The World in Photos This Week

North Korea launches a missile, tragedy strikes Sandy Hook, and a Chinese farmer prepares for the apocalypse.

DECEMBER 14, 2012

A supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez writes a message for him at a square in Caracas on Dec. 11. Venezuelan Vice President Nicolás Maduro reported that night that Chávez was stable after his surgery in Cuba. See Peter Wilson's profile of Maduro for more on the vice president and the future of Venezuelan politics.

JUAN BARRETO/AFP/Getty Images