Pictures of the Week: May 17 – May 24

1 minute read

From deadly tornadoes in the Midwest and the final week of the Cannes Film Festival to a wheelchair beauty contest in Moscow and the U.S. Naval Academy’s storied freshman initiation, TIME presents the best pictures of the week.

TOPSHOTS-CHINA-TIBET-POLITICS-RELIGION
May 17, 2013. A Tibetan woman (bottom) prostrates near Labrang monastery in Xiahe, Gansu province, a flashpoint for many Tibetan protests against Chinese authorities. Ed Jones—AFP/Getty Images
India Kashmir Daily Life
May 17, 2013. Bilquis, a nomadic Indian girl, stands outside her tent at a temporary base on the outskirts of Srinagar, India. The family makes their living by selling artificial flowers.Dar Yasin—AP
Afghanistan
May 20, 2013. Afghan policemen evacuate a wounded person after a suicide bomber struck outside a provincial council headquarters in Pul-i-Khumri, Baghlan province, northern Afghanistan, killing the council chief and at least more than a dozen others, authorities said.Jawed Basharat—AP
Spectators wrapped in blankets wait the start of a beach front cinema screening on the Croisette during the 66th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes
May 17, 2013. Spectators wrapped in blankets wait the start of a beach front cinema screening on the Croisette during the 66th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes.Eric Gaillard—Reuters
Barack Obama
May 19, 2013. Graduates listen under heavy rain to President Barack Obama as he delivers the Morehouse College 129th Commencement ceremony address in Atlanta.Carolyn Kaster—AP
Wave Gothic Festival in Leipzig
May 17, 2013. A woman poses prior to the start of the 22nd Wave-Gothic Festival (WGT) in Leipzig, Germany.Hendrik Schmidt—EPA
Men sit blindfolded after being rounded up by the Somali Police Force, to be screened during an operation aimed at improving security in Mogadishu
May 21, 2013. Men sit blindfolded after being rounded up by the Somali Police Force, to be screened during an operation aimed at improving security in Mogadishu.Tobin Jones—AU-UN IST/Reuters
Herndon Monument Climb Challenges "Plebes" At US Naval Academy
May 20, 2013. A hose sprays an Annapolis Naval Academy freshmen, Class of 2016, as he and other Plebes climb the Herndon Monument at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Each year the freshman class, known as 'Plebes,' climb the lard covered monument at the U.S. Naval Academy to retrieve the Plebe "dixie cup" hat and replace it with an upperclassmen's hat.Patrick Smith—Getty Images
APTOPIX North Korea Child Health Day
May 20, 2013. North Korean nurses sing and play the accordion while children dance during an event to start a campaign to give Vitamin A supplements and deworming pills to children at a nursery school in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Child Health Day.David Guttenfelder—AP
BESTPIX Two Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan Buried At Arlington Nat'l Cemetery
May 20, 2013. Four-year-old Sophia Phillips carries an American flag presented to her during a burial service for her father, Staff Sergeant Francis G. Phillips, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Virginia. Phillips, from Meridian, New York was killed in combat in the Maiwand district of Afghanistan when the vehicle he was riding in was struck by an improvised explosive device.Win McNamee—Getty Images
Western Wall in Jerusalem
May 17, 2013. An ultra-Orthodox Jewish young man standing on pipes used to hold flags watches people during prayers at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in Jerusalem's Old City. Jim Hollander—EPA
APTOPIX Afghanistan
May 17, 2013. An Afghan man jumps from a diving board into a swimming pool on a hill overlooking Kabul. The swimming pool, built by the Soviets more then 30 years ago, has rarely been used, caught instead in the middle of decades of war.Anja Niedringhaus—AP
APTOPIX India Sufi Festival
May 17, 2013. An Indian Muslim devotee prays at the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti during the Urs festival, in Ajmer, India. Thousands of Sufi devotees from different parts of India travel to the shrine for the annual festival, marking the death anniversary of the saint.Altaf Qadri—AP
People pass time in a mosque, where they were evacuated to shelter from cyclone Mahasen when it landed, outside of Sittwe
May 17, 2013. People from a Rohingya internally displaced persons (IDP) camp pass time in a mosque, where they were evacuated to shelter from cyclone Mahasen when it landed, outside of Sittwe.Soe Zeya Tun—Reuters
Koshi looks through the window of her house in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica
May 17, 2013. Rinesa Koshi, 8, looks through the window of her house in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica. Koshi, who is an ethnic Albanian, lives in the the northern predominantly Serb part of the town but goes to school in the south, which is predominantly Albanian. The prime ministers of Kosovo and Serbia will meet in Brussels on May 21, 2013 to hold negotiations on how to implement an agreement reached last month to integrate a small Serb pocket in the north into majority Albanian Kosovo.Hazir Reka—Reuters
Policemen and people check the scene of a collision on a highway leading to a border crossing between Yemen and Saudi Arabia
May 18, 2013. Policemen and people check the scene of a collision on a highway leading to a border crossing between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. At least 13 people were killed as two cars ran into each other and caught fire after the collision, burning some occupants to death, police officials at the scene said.Khaled Abdullah—Reuters
MYANMAR-RELIGION-UNREST-RIGHTS
May 18, 2013. Myanmar-religion-unrest-rights, FOCUS by Shwe Yinn Mar Oo A Muslim Rohingya child wears traditional thanakha, is a yellowish-white cosmetic paste made from ground bark, at Bawdupah's Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp on the outskirts of Sittwe. Soe Than Win—AFP/Getty Images
A Free Syrian Army fighter is seen with his weapon in a damaged house in Deir al-Zor
May 18, 2013. A Free Syrian Army fighter is seen with his weapon in a damaged house in Deir al-Zor, Syria.Khalil Ashawi—Reuters
People run down a street in Deir al-Zor
May 18, 2013. People run down a street in Deir al-Zor, Syria.Khalil Ashawi—Reuters
APTOPIX Brazil Festival
May 19, 2013. Masked boys walk to the "Cavalhadas" festival in Pirenopolis, Brazil. The popular festival is a tradition that was introduced in the 1800's by a Portuguese priest to mark the the ascension of Christ. The 3-day festival reenacts the Christian knights' medieval defeat of the Moors.Eraldo Peres—AP
BRAZIL-RELIGION-WORLD YOUTH DAY
May 19, 2013. Young Catholics hold flags of Pope Francis during a pre-event of the World Youth Day at Icarai beach in Niteroi, Brazil.Yasuyoshi Chiba—AFP/Getty Images
APTOPIX Senegal
May 19, 2013. Children play in front of a decorated house wall in Saint-Louis, Senegal. Saint-Louis, once the capital of colonial French West Africa, is hosting the 21st edition of its annual Jazz Festival from May 15 to 19.Rebecca Blackwell—AP
Woman looks from a window of her family's tent at a camp for internally displaced persons in al-Mazraq of the northwestern Yemeni province of Hajja
May 19, 2013. A woman looks from a window of her family's tent at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in al-Mazraq of the northwestern Yemeni province of Hajja. Thousands of the IDPs who have fled fighting between Shi'ite rebels and government forces in northwestern Yemen have yet to return to their villages three years after the fighting ended.Khaled Abdullah—Reuters
North Korea
May 19, 2013. Wearing gym-provided workout clothing, North Koreans rest near the gym at the Haedanghwa Health Complex in Pyongyang, North Korea. The newly opened complex houses a cooking school, multiple banquet rooms, swimming and wading pools, a billiards room and other recreational facilities.David Guttenfelder—AP
Feast of St. Rita of Cascia in Manila
May 19, 2013. Children blow cups filled with flour using a straw during the feast of St. Rita in Paranaque city, suburban Manila, Philippines. The feast of St. Rita of Cascia is celebrated every year with masses, processions, and parlor games for children. Ezra Acayan—Zuma Press
CHINA-BRIDGE-DEMOLITION
May 19, 2013. Explosives go off as Dunyang highway viaduct collapses during a controlled demolition in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province. With 100,000 volt wiring running alongside the viaduct and 30 major gas pipelines underneath it, explosives experts were faced with a task requiring particular precision. The two mile long viaduct was the longest concrete bridge ever demolished in China, local media reported.STR—AFP/Getty Images
Coumba Faye fixes her headscarf in her house in the village of Ndande
May 19, 2013. Coumba Faye, 19, fixes her headscarf in her house in the village of Ndande, Senegal. Every year, inhabitants of the village take part in a Sufi Muslim ceremony called Gamou-Ndande. The ceremony combines nights of praying and chanting as well as traditionally animist ceremonies.Joe Penney—Reuters
People watch a man descend into a large former well during a traditional ceremony in the village of Ndande
May 19, 2013. People watch a man descend into a large former well during a traditional ceremony in the village of Ndande, Senegal.Joe Penney—Reuters
Barack Obama
May 19, 2013. Morehouse College alumni listen to President Barack Obama not shown, deliver his address under heavy rain at the Morehouse College 129th Commencement ceremony in Atlanta.Carolyn Kaster—AP
USAF officers hold onto their hats in wind gusts from Air Force One as President Obama departs in foggy conditions, for travel to Atlanta from Joint Base Andrew
May 19, 2013. U.S. Air Force Colonel Mike Minihan (R), Commander, 89th Airlift Wing, and fellow officers hold onto their hats in wind gusts from Air Force One as President Barack Obama departs in foggy conditions, for travel to Atlanta from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.Jonathan Ernst—Reuters
The funnel of a tornadic thunderstorm almost touches the ground near South Haven
May 19, 2013. The funnel of a tornadic thunderstorm almost touches the ground near South Haven, in Kansas. A massive storm front swept north through the central United States, hammering the region with fist-sized hail, blinding rain and tornadoes, including a half-mile wide twister that struck near Oklahoma City.Gene Blevins—Reuters
Katrina Ash, Michael Bowen
May 19, 2013. Seven-year-old Katrina Ash, right, holds a doll as she waits in the back of a truck with her grandfather, Michael Bowen, left, after a tornado ripped through their neighborhood near Dale, Okla. Residents are not being allowed back into the neighborhood as search and rescue efforts take place.Sue Ogrocki—AP
May 20, 2013. A woman carries a child through a field near the collapsed Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla. Sue Ogrocki—AP
Severe Weather
May 20, 2013. This aerial photo shows the remains of homes hit by a massive tornado in Moore, Okla.Steve Gooch—AP
***BESTPIX*** Tornado Outbreak Slams Through Oklahoma
May 20, 2013. Dana Ulepich searches inside a room left standing at the back of her house destroyed after a powerful tornado ripped through the area in Moore, Okla.Brett Deering—Getty Images
timephotographers
May 23, 2013. Near the Kirsch home. Cassie Kirsch survived the category 5 tornado with her husband, David, in a closet of their now flattened home in Moore, Okla. Family and friends helped them recover property early Tuesday morning.Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIME
Pakistan Daily Life
May 20, 2013. A Pakistani man, who fled his home with his family from Pakistan's tribal region of Mohmand Agency, due to fighting between the Taliban and the army, sleeps on the ground on a roadside, on the outskirts of Islamabad. As the temperatures rise, many Pakistanis are sleeping outdoors to escape the heat trapped in their homes. Muhammed Muheisen—AP
Visually impaired children enter the waiting room of an airline before boarding a plane in the international airport of La Aurora in Guatemala City
May 20, 2013. Visually impaired children enter the waiting room of an airline before boarding a plane in the international airport of La Aurora in Guatemala City. The Committee for the Blind and Deaf of Guatemala arranged for visually impaired children to board an airplane to experience the sounds and motion of taxiing around the runway of the airport.Jorge Dan Lopez—Reuters
TOPSHOTS-BAHRAIN-POLITICS-UNREST
May 20, 2013. Bahraini protesters hold pictures of Abdul Wahab Hussein, head of the Shiite Wafa Islamic Movement, during a rally marking his temporary release from prison in the village of Nuwaidrat, south of Manama. Hussein, who was released briefly for his mother's funeral, was to return to prison later, the main Shiite opposition group Al-Wefaq said. He is serving a life sentence with six other opposition leaders and activists after being convicted of plotting to overthrow the monarchy.Mohammed Al-Shaikh—AFP/Getty Images
Russia Riot Police Demonstration
May 20, 2013. Russian riot police force (OMON) officers demonstrate their skills to schoolchildren during a lesson of patriotic education in a school in St. Petersburg.Dmitry Lovetsky—AP
SPAIN-RELIGION-PILGRIMAGE-ROCIO
May 20, 2013. A young girl cries as El Rocio's Virgin is carried through the streets of Almonte, near Huelva during the annual El Rocio's pilgrimage in the south of Spain.Cristina Quicler—AFP/Getty Images
APTOPIX Cuba Daily Life
May 21, 2013. Jose Luis, 7, in his school uniform, falls asleep in a barber's chair, while waiting for his father's work shift to end, in Old Havana, Cuba.Ramon Espinosa—AP
Afghan girls play in Kabul
May 20, 2013. Afghan girls play in Kabul.Mohammad Ismail—Reuters
COLOMBIA-PACIFIC ALLIANCE-SUMMIT-SECURITY
May 20, 2013. A Colombian Special Forces sniper guards the downtown of Cali, Valle del Cauca departament, Colombia, during the presentation to the press of the security measures for the VII Pacific Alliance presidential summit.Luis Robayo—AFP/Getty Images
Customs And Border Protection Agents Detain Immigrants On Mexican Border
May 20, 2013. A U.S. Border Patrol agent escorts a group of undocumented immigrants into custody with helicopter support from the U.S. Office of Air and Marine near the U.S.-Mexico border in Havana, Texas.John Moore—Getty Images
Moore, Oklahoma Tornado
May 21, 2013. Dead horses waiting to be buried after being killed by an F5 tornado in Moore, Okla. The horses were killed on two farms west of Briarwood Elementary. Dozens were killed in the storm and were taken away to be buried.Bryan Anselm—Redux
US-WEATHER-TORNADO
May 21, 2013. June Simson embraces her cat Sammi after she found him standing on the rubble of her destroyed home in Moore, Okla.Joshua Lott—AFP/Getty Images
Deadly tornado strikes Moore, Oklahoma, USA
May 21, 2013. A woman cleans off some flowers as she sorts through debris the day after a killer tornado hit in Moore, Okla.Ed Zurga—EPA
Relatives of victims attend prayer after paying tribute to Building collapse victims
May 21, 2013. Relatives of the victims cry as they come to pay tribute to the victims of a building collapse at the graveyard at Jurain in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Over 290 unclaimed bodies were burried after the DNA samples were taken while 1,127 workers died after the eight-story building Rana Plaza, which mostly housed garment factories, collapsed in Savar on April 24, 2012. Abir Abdullah—EPA
Chakala Dangol, 75, holds a coconut on his hand before throwing it towards the devotees from the top of the chariot of Rato during the chariot festival in Lalitpur
May 21, 2013. Chakala Dangol, 75, holds a coconut on his hand before throwing it towards the devotees from the top of the chariot of Rato during the chariot festival in Lalitpur, Nepal. It is believed that whoever grabs the coconut and returns it to the chariot will be blessed with a son.Navesh Chitrakar—Reuters
EL SALVADOR-CELEBRATION-MUSEUM
May 22, 2013. People participate in a simulated rain during the tenth anniversary celebration of the El Salvador Museum of Art in San Salvador.Jose Cabezas—AFP/Getty Images
HONDURAS-DROUGHT
May 22, 2013. A doll lies on a hole in the dry soil of Los Laureles dam, southern Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The main two dams that supply water for the more than one million inhabitants of the Honduran capital reached a critical level after an eight-month-long drought. Orlando Sierra—AFP/Getty Images
A house built on a rock on the river Drina is seen near the western Serbian town of Bajina Basta
May 22, 2013. A house built on a rock on the river Drina is seen near the western Serbian town of Bajina Basta, about 160km (99 miles) from the capital Belgrade. The house was built in 1968 by a group of young men who decided that the rock on the river was an ideal place for a tiny shelter, according to the house's co-owner, who was among those involved in its construction.Marko Djurica—Reuters
APTOPIX Mideast Israel Syria
May 22, 2013. Metal placards in the shape of Israeli soldiers stand on an old bunker during sunset at an observation point on Mt. Bental in the Israeli controlled Golan Heights, overlooking the border with Syria. Syrian and Israeli forces briefly exchanged fire on the Golan Heights border Tuesday prompting Israel's military chief, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, to accuse the Syrian leader of encouraging and directing operations against Israel and warning he would "bear the consequences" of escalation.Ariel Schalit—AP
APTOPIX Afghanistan
May, 22, 2013. An Afghan policeman sits on a wall on a mountain overlooking Kabul.Ahmad Jamshid—AP
Solar Plane
May 22, 2013. Solar Impulse, piloted by André Borschberg, takes flight during the second leg of the 2013 Across America mission at dawn from Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.Matt York—AP
A Brazilian army soldier wearing a chemical suit participates in an anti-terror simulation exercise as part of the preparation for the upcoming 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brasilia
May 22, 2013. A Brazilian army soldier wearing a chemical suit participates in an anti-terror simulation exercise as part of the preparation for the upcoming 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brasilia. Ueslei Marcelino—Reuters
BESTPIX  Indonesian Factory Uses Traditional Techniques To Produce Mie Lethek Noodles
May 22, 2013. A worker carries noodles or mie lethek after the steaming process at mie lethek factory in Srandakan village, Bantul in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Yasir Feri Ismatrada took on the family business of mie lethek production founded by his late grandfather.Ulet Ifansasti—Getty Images
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish children stand on a balcony as they watch the wedding ceremony of Rokeach, the grandson of the Chief Rabbi of Belz, and his bride Penet, in Jerusalem
May 21, 2013. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish children stand on a balcony as they watch the wedding ceremony of Shalom Rokeach, the grandson of the Chief Rabbi of Belz, Yissachar Dov Rokeach, and his bride, Hannah Batya Penet, in Jerusalem. Some 25,000 people gathered on Tuesday to celebrate the wedding of the eldest grandson of the current leader of the Belz Hasidic dynasty, which is one of the largest Hasidic movements in the world, according to local media.Ronen Zvulun—Reuters
Egypt-Gaza border
May 21, 2013. A Palestinian Hamas security guard loads a weapon inside a guard house on the border between Egypt and Gaza Strip in Rafah town, southern Gaza Strip. Ali Ali—EPA
World News - May 21, 2013
May 21, 2013. An Indian policeman peeps through a police vehicle outside the separatist party office in Srinagar, summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.Javed Dar—Xinhua/Zuma Press
The beauty contest for disabled people 'Miss Independence 2013’
May 22, 2013. A young woman in wheelchair performs at the beauty contest for disabled people in 'Miss Independence 2013' in Moscow.Sergei Ilnitsky—EPA
FRANCE-SUICIDE-RELIGION-PROTEST-FEMEN
May 22, 2013. A member of the FEMEN feminist activist group with writing on her chest reading "May fascists rest in hell" is arrested by police officers after she took part in a protest action inside the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, against the suicide of a far-right activist inside the cathedral the previous day.Kenzo Tribouillard—AFP/Getty Images
U.S. first lady Obama reacts with school children from Willow Springs Elementary School in Fairfax, Virginia
May 22, 2013. U.S. first lady Michelle Obama reacts with school children from Willow Springs Elementary School in Fairfax, Virginia, as they participate in a play about the emancipation of slaves during Abraham Lincoln's presidency, at historic Decatur House in Washington.Jason Reed—Reuters
TOPSHOTS-ISRAEL-ULTRA-ORTHODOX-JEWS-BELZ-WEDDING
May 22, 2013. Tens of thousands of Ultra-Orthodox Jews of the Belz Hasidic Dynasty watch the wedding ceremony of Rabbi Shalom Rokach, the Grandson of the Belz Rabbi to Hana Batya Pener, in Jerusalem.Menahem Kahana—AFP/Getty Images
I-5 Bridge Collapse
May 23, 2013. Search and rescue boats comb the water for victims after the collapse of the Skagit River Bridge which includes all lanes of US Interstate 5 Bridge in Mount Vernon, Washington.Dan Levine—EPA
Tornado damage in Moore, Oklahoma
May 24, 2013. A snow globe photo of Wade Jennings's grandfather Gladney Jennings among the ruins of his home in Moore, Okla.Erik S. Lesser—EPA
Camel market in Birqash
May 24, 2013. An Egyptian man walks past a camel which has one front leg tied up to prevent it from running away on a camel market in Birqash, 40 kilometers north of Cairo. Hundreds of camels are brought in from Sudan and Somalia to be sold on Egypt's largest camel market every Friday. Depending on the animal's age and health a camel can be sold for up to 1500 Euros.Oliver Weiken—EPA
Queen Elizabeth II Visits Cambridge
May 23, 2013. Britain's Queen Elizabeth sits in a bus as she arrives for a visit to Cambridge, UK.Winning Andrew—PA Photos/Abaca Press
People stand near a pair of army boots and floral tributes for Drummer Lee Rigby near the scene of his killing in Woolwich
May 24, 2013. People laying flowers stand near a pair of army boots and floral tributes for Drummer Lee Rigby, of the British Army's 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, which are lined at a security fence outside army barracks near the scene of his killing in Woolwich, southeast London. Police investigating the murder of the soldier on a busy London street are looking into whether the two suspected killers, British men of Nigerian descent, were part of a wider conspiracy.Luke MacGregor—Reuters
Annual Flags-In ceremony in advance of Memorial Day - Arlington Cemetery
May 23 2013. Soldier in the Third U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) place a small American flag one foot in front and centered before each grave marker for more than 220,000 graves during the annual Flags-In ceremony in advance of Memorial Day to honor the nation's fallen members of the military in Arlington Cemetery, Virginia. Olivier Douliery—Abaca USA
A sign reads "God Bless Moore" as workers make repairs to the Warren theatre after the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, Oklahoma which was left devastated by a tornado
May 22, 2013. A sign reads "God Bless Moore" as workers make repairs to the Warren theatre after the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, Okla. which was left devastated by a tornado.Adrees Latif—Reuters

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com