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Pictures of the Week: Oct. 31 – Nov. 7

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From Republican wins in the midterm elections and the 1-year anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, to U.S. troops returning home from Afghanistan and a giant “fallstreak” hole in the sky over Australia, TIME presents the best pictures of the week.

 

Kurdish refugee boy from the Syrian town of Kobani holds onto a fence that surrounds a refugee camp in the border town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province
Nov. 3, 2014. A Kurdish refugee boy from the Syrian town of Kobani holds onto a fence that surrounds a refugee camp in Suruc, Sanliurfa Province, Turkey. YANNIS BEHRAKIS—REUTERS
Nik Wallenda
Nov. 2, 2014. Daredevil Nik Wallenda, left center in red, makes his tightrope walk uphill at a 19-degree angle, from the west tower at Marina City across the Chicago River to the top of the Leo Burnett Building in Chicago. Charles Rex Arbogast—AP
SINGAPORE-LIFESTYLE-ANIMALS-PET-OFFBEAT
Nov. 4, 2014. Dogs trot around in a spa and grooming room at The Wagington Luxury Pet Hotel in Singapore on its opening day, giving wealthy pet owners a new option to pamper their furry companions. ROSLAN RAHMAN—AFP/Getty Images
*** BESTPIX *** Locals Prepare For First Anniversary Of Typhoon Haiyan
Nov. 2, 2014. A young girl walks between crosses as she tries to find the grave of a loved one at a newly constructed mass grave for 3,000 typhoon Haiyan victims on the grounds of the Holy Cross Cemetery during All Souls Day in Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines. Chris McGrath—Getty Images
Starlings in the Scottish Borders
Nov. 5, 2014. Starlings in the Scottish Borders. Tens of thousands of starlings start their murmuration, with Criffel mountain in the background, as dusk falls near Gretna Green on the England and Scotland border. Owen Humphreys—PA
*** BESTPIX *** Augsburger Panther v Schwenninger Wild Wings - DEL
Nov. 2, 2014. Adrian Grygiel of Augsburger Panther skates onto the ice before the DEL Ice Hockey match between Augsburger Panther and Schwenninger Wild Wings at Curt Frenzel Stadium in Augsburg, Germany. Adam Pretty—Bongarts/Getty Images
Australia Rare Cloud
Nov. 3, 2014. Photo taken with smartphone camera shows a fallstreak hole formed in the sky over Wonthaggi, Australia. A fallstreak hole is rare phenomenon, in which a circular gap that appears in high clouds, when a section of the cloud freezes. The ice crystals are so heavy that they fall out of the cloud, leaving a hole. Leesa Willmott—AP
BESTPIX Midterms Elections Held Across The U.S.
Nov. 4, 2014. Citizens go to cast their ballots at the South Shore Park building on Election Day in Milwaukee. Darren Hauck—Getty Images
TOPSHOTS-BELARUS-SPECIAL-FORCES-EXAM
Nov. 4, 2014. Soldiers of the Belarus Interior Ministry troops take part in the qualifying examinations for the Madder Beret headdress outside Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Madder Beret is the symbol of highest achievements in combat training.SERGEI GAPON—AFP/Getty Images
Crisis in Ukraine - funeral ceremony for a 'Aidar' serviceman
Oct. 31, 2014. Women react as soldiers carry a coffin with Fedor Lipchak, a Ukrainian serviceman of the Aidar Battalion who was killed in eastern Ukraine, during a funeral ceremony in Gurovschina village near Kiev, Ukraine. ROMAN PILIPEY—EPA
A judge stands before a special session of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on the occasion of the 225th anniversary of its first session in New York
Nov. 4, 2014. A judge wearing white gloves stands before a special session of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on the occasion of the 225th anniversary of the first session of the court. CARLO ALLEGRI—REUTERS
APTOPIX India Ashoura
Nov. 4, 2014. A young Indian Shiite Muslim flagellates himself during a procession to mark Ashoura in New Delhi. Shiites mark Ashura, the tenth day of the month of Muharram, to commemorate the Battle of Karbala when Imam Hussein, a grandson of Prophet Muhammad, was killed. Bernat Armangue—AP
TOPSHOTS-GREECE-RELIGION-PAKISTAN -IMMIGRATION- ISLAM - SHIITE -
Nov. 4, 2014. Pakistani Shiite Muslim immigrants to Greece take part in a religious Ashoura procession in Athens' Piraeus district. LOUISA GOULIAMAKI—AFP/Getty Images
India Sikh Festival
Nov. 5, 2014. An Indian Sikh boy displays his martial art skills during a religious procession on the eve of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru, in New Delhi. Tsering Topgyal—AP
Mideast Iran Ashoura
Nov. 4, 2014. Shiite mourners pray while attending Ashoura day rituals commemorating the death anniversary of Imam Hussein in south of Tehran. Ebrahim Noroozi—AP
APTOPIX World Series Giants Celebration Baseball
Oct. 31, 2014. San Francisco Giants fans, some dressed in Halloween costumes, watch the victory parade for the 2014 World Series champions. Jeff Chiu—AP
A little girl plays with balloons at Republican U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown's midterm election night rally in Manchester
Nov. 4, 2014. A girl plays with balloons at Republican U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown's midterm election night rally in Manchester, N.H. GRETCHEN ERTL—REUTERS
Piece of debris is seen near the crash site of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo near Cantil
Nov. 1, 2014. A piece of debris is seen near the crash site of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo near Cantil, Calif. Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson said on Saturday he was working with U.S. authorities to determine what caused a passenger spaceship being developed by his space tourism company to crash in California, killing one pilot and injuring the other. LUCY NICHOLSON—REUTERS
BESTPIX F1 Grand Prix of USA - Practice
Oct. 31, 2014. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP drives during practice ahead of the U.S. Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in Austin. Mark Thompson—Getty Images
Spectators look at the participants of the "strong body" category competition for beginners during the 5th "Strongo Cup" open amateur bodybuilding tournament in Krasnoyarsk
Nov. 1, 2014. Spectators look at the participants of the "Strong Body" category competition for beginners during the 5th "Strongo Cup" open amateur bodybuilding tournament at the State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. Participants from all over Russia took part in the tournament competing in bodybuilding, body fitness and bikini fitness disciplines. ILYA NAYMUSHIN—REUTERS
A Shi'ite Muslim has his child gashed with a knife during a Muharram procession ahead of Ashoura in Mumbai
Nov. 3, 2014. A Shiite Muslim has his child gashed with a knife during a Muharram procession ahead of Ashoura in Mumbai. DANISH SIDDIQUI—REUTERS
APTOPIX Spain All Saints Day
Nov. 1, 2014. A tomb is decorated with flowers in Barcelona during All Saints Day, a Catholic holiday to reflect on the saints and deceased relatives. Emilio Morenatti—AP
One year anniversary of typhoon Haiyan
Nov 5, 2014. Emelie Sagales, 23, sits inside a hut next to her 1-year-old baby Bea Joy, who was born on Nov. 11, 2013, inside a dilapidated building which was damaged by the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan in Leyte Province, Philippines. DENNIS M. SABANGAN—EPA
BAHRAIN-RELIGION-ISLAM-SHIITE-ASHURA
Nov. 1, 2014. Bahraini Shiite Muslim girls take part in a ceremony marking Ashura in the village of Sanabis, west of Manama. MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH—AFP/Getty Images
APTOPIX Mideast Bahrain Ashoura
Nov. 3, 2014. A Bahraini baby, laid for a blessing in a bassinet that is part of a living diorama, plays with ornaments, ahead of the Ashoura holiday during the month of Muharram, in Malkiya, Bahrain. Hasan Jamali—AP
A policeman checks the crime scene in which the bodies of two women were found in a flat at Hong Kong's Wanchai district
Nov. 2, 2014. A policeman checks the crime scene in which the bodies of two women were found in an apartment at Hong Kong's Wanchai district. A 29-year-old British banker has been arrested in Hong Kong in connection with the grisly murder of the two women, a rare occurrence in a city known for its low homicide rate. TYRONE SIU—REUTERS
APTOPIX Mexico El Salvador
Oct. 31, 2014. Members of a Mexican honor guard stand behind the spray from a water fountain during a welcoming ceremony for El Salvador's President Salvador Sánchez Cerén at the National Palace in Mexico City. Rebecca Blackwell—AP
Kurdish refugee children from Kobani try to look into their new school at a refugee camp in the border town of Suruc
Nov. 2, 2014. Kurdish refugee children from the Syrian town of Kobani try to look into their new school at a refugee camp in the border town of Suruc, Sanliurfa Province in Turkey. YANNIS BEHRAKIS—REUTERS
Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visits China
Nov. 3, 2014. Chinese honor guards are seen through a glass door before a welcome ceremony for the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Qatar's Emir is in China for a state visit from Nov. 2 to Nov. 4. HOW HWEE YOUNG—EPA
Turkish soldiers keep warm atop a hill overlooking the Syrian town of Kobani, near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc
Nov. 2, 2014. Turkish soldiers keep warm atop a hill overlooking the Syrian town of Kobani, near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa Province. YANNIS BEHRAKIS—REUTERS
APTOPIX Afghanistan
Nov. 6, 2014. Afghan special forces demonstrate their skills during Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg's first visit as the head of NATO at the special forces training camp in Kabul.Massoud Hossaini—AP
South African wild dogs
Nov. 5, 2014. Two wild dogs play fight on the beach and in the nearby hills overlooking the Indian Ocean near Coffee Bay, South Africa. KIM LUDBROOK—EPA
One year anniversary of typhoon Haiyan
Nov. 5, 2014. Wooden crosses are pitched by workers at a new mass grave of about 3,000 typhoon Haiyan victims in Tacloban City, Philippines. One year after Haiyan left nearly 8,000 people dead or missing in the eastern Philippines, many survivors are still suffering from emotional distress despite being busy with physically rebuilding their lives. DENNIS M. SABANGAN—EPA
A ball is seen near a crater caused by shelling at school's soccer field in Donetsk
Nov. 6, 2014. A ball is seen near a crater caused by shelling at a school's soccer field in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine. Two teenagers died and four were wounded when an artillery shell hit the school's playing field as they played soccer. MAXIM ZMEYEV—REUTERS
Russian servicemen dressed in historical uniforms take part in a rehearsal for a military parade at the Red Square in Moscow
Nov. 5, 2014. Russian servicemen dressed in historical uniforms take part in a rehearsal for a military parade at the Red Square in Moscow. The parade will be held on Nov. 7 to mark the anniversary of a historical parade in 1941, when Soviet soldiers marched through the Red Square towards the front lines of World War II. MAXIM SHEMETOV—REUTERS
Paratroopers with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division march up the ramp as they return home from Afghanistan, at Pope Army Airfield in Fort Bragg
Nov. 5, 2014. Paratroopers with the First Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, march up the ramp as they return home from Afghanistan, at Pope Army Airfield in Fort Bragg, N.C. Approximately 300 troops arrived home after being deployed since February 2014. CHRIS KEANE—REUTERS
TOPSHOTS-BRITAIN-OFFBEAT-TRADITION-BONFIRE
Nov. 5, 2014. A participant in costume holds aloft a torch as bonfire societies parade through the streets of Lewes in Sussex in the U.K., during the traditional Bonfire Night, commemorating the memory of the seventeen Protestant martyrs. JUSTIN TALLIS—AFP/Getty Images
Funeral For Cream Bassist Jack Bruce
Nov. 5, 2014. The body of the late rock musician Jack Bruce, lead singer and bassist of the band Cream, is carried into the Golders Green Crematorium in London. Ben Cawthra—Eyevine/ZUMAPRESS
'Million Mask' March in London
Nov. 5, 2014. A protester stands on a statue on Trafalgar Square during the Million Mask demonstration in London. The demonstration took place on Bonfire Night, the anniversary of the capture of Guy Fawkes, during his attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605. WILL OLIVER—EPA
FRANCE-MUSIC-KRAFTWERK
Nov. 6, 2014. Spectators wearing 3D glasses watch the live concert of the German band Kraftwerk at the Louis Vuitton Art Foundation in Paris. DOMINIQUE FAGET—AFP/Getty Images
SYRIA-CONFLICT
Nov. 6, 2014. A doctor stretches the legs of Syrian youth Mustafa at a physical therapy center in Eastern al-Ghouta, a rebel-held region outside the capital Damascus. Mustafa, 13, had his legs' tendons cut after he was injured in an airstrike four months before. ABD DOUMANY—AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOTS-TURKEY-SYRIA-CONFLICT-KURDS
Nov. 6, 2014. Kurdish men bury the coffin during the funeral of a Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighter in Suruc, Turkish southeastern Sanliurfa province.ARIS MESSINIS—AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOTS-BAHRAIN-RELIGION-ISLAM-SHIITE-ASHURA
Nov. 4, 2014. A Bahraini Shiite Muslims girl takes part in a ceremony marking Ashura, which commemorates the seventh century slaying of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed, in the village of Sanabis, west of Manama.MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH—AFP/Getty Images
Locals Prepare For First Anniversary Of Typhoon Haiyan
Nov. 6, 2014. Children play with bike tires in a destroyed resort building on the coastline at San Jose in Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines. Residents of Leyte are preparing for the 1-year anniversary since Super Typhoon Yolanda struck the coast on November 8, 2013, leaving more than 6000 dead and many more homeless. Chris McGrath—Getty Images
Senator Mitch McConnell, the senior United States Senator from Kentucky. A member of the Republican Party, he has been the Minority Leader of the Senate since January 3, 2007.  Shown here campaining at the Warren Co. Regional Airport in Bowling Green, one day before the MidTerm Elections that could make him the Majority leader in the U.S.Senate.
Nov. 3, 2014. Supporters of Sen. Mitch McConnell attend a campaign rally at Bowling Green-Warren Co. Regional Airport in Bowling Green, Ky.Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Locals Prepare For First Anniversary Of Typhoon Haiyan
Nov. 6, 2014. Alejandn Gomez gestures to his grandaughter (not pictured) from inside his tent in San Jose in Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines. Mr. Gomez lost three family members, including his wife when Typhoon Haiyan struck, he has been living in a tent for the past year and looks after two orphan children. Chris McGrath—Getty Images
BESTPIX - Locals Prepare For First Anniversary Of Typhoon Haiyan
Nov. 6, 2014. A boy does a backflip off a mound of dirt in San Antonio, Samar, Philippines. Chris McGrath—Getty Images
One year anniversary of typhoon Haiyan
Nov. 6, 2014. Newborn Nisso Rada during a phototherapy session at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center, which was damaged by the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban City, Leyte province, Philippines, DENNIS M. SABANGAN—EPA
TURKEY SURUC : Kobane kurdish fighter funeral
Nov. 7, 2014. Kurdish mourners bury two female fighters from YPJ (Women's protection Force), killed during fighting against Islamiic State Militants, in the border town of Surac, Turkey.NAZIM SERHAT FIRAT—LE JOURNAL
UK: Field of remembrance at Westminster Abbey
Nov. 6, 2014. Photographs of servicemen who lost their lives in Afghanistan are placed on crosses at the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey, London. Ben Cawthra—Ben Cawthra/Sipa USA
President Obama Holds A News Conference Day After Midterm Elections
Nov. 5, 2014. President Barack Obama walks away after speaking to the media during a news conference in the East Room at the White House a day after Democrats lost the U.S. Senate Majority. Republicans won the majority of the U.S. Senate for the first time in eight years after Americans went to the polls and voted in the mid-term elections. Mark Wilson—Getty Images
TOPSHOTS-VATICAN-POPE-AUDIENCE
Nov. 5, 2014. The pellegrina of Pope Francis is lifted by a gust of wind during his weekly general audience at St Peter's Square at the Vatican. ALBERTO PIZZOLI—AFP/Getty Images
SKOREA-CULTURE-LANTERNS
Nov. 6, 2014. A couple kisses before a display of illuminated panda lanterns on the banks of the Cheonggyecheon stream in central Seoul during the sixth annual lantern festival. The festival, which runs for 17 days, aims to promote cultural and historical awareness through four themed sections. ED JONES—AFP/Getty Images
*** BESTPIX *** A Driver Rams His Car Into Pedestrians In Suspected East Jerusalem Terror Attack
Nov. 5, 2014. Members of the Israeli Orthodox community at the scene of a suspected terrorist attack in Jerusalem. One person was killed and at least 13 people were wounded after a driver crashed into pedestrians in eastern Jerusalem on Wednesday. Ilia Yefimovich—Getty Images
ELECTION DAY IN WASHINGTON DC
Nov. 4, 2014. The U.S. Capitol is lit up at dawn in Washington DC., while voters across the country are deciding who will occupy 36 governors' mansions and 36 Senate seats, with control of Congress hanging in the balance. MOLLY RILEY—UPI /Landov
Christmas illumination in Tokyo
Nov. 6, 2014. A couple under an umbrella walk amid Christmas illuminations in Tokyo, Japan.KIMIMASA MAYAMA—EPA
Historic image commemorating the former Berlin Wall is projected on Alcala Gate in Madrid
Nov. 7, 2014. A historic image commemorating the former Berlin Wall is projected on Alcala Gate in Madrid. Germany will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall on November 9. Juan Medina / Reuters—REUTERS
Cat behind a glass pane waits to be let in
Nov. 3, 2014. A cat sits behind a glass pane in the front door waiting to be let in from the rain in Frankfurt. FRANK RUMPENHORST—EPA

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