This Week in Pictures

Fighters from the Iraqi Imam Ali Brigade take part in a training exercise in Iraq's central city of Najaf on March 7, 2015, ahead of joining the military operation in the city of Tikrit. Some 30,000 Iraqi security forces members and allied fighters launched an operation to retake Tikrit at the beginning of March, the largest of its kind since Islamic State (IS) group forces overran swathes of territory last June.

A man watches the sun set as he overlooks the skyline in Johannesburg, South Africa. March 10, 2015.

A fighter for east Ukraine's independence contemplates his next chess move at the most forward front line base, on the outskirts of Donetsk, Ukraine, Sunday, March 8, 2015. More than 6,000 people have died in eastern Ukraine since the start of the conflict almost a year ago, which has led to a "merciless devastation of civilian lives and infrastructure," according to the UN human rights office.

A VW Golf is pictured inside the so-called cat towers of car manufacturer Volkswagen AG (VW) at the company's assembly plant in Wolfsburg, northern Germany. March 10, 2015.

Border Collie named 'Spring' soars as he attempts to catch a Frisbee during a competition at the annual 'Woofstock 90210' dog show in Beverly Hills, California. March 8, 2015.

Sevastopol Beauty pageant 2015.

The Cool Guys endurance race is held near Voronezhskaya village in Krasnodar Territory, Russia.

Firefighters extinguish a fire at a shopping mall in Kazan, 720 kilometers (450 miles) east of Moscow, Russia. One of Kazan's largest shopping malls and adjoining kiosks in the city's Kirov district were heavily damaged by the blaze that raged for hours on Wednesday. March 11, 2015.

Russia's space agency ground personnel help Russian cosmonaut Elena Serova after the landing of a Soyuz TMA-14M capsule in Zhezkazgan in central Kazakhstan. March 12, 2015.

Solar Impulse 2, a plane that flies using solar energy, is pictured en route to Ahmedabad. March 10, 2015.

Chinese hostesses use a mobile phone to take a photo during the third session of the 12th National People's Congress outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. March 8, 2015.

A protester yells at police outside the Ferguson Police Department. Earlier in the day, the resignation of Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson was announced in the wake of a scathing Justice Department report. March 11, 2015.

Steam rises at night from the cooling towers of the Electricite de France (EDF) nuclear power station in Dampierre-en-Burly. March 8, 2015.

A woman checks herself in a mirror as child ballerinas warm up before their performance during a beauty contest involving women from the Eastern Ukraine's independence supporters' forces. Donetsk, March 7, 2015.

Police escort Tamerlan Eskerkhanov, who is believed to be one of five suspects in the killing of Boris Nemtsov, in a court room in Moscow, Russia. March 8, 2015.

A Palestinian boy looks out a bus window as he waits with family to cross into Egypt, at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip. March 9, 2015.

A man wears a red mask in front of a barricade in Istanbul during clashes following a protest in memory of a teenager killed in 2013 anti-government demonstrations. March 11, 2015.

Models present creations for Moncler Gamme Rouge during the 2015-2016 fall/winter ready-to-wear collection fashion show on March 11, 2015 in Paris.

Israeli border guards detain a Palestinian protester during clashes following a demonstration by students from Birzeit University near Ramallah against the incarceration in Israeli jails of Palestinian university students. March 10, 2015.

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff speaks during a ceremony for the International Women's Day at Planalto Palace in Brasilia. March 9, 2015.

Egyptian boys play table tennis in an alleyway in Islamic Cairo, Egypt. March 9, 2015.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (C) visiting one of the families in the new Strela residential area built specially for Tactical Missiles Corporation employees in the Moscow suburban town of Korolyov. March 10, 2015.

Shi'ite fighters launch a rocket during clashes with Islamic State militants on the outskirts of al-Alam. March 8, 2015.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews take part in a rally supporting the United Torah Judaism party in Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv. March 11, 2015.