February 1, 2012. A fan rides a zip-line at sunset before Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. The New England Patriots are scheduled to play the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI.Matt Slocum — AP
From deadly clashes in Syria and Egypt, to the first anniversary of the Tahrir square uprising and the walk-up to this year’s Super Bowl, TIME’s photo department presents the best images of the week.
January 29, 2012. Hundreds of underprivileged children in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata dress up as Mohandas Gandhi in honor of the national hero 64 years after his death. The event broke the Guinness World Record for most people dressed as Gandhi.Bikas Das — APJanuary 27, 2012. Thousands of demonstrators filled Egypt’s Tahrir Square to mark the first anniversary of the Friday of Rage, a key day in the 2011 uprising that led to the fall of President Hosni Mubarak. Moises Saman — Redux / The New York TimesJanuary 29, 2012. Pope Benedict XVI, joined by two children, releases white doves to mark the International Day of Intercession for Peace in the Holy Land. Started a few years ago, the day is a call to end the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.Stefano Dal Pozzolo — Contrasto / ReduxJanuary 28, 2012. A wounded fighter with the Free Syrian Army, a militia mostly made up of army defectors, is helped by fellow comrades after he was shot by a government sniper in the town of Rankous, a restive city near the Lebanese border in Syria.Tomas Munita — Redux / The New York TimesJanuary 27, 2012. A wounded member of the Free Syrian Army—a group of military defectors and armed civilians—lies in the back of a vehicle at a checkpoint in the Damascus suburb of Saqba. Tomas Munita — Redux / The New York TimesJanuary 27, 2012. Members of the Free Syrian Army attend the funeral for a fellow comrade in the Damascus suburb of Saqba, Syria.Tomas Munita — Redux / The New York TimesJanuary 29, 2012. Clergymen stand in front of a picture of Hildegard Burjan, the Austrian politician who founded Caritas Socialis, an organization that works with impoverished women and children. Burjan died in 1933; her beatification ceremony took place in Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral.Andreas Pessenlehner — EPAJanuary 28, 2012. Place cards mark nominees’ and guests’ assigned seats for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, held in Los Angeles.Mike Blake — ReutersJanuary 29, 2012. Students attend a parliament session in Tehran.Raheb Homavandi — ReutersJanuary 29, 2012. Assistants clean the court during a rain delay as Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays against Rafael Nadal of Spain in the men's final match of the 2012 Australian Open tennis tournament. William West — AFP / Getty ImagesJanuary 29, 2012. Tennis player Novak Djokovic celebrates his win at the Australian Open. Djokovic’s men’s singles title match against Rafael Nadal lasted 5 hrs. 53 min., ending well past 1 a.m. in Melbourne Park.Action Press / ZUMAPRESSJanuary 29, 2012. Competitors cross an obstacle during England’s Tough Guy challenge—a one-day survival contest described as “the toughest race in the world.” Thousands of men and women attempt the 8-mile course, enduring barbed wire, burns, dehydration and other unpleasantness.Jon Super — APJanuary 28, 2012. A woman runs as police shoot tear gas at anti-government demonstrators in Diah, a suburb of Manama, Bahrain. Caren Firouz — ReutersJanuary 28, 2012. A topless Ukrainian protester is arrested by Swiss police after climbing up a fence at the entrance to the congress center where the World Economic Forum takes place in Davos, Switzerland. The activists are from the group Femen, which has have become popular in Ukraine for staging small, half-naked protests against a range of issues including oppression of political opposition.Anja Niedringhaus — APJanuary 30, 2012. Bangladeshi riot police carry the body of a Bangladehsi Nationalist party (BNP) supporter after he was shot dead by police during a procession in Bangladesh's northwestern city of Rajshahi. AFP / Getty ImagesJanuary 27, 2012. Rose petals crown the face of 62-year-old heart patient Chaudhry Mohammad Gulab as his family members prepare him for burial in Lahore. The government in Pakistan's Punjab province is scrambling to recall contaminated drugs that have killed over a 100 people in the last month. Mani Rana — ReutersFebruary 1, 2012. A Palestinian family warm themselves around a fire in their house on a cold winter evening in Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip.Hatem Moussa — AP January 30, 2012. Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney carries a surprise birthday cake for Los Angeles Times reporter Maeve Reston on his campaign plane in Jacksonville, Florida.Brian Snyder — ReutersJanuary 27, 2012. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney addresses a speech to the Hispanic Leadership Network at Doral Golf Resort in Miami, Florida.Emmanuel Dunand — AFP / Getty ImagesFebruary 1, 2012. Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, walks away from the stage after a campaign rally in Las Vegas. Gerald Herbert — APJanuary 27, 2012. A t-shirt held by a college student depicts U.S. President Barack Obama as a superhero, as the president delivers remarks on college affordability at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.Jason Reed — ReutersJanuary 31, 2012. A narrow-gauge railway makes its way through a snow covered forest at the Harz national park near Schierke, central Germany. After a period of relatively mild weather a cold spell has reached central and eastern Europe.Jens Schlueter — APFebruary 2, 2012. A woman looks out of a window covered in frost on a bus in Bucharest, Romania. At least 11,000 villagers have been trapped by heavy snow and blizzards in Serbia's mountains, as the death toll from Eastern Europe's week-long deep freeze rose to 122, many of them homeless people. Vadim Ghirda — APFebruary 2, 2012. A Romany child stand in front of their makeshift home, which is an old, discarded factory, in Skopje. Ognen Teofilovski—ReutersFebruary 2, 2012. A cow looks out of its stable behind icicles in Davos, Switzerland. A cold spell has reached central and eastern Europe with temperatures far below zero. Arno Balzarini — EPAJanuary 27, 2012. Security personnel get into a boat with polling officials carrying Electronic Voting Machines going to Karang island in Loktak lake, about 70 kilometers (44 miles) west of Imphal, India.Anupam Nath — APJanuary 31, 2012. Supporters shake hands with Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi as she arrives in Bagan on her way to Pakokku in Bagan Township.Soe Zeya Tun — ReutersJanuary 28, 2012. Hundreds of people in New Taipei City, Taiwan, release “sky lanterns,” or airborne paper lights to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Lantern Festival, which officially marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations.Wally Santana — APJanuary 27, 2012. A firefighter searches for victims among the smoldering rubble of a building that collapsed in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Victor R. Caivano — APFebruary 1, 2012. An unidentified woman, right, throws flour on French Socialist Party candidate for the 2012 presidential elections, Francois Hollande, in Paris. The woman ran to the side of the podium where Socialist Francois Hollande stood on Wednesday to sign a "social contract" in favor of housing for all. AP January 28, 2012. World War II re-enactors dressed as Red Army soldiers take part in a staged battle to mark the 68th anniversary of the final raze of the Nazi blockade of the city Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, outside the city.Olga Maltseva — AFP / Getty ImagesJanuary 31, 2012. A pigeon eats icy bread off a frozen river in downtown Moscow, Russia. Sergei Ilnitsky — EPAJanuary 29, 2012. Replica life-size models of dinosaurs are displayed in the forest of Sugnens in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland.Salvatore di Nolfi — EPAJanuary 31, 2012. An artwork of a taxidermied Jack Russell terrier entitled I'm Dead (2010) is displayed during a media viewing of artist David Shrigley's first major UK exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in London. Olivia Harris — ReutersJanuary 31, 2012. A PETA activist and supporters of Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich stand outside a polling place at First Baptist Church of Windermere on primary day in Orlando, FL.Chip Somodevilla — Getty ImagesJanuary 29, 2012. A spectator wears a flag watch at a rally for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, in The Villages, Fla.Marcus Yam — The New York TimesJanuary 31, 2012. Ray Roy sets up a polling station as to prepare for voters on primary day in Tampa, Fla.Joe Raedle — Getty ImagesFebruary 2, 2012. A horse handler holds on to a frisky horse after a training session ahead of the Indian Derby in Mumbai.Rafiq Maqbool — AP PhotoFebruary 1, 2012. A fan rides a zip-line at sunset before Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. The New England Patriots are scheduled to play the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI.Matt Slocum — APFebruary 1, 2012. Flames rise from Cairo Stadium during the first half of a match between Zamalek and Ismaili clubs in Cairo. At least 73 people were killed in fan violence after a football match between Al-Ahly and Al-Masry clubs in the city of Port Said, Egypt.Mahmud Hams — AFP / Getty ImagesJanuary 31, 2012. An anti-government demonstrator throws rocks at the police during a protest against Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade in the capital Dakar.Joe Penney — ReutersJanuary 28, 2012. A participant wears a feathered mask during the Queer Azadi (azadi means freedom) parade, an event promoting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights in Mumbai.Rajanish Kakade — APFebruary 1, 2012. A model's make up picture is stuck to a mirror backstage during the Autumn/Winter Madrid's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, in Madrid.Daniel Ochoa de Olza — APJanuary 28, 2012. A close up showing the detail on a painted buffalo during the 'Painting on Buffalo' festival (Tich Dien) in Ha Nam province, Vietnam. Luong Thai Linh — EPAFebruary 1, 2012. Indian dancers from Uttar Pradesh wearing traditional clothing wait before performing at the opening of the Surajkund Fair in Faridabad, Haryana, just outside New Delhi, India.Kevin Frayer — APFebruary 1, 2012. Indian workers hold balloons in the colors of the national flag at the opening of the Surajkund Fair in Faridabad, Haryana, just outside New Delhi, India.Kevin Frayer — APJanuary 29, 2012. People await the beginning of the Chinese New Year parade in New York City. Thousands of people turned out to see the event, which celebrated the Year of the Dragon.John Moore — Getty ImagesFebruary 2, 2012. Models wearing creations by Innova Flamenca are seen backstage during the International Flamenco Fashion Show SIMOF in the Andalusian capital of Seville Feb. 2, 2012. The show will run until Feb. 5. Marcelo del Pozo — ReutersJanuary 28, 2012. French singer Shy'm poses as she arrives to attend the annual NRJ Music Awards ceremony in Cannes, French Riviera. Valery Hache — AFP / Getty ImagesFebruary 1, 2012. Schoolgirls wave Iranian flags during a ceremony marking the 33th anniversary of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's return from exile at Khomeini's mausoleum in Tehran. Bells chimed across Iran to mark Khomeini's return from exile in 1979, the trigger for a revolution which spawned an Islamic state now engulfed in a deep political crisis. Atta Kenare — AFP / Getty ImagesJanuary 31, 2012. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walks between voting booths before casting his vote during Likud party primary elections in Jerusalem. Bernat Armangue — APJanuary 30, 2012. Indian voters wait to cast their ballots at a polling station at the Rajaji National Park in Haridwar, India.Mustafa Quraishi — APJanuary 30, 2012. Indian voters wait in line to cast their ballots at a polling station near the India-Pakistan border for the Punjab State Assembly elections in the village Bachiwind, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Amritsar, India. Altaf Qadri — APJanuary 31, 2012. A girl looks out from a curtain at the back of a truck in Sana'a, Yemen.Khaled Abdullah — ReutersFebruary 3, 2012. Floodwater inundates cotton crops around the northern New South Wales town of Moree, Australia. Moree has been cut off by floodwaters, isolating up to 10,000 people.Wolter Peeters — EPAJanuary 31, 2012. Fish farming areas are surrounded by water hyacinth at Shuikou town section of Minjiang River in Gutian County, Fujian province of China. The free-floating aquatic water hyacinth plants blanket more than 10 kilometers in the upper reach of the Shuikou hydropower station on the Minjiang River, affecting transportation and fish farming. ChinaFotoPress / Getty ImagesJanuary 28, 2012. A foot of a Newar girl is pictured during a ceremony in Kathmandu. In the ceremony, girls are married to Bel, the fruit of a wood-apple tree, before reaching puberty. A Newar girl will be married thrice in her life, first to Bel, a second time with the sun in another ritual, and lastly with her future husband later in life. Navesh Chitrakar — ReutersJanuary 29, 2012. An Israeli Air Force F-15 jet fighter after taking off from the Tel Nof Air Force base near Moshav Yesodot. Jim Hollander — EPAFebruary 1, 2012. Members of the Iranian army's air force re-enact the scene of founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's arrival in Iran in 1979 at Merhrabad airport, in Tehran. Ruhollah Yazdani — Mehr News Agency / ReutersJanuary 26, 2012. Dogs run alongside a house during a stage in the Sedivackuv Long dog sled race in Destne v Orlickych horach, Czech Republic.Petr Josek — ReutersJanuary 27, 2012. Nepalese Hindu women pray before taking a holy dip in the Triveni river during month-long Madhav Narayan festival in Panauti, east of Kathmandu. Niranjan Shrestha — AP February 1, 2012. An artist performs on a pool suspended above the audience during the Fuerza Bruta dress rehearsal in Tel Aviv, Israel. Uriel Sinai — Getty ImagesFeburary 1, 2012. A Kashmiri man crosses the river Tawi in Jammu, India.Channi Anand — APFebruary 3, 2012. The barred spiral galaxy NGC 1073, which is found in the constellation of Cetus, is similar to our own galaxy the Milky Way. NASA-ESA / AFP / Getty Images
