than 120 Louisville Firefighters continue to battle the blaze in building six at the General Electric Appliance Park complex in Louisville, Ky., April 3, 2015. The fire broke out in a non-production building, creating huge columns of smoke. GE spokeswoman Kim Freeman says there are no known injuries.

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Holy Week activities took place around the world as Christians observe Good Friday and Jews celebrate Passover at sundown. 

Iran reached a framework agreement with top diplomats from world powers on the future of Iran’s nuclear program.

The first democratically elected leader of Nigeria won a tight race this week, with Muhammadu Buhari, the former military dictator, defeating Goodluck Jonathan, the country’s president since 2010.

A deadly landslide wrought despair in Srinagar, India. California Gov. Jerry Brown imposed the first ever mandatory water restriction in his state to cope with a crisis-level drought that has affected not only California but states across the country. And a deadly attack by the Somalia-based militant group, Al-Shabaab, killed 147 people at a Kenyan university after an hours-long siege.

The battle against ISIS in the Middle East continues. And the investigation into the crash of a Germanwings plane that rammed into the French Alps last week continues to reveal disturbing information about its co-pilot who appears to have intentionally killed himself and 149 additional people onboard.

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