

A home is protected from encroaching floodwaters by a levee near Yazoo City, Miss. Weeks of heavy rains and runoff from an unusually snowy winter caused the Mississippi River to rise, flooding thousands of homes and 3 million acres of farmland in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas, evoking comparisons to the historic floods of 1927 and 1937. Eric Thayer/Reuters
An Afghan National Army female officer plays with her nephew after her graduation ceremony from the Officer Candidate School at Kabul Military Training Center in Afghanistan. Female officers graduate after a 20-week course that includes computer training, human resource training, English classes, and marksmanship. Mustafa Quraishi/AP
The car carrying Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye is stopped by Ugandan police as observers look on near his home in Kasangati, Uganda. He was placed under house arrest. Ronald Kabuubi/AP
Vera Zvonareva of Russia takes a break during the quarter-final match of the WTA Brussels Open tennis tournament against Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania in Brussels. Francois Lenoir/Reuters
A female peregrine falcon stares at Pennsylvania Game Commission officer Beth Fife on the 40th floor of the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning where the falcon's nest with five chicks is located. Officers from the Pennsylvania Game Commission applied bands to the chicks' legs and then returned them to the nest. The peregrine falcon is on Pennsylvania's endangered species list. Keith Srakocic/AP
Laborers work at the construction site of a commercial complex in the eastern Indian city of Bhubaneswar. Reuters
Mennonite girls stand outside their school in the Valley of Juarez, Mexico. More than 80,000 Mennonites live in Mexico. Mennonites arrange their lives according to their religious beliefs; they have their own educational system and do not participate in the government or serve in the military. Gael Gonzalez/Reuters
Iraqi security forces inspect the scene of a bombing in Kirkuk, Iraq. Twin bombs that appeared timed to lure policemen out of their fortified headquarters killed and wounded dozens of policemen. Emad Matti/AP
Colin Sharpe, (l.), and Anthony Manzella participate in tug of war during Play 60 Field Day in Cleveland. The Cleveland Browns sponsored the event for students from St. Mark School. Tony Dejak/AP
Britain's Queen Elizabeth visits the Irish National Stud, one of Ireland's top horsebreeding centers, with its chair Chryss O'Reilly, near Dublin, Ireland. Reuters
Simone Arrigoni of Italy attempts to set an apnea diving record, pushed by two dolphins named Paco and Marco, in Torvaianica, Italy. Arrigoni completed 13 loops in 1 minute and 53 seconds to set a new record. Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters
Houston Rocket Yao Ming ducks as he enters Hunters Creek Elementary School with first grade student Jackson Loyd in Houston. Yao was the guest of Loyd whose family purchased the opportunity to bring Yao to school during a charity event to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston and SNAP, Spay-Neuter Assistance Program. David J. Phillip/AP
Khalid Akeel organizes mosquito nets to attract customers outside the shop where he works in Taxila, Pakistan. Muhammed Muheisen/AP
A horse works out during early-morning training at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore. The 136th running of the Preakness Stakes will take place at Pimlico on May 21. Molly Riley/Reuters
Presidential candidate Ollanta Humala of the Gana Peru party greets supporters as he arrives at the headquarters of Peru's main workers' union in Lima. Humala will face Keiko Fujimori, daughter of Peru's former President Alberto Fujimori, in a runoff election in June. Martin Mejia/AP
French tennis players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (l.), and Richard Gasquet play on the roof-top clay court of a Paris department store ahead of the French Open tennis tournament. Charles Platiau/Reuters
The Berkat family watch a live TV broadcast of US President Barack Obama's speech on events in the Middle East at their home in Islamabad, Pakistan. Nathalie Bardou/AP
Four lion cubs sit in a basket as they are christened at Hagenbecks zoo in Hamburg, Germany. The cubs, named Bandele, Batou, Naledi and Sakina, were born on January 31. Fabian Bimmer/Reuters
A boy holds a photo of his father who was killed in violent protests last year during antigovernment 'red shirt' rallies in Bangkok. Thousands of protesters gathered to mark the one-year anniversary of the ending of Thailand's worst political violence. Damir Sagolj/Reuters