Closeup: Best Pictures of the Week, April 22 – April 29

1 minute read

This week: A Tornado causes mass devastation and kills hundreds in Alabama; heavy fighting continues in Misratah, Libya; the leaning tower of Pisa restored; and, of course, the Royal Wedding.

See last week’s Pictures of the Week.

USA
April 27, 2011. What appeared to be a tornado ripped through parts of Concord, Ala., outside of Hueytown. The damage in the area is extensive with homes and businesses destroyed and people injured. Faye Hyde sits on a mattress in what was her yard as she comforts her grand daughter Sierra Goldsmith. Their home was completely destroyed. Birmingham News /Landov
Libya
April 24, 2011. Rebels invade a house that served as a base for progovernment forces in the western city of Misratah, Libya, the country’s third most populous city. The rebels say heavy fighting has killed at least 1,000 there.Andre Liohn—EPA
Haiti
April 24, 2011. Hundreds of Haitians traveled to Souvenance, 100 miles north of capital Port-au-Prince, over Easter weekend to swim in a sacred pool and show their devotion to the spirits. Voodoo was brought to Haiti by slaves from West Africa and is one of Haiti’s three recognized religions. Thony Belizaire—AFP/Getty Images
Turkey
April 26, 2011. The mother, left, and sisters of Savas Yayik mourn next to his grave during a funeral ceremony in Diyarbakir, in Kurdish-dominated southeastern Turkey. Turkish security forces killed three Kurdish guerrillas, including Yayik, in a firefight, according to media reports.Murad Sezer—Reuters
India
April 24, 2011. A devotee peeks out from behind a curtain at Sri Kulwant Hall in Prasanthi Nilayam, India, at the funeral ceremony of Hindu holy man Sathya Sai Baba. One of India’s most famous spiritual leaders, with thousands of followers in the country and abroad, Sai Baba, who was 85, died on April 24 after a prolonged illness.Jagadeesh NV—EPA
China
April 23, 2011. A girl helps a fellow student undergo physical conditioning during a ballet-training session at Feier Angel dance training center in Beijing. About 100 girls, mostly ages 3 to 7, learn ballet at the center.Jason Lee—Reuters
France
April 26, 2011. An employee places the last layer of clay on the central Court Philippe Chatrier at the Roland Garros tennis stadium in Paris, where the French Open tournament will run from May 17 to June 5.Jacques Demarthon—AFP/Getty Images
India
April 25, 2011. A trained monkey wears a mask during a Topeng Monyet show, a traditional Indonesian street performance, in Jakarta. Karmini, a trainer who has four monkeys, says his group can collect $10 a day for its performance.Beawiharta—Reuters
Italy
April 26, 2011. Tourists visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa—free of scaffolding for the first time since a stabilization project began 20 years ago. Legend has it that the tower was begun in 1173 after a Pisan noblewoman willed 60 coins to the city to build a magnificent belfry. But after just three levels had been built, the tower began to lean, and it has been askew ever since.Fabio Muzzi—AFP/Getty Images
India
April 26, 2011. An Indian soldier demonstrates the skills of a trained military dog during an event at the army school in Nagrota, India. Channi Anand—AP
Spain
April 27, 2011. Spanish fisherman Rafael Marquez, is seen next to "Almadraba" tunas caught during the opening of the season for tuna fishing near to the coast of Barbate, Cadiz province, southern Spain. Almadraba tuna is caught in an elaborate and age-old Andalusian fishing method, used in Spanish coastal areas close to the Strait of Gibraltar since Phoenician times. Emilio Morenatti—AP
USA
April 26, 2011. Metal melted in the intense heat of a wildfire in Gaines Bend, a development near Possum Kingdom State Park in Texas. More than 167 homes were destroyed by the wildfire, which moved through the area the previous week.Tom Pennington—Getty Images
Switzerland
April 26, 2011. A forest fire near the town of Viege in the south of drought-stricken Switzerland. Several Swiss cantons have over the past week imposed bans on lighting fires in or near forested areas amid one of the worst droughts to hit the country in 150 years. Fabrice Coffrini—AFP/Getty Images
Netherlands
April 24, 2011. An aerial shot shows a colourful field of flower bulbs, in Lisse, The Netherlands.Robin Utrecht—AFP/Getty Images
April 29, 2011. Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for her wedding to Prince William, in London, UK. Frederic Nebinger—ABACA

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com