February 21, 2014 9:55 AM EST
F rom deadly protests in Ukraine and a series of shocks at the Sochi Olympics to new waxworks of Ronald and Nancy Reagan and the start of Carnival in Rio, TIME presents the best pictures of the week.
Feb. 19, 2014. Riot police officers stand on Independence Square during on-going anti-government protests in downtown Kiev, Ukraine. Alexey Furman—EPA Feb. 15, 2014. Team USA's Cam Fowler scores against Russia's goalie Sergei Bobrovski and Russia's Alexei Tereshenko during the second period of their men's preliminary round ice hockey game at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Sochi, Russia. Brian Snyder—Reuters Feb. 17, 2014. African asylum seekers and inmates of the Holot Detention centre stand at the fence of the facility during a protest in Holot, Israel. Oliver Weiken—EPA Feb. 18, 2014. German Chancellor Angela Merkel watches a dance performance by Liana Wolf during a reception of German carnival societies at the Chancellery in Berlin. Thomas Peter—Reuters Feb 14, 2014. The International Space Station flies in front of a full moon as seen from Salgotarjan, 109 kms northeast of Budapest, Hungary. Peter Komka—EPA Relatives of victims who were killed when a resort building collapsed, comfort each other at a group memorial altar in Gyeongju, about 235 miles southeast of Seoul, Korea. Kim Hong—Reuters Feb. 18, 2014. A wax figure of former U.S. first lady Nancy Reagan with former U.S. President Ronald Reagan is unveiled for the first time at Madame Tussauds in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee—Getty Images Feb. 15, 2014. The T-50 jets of South Korean Air Force aerobatics team, the Black Eagles, perform a maneuver in the aerial display at the Singapore Air Show in Singapore. Joseph Nair—AP Feb. 15, 2014. A Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) government soldier from the 2nd Battalion rests under a tree at the SPLA headquarters in Nyang, in the county of Yirol East, South Sudan. Fabio Bucciarelli—AFP/Getty Images Feb. 14, 2014. Druse women walk down the stairs during a rally, demanding the return of the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in 1967, close to the Syrian border in Majdal Shams, Golan Heights. Oded Balilty—AP Feb. 14, 2014. Maria Rodriguez (L) and Edor Philogene wait to wed at the group Valentine's day wedding ceremony at the National Croquet Center on in West Palm Beach, Florida. Joe Raedle—Getty Images Feb. 14, 2014. First-placed Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu bows after the flower ceremony for the figure skating men's free skating program at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, Sochi, Russia. David Gray —Reuters Feb. 15, 2014. T.J. Oshie of the United States shoots during a shootout against Sergei Bobrovski of Russia during the Men's Ice Hockey Preliminary Round Group A game on day eight of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Bolshoy Ice Dome. Al Bello—Getty Images Feb. 14, 2014. Tens of thousands of Thais and Buddhist monks attend Makha Bucha ceremonies at Wat Phra Dhammakaya on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand. Christopher Brown—Polaris Feb. 15, 2014. A relative of a missing Kashmiri youth takes part in a silent protest, organized by Association of Parents of Disappeared People (APDP), in Srinagar, India. Dar Yasin—AP Feb. 15, 2014. Bahraini pro-democracy protesters hold up a large banner in the colors of their national flag with the words, "we will be there for Bahrain," during a march near Barbar, west of the capital of Manama, Bahrain. Hasan Jamali—AP Feb. 16, 2014. Residents attend a Sunday Christian mass at Yirol church, South Sudan. Fabio Bucciarelli—AFP/Getty Images Feb. 16, 2014. People gather at the site where a passenger train derailed after a blast in Pakistan's southern Kashmore district. Reuters Feb. 16, 2014. Filipino firemen take a rest after controlling a fire in Manila, Philippines. Aaron Favila—AP February 16, 2014. Drums queen Thalia Cristina walks into an office space at a Jacarezinho samba school practice session ahead of Carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mario Tama—Getty Images Feb. 17, 2014. Thai soldiers stand guard during a protest against the government's repeatedly delayed payments for rice submitted to the pledging scheme at the government's temporary office in Bangkok, Thailand. Pornchai Kittiwongs—AFP/Getty Images Feb. 17, 2014. Israel's President Shimon Peres waits for the arrival of his Peruvian counterpart Ollanta Humala (not pictured) before their meeting in Jerusalem. Ronen Zvulun—Reuters Feb. 17, 2014. Anti-government protesters simulate an execution scene during a protest in Sarajevo. Dado Ruvic—Reuters Feb. 17, 2014. A model displays an Autumn/Winter design by Carlos Diez during Madrid Fashion Week, Madrid, Spain. Andres Kudacki—AP Feb. 17, 2014. Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States celebrate their first place following the flower ceremony in the ice dance free dance figure skating finals at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sochi, Russia. Darron Cumming—AP Feb. 17, 2014. A boy sits by the edges of a window at Ouango, in Bangui, Central African Republic. Luc Gnago—Reuters Feb. 18, 2014. Thai police officers prepare to march forward in an attempt to push back anti-government protestors near the Government House in Bangkok. Manjunath Kiran—AFP/Getty Images Feb. 18, 2014. New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is seen through the bullpen fence during spring training baseball practice in Tampa, Fla. Charlie Neibergall—AP Feb. 18, 2014. Members of a South Korean fire department's rescue team search for victims in a collapsed building in the Mauna Ocean resort in Gyeongju, South Korea. Jeon Heon—EPA Feb. 18, 2014. A statue of a cow stands on a balcony of a private home in Hanover, Germany. Julian Stratenschulte—EPA Feb. 18, 2014. Anti-government protesters clash with the police during their storming of Independence Square in Kiev. Francesca Volpi—SIPA Feb. 18, 2014. Citizens take cover as shots are fired during clashes between anti-government protesters and the police near the Government House in Bangkok. Damir Sogolj—Reuters Feb. 18, 2014. An anti-government protester with his head covered with a plastic bag, gestures near the Government House in Bangkok. Athit Perawongmeth—Reuters Feb. 18, 2014. A person looks through the window onto the street where police and anti-government protesters clash near the Government House in Bangkok. Damir Sagolj—Reuters Feb. 18, 2014. Members of a United States Marine Corps carry team salute during the transfer of Master Sgt. Aaron Torian of Paducha, K.Y., at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del. Torian was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in February. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images Feb. 17, 2014. Palestinian Hamas militants march during a training exercise in Gaza. Mohammed Salem—Reuters Feb. 18, 2014. A boat breaks through ice on Lake Michigan near Chicago. Scott Olson—Getty Images Feb. 19, 2014. Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, left, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, second from left, along with other officials get ready to receive Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the presidential palace in New Delhi, India. Manish Swarup—AP Feb. 19, 2014. Pakistani girls chase bubbles released by a vendor, in a slum in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Muhammed Muheisen—AP Feb. 19, 2014. Amran Mahamood, who has made a living for 15 years by circumcising young girls, looks into a piece of a mirror in Hargeisa, Somalia. Nichole Sobecki—AFP/Getty Images Feb. 19, 2014. An Afghan internally displaced girl looks through a window made of a broken car windshield at their home in a poor neighborhood in Kabul, Afghanistan. Massoud Hossaini—AP Feb. 19, 2014. Forza Italia party's Silvio Berlusconi leaves after a meeting with Italian premier-designate Matteo Renzi at the Lower Housee in Rome. Giuseppe Lami—EPA Feb. 19, 2014. Pope Francis salutes the crowd as he arrives for his general audience in St Peter's square at the Vatican. Gabriel Bouys—AFP/Getty Images Feb. 18, 2014.
Children peep from behind a curtain next to Jewish ultra-orthodox bride Rivka Hannah (Hofman) during the Mitzvah Tans dance ritual following her wedding in an ultra-orthodox neighborhood of Jerusalem. Menahem Kahana—AFP/Getty Images Feb. 19, 2014. Julia Lipnitskaya of Russia competes in the women's short program figure skating competition at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sochi, Russia. Bernat Armangue—AP Feb. 19, 2014. Korea's Yuna Kim competes during the Figure Skating Women's Short Program at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, Sochi, Russia. Issei Kato—Reuters Feb. 20, 2014. A paper heart is viewed on top of a melting mound of snow as temperatures in New York City reach into the mid 40's revealing trash that's been buried for weeks in New York City. Spencer Platt—Getty Images Feb. 20, 2014. The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is seen in an aerial view on February 20, 2014 in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nevada. The largest solar thermal power-tower system in the world, owned by NRG Energy, Google and BrightSource Energy, opened last week in the Ivanpah Dry Lake and uses 347,000 computer-controlled mirrors to focus sunlight onto boilers on top of three 459-foot towers, where water is heated to produce steam to power turbines providing power to more than 140,000 California homes. Ethan Miller—Getty Images Feb. 20, 2014. Israelis enjoy the beach under heavy fog at the Mediterranean Sea beach front in Tel Aviv, Israel. Oded Balilty—AP Feb. 20, 2014. A boy stands on an airplane in the Christian Mpoko refugee camp in Bangui, Central African Republic. Fred Dufour—AFP/Getty Images Feb. 20, 2014. A civilian, wounded by the impact of a rocket, sits on his bed at "Hopital de l'Amitie" in Bangui, Central African Republic. Luc Gnago—Rueters Feb. 20, 2014. A protester holds an Ukranian national flag from a burned building during a face-off against police in Kiev. Ukraine. Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty Images Feb. 20, 2014. Protesters burn as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police in Kiev, Ukraine. Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty Images Feb. 20, 2014. An injured man struggles to breathe as he is carried on a stretcher by anti-government protesters after clashes with riot police in the Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine. Yannis Behrakis—Reuters Feb. 20, 2014. Bodies of anti-government protesters killed in clashes with police lay at the Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine. Marko Drobnjakovic—AP Feb. 21, 2014.A scarecrow like mock anti-government protestor is pictured on a barricade between protestors and government forces in Kiev., Ukraine. Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty Images More Must-Reads from TIME