July 20, 2012 10:46 AM EDT
F rom America’s worst drought in 50 years and fierce fighting in Syria to the shootings in Colorado and the start of Ramadan, TIME’s photo department presents the best images of the week.
July 16, 2012. Four rows of corn left for insurance adjusters to examine are all that remain of a 40-acre cornfield in Geff, Ill. that was mowed down. Robert Ray—AP July 13, 2012. A sprawling tent city that was home to thousands of protesters for more than a year is beginning to be dismantled in n Yemen's capital, Sanaa. Yuri Kozyrev for TIME July 13, 2012. Firefighting planes fetch water from the Beniares reservoir to fight a wildfire next to the Sierra Mariola Nature Park in Cocentaina, Spain. Heino Kalis—Reuters July 16, 2012. A sick Sudanese girl waits for transport to the MSF field hospital in the Jamam refugee camp, South Sudan. Paula Bronstein—Getty Images July 16, 2012. The pack of riders cycles during the 15th stage of the 99th Tour de France cycling race between Samatan and Pau, France. Bogdan Cristel—Reuters July 14, 2012. Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez dons a red beret as he speaks to supporters at a campaign rally in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Ariana Cubilios—AP July 16, 2012. The entrance to a cave, shaped in the form of an aeroplane, can be seen under a mountain that was once the headquarters of former Chinese Communist military leader Lin Biao located on the outskirts of Beijing. David Gray—Reuters July 15, 2012. Competitors wait backstage during the 2012 International Bodybuilding and Fitness Invitation Championship in Hong Kong. Philippe Lopez—AFP/Getty Images July 14, 2012. A formation of military helicopters fly over the Arc de Triomphe during the traditional Bastille Day military parade in Paris. Mal Langsdon—Reuters July 16, 2012. An image of Saturn's moons as they orbit the huge planet, created by the Cassini-Huygens mission, a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. EPA/NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute July 13, 2012. A double rainbow appears over Nipton Road in Searchlight, Nev. after heavy storms. Gene Blevins—Reuters July 13, 2012 - A scene from the 75th anniversary of the Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, N.Y. The theatrical pageant presents ten scenes from the Book of Mormon and has had few modifications since it began in 1937. Lauren Lancaster for TIME July 13, 2012. Kashmiri Muslims watch a Martyrs' Day outside Martyr's Graveyard in Srinagar, India. Dar Yasin—AP July 13, 2012. An equestrian rides his horse during an eventing competition in Baborowko, Poland. Janek Skarzynski—AFP/Getty Images July 14, 2012. Barack Obama speaks in the rain during a campaign rally in Glen Allen, Va. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME July 14, 2012. Lighting strikes over Saint Joseph cathedral during a storm in Hanoi. Carlos Barria—Reuters July 14, 2012. Libyan militia men scan the desert at the top of an old Italian defense tower during a patrol in the Bir Doufan area, on the border between Misrata and Bani Walid, Libya. Manu Brabo—AP July 15, 2012. A firefighting plane drops retardant on a forest fire burning near Ein Hemed, west of Jerusalem, Israel. Abir Sultan—EPA July 15, 2012. Mud flies off a competitor's shoes as he runs out of an obstacle during the Tough Mudder at Mt. Snow in West Dover, Vermont. Jessica Rinaldi—Reuters July 15, 2012. Cory Solomon of Prairieviw, Texas flips a steer on his way to winning the tie-down roping event and $100,000 during the finals at the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede Rodeo in Calgary, Alberta. Todd Korol—Reuters July 16, 2012. A gymnast from the Chinese national gymnastics team practices during a training session at General Administration of Sport of China, in Beijing. Jason Lee—Reuters July 16, 2012. Joey Potts, left, 5, and his brother Jordan Kerver, 7, cool off in a wade pool in Philadelphia. Matt Slocum—AP July 15, 2012. A Libyan militiaman from Zlitan guards a check point in the desert near the border of Bani Walid in Misrata, Libya. Manu Brabo—AP July 16, 2012. A paratrooper rests towards the end of a helicopter assault mission near the town of Ahmad Khel in Afghanistan's Paktiya Province. Lucas Jackson—Reuters July 16, 2012. A member of the Legislative Council Leung Kwok-hung, also known as Long Hair, center, throws an effigy of the head of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to Leung during the first question-and-answer session in Hong Kong. Kin Cheung—AP July 16, 2012. Israel's president Shimon Peres, left, welcomes U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Jerusalem. Oded Balilty—AP July 16, 2012. A boat transporting grain through flood water in the Morigaon district of Assam, northeast India. EPA July 16, 2012. Village women carrying torches enter the sea during the annual Shirahama Ama Women Divers Festival, in Shirahama city, Japan. Everett Kennedy Brown—EPA July 17, 2012. Egyptian troops demonstrate their skills at a graduation ceremony attended by President Mohammed Morsi, unseen, in Cairo. Sherif Abd Monam—APA Images/ZUMAPRESS.com July 18, 2012. A school boy looks out from the window of a bus as it rains in Mumbai. Rafiq Maqbool—AP July 18, 2012. Congo's Aminata Aboubakar Yacoub, right, trains with her coach Albert Bobongo for the 2012 Summer Olympics at the Aquatics Center at the Olympic Park, in London. Jae C. Hong—AP July 18, 2012. Smoke rises from burning NATO supply trucks in Samangan province, in northern Afghanistan. Reuters July 18, 2012. Workers sweep a carpet before the arrival of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his Belarussian counterpart Mikhail Myasnikovich in Minsk, Belarus. Vasily Fedosenko—Reuters July 18, 2012. Children listen to the history of former president Nelson Mandela at the Melville Primary School as they join in celebrations of Mandela's 94th Birthday in Johannesburg. Denis Farrell—AP July 19, 2012. A Greenpeace activist dressed like a polar bear poses inside the Shell Company in Colombes, near Paris. Jean-Philippe Ksiazek—AFP/Getty Images July 19, 2012. Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh watch performers descend into the stage area during a visit to the Leeds Arena today. UPPA/ZUMAPRESS.com July 19, 2012. The Tower Bridge with the Olympic rings in London. Friso Gentsch—DPA/Landov July 19, 2012. Saudis use a telescope to monitor the new moon of Ramadan as astronomers and scholars of Islam debate when the holy Muslim month of Ramadan begins. Amer Hilabi—AFP/Getty Images July 19, 2012. A street vendor plugs in decorations for Ramadan in Amman, Jordan. Mohammad Hannon–AP July 19, 2012. A woman makes charcoal near Kizilcahamam, a small town about 43 miles west of Turkey's capital Ankara. Umit Bektas—Turkey July 19, 2012. Syrians mourn during the funeral of 17-year-old Free Syrian army member Mahmud Derwish. Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty Images July 19, 2012. A fire is seen in the army barracks on Mount Qassioun, above the presidential palace in Damascus as rebels seized control of all of Syria's border crossings with Iraq. UPI /Landov July 20, 2012. Family and friends attend the funeral of Itzik Kolengi, 28, who was killed and his wife injured in a suicide bombing in Bulgaria Wednesday in Petah Tikva, Israel. The bombing killed five Israeli tourists, a Bulgarian bus driver and the bomber in the Black Sea resort town of Burgas, a popular destination for Israeli tourists. Dan Balilty—AP July 20, 2012. Aurora, Colorado, Unites States: A bag of popcorn was abandoned outside an Aurora theatre where a gunmen opened fire on moviegoers Friday morning. At least twelve people were killed when a lone shooter opened fire inside the theatre during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. Karl Gehring—The Denver Post/Polaris July 20, 2012. Myia Young, 4, places a candle by an American flag during a vigil for victims behind a theater where James Holm opened fire on moviegoers in Aurora, Colo.
Jeremy Papasso—Reuters More Must-Reads from TIME Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You? The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024 The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision