March 15. 2013. A portrait of U.S. Army Sgt. Alessandro L. Plutino rests at the base of a tree in Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery. Section 60 is the section of the cemetery where American military members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are currently laid to rest, though soldiers and Marines from World War II through Afghanistan are also buried in the section. March 20th marks the ten-year anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq. U.S. Army Sgt. Alessandro L. Plutino served with the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, United States Army during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, where he died.Win McNamee—Getty Images
From Obama’s first Presidential visit to Israel and the Pope’s inauguration to a series of suicide bombings in Pakistan, Iraq and Somalia and the colorful Lathmar Holi festival in India, TIME presents the best images of the week.
March 19, 2013. Campaigners dressed as Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne congregate in Parliament Square in central London. They were protesting on behalf of "Enough Food for Everyone IF," a campaign to end global hunger.Stefan Wermuth—ReutersMarch 18, 2013. Young Omani children wait in the shade before greeting Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall visit Nizwa Fort on the eighth day of a tour of the Middle East in Nizwa, Oman. The Royal couple are on the fourth and final leg of a tour of the Middle East taking in Jordan, Qatar, Saudia Arabia and Oman. Chris Jackson—Getty ImagesMarch 15. 2013. A portrait of U.S. Army Sgt. Alessandro L. Plutino rests at the base of a tree in Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery. Section 60 is the section of the cemetery where American military members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are currently laid to rest, though soldiers and Marines from World War II through Afghanistan are also buried in the section. March 20th marks the ten-year anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq. U.S. Army Sgt. Alessandro L. Plutino served with the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, United States Army during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, where he died.Win McNamee—Getty ImagesMarch 15, 2013. A Free Syrian Army fighter throws a homemade smoke device to blind Syrian Army soldiers during fighting in Saif Al Dawla district, Aleppo, Syria. Syrians marked the second anniversary of the uprising against Assad's regime amidst ongoing violence and mounting calls in Europe to review a weapons embargo that prevents the arming of opposition rebels. The opposition said it planned to mark the anniversary of the uprising with rallies in all areas under its control.Maysun—EPAMarch 18, 2013. Cypriots show their palms reading "No" during a protest against an EU bailout deal outside the parliament in Nicosia. Cyprus's parliament has postponed until March 19 a session to vote on the bailout deal that slaps a levy on all Cypriot bank savings, as negotiators scrambled to soften the blow for small deposit holders.Patrick Baz—AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 20, 2013. US President Barack Obama speaks during the welcoming ceremony at Ben Gurion airport, Tel Aviv, Israel. US presidential aircraft Air Force One has touched down at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, marking the start of President Barack Obama's first visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories since taking office in 2009.Oliver Weiken—EPAMarch 19, 2013. Pope Francis descends the stairs as he takes part in his inaugural mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican. Pope Francis celebrates his inaugural mass on Tuesday among political and religious leaders from around the world and amid a wave of hope for a renewal of the scandal-plagued Roman Catholic Church.Paul Hanna—ReutersMarch 15, 2013. The coffin with the remains of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is taken from the Military Academy to former 4 de Febrero barracks in Caracas. The body of Chavez was moved Friday to the barracks in a final march to honor of the leftist leader a month before elections are held to pick his successor. The Caracas military academy, where Chavez's casket has been on view, served as the starting point for the procession escorting the remains of the 58-year-old, who last week succumbed to cancer after 14 years in power.Juan Barreto—AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 18, 2013. Falleras dressed up in traditional costume prepare to present flowers to Saint Mary in Valencia, Spain. The Fallas festival, which runs from March 15 until March 19, celebrates the arrival of spring with fireworks, fiestas and bonfires made from large ninots (puppets).David Ramos—Getty ImagesMarch 15, 2013. A young boy is lead away by Israeli police officers during clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron.Abad Al Hashlamoun—EPAMarch 15, 2013. A child of the Syrian community in Romania covers his mouth during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, marking two years since the beginning of the anti regime uprising in Syria.Andreea Alexandru—APMarch 15, 2013. A Bahraini anti-government protester wearing a gas mask walks through tear gas fired by riot police in a cemetery in Jidhafs, Bahrain. Clashes erupted when protesters began heading toward the heavily guarded site of the Spring 2011 pro-democracy uprising in the Gulf island kingdom.Hasan Jamali—APMarch 16, 2013. Islamic religious students take mid-term exams at Jamia Binoria, the nation's largest Islamic seminary in Karachi. More than 2,000 students took their mid-term examinations at the madrasa where hundreds of Pakistanis and foreigners study.Asif Hassan—AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 16, 2013. Joseph, a 19-year-old fighter of the Aoun-bi-allah Brigade which operates under the Free Syrian Army, is held in a blanket after a sniper shot him in his abdomen in Aleppo.Giath Taha—ReutersMarch 16, 2013. A Somali man carries a large sailfish on his head as he transports it to Mogadishu's fish market in the Xamar Weyne district of the Somali capital.Stuart Price—AU-UN IST/ReutersMarch 16, 2013. An young Indian slum dweller eats bread standing near gutted shanties in the Santoshpur area on the outskirts of Kolkata on. Around 700 shanties were gutted in a fire leaving more than a thousand people homeless. Police said no injuries or casualties were reported.Dibyangshu Sarkar—AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 16, 2013. Zimbabwean voters cast their votes in a polling satation lit with candles and gas lamps in Waterfalls, a suburb of Harare, during a referendum on a new constitution that would curb President Robert Mugabe's powers and pave the way for elections later in the year. The country's main political parties, including Mugabe's long ruling ZANU-PF, are in favor of the proposed changes to the law, making the simple majority needed for a "yes" vote a near certainty.Alexander Joe—AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 17, 2013. Alter boys and girls chat with one-another before the arrival of Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny for Saint Patrick's Day Mass at St. Thomas More Church in the Breezy Point neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York City. Breezy Point, home to many residents with Irish ancestry, was devastated by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. Michael Nagle—Getty ImagesMarch 17, 2013. A man climbs up a smooth wooden column to win a contest during the celebrations of Maslenitsa, or Pancake Week, at the Bobrovy Log ski resort on the surburbs of Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.Ilya Naymushin—ReutersMarch 17, 2013. A heron is seen on its nest beside the Yellow River in Pinglu County, north China's Shanxi Province. Liu Wenli—Zuma PressMarch 18, 2013. Elderly Pakistan, Gul Nabi, 70, sits on a roadside near his home with his granddaughter Shailala, a year and a half, sleeping on his lap, on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday. Gul Nabi and nine members of his family fled Pakistan's tribal area of Bajur in 2009, due to fighting between the Taliban and the army, and took refuge in Islamabad.Muhammed Muheisen—APMarch 18, 2013. Revellers collect free flour to celebrate "Ash Monday" by participating in a colorful "flour war", a traditional festivity marking the end of the carnival season and the start of the 40-day Lent period until the Orthodox Easter,in the port town of Galaxidi, some 215 km (134 miles) north west of Athens. The revellers "fight" by throwing coloured flour, charcoal dust and powder painting until they essentially run out of supplies.Yannis Behrakis—ReutersMarch 18, 2013. People attend a 'mascleta' fired in the coastal city of Valencia, eastern Spain. A 'mascleta' is a loud explosive barrage of coordinated firecrackers and fireworks seen during Valencia's Fallas festival in honour of the city's patron saint, San Jose.Manuel Burque—EPAMarch 18, 2013. A Bangladeshi boy looks inside a car vandalized by activists of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) during a general strike in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Opposition activists in Bangladesh's capital detonated several homemade bombs and torched at least one bus during a general strike on Monday, as the country's political unrest continued. No injuries were reported in the blasts. The BNP and its 17 partners were enforcing Monday's shutdown, which is aimed at securing the release of 154 opposition leaders and activists detained this month.A.M. Ahad—APMarch 18, 2013. A Somali woman reacts near the site of a car bomb in central Mogadishu. At least eight people were killed on March 18 by a car bomb in central Mogadishu in one of the bloodiest attacks in the war-ravaged capital in recent months, police said.Mohamed Abdiwahab—AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 18, 2013. Carnival-goers throw flour at each other as they march in the center of the port town of Galaxidi, Greece.Panayiotis Tzamaros—Demotix/CorbisMarch 18, 2013. Palestinian laborers wait to cross into Jerusalem at an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. U.S. President Barack Obama is due to make his first official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories this week, looking to improve ties after sometimes rocky relations with both sides during his first term in office. Israeli settlement expansion lies at the heart of much of the rancor between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Obama, who has said the U.S. does not accept the legitimacy of continued settlement. Ammar Awad—ReutersMarch 18, 2013. Six men, arrested in connection with the gang rape of a female Swiss tourist, are escorted by police on their way to a court in Datia town, Madhya Pradesh, India. The Swiss tourist who was gang-raped in central India last week is to stay in the country to cooperate in the investigation and identification of the culprits, officials said. The 39-year-old tourist, who was on a cycling trip with her husband, was assaulted and robbed while camping near a village in the Datia district of Madhya Pradesh on March 15.Sanjeev Gupta—EPAMarch 18, 2013. An employee arranges flags at the residence of Israel's President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit.Ronen Zvulun—ReutersMarch 18, 2013. US Vice President Joe Biden gestures while entering to meet Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano (not pictured) at the Quirinale palace in Rome, Italy. Tony Gentile—EPAMarch 19, 2013. Prelates attend Pope Francis' inaugural Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. Pope Francis has officially begun his ministry as the 266th pope, receiving the ring symbolizing the papacy and a wool stole symbolizing his role as shepherd of his 1.2-billion strong flock.Andrew Medichini—APMarch 19, 2013. Faithful rest as they wait to watch the televised broadcast of the inaugural mass of Pope Francis near the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires. Pope Francis celebrates his inaugural mass on Tuesday among political and religious leaders from around the world and amid a wave of hope for a renewal of the scandal-plagued Roman Catholic Church.Enrique Marcarian—ReutersMarch 19, 2013. Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the papamobile during his inauguration mass in St. Peter's square, Vatican City. Hundreds of thousands of faithful, as well as political and religious dignitaries from all over the world, were expected to attend the inauguration mass of Pope Francis.Alessandro di Meo—EPAMarch 19, 2013. A Syrian shepherd cares for his flock near the ruins of the ancient Roman city of of Serjilla, in the northwestern province of Idlib. The conflict in Syria has killed at least 70,000 people, and forced more than one million Syrians to seek refuge abroad.Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 19, 2013. Syrian civilians carry body of a Syrian army soldier who killed as he tried to defect, during his funeral ceremony in Azmarin village, in the northwestern province of Idlib. The conflict has killed at least 70,000 people, and forced more than one million Syrians to seek refuge abroad.Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 19, 2013. Residents and medics transport a Syrian Army soldier, wounded in what they said was a chemical weapon attack near Aleppo, to a hospital. Syria's government and rebels accused each other of firing a rocket loaded with chemical agents outside the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday, an attack which a cabinet minister said killed 16 people and wounded 86.George Ourfalian—ReutersMarch 19, 2013. People are silhouetted as they walk along a street in Havana, Cuba. Enrique De La Osa—ReutersMarch 19, 2013. In a photo provided by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows a drill of the People's Army of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.KCNA—Xinhua /Landov March 19, 2013. Four-year-old bengal tiger "Mulan Jamila" plays with keeper Soleh at Al Khaffah Islamic school in Malang, Indonesia's East Java province. Sigit Pamungkas—ReutersMarch 19, 2013. Relatives mourn near the body of an assistant village chief who was shot dead while travelling on his motorcycle in Yarang district of Pattani province.Surapan Boonthanom—ReutersMarch 19, 2013. Afghan boys study at a makeshift school in the village of Budyali, Nengarhar Province, Afghanistan.Anja Niedringhaus—APMarch 19, 2013. Somali residents bury the remains of Mohamed Nuxurkey, a local journalist who died when a car bomb exploded near the presidential palace in Somalia's capital.Ismail Taxta—ReutersMarch 19, 2013. A firefighter tries to extinguish a fire at the Petacon Hill's garbage dump in Panama.Mauricio Valenzuela—Zuma PressMarch 20, 2013. Civilians search for survivors under the rubble after an airstrike by the regime in the neighborhood of Al Sukary in Aleppo, Syria.Sebastiano Tomada—Sipa USAMarch 20, 2013. Civilians react to a airstrike by the regime in the neighborhood of Al Sukary in Aleppo, Syria.Sebastiano Tomada—Sipa USAMarch 20, 2013. Animal rights activist from the group 'Animal Equality' are covered with plastic sheets to represent meat packaging as they stage a protest during "Day Without Meat" event in Barcelona, Spain.Emilio Morenatti—APMarch 20, 2013. Fans look on standing behind barbed wire during the British football player David Beckham visit to a middle school in Beijing, China. David Beckham is on a five-day visit to China at the invitation of the China Football Association as China's first international ambassador.Lintao Zhang—Getty ImagesMarch 20, 2013. Riders in the annual ABSA Cape Epic mountain bike stage race compete in Stage 3 of the seven-day stage race near Tulbagh, South Africa.Kim Ludbrook—EPAMarch 20, 2013. Final preparations are made before an official welcoming ceremony for U.S. President Barack Obama on his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel. Uriel Sinai—Getty ImagesMarch 20, 2013. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and US President Barack Obama leave after holding a joint press conference at the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem.Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 20, 2013. An Israeli settler (front) and Palestinians demonstrators, one wearing a mask depicting U.S. President Barack Obama, scuffle during a protest against the continued closure by the Israeli army of Shuhada street to Palestinians in the West Bank city of Hebron.Mussa Qawasma—ReutersMarch 20, 2013. An Afghan Army soldier secures the hill overlooking the Kart-e Sakhi mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan.Ahmad Jamshid — APMarch 20, 2013. Marionettes present creations by Fause Haten during the Sao Paulo Fashion Week 2013 Summer collections in Sao Paulo, Brazil.Yasuyoshi Chiba— AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 20, 2013. A Falla burns during the last day of the Las Fallas Festival on March 20, 2013 in Valencia, Spain.David Ramos — Getty ImagesMarch 20, 2013. A bodysurfer punches through a wave at the Ehukai sandbar near the surf break known as 'Pipeline' on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Hugh Gentr — ReutersThis undated image released by the Bezos Expeditions on March 21, 2013 shows an F-1 thrust chamber from the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that a year after discovering the rocket engines of Apollo 11 at 14,000 feet (4267.2 meters) in the Atlantic Ocean, the Bezos Expedition had retrieved "many prime pieces." A Saturn V rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on July 16, 1969, and by July 20 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon. Bezos said many of the serial numbers are missing or partially missing, making the identification of some pieces difficult. Bezos Expeditions/ AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 21, 2013. An overturned car is seen at the site of a bomb attack in Jalozai camp in Nowshera district, northwestern Pakistan. Fayaz Aziz—ReutersMarch 21, 2013. A body is seen on a street in Meikhtila. The central Myanmar town declared a curfew for a second night after clashes killed 10 people, including a Buddhist monk, and injured at least 20.Soe Zeya Tun—ReutersMarch 21, 2013. A man stands in front of a mosque as it burns in Meikhtila. The central Myanmar town declared a curfew for a second night on Thursday after clashes killed 10 people, including a Buddhist monk, and injured at least 20.Soe Zeya Tun—ReutersMarch 21, 2013. A Buddhist monk uses a traditional needle to tattoo the chest of Salut at Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Pathom province, about 80 km (50 miles) from Bangkok.Damir Sagol — ReutersMarch 21, 2013. Afghan security officials stand guard as people gather around the Shrine of saint Sakhi Saib to celebrate the Persian new year Nowruz in Kabul, Afghanistan. S. Sabawoon — EPAMarch 21, 2013. An Afghan child enjoys the swing during the celebration of Nowruz festival in Kabul. Ahmad Massoud—Zuma PressMarch 21, 2013. Hundreds of Afghans line up the hill overlooking the Kart-e Sakhi mosque in Kabul.Anja Niedringhaus—APMarch 20, 2013. A picture released by the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) claiming that the North Korean army is completely ready to fight against South Korea and the United States. North Korea threatened to attack US bases in Japan and on Guam on March 21 in reaction to flights by US B-52 bombers in South Korea during joint exercises, while the Stalinist state also activated air raid alerts. KCNA/EPAMarch 21, 2013. Britain's new Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby stands inside the entrance looking into Canterbury Cathedral as he arrives for his enthronement ceremony in Canterbury, England.Matt Dunham—APMarch 21, 2013. Palestinian groom Emad al-Malalha, 21, walks with Manal Abu Shanar, 17, his Egyptian bride, inside a smuggling tunnel beneath the Gaza-Egypt border in the southern Gaza Strip. Al-Malalha, who said that his bride was not given a permit from Egyptian authorities to enter the Gaza Strip, brought her from neighboring Egypt through a smuggling tunnel to celebrate his wedding in his native Gaza Strip.Ibhraheem Abu Mustafa—ReutersMarch 21, 2013. Mexican sewer diver Julio Cu Camara, 52, is lowered down in a cage during a dive at the city's drainage system plant in Mexico City. Edgard Garrido—Reuters March 21, 2013. A man sits as he mourns near the coffin of his brother, outside his tent in Jalozai camp, who was killed in a bomb attack in Nowshera district, northwestern Pakistan.Fayaz Aziz—ReutersMarch 21, 2013. The colored feet of a Hindu devotee are pictured outside a temple during "Lathmar Holi" at the village of Barsana in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Vivek Prakash—ReutersMarch 21, 2013. A young villager from Nandgaon soaked in water and colors arrives in Barsana village during the Lathmar Holy festival, the legendary hometown of Radha, in Barsana, India.Manish Swarup—APMarch 21, 2013. A group of women beat a man holding a shield over his head with sticks during "Lathmar Holi" at the village of Barsana in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Vivek Prakash—ReutersMarch 21, 2013. Indian Hindu devotees throw colored water at the Radha Rani temple during the Lathmar Holi festival in Barsana.Sanjay Kanojia—AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 21, 2013. Afghan men climb over a fence to touch and kiss the Islamic flag being hoisted at the Hazrat-e Ali shrine in Mazar-i Sharif as part of the Afghan new year celebrations. Nowruz, one of the biggest festivals of the war-scarred nation, marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in the Persian calendar. Nowruz is calculated according to a solar calendar, this coming year marking 1392.Farshad Usyan—AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 21, 2013. An Afghan woman leaves the shrine of Hazrat-i Ali ahead of 'Nowruz' festivities, the Persian New Year in Mazar-i- Sharif.Farshad Usyan—AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 21, 2013. Afghan boys play on a swing near the Sakhi shrine, the center of the Afghanistan new year celebrations in Kabul during Nowruz festivities.Massoud Hossaini—AFP/Getty ImagesMarch 22, 2013. An employee of Laiki bank, centre, reacts during a rally outside the Cypriot parliament, Cypriot authorities were putting the final touches to a plan they hope will convince international lenders to provide the money the country urgently needs to avoid bankruptcy within days. Petros Giannakouris— APMarch 22, 2013. Children wearing hoods as penitents wait before taking part in a procession at a school in the eve of Holy Week in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain. Marcelo del Pozo—Reuters March 21, 2013. People march, some in costume and wearing masks, during a small protest at the Tajin archeological ruins in Papantla, Mexico.Felix Marquez—APMarch 21, 2013. An Afghan refugee boy watches chickens feeding in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan.Muhammed Muheisen—APMarch 22, 2013. U.S. President Barack Obama walks with Rabbi Israel Meir Lau in the Hall of Remembrance during Obama's visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem.Jason Reed—ReutersMarch 21, 2013. A hare cowers in the snow near Frankfurt, Germany. One day after the astronomical beginning of spring and days before Easter, temperatures across the country were still cold. Patrick Pleul—AFP/Getty Images
