Snapshots of the Fortnight (Jun 13-27)

Published: Jun 29, 2013

1/15

A stranded Indian pilgrim is transported across a river using a rope rescue system by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel in Govind Ghat. Bad weather hampered rescue operations in northern India where up to 1,000 people are feared to have died in landslides and flash floods that have left pilgrims and tourists stranded without food or water

2/15

Indian army personnel help stranded people cross a flooded river after heavy rains in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. Flash floods and landslides unleashed by early monsoon rains have killed many and left tens of thousands missing. The death toll is expected to rise significantly

3/15

Soldiers rescue stranded people after heavy rains in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. India's monsoon rains could ease soon after hitting 89 percent over averages in three weeks until June 19, according to weather office sources. The third straight week of downpour has caused major flooding in north India

4/15

The Bow River overflows its banks into the downtown core and residential areas in Calgary, Alberta. The heaviest floods in decades shut down the Canadian oil capital of Calgary, forcing the evacuations of tens of thousands of residents and shutting the Alberta city's downtown core. Some 1,300 troops were deployed to help with rescues and the mandatory evacuations that forced 100,000 people from their homes in Calgary and thousands more in the small towns surrounding the city

5/15

Protesters from anti-hunger charity Oxfam wearing masks depicting leaders of G8 countries pose on a golf course in Enniskillen in Northern Ireland near the venue of the G8 summit at the golfing resort of Lough Erne. World leaders were close to striking a deal on pushing for peace in Syria at the G8 summit as they also tried to reach an agreement on cracking down on tax evasion

6/15

US President Barack Obama (L) in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G8 Summit at Lough Erne in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland

7/15

Ukrainian Internet Party activists hold a ‘tap the phone and internet lines’ protest outside the US Embassy in Kiev to attract public attention to the violation of rights following the United States Internet surveillance programme exposed by former spy Edward Snowden (on photo at R). Under the so-called PRISM programme, the US National Security Agency can issue directives to internet firms like Google or Facebook to gain access to emails, online chats, pictures, files and videos that have been uploaded by foreign users

8/15

People take to the city centre of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during protests against rising rates in public transportation and the cost of staging international football tournaments

9/15

A demonstrator is shot by rubber bullets as anti-riot police officers charge after clashes erupted during a protest against corruption and price hikes in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilians took to the streets again in several cities on a new day of mass nationwide protests, demanding better public services and bemoaning massive spending to stage the World Cup

10/15

A demonstrator jumps over trash set afire during protests against poor public services, police violence and government corruption, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. President Dilma Rousseff sought to defuse a massive protest movement sweeping Brazil, acknowledging the need for better public services and more responsive governance as demonstrations continued in some cities around the country

11/15

A woman is attacked by water cannon during protests in Kizilay square in central Ankara, Turkey. The unrest, in which police fired teargas and water cannon at stone-throwing protesters night after night in cities including Istanbul and Ankara, left four people dead and about 5,000 injured, according to the Turkish Medical Association

12/15

Free Syrian Army fighters look at photos on a camera in Mouazafeen neighbourhood in Deir al-Zor

13/15

Palestinians watch the result of Arab Idol in the West Bank city of Ramallah. A 22-year-old singer Mohammed Assaf, from the Gaza Strip, was named the winner of Arab Idol in a TV talent contest in Beirut

14/15

Pope Francis kisses a baby as he arrives to lead the weekly audience in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican

15/15

Michael Knaapen (L) and his husband John Becker, both of Wisconsin, react to the 5-4 ruling striking down as unconstitutional the Defense of Marriage Act at the US Supreme Court in Washington. The US Supreme Court handed a significant victory to gay rights advocates by recognising that married gay men and women are eligible for federal benefits and paving the way for same-sex marriage in California