Photos of the week
Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims walk to the holy city of Kerbala, Iraq ahead of the holy Shi'ite ritual of Arbaeen, in Najaf, Dec. 8, 2014.
Arbaeen falls 40 days after the holy day of Ashura.
Israel
The polluted area caused by an oil spill is seen in the Evrona desert reserve, near the Red Sea resort city of Eilat, Israel, Dec. 10, 2014.
Ecologists said it could take years to clean up the massive oil spill that flooded an Israeli nature reserve with up to five million litres (1.3 million gallons) of crude oil and threatened to spread to the Red Sea shore and neighboring Jordan.
Belarus
A participant takes part in the first eyelash extension 'Beauty Eyes' championship in Minsk, Belarus, Dec. 7, 2014.
Russia
Spectators await the start of a movie screening at a Kinostar De Lux Multiplex in the Moscow suburb of Khimki, Dec. 7, 2014.
Furniture retailer IKEA converted one of the cinema halls, completely replacing standard seats with their furniture. There are seventee double beds fitted in the hall, which was renamed "It wakes love".
Indonesia
Thick and hot smoke spews from Mount Sinabung in Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Dec. 9, 2014.
Residents were evacuated this week because eruptions in early Feb. 2014 killed at least sixteen people and hundreds were forced to flee.
New York
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, lay flowers in memory of the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks during a visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, Dec. 9, 2014.
The couple are on a three-day U.S. east coast visit. This is the Duke and Duchess' first official visit to New York City.
Los Angeles
A massive fire burns engulfing an apartment building construction site near downtown Los Angeles, Dec. 8, 2014.
Crews battled two large fires in Los Angeles early Monday, including a massive one downtown that closed portions of two major freeways and blanketed the area in ash and heavy smoke.
Philippines
A boy sifts through debris following an overnight fire at an informal settlers' community in Tonsuya in Malabon city, north of Manila, Philippines, Dec. 10, 2014.
The fire razed more than 200 houses and affected close to a thousand people. Fire officials said five people were injured and they are investigating its cause.
New York
A street performer dressed as the Statue of Liberty is surrounded by light snow in Times Square in New York City, Dec. 10, 2014.
Greece
Riot police clash with masked youths occupying the Labour Center of Thessaloniki , Greece, Dec. 6, 2014.
Greek police fired teargas to disperse protesters who hurled petrol bombs at police and set alight bank ATMs and garbage cans in towns around Greece during marches held on the anniversary of the 2008 police killing of a teenager.
France
French President Francois Hollande (R) and former hostage, Serge Lazarevic, hug after delivering speeches at the Villacoublay military airport, near Paris, Dec.10, 2014.
Serge Lazarevic, a Frenchman who was kidnapped in northern Mali and was France's last hostage abroad, was freed after being held by al Qaeda's North African wing for nearly three years.
China
A kindergarten is seen surrounded by rubble at a demolition site in Xi'An, Shaanxi province, China, Dec. 8, 2014.
According to local government, the kindergarten has been running without a license and will be forced to shut down.
Bahrain
The reflection of a man is seen on the shattered windscreen of a car after a bomb blast in the village of Karzakan, near Manama in Bahrain, Dec. 9, 2014.
The explosion killed a Bahraini citizen and wounded an expatriate man according to the Interior Ministry on its Twitter account, in the second fatal attack in the Gulf Arab state in two days.
Berkeley, Calif.
Protesters rallying against police violence block both directions of Interstate 80 in Berkeley, Calif., Dec. 8, 2014.
Washington, D.C.
U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and First Lady Michelle Obama deliver toys and gifts donated by Executive Office of the President staff to the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., Dec. 10, 2014.
For 67 years the Toys for Tots program has worked with local communities to collect and distribute toys and gifts for less fortunate children throughout the United States.
California
A wave crashes behind Todd Linehan on the 18th green at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif., Dec. 10, 2014.
A strong Pacific storm system brought heavy rain, strong winds and high surf with breaking waves as high as 24ft (7.31 meters) along the California coast.
Oslo
Nobel Peace Prize laureates Kailash Satyarthi (R) and Malala Yousafzai display their medals and diplomas during the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony at City Hall in Oslo, Norway, Dec. 10, 2014.
Seventeen-year-old Pakistani girls' education activist Malala Yousafzai, known as Malala, shares the 2014 peace prize with the Indian childrens' rights activist Kailash Satyarthi, 60, who has fought for 35 years to free thousands of children from virtual slave labor.
West Bank
The daughter of Palestinian minister Ziad Abu Ein mourns over his body during his funeral in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Dec. 11, 2014.
Thousands of mourners turned out for a Palestinian state funeral for the minister who died after being grabbed by the neck by an Israeli policeman at a West Bank protest in an incident that raised tensions with Israel. Israeli and Palestinian officials issued conflicting accounts over the results of a joint Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli autopsy on Abu Ein.
Rome
Pope Francis leaves after praying in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary, on the occasion of the Immaculate Conception feast, in Rome, Dec. 8, 2014.
Pope Francis prayed that humanity be freed of "slavery" to material things as he visited Rome's swank shopping area near the Spanish Steps. Shoppers crowded into the square Monday to see Pope Francis keep an annual appointment that marks both the Dec. 8 Catholic feast day honoring the Virgin Mary and the traditional start of the city's holiday shopping season.
Seattle
Police with wooden sticks stand guard under the Macy's star in Seattle, Dec. 8, 2014, after they cleared a group of protesters out who had stopped traffic at 4th and Pine in downtown during a demonstration against the decisions not to indict police officers who who killed black men, Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in New York. Despite the blocking of the street, the protests Monday were generally peaceful.
New Delhi
Policemen escort Uber driver Shiv Kumar Yadav (C in black jacket), who is accused of a rape, outside a court in New Delhi, Dec. 8, 2014.
U.S. online ride-hailing service, Uber, has been banned from operating in the Indian capital after a female passenger accused one of its drivers of rape, a case that has reignited a debate about the safety of women in the South Asian nation.
Hong Kong
A demonstrator is taken away by police from the pro-democracy encampment outside government headquarters in Hong Kong, Dec. 11, 2014.
Hong Kong authorities cleared the main pro-democracy protest site that has choked roads into the city's most economically and politically important district for more than two months as part of a campaign to demand free elections.
China
Two 70 thousand RMB (about 11,310 USD) robots carry dishes and offer service for customers at a robot themed restaurant at Chunxi Road in Chengdu, China, Dec. 11, 2014.
The restaurant has 10 robots to serve as waiters. Each robot can carry simple dishes and offer simple greetings.
Hong Kong
A pro-democracy supporter makes a salute from "The Hunger Games" movies while holding a sign outside government headquarters in Hong Kong, Dec. 11, 2014.
Hong Kong police arrested pro-democracy activists and cleared the main protest site Thursday, marking an end to more than two months of street demonstrations in the Chinese-controlled city, but many protesters chanted: "We will be back".
Mumbai
A competitor waits to go onstage during the 6th World Body Building and Physique Sports competition in Mumbai, India, Dec. 9, 2014.
More than 400 competitors from 48 countries participated in the competition which was divided into 35 categories.
New York
Policemen (background) keep guard as men and boys stand near police tape outside the entrance to the world headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, the scene of a stabbing incident, at a Brooklyn synagogue in New York, Dec. 9, 2014.
New York police shot and killed a man armed with a knife early after he stabbed a rabbinical student from Israel in the head at a Brooklyn synagogue.
Kazakhstan
Pigeons fly past a woman begging as it snows in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Dec. 7, 2014.