Pictures of the Week: December 7 – December 14

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Dec. 14, 2012. U.S. flags fly at half staff at the base of the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. to honor the victims of the Connecticut shooting incident.Wang Yiou—Landov
By TIME Photo Department

From the elementary school shooting in Connecticut and continued protests in Egypt to Syrian refugees in Turkey and the Pope’s first tweet, TIME presents the best images of the week.

Dec. 12, 2012. Municipal workers take part in a rally against state sector layoffs demanded by the country's international lenders in front of the parliament in Athens. Yorgos Karahalis—Reuters
Dec. 8, 2012. A Palestinian woman watches from a shop window as supporters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) participate in a rally to mark the 45th anniversary of their organization in the West Bank city of Nablus. Nasser Ishtayeh—AP
Dec. 7, 2012. Afghan spectators watch a quail fight in Mazar-i Sharif, Afghanistan. Qais Usyan—AFP/Getty Images
Dec. 8, 2012. Juan Manuel Marquez (R) of Mexico steps away after knocking out Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines (bottom) in the 6th round during their welterweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Steve Marcus—Reuters
Dec. 7, 2012. A cadet lies on the grass after collapsing during a promotion ceremony at a police school in Bogota, Colombia. John Vizcaino—Reuters
Dec. 10, 2012. Tourists and locals walk past a Santa Claus statue placed on a beach for a film shoot in the southern Indian city of Kochi. Sivaram V—Reuters
Dec. 8, 2012. A man runs with "toro encuetado," a structure resembling a bull and covered in exploding firecrackers, as part of celebrations in honor of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Managua, Nicaragua.Esteban Felix—AP
Dec. 7, 2012. Pearl Harbor survivor Aaron Chabin, 89, attends a ceremony in New York commemorating the 71st anniversary of the Japanese attacks. John Moore—Getty Images
Dec. 8, 2012. A fisherman casts his net into the Kathajodi River in Cuttack district, about 15 miles from the city of Bhubaneswar, India. Reuters
Dec. 8, 2012. Syrian refugees cross from Syria to Turkey by the Orontes river, near the village of Hacipasa, Turkey. Manu Brado—AP
Dec. 7, 2012. Rescue workers searched through mud and debris in the southern Philippines for survivors of Typhoon Bopha.Malacanang/EPA
Dec. 7, 2012. A boy sits with masked militants from the Ezzedine al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, as they rest after patrolling the streets of Gaza city.Ali Ali—EPA
Dec. 7, 2012. Israeli soldiers are seen marching back to their base after the end of a training day at the Jordan valley, north of the West Bank city of Jericho, Israel.Atef Safadi—EPA
Dec. 7, 2012. Catherine Stouffer (C), widow of Marine Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gary Stouffer, watches with daughter Shannon (L) and her son Shane (R) as a Marine Corps honor guard carries Stouffer's casket during a burial service at Arlington National Cemetery. Win McNamee—Getty Images
Dec. 8, 2012. Army Cadets salute as they march on the field before an NCAA college football game against Navy, in Philadelphia.Matt Slocum—AP
Dec. 8, 2012. A protester opposed to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi chants slogans outside the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt.Maya Alleruzzo—AP
Dec. 8, 2012. Free Syrian Army fighters sit around a fire in Khaldiyeh district in Homs, Syria. Yazan Homsy—Reuters
Dec. 8, 2012. A Free Syrian Army fighter offers evening prayers beside a damaged poster of Syria's President Bashar Assad. Narciso Contreras—AP
Dec. 8, 2012. Interior Ministry troops attend their oath ceremony in front of the World War II monument 'Mother of the Motherland' in Kiev, Ukraine. Anatolii Stephanov—Reuters
Dec. 8, 2012. Filipino boys walk underneath the rainbow flag during the 2012 Philippine Pride March in Makati, south of Manila, Philippines. Aaron Favila—AP
Dec. 8, 2012. Vice President Joe Biden reacts as he watches the Army Navy NCAA college football game in Philadelphia.Matt Slocum—AP
Dec. 7, 2012. An aerial view of areas affected by Typhoon Bopha in Compostela Valley, southern Philippines.Malacanang—EPA
Dec. 9, 2012. Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring during the Spanish league football match Real Betis vs FC Barcelona at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Sevilla, Spain. Jorge Guerrero—AFP/Getty Images
Dec. 9, 2012. Syrian children warm themselves at a refugee camp near the Turkish border, in Azaz, Syria.Manu Brabo—AP
Dec. 9, 2012. The remains of Olive Ridley turtles at Mismaloya Beach on the Pacific coast of Jalisco State, Mexico. Hector Guerrero—AFP/Getty Images
Dec. 10, 2012. A Free Syrian Army fighter, who was severely injured during fighting with government forces, is treated by doctors in an ambulance on the way to Kilis Hospital in Turkey.Manu Brabo—AP
Dec. 10, 2012. A Syrian girl, whose family fled their home in Idlib, looks out of a tent at a camp for displaced Syrians, in the village of Atmeh, Syria. Muhammed Muheisen—AP
Dec. 10, 2012. Syrian boys, whose family fled their home in Idlib, walk to their tent at a camp for displaced Syrians, in the village of Atmeh, Syria. Muhammed Muheisen—AP
Dec. 10, 2012. Syrian army solider defectors are seen in a temporary prison in the village of Azaz, Syria, as Free Syrian Army fighters investigate their identity.Manu Brabo—AP
Dec. 10, 2012. New recruits for the People's Liberation Army line up while waiting to board a train at Taiyuan railway station in the Shanxi province of China. Reuters
Dec. 10, 2012. Harry Jackson, 13, the head chorister at St Paul's Cathedral School in London, holds a candle during a photo call inside the Cathedral. Andrew Winning—Reuters
Dec. 9, 2012. Blooming flowers are seen in Nanjian Yi Autonomous County, in Yunnan Province in southwest China.Qin Qing—Xinhua/Landov
Dec. 10, 2012. A Free Syrian Army fighter holds his weapon as he prepares himself for advance close to a Syrian military base, near Azaz, Syria. Manu Brabo—AP
Dec. 10, 2012. Syrian children who fled their homes gather around a vehicle to get pillows and blankets distributed at a camp for displaced Syrians in the village of Atmeh, Syria. Muhammed Muheisen—AP
Dec. 10, 2012. Syrians who fled their homes struggle to get pillows and blankets distributed at a camp for displaced Syrians, in the village of Atmeh, Syria.Muhammed Muheisen—AP
Dec. 10, 2012. Residents burn debris left after Typhoon Bopha in the coastal town of Boston, Davao Oriental in southern Philippines. Erik De Castro—Reuters
Dec. 10, 2012. Ruling party supporters attend a rally to celebrate the election victory of incumbent Ghana President John Dramani Mahama in this week's presidential elections in Accra, Ghana.Gabriela Barnuevo—AP
Dec. 10, 2012. Thai elephants head to the river for an early morning bath at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. Paula Bronstein—Getty Images
Dec. 11, 2012. A masked Egyptian protester stands in front of army troops guarding the presidential palace in the Cairo suburb of Heleopolis during a demonstration against Egypt's Islamist president.Marco Longari—AFP/Getty Images
Dec. 11, 2012. Egyptian soldiers stand in line as anti-President Mohamed Morsi protesters stand on top of a barricade erected by the Egyptian army to protect the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt. Margo Longari—AFP/Getty Images
Dec. 11, 2012. Protesters opposed to Egypt's president demonstrate on top of a barricade erected by the Egyptian army to protect the Presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt. Marco Longari—APF/Getty Images
Dec. 11, 2012. A worshiper prays at the Regina Mundi Church in Soweto, South Africa, prior to early morning Mass. Denis Farrell—AP
Dec. 12, 2012. A child stands as her sister prepares for her first Catholic Holy Communion at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Managua, Nicaragua. Oswaldo Rivas—Reuters
Dec. 12, 2012. A groom prepares for his own wedding as he gets ready to take part in a mass wedding ceremony in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Ulet Ifansasti—Getty Images
Dec. 12, 2012. Brides and grooms sit inside a bus before participating in a parade during a mass wedding ceremony organized for the poor in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Gembong Nusantara—AP
Dec. 12, 2012. Indian bride Emilia D'Silva arrives at a church for her wedding to in Mumbai, India. Rajanish Kakade—AP
Dec. 12, 2012. Pilgrims wait their turn to enter the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico. Eduardo Verdugo—AP
Dec. 12, 2012. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish children wearing Hanukkah hats dance and sing songs as they march along the Jewish neighborhood of Mea Shearim during Hanukkah holiday in Jerusalem, Israel. Abir Sultan—EPA
Dec. 12, 2012. Bernarda Parra, 46, a widow with three sons and unemployed, seen on a mirror of her house in Pamplona, Spain, after being notified of the postponement of her eviction.Alvaro Barrientos—AP
Dec. 12, 2012. Pope Benedict XVI clicks on an iPad to send his first twitter message during his weekly general audience at the Vatican in Italy, Rome. CPP/Polaris
Dec. 11, 2012. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) walks to the House chamber to speak on the pending "fiscal cliff" negotiations in Washington.Win McNamee—Getty Images
Dec. 12, 2012. A man collects recyclable items in a municipal garbage dump, known as "La Chureca" in Managua, Nicaragua. Oswaldo Rivas—Reuters
Dec. 12, 2012. A Syrian boy stands between men as they wait outside a bakery shop to buy bread in Maaret Misreen, near Idlib, Syria.Muhammed Muheisen—AP
Dec. 14, 2012 State police personnel lead children from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.Shannon Hicks—Newtown Bee/Zuma Press
Dec. 14, 2012. A woman waits to hear about her sister, a teacher, following a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.Jessica Hill—AP
Dec. 14, 2012. Young children wait outside Sandy Hook Elementary School after a shooting in Newtown, Conn.Reuters
Dec. 14, 2012. People gather outside a fire house near the Sandy Hook Elementary School following a shooting that left at least 27 people dead, many of the young children, in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, USA. Justin Lane—EPA
Dec. 14, 2012. U.S. flags fly at half staff at the base of the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. to honor the victims of the Connecticut shooting incident.Wang Yiou—Landov

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