The Week in Pictures: Nov. 21 - 27

Tribesmen lead their camels through the sand dunes of the Liwa desert in the United Arab Emirates, on Nov. 23, 2013.

Yasmin,13, lights a candle for her aunt amidst rubble and uprooted trees on Nov. 23. Her aunt was buried in a mass grave with up to 400 others who were killed by the typhoon in Palo, Philippines.

Children shower near the debris of an area destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban City on Nov. 23.

A Typhoon Haiyan survivor kisses her baby as she waits to board her evacuation flight at the airport in Tacloban, Philippines, on Nov. 22.

Pope Francis and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Nov. 25 in Vatican City amid high expectations that their visit could mark the beginning of the end of the centuries-old rift between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

Chinese paramilitary policemen cry as they see off veterans during a farewell ceremony in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on Nov. 24.


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An Afghan Army soldier adjusts his helmet during an exercise at a training facility in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Nov. 26. The Afghan National Security Forces depend exclusively on billions of dollars in funding from the United States and its allies, money that is now at risk following President Hamid Karzai’s decision to defer signing a security agreement until after the April elections.

Travelling White House staff and press board the rear steps of Air Force One on a foggy morning in Seattle, on Nov. 25.


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An aerial view of smoke caused by a volcanic eruption off the coast of Nishinoshima in the Ogasawara archipelago, Japan, on Nov. 20. A new island about 660 feet in diameter appeared following the underwater eruption. The Japanese government said it hopes the new land created will become an island, so the country can expand its territorial waters.

People warm themselves by a fire in a steel drum during a meeting to support European Union integration at European Square in Kiev, Ukraine, on Nov. 26. Several thousand Ukrainian students ditched classes and joined protests in the center of Kiev against the government's abrupt move to freeze integration with the West and tilt toward Moscow.


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People take photos on Nov. 24 at the scene of an oil pipeline explosion that ripped roads apart, turning cars over and sending thick black smoke billowing over the city of Qingdao, China, on Nov. 22. Dozens were killed in the blast in the Chinese coastal city, as rain and the close proximity of dangerous gases hampered the rescue operation.

A worker gathers items for delivery from the warehouse floor at Amazon's distribution center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Nov. 22. The web-based retailer is preparing for Cyber Monday, which is traditionally the busiest day of the year for online purchases.

A West Highland Terrier walks through the sand dunes on Portstewart Strand as strong winds battered the coastline of Northern Ireland on Nov. 21.