The Week in Pictures | Feb. 6-12, 2012 - Framework - Photos and Video - Visual Storytelling from the Los Angeles Times

Athens — A gasoline bomb explodes at the feet of riot police as a 48-hour general strike protesting new austerity measures in Greece turns violent. After being bombarded with stones and fire bombs, police responded with tear gas.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: MAX GYSELINCK / AFP / Getty Images

Aleppo, Syria — Rubble from one of two targeted bombings fill a street in Syria's second-largest city. The explosions struck security compounds and killed at least 25 people.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: EPA

Hebron, West Bank — Palestinian police stage a raid in an Israeli-controlled section of Hebron to arrest 56 Palestinians on various charges. Israel and the Palestinian Authority control different sections of Hebron, home to more 120,000 Palestinians and several hundred Jewish settlers, since the city was split in 1997.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: ABED AL HASHLAMOUN / EPA

Kfar Qaddum, West Bank — A man is carried to safety after inhaling tear gas during a confrontation between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians protesting the expropriation of land in their village.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP / Getty Images

Srinagar, India — Kashmiri Muslims pray at the Hazratbal shrine, which houses a relic believed to be a hair from the beard of the prophet Muhammad, as part of the 10-day celebration of the anniversary of Muhammad's birth.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: FAROOQ KHAN / EPA

Sofia, Bulgaria — Worshippers gather around candles stuck to jars of honey arranged in the shape of a cross during a Mass for the "sanctification of honey" at the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin church, where Eastern Orthodox priests blessed honey and beehives to mark the day of St. Haralampus, patron saint of beekeepers.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Valentina Petrova / Associated Press

London — A man walks with his dogs next to Queen's Mere pond at the snow-covered Wimbledon Common as southern England continues to suffer from freezing conditions.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images

Castleford, England — Swans and a few ducks scrap for a piece of bread at a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds site where, thanks to continuing cold weather, only a small area of open water remains unfrozen in the pond where they feed.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: John Giles / Associated Press

Geneva — Boats, some sunk, are laden with the weight of ice formed when the wind blew waves over the boardwalk of the Lake Geneva.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Salvatore Di Nolfi / Associated Press

Cairo — Egyptian protesters wave national flags and shout slogans against the military rulers of the country during a protest in Tahrir Square. A year after Egypt overthrew Hosni Mubarak, the poor state of the once-growing economy of the Arab world's most populous nation poses a threat to its restive transition to democracy.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP / Getty Images

Berlin, Germany — People are reflected in the sculpture "Gestell mit 6 Scheiben" (Construction with 6 glass panes), the retrospective exhibition by German artist Gerhard Richter at the Neue Nationalgalarie Museum.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Markus Schreiber / Associated Press

New Delhi — A Tamil Hindu priest has antiseptic powder applied to his face after a ceremonial steel rod that had punctured his cheeks was removed during a blessing ritual for the festival of Thaipusam. The annual festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, marking the day that Goddess Parvati presented a weapon to Murugan, her son with Hindu God Shiva, to vanquish a demon army.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Kevin Frayer / Associated Press

Osnabrueck, Germany — A baby chimpanzee named Nayla clings to her adoptive mother, Vanessa, at the Osnabrueck zoo. Nayla's biological mother had rejected her after giving birth Jan. 15.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: FRISO GENTSCH / EPA

Friedrichskoog, Germany — A young gray seal peeks out of partly frozen water at a breeding station.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: CARSTEN REHDER / DPA

Cologne, Germany — Two 3-month-old tiger cubs play with their mother, Hanya, as they explore their outdoor enclosure at the zoo.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: ROLF VENNENBERND / DPA

Yangon, Myanmar — Dawn breaks over the Shwedagon pagoda. With the West looking at easing sanctions and businesses closely watching sweeping democratic reforms in the country, Myanmar needs to prepare for an anticipated increase in investments and tourism, analysts said.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

Catania, Italy — Lava spews during an eruption of Mt. Etna in Sicily.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Carmelo Imbesi / Associated Press

Hamburg, Germany — A boat makes its way through floating ice on the river Elbe as a cold spell continues across Europe.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Matthias Schrader / Associated Press

Afsluitdijk, Netherlands — Tourists admire the frozen man-made IJsselmeer lake. Organizers of the Eleven Cities Tour, the world's largest speedskating competition, dealt 16,000 skaters a crushing blow Wednesday when they decided the ice was too thin to hold the race.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Peter Dejong / Associated Press

Oberstdorf, Germany — Visitors take a rest Wednesday at an igloo lodge near Nebelhorn mountain. The village of 10 igloos hosts up to 30 guests in the winter months, supplying them with warm blankets and sleeping bags so they can spend the night.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Lukas Barth / DAPD

Chapel Hill, N.C. — Duke's Austin Rivers raises a fist as he celebrates his game-winning basket with teammates after their 85-84 win over the University of North Carolina.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Chuck Liddy / The News & Observer

Jerez de la Frontera, Spain — Force India's French driver Jules Bianchi drives off the track during a Formula One training session at Jerez racetrack.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP

Baghdad — Iraqi supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr wave their national flag during a celebration marking the departure of U.S. troops from Iraq.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: ALI AL-SAADI / AFP

New Delhi — As part of the worldwide vigil day, activists perform a street play to protest China's crackdown on Tibetan protesters.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: HARISH TYAGI / EPA

Katmandu, Nepal — A woman prays at a monastery after a candlelight vigil for victims of violence in Tibet was canceled for security reasons.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Niranjan Shrestha / Associated Press

New Delhi — A Tibetan activist in exile takes part in a protest denouncing clashes between Chinese authorities and Tibetans.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: SAJJAD HUSSAIN / AFP/Getty Images

Bayrischzell, Germany — Skiers walk beside frost-covered Wendelstein Church, Germany's highest church, in the Bavarian Alps. Temperatures have been plunging to new lows across Europe over the last two weeks, and the cold weather has claimed more than 220 lives.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP/Getty Images

Moscow — Homeless people eat a free meal provided by the Russian Orthodox Church near a railway terminal as temperatures in the city fell to single digits.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Alexander Zemlianichenko / Associated Press

Tokyo — College students shout and raise their arms at the start of an annual ceremony that aims to encourage future graduates as they look for jobs.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: TORU YAMANAKA / AFP/Getty Images

Madrid — During a protest outside the Supreme Court building, a demonstrator places a red carnation on a banner showing photos of victims of the Spanish Civil War. The protest came on the last day of the trial of Judge Baltasar Garzon, who is accused of overstepping his jurisdiction by probing atrocities linked to the war.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Paul White / Associated Press

Ayodhaya, India — An election official watches as a man fills out his ballot vote during voting for the state Assembly in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: PRAKASH SINGH / AFP/Getty Images

International Space Station — The crew aboard the International Space Station captures a spectacular image of an aurora borealis as the spacecraft passes over a section of western Canada.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: NASA

Male, Maldives — An anti-government protester throws back a tear-gas canister at police during clashes that came after President Mohamed Nasheed stepped down a day earlier. Nasheed said he was forced out of office in a coup, and demanded that his successor resign immediately.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: ISHARA S.KODIKARA / AFP/Getty Images

Cairo — Omar Ahmad, 6, walks in his neighborhood, his face painted with the colors of Egypt's flag.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Muhammed Muheisen / Associated Press

New Delhi — A peddler is silhouetted as he inflates balloons for sale at the India Gate monument.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP/Getty Images

Colombo, Sri Lanka — A traditional mask dancer performs in an annual Buddhist procession. Hundreds of dancers, drummers, decorated elephants and Buddhist monks took part in the event, which is held on a full moon.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gemunu Amarasinghe / Associated Press

Senj, Croatia — Lampposts are covered in ice in this Adriatic coastal town as Europeans across the continent have been battling more than a week of extreme weather. Thousands are still trapped by snow in remote mountain villages in the Balkans, and hundreds -- most of them homeless -- are dead after temperatures dropped well below zero.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Darko Bandic / Associated Press

Balatonakarattya, Hungary — Salvage workers look on as one of two Hummers is pulled out of Lake Balaton. Seven people were reportedly sitting in the vehicles when a thick layer of ice broke under them, causing the SUVs to sink. The passengers were reported to have escaped unhurt.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: LAJOS NAGY / MTI

Bad Urach, Germany — A hiker stands behind icicles as he takes snapshots of a frozen waterfall. The cold spell sweeping across Europe is expected to bring even more snow and frigid temperatures in the coming days.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: ANNAÂ SCHUERMANN / DPA

Amsterdam — A bicycle attached to a bridge is seen in the foreground as two skaters pass over the frozen Keizersgracht canal. Volunteers poured onto frozen rivers and lakes in the northern Netherlands to clear the ice of snow for a grueling speedskating race -- the Elfstedentocht, or 11 Cities Tour -- being held for the first time in 15 years.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Peter Dejong / Associated Press

Katmandu, Nepal — Nepalese firefighters try to control a grass fire close to the runway of Nepal's international airport, forcing flights to be diverted to India. No casualties or damage were reported.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Niranjan Shrestha / Associated Press

Guihulngan, Philippines — Residents carry their belongings as they cross a damaged road, part of a national highway, in the village of Tuway a day after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippines. The quake triggered landslides, collapsed homes and killed dozens of people.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: TED ALJIBE / AFP

Guihulngan, Philippines — Filipino landslide survivors Dodoy Lisondra, left, and his wife, Sherly, cry after seeing their daughter's lifeless body being recovered by rescuers a day after the earthquake hit. At least 48 people were dead and up to 92 were missing, an army commander said.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: DENNIS M. SABANGAN / EPA

Karachi, Pakistan — Pakistani fishermen use cranes to pull the carcass of a whale shark from the water. The 40-foot fish, weighing about 6 to 7 tons, was found dead in the Arabian Sea.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: ASIF HASSAN / AFP

Athens — Protesters try to enter parliament during a 24-hour general strike against new austerity measures demanded with increasing urgency by the European Union as part of a new bailout deal.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI / AFP

Male, Maldives — Maldives police officers throw tear gas canisters during a clash with the military. The first democratically elected president, Mohamed Nasheed, resigned after police joined protesters and then clashed with soldiers amid protests over his controversial arrest of a top judge.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Sinan Hussain / Associated Press

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — A Hindu devotee gets his cheek and tongue pierced with metal rods during the Thaipusam full moon festival at Batu Caves.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Lai Seng Sin / Associated Press

New Delhi — An Indian girl stands against a vermilion-covered wall at the Hanuman Mandir, or Monkey God Temple. Wealthy devotees who often fast on Tuesdays and Saturdays donate food during their visit to the temple.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Kevin Frayer / Associated Press

London — Staff member Jess Spokes is surrounded by placards arranged on seats for Sunday's British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards at the Royal Opera House.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jonathan Short / Associated Press

New York — Fans line the streets in Lower Manhattan before the start of the New York Giants Super Bowl parade -- a ticker-tape parade in the Canyon of Heroes on Broadway, where the city has honored stars for almost a century.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Seth Wenig / Associated Press

Jalandhar, India — A stuntman displays his skills inside a "Well of Death" at a fair.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Davinder Luther / Associated Press

Yala, Thailand — Thai-Chinese devotees carry an icon while walking through a fire during the annual festival at Chao Mae Lim Ko Nieo temple in Thailand's southern province of Yala. Chao Mae Lim Ko Nieo, a goddess believed to possess potent magic powers, is revered by the Chinese in Yala and other provinces of southern Thailand.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: MUHAMMED SABRI / AFP / Getty Images

Yongin, South Korea — South Koreans release paper lanterns to celebrate the first full moon of the Lunar New Year. According to the lunar calendar, the first full moon falls on Monday, Feb. 6, this year, and is the day Koreans traditionally eat special treats and wish for a bountiful harvest in the year.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Ahn Young-joon / Associated Press

Zibo, China — Chinese folk artists perform on the street to celebrate the Chinese Lantern Festival. The Chinese Lantern Festival, also known as the Yuanxiao Festival or Shangyuan Festival, falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. In this festival Chinese people light lanterns, guess lantern riddles and get together with their family to celebrate.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: WU HONG / EPA

Cairo, Egypt — An Egyptian demonstrator wears a "Scary Movie" mask as he challenges riot policemen during confrontations in Cairo, as protesters and police clashed again outside Cairo's security headquarters in the wake of deadly soccer violence and amid calls by activists for civil disobedience in Egypt.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: MARCO LONGARI / AFP / Getty Images

Lahore, Pakistan — Rescue workers search for bodies after a factory building collapsed due to a gas explosion. At least two people were killed and dozens more trapped when a three-story factory building collapsed in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, officials said.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: RAHAT DAR / EPA

Katmandu, Nepal — A Nepalese schoolboy plays near Sighal Monestry.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Niranjan Shrestha / Associated Press

Sao Paulo, Brazil — A participant arrives at the camping area of the VI edition of the "Campus Party" event in Sao Paulo. The Campus Party is an annual weeklong, 24-hour technology festival that gather around 7,000 hackers, developers, gamers and computer geeks.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Andre Penner / Associated Press

New Delhi, India — A honeybee on a flower at a public garden. Flowers are in full bloom as the Indian capital experienced another sunny morning after a month of biting cold.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: HARISH TYAGI / EPA

Geneva — A view of an ice-covered tree on the frozen waterside of the boardwalk of Lake Geneva. A cold spell has reached Europe with temperatures plummeting far below zero.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: SALVATORE DI NOLFI / EPA

Skopje, Macedonia — A woman has wrapped herself in her coat and scarf as she walks during snowfall in a street. An usual heavy snowfall hit Macedonia in the early morning followed by Siberian cold. A cold wave sweeping across Europe has killed more than 420 people since late January, many of them homeless, and weather reports forecast more snow and frigid temperatures for the upcoming days.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: GEORGI LICOVSKI / EPA

Amsterdam, The Netherlands — Youths prepare to skate on the ice covering one of the canals in Amsterdam. The Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht canals have been closed to shipping for days and the ice covering them is thick enough to skate on.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: EVERT ELZINGA / AFP / Getty Images

Tripoli, Libya — A girl with the Syrian revolutionary flag painted on her face attends an anti-Syrian regime protest in front of the Chinese embassy in Tripoli. Russia and China have vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at ending Syria's bloodshed, despite international outrage over a devastating bombardment of the city of Homs by President Bashar Assad's forces.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Abdel Magid al-Fergany / AP

New Delhi, India — An Indian man paddles a raft to a concrete island, meant to be part of an overpass construction project but now derilect, as he searches for items to salvage in the holy River Yamuna, in New Delhi. The Yamuna is one of the world's most polluted rivers and supplies more than 60% of the water needed by the Delhi region.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Kevin Frayer / Associated Press