The World in Photos This Week

Chen Guangcheng became an icon, demonstrators rallied for May Day, and Newt Gingrich bowed out.

MAY 4, 2012

Buddhist nuns practice kung fu at the Amitabha Drukpa nunnery on the outskirts of Kathmandu on April 26. Buddhist nuns in the Himalayas have traditionally been seen as inferior to monks, with the women relegated to menial tasks like cooking and cleaning. The Amitabha Drukpa nunnery has seen a sharp rise in interest in becoming a nun since introducing martial arts classes.

PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images