Some of the most compelling photographs from RFE/RL's broadcast region and beyond. For more photo galleries, see our <strong><a href="http://www.rferl.org/archive/rferl-photo-blog/latest/16235/16235.html" target="_blank">"Picture This"</a></strong> archive.
Photos Of The Week #12
![Afghans gather near a shrine to celebrate the Afghan New Year (Norouz) in Kabul on March 21. (epa/Sabawoon)](https://gdb.rferl.org/9f8348f9-b234-421b-9776-4c81ce2b54b6_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Afghans gather near a shrine to celebrate the Afghan New Year (Norouz) in Kabul on March 21. (epa/Sabawoon)
![German Chancellor Angela Merkel is silhouetted against the sky as she arrives for a session of the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin on March 20. (Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch)](https://gdb.rferl.org/6fba77f7-ad60-4be2-9f43-f0b1d2e69ef0_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel is silhouetted against the sky as she arrives for a session of the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin on March 20. (Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch)
![Ukrainian servicemen watch a TV broadcast of Russian President Vladimir Putin signing a law that ratifies a treaty making Crimea part of Russia, at a Ukrainian military base in the Crimean town of Belbek on March 21. (Reuters//Vasily Fedosenko) ](https://gdb.rferl.org/e16a1950-f78a-40b5-8df4-8a30effc1dd3_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Ukrainian servicemen watch a TV broadcast of Russian President Vladimir Putin signing a law that ratifies a treaty making Crimea part of Russia, at a Ukrainian military base in the Crimean town of Belbek on March 21. (Reuters//Vasily Fedosenko)
![Azerbaijani enthusiasts of Varzesh-e Pahlavani, an ancient Iranian martial art, perform during celebrations of the Persian New Year, known as Noruoz, in Baku on March 19. (AFP/Tofiq Babayev)](https://gdb.rferl.org/1cf05ec0-11f7-4677-9f4f-34db94718352_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Azerbaijani enthusiasts of Varzesh-e Pahlavani, an ancient Iranian martial art, perform during celebrations of the Persian New Year, known as Noruoz, in Baku on March 19. (AFP/Tofiq Babayev)
![Israeli street performers run along next to a marathon contestant as they pass the Old City walls and the Tower of David complex during the fourth annual Jerusalem Marathon. (AFP/Jim Hollander)](https://gdb.rferl.org/8ae65194-1077-45d9-97c2-8912c234b107_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Israeli street performers run along next to a marathon contestant as they pass the Old City walls and the Tower of David complex during the fourth annual Jerusalem Marathon. (AFP/Jim Hollander)
![A woman dressed in national costume offers traditional local dishes during Norouz celebrations in Bishkek. (epa/Igor Kovalenko)](https://gdb.rferl.org/b88696c8-389a-4171-8daf-fdf6bb1016fa_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A woman dressed in national costume offers traditional local dishes during Norouz celebrations in Bishkek. (epa/Igor Kovalenko)
![An elderly man sells plastic bags at the central market in Chisinau, Moldova. (AFP/Daniel/Mihailescu)](https://gdb.rferl.org/6439a488-d7eb-45b2-9f35-7056b4b393ce_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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An elderly man sells plastic bags at the central market in Chisinau, Moldova. (AFP/Daniel/Mihailescu)
![Iraqi Kurdish people carry torches up a mountain where a giant flag of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region is laid, as they celebrate Norouz Day, a festival marking their spring and new year, near Dahuk, on March 20. (Reuters/Azad Lashkari)](https://gdb.rferl.org/5980133a-2e90-4a1f-a9d3-48049586dff5_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Iraqi Kurdish people carry torches up a mountain where a giant flag of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region is laid, as they celebrate Norouz Day, a festival marking their spring and new year, near Dahuk, on March 20. (Reuters/Azad Lashkari)
![Afghan zookeeper Qurban Ali (right) attempts to intervene as Marjan, a lion (center), plays at his cage in Kabul's zoo. (AFP/Shah Marai)](https://gdb.rferl.org/4f4c2826-31c7-40cb-af3f-11eaabbbc5e9_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Afghan zookeeper Qurban Ali (right) attempts to intervene as Marjan, a lion (center), plays at his cage in Kabul's zoo. (AFP/Shah Marai)
![Supporters of Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai attend an election campaign rally in Konduz Province. (Reuters/Ahmad Masood)](https://gdb.rferl.org/1ea87078-a7f3-4862-aa1e-dfcecea3c1ca_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Supporters of Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai attend an election campaign rally in Konduz Province. (Reuters/Ahmad Masood)
![Two women, believed to be Ukrainian servicewomen, carry their uniforms as they walk past an armed man, believed to be a Russian serviceman, while leaving a military base in Perevalnoye, near Simferopol in Crimea on March 19. (Reuters/Shamil Zhumatov)](https://gdb.rferl.org/2500a4aa-dee1-41fd-94d7-29cd49e83144_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Two women, believed to be Ukrainian servicewomen, carry their uniforms as they walk past an armed man, believed to be a Russian serviceman, while leaving a military base in Perevalnoye, near Simferopol in Crimea on March 19. (Reuters/Shamil Zhumatov)
![A Ukrainian MI-8 military helicopter is seen near the village of Salkovo in the Kherson region adjacent to Crimea on March 18. (Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko)](https://gdb.rferl.org/7a6ba42a-0768-4b88-b4a8-7ba5f1fb367a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A Ukrainian MI-8 military helicopter is seen near the village of Salkovo in the Kherson region adjacent to Crimea on March 18. (Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko)
![Kyrgyz horsemen participate in the traditional Central Asian sport of Kok-Boru (goat dragging) in Bishkek. (epa/Igor Kovalenko)](https://gdb.rferl.org/edc498d7-f308-473e-a707-5f11b966262a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Kyrgyz horsemen participate in the traditional Central Asian sport of Kok-Boru (goat dragging) in Bishkek. (epa/Igor Kovalenko)
![A man drapes the Russian flag on his shoulders as he stands on the coast of the Bay of Sevastopol, Crimea. (epa/Zurab Kursikidze)](https://gdb.rferl.org/4f2e756e-cf04-4a3c-bc0b-51a2f13dc113_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A man drapes the Russian flag on his shoulders as he stands on the coast of the Bay of Sevastopol, Crimea. (epa/Zurab Kursikidze)
![A woman holds a portrait of Russia's President Vladimir Putin as others wave Russian flags as the preliminary results of referendum on Crimea joining Russia are announced on March 16. (Reuters/Baz Ratner)](https://gdb.rferl.org/59c26c9c-b101-426f-9b06-9b2311609195_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A woman holds a portrait of Russia's President Vladimir Putin as others wave Russian flags as the preliminary results of referendum on Crimea joining Russia are announced on March 16. (Reuters/Baz Ratner)
![An Iraqi Kurd woman visits a graveyard for the victims of a gas attack by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 1988, as people mark the 26th anniversary of the attack in the Kurdish town of Halabja on March 16. (AFP/Safin Hamed)](https://gdb.rferl.org/8ad7b95b-3092-49c1-9314-099d1200b5b6_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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An Iraqi Kurd woman visits a graveyard for the victims of a gas attack by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 1988, as people mark the 26th anniversary of the attack in the Kurdish town of Halabja on March 16. (AFP/Safin Hamed)
![Members of a "Maidan" self-defense battalion take part in training at a Ukrainian Interior Ministry base near Kyiv on March 17. (Reuters/Gleb Garanich)](https://gdb.rferl.org/d6f56592-47db-46df-8aa7-d3239bbaff96_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Members of a "Maidan" self-defense battalion take part in training at a Ukrainian Interior Ministry base near Kyiv on March 17. (Reuters/Gleb Garanich)
![A man holds a Crimean flag outside the parliament building in central Simferopol on March 17 after the region declared independence from Ukraine following a referendum on March 16. (AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff)](https://gdb.rferl.org/e272eefb-a38c-48f2-a5e4-c9e6f9306860_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A man holds a Crimean flag outside the parliament building in central Simferopol on March 17 after the region declared independence from Ukraine following a referendum on March 16. (AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff)
![Iraqi security forces fire artillery during clashes with the Al Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant in Jurf al-Sakhar on March 17. (Reuters/Alaa al-Marjani)](https://gdb.rferl.org/dbdf9879-d717-4b0f-ae23-d5161761be18_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Iraqi security forces fire artillery during clashes with the Al Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant in Jurf al-Sakhar on March 17. (Reuters/Alaa al-Marjani)