Hikari Oyama plays with bubbles after she and her grandmother paid their respects at the memorial to victims of last year's tsunami at the Okawa Elementary School, where 74 children were killed and 4 are still missing, on March 11. Last year's earthquake and subsequent tsunami left 15,848 dead and 3,305 missing, according to Japan's National Police Agency. One year on, the areas affected continue to struggle.

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In between bites of a hot dog, U.S. President Barack Obama explains the finer points of the zone defense to British Prime Minister David Cameron as they watch the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers take on the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils in the first round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament on March 13 in Dayton, Ohio.

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A mourner cries over the bodies of Afghan civilians, allegedly shot by a rogue U.S. soldier, seen loaded into the back of a truck in Alkozai village in Kandahar province on March 11. An AFP reporter counted 16 bodies -- most of them women and children -- in three Afghan houses after a rogue U.S. soldier walked out of his base and began shooting civilians early Sunday.

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Israeli school girls take cover behind a bus during a rocket attack from the nearby Gaza Strip on March 12 in Ashdod, Israel. The United Nations and European Union have appealed for calm as cross-border rocket strikes continued between the Gaza Strip and Israel, which have so far have resulted in 23 Palestinian deaths.

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Delegates take their seats for the closing session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People on March 13 in Beijing, China. Known as "liang hui," or "two organizations," the conference consists of meetings of China's legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), and its advisory auxiliary, the CPPCC.

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Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich speaks during the Gulf Coast Energy Summit at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on March 12 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Gingrich placed a disappointing third in the March 13 Alabama and Mississippi primaries.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives in Afghanistan for a surprise visit to German troops stationed in Mazar-i-Sharif on March 12. During her visit, Merkel discussed the issue of when German troops would be withdrawn from the country. "I cannot say we will manage this by 2013-2014. The will is there, we want to succeed," Merkel said while in Afghanistan. 

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President Barack Obama speaks alongside U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Commerce Secretary John Bryson about enforcing U.S. trade rights. In a statement given in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 13, he accused China of breaking global trade rules by restricting exports of rare earth elements.

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Armless professional photographer Rusidah takes a photograph as she carries out camera maintenance on March 13 in Purworejo, Indonesia. Rusidah shoots weddings and parties and has a small studio at home in the village of Botorejo in Central Java where her husband and son also reside. She has been in the photography business for nearly 20 years.

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Gas prices rose to more than $5 a gallon at an Exxon service station on March 13 in Washington, D.C. According to AAA, the average price of gas has climbed three tenths of a cent nationwide as a result of high oil prices and tensions tied to Iran's nuclear program.

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Camilla, Duchess Of Cornwall, and Tom Parker Bowles watch the first race on Ladies Day at the Cheltenham Festival 2012 on March 14 in England. Hundreds of thousands of horse racing enthusiasts are expected at the four-day festival, which ends on Friday and is seen by many as the highlight of the jump racing calendar.

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Supporters of Fretilin leader Francisco Guterres (above right, on the billboard) parade down the streets of East Timor on the last day of campaigning. On March 17, East Timor will elect a president for the third time since their independence from Indonesia in 2002.

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Metropolitan police officers walk ahead of a student protest on March 14 in London, England. Students took part in a national walkout at campuses across the United Kingdom as part of a "week of action," calling on the government and universities to be clear on their plans for higher education.

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A caution barrier seals off an accident scene at the Sanda bridge construction site on March 13 in Loudi, in China's Hunan province. A part of the Sanda bridge, which cost 110 million yuan (about $17.36 million), collapsed on Monday evening, though no casualties were reported.

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New York's Brooklyn Bridge by night. A crane pulled by a tug boat on the East River slammed into scaffolding beneath the bridge on March 13. According to reports, no damage was done to the structure of the bridge.

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