Pictures of the week: From a spectacular statue of Dubai Millennium to wildfires in Japan

  • A tour guide admires the statue of renowned racehorse Dubai Millennium. The artwork at Vision Pavilion in Expo City, Dubai, is made from marble imported from Spain and weighs 52 tonnes. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    A tour guide admires the statue of renowned racehorse Dubai Millennium. The artwork at Vision Pavilion in Expo City, Dubai, is made from marble imported from Spain and weighs 52 tonnes. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Docked pirogues at the Port Artisanal in Nouadhibou, Mauritania. AFP
    Docked pirogues at the Port Artisanal in Nouadhibou, Mauritania. AFP
  • An employee checks the quality of raw cotton at a warehouse in Gujarat, India. Reuters
    An employee checks the quality of raw cotton at a warehouse in Gujarat, India. Reuters
  • The US Navy's Blue Angels perform during the Cocoa Beach Airshow in Florida. Photo: US Navy
    The US Navy's Blue Angels perform during the Cocoa Beach Airshow in Florida. Photo: US Navy
  • Displaced Somali pupils head back for after-school hours at a camp for internally displaced persons in the outskirts of Kismayo town. AFP
    Displaced Somali pupils head back for after-school hours at a camp for internally displaced persons in the outskirts of Kismayo town. AFP
  • Grey seals rest on a sandy islet in the Baltic Sea as the Sun begins to set near Mikoszewo, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. AFP
    Grey seals rest on a sandy islet in the Baltic Sea as the Sun begins to set near Mikoszewo, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. AFP
  • A Shinto priest walks along a corridor of Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. AFP
    A Shinto priest walks along a corridor of Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. AFP
  • Riza Kayaalp of Turkey, in blue, and Darius Vitek of Hungary fight in the final of men's Greco-Roman 130kg category of the European Wrestling Championships in Tirana, Albania. EPA
    Riza Kayaalp of Turkey, in blue, and Darius Vitek of Hungary fight in the final of men's Greco-Roman 130kg category of the European Wrestling Championships in Tirana, Albania. EPA
  • Mexican authorities gather at the Teotihuacan pyramids, where a man shot and killed a Canadian woman. Reuters
    Mexican authorities gather at the Teotihuacan pyramids, where a man shot and killed a Canadian woman. Reuters
  • Members of the MS-13 gang attend an open hearing in El Salvador focused on more than 47,000 crimes between 2012 and 2022. Reuters
    Members of the MS-13 gang attend an open hearing in El Salvador focused on more than 47,000 crimes between 2012 and 2022. Reuters
  • Traffic crosses the Bou Regreg River in Sale, north-western Morocco, as seen from the Mohammed VI Tower. AFP
    Traffic crosses the Bou Regreg River in Sale, north-western Morocco, as seen from the Mohammed VI Tower. AFP
  • A woman marvels at an installation at the Milan Design Week Fuorisalone exhibition. Reuters
    A woman marvels at an installation at the Milan Design Week Fuorisalone exhibition. Reuters
  • Kampung Bahagia village, built on water, seen after a fire in Sandakan, Malaysia. The blaze destroyed about 1,000 makeshift homes, most built on stilts, and displaced thousands of people. EPA
    Kampung Bahagia village, built on water, seen after a fire in Sandakan, Malaysia. The blaze destroyed about 1,000 makeshift homes, most built on stilts, and displaced thousands of people. EPA
  • A Muslim bride waits to get married during a mass wedding ceremony in Mumbai. AFP
    A Muslim bride waits to get married during a mass wedding ceremony in Mumbai. AFP
  • A man shows off his pet snake at the seafront in Beirut, as a 10-day ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel is in place across Lebanon. Reuters
    A man shows off his pet snake at the seafront in Beirut, as a 10-day ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel is in place across Lebanon. Reuters
  • French military personnel carry the coffin of a compatriot killed in an attack on UN peacekeepers who were clearing a road in south Lebanon, at Beirut-Rafic Hariri Airport. Reuters
    French military personnel carry the coffin of a compatriot killed in an attack on UN peacekeepers who were clearing a road in south Lebanon, at Beirut-Rafic Hariri Airport. Reuters
  • A woman walks across a bridge past houses partially submerged in seawater due to tidal flooding at the Timbulsloko village in Demak, Central Java. AFP
    A woman walks across a bridge past houses partially submerged in seawater due to tidal flooding at the Timbulsloko village in Demak, Central Java. AFP
  • Riders are reflected in roadside mirros as they cycle during the 2026 Amstel Gold Race in Maastricht, Netherlands. AFP
    Riders are reflected in roadside mirros as they cycle during the 2026 Amstel Gold Race in Maastricht, Netherlands. AFP
  • A humanoid robot at the start of the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Half Marathon in China. Getty Images
    A humanoid robot at the start of the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Half Marathon in China. Getty Images
  • Thousands of people take part in a 5km run in Abu Dhabi aimed at strengthening solidarity in the UAE amid the impact of the US-Iran conflict. Getty Images
    Thousands of people take part in a 5km run in Abu Dhabi aimed at strengthening solidarity in the UAE amid the impact of the US-Iran conflict. Getty Images
  • Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei arrives for what were described as a series of 'constructive' meetings with US President Donald Trump's administration officials at the White House. Reuters
    Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei arrives for what were described as a series of 'constructive' meetings with US President Donald Trump's administration officials at the White House. Reuters
  • St Nicholas Cathedral stands proud in front of a huge block of apartments on Zhivopisnaya Embankment in Krasnogorsk, Russia. AFP
    St Nicholas Cathedral stands proud in front of a huge block of apartments on Zhivopisnaya Embankment in Krasnogorsk, Russia. AFP
  • Pope Leo XIV waves from the 'Popemobile' to the gathered crowd as he arrives to lead Holy Mass at Bamenda Airport in Cameroon. AFP
    Pope Leo XIV waves from the 'Popemobile' to the gathered crowd as he arrives to lead Holy Mass at Bamenda Airport in Cameroon. AFP
  • A defiant gesture as a Lebanese couple return to their home in the southern suburbs of Beirut after a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect. Reuters
    A defiant gesture as a Lebanese couple return to their home in the southern suburbs of Beirut after a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect. Reuters
  • A rescuer uses a paddle to place wet towels over a stranded humpback whale off the island of Poel in a bid to save its life, near Wismar, Germany. Getty Images
    A rescuer uses a paddle to place wet towels over a stranded humpback whale off the island of Poel in a bid to save its life, near Wismar, Germany. Getty Images
  • An archer in traditional clothes riding a horse during the 42nd Asakusa Yabusame (horseback archery) ritual in Tokyo. Getty Images
    An archer in traditional clothes riding a horse during the 42nd Asakusa Yabusame (horseback archery) ritual in Tokyo. Getty Images
  • A woman with a rifle stands by an Iranian revolutionary flag during a pro-government National Army Day demonstration in Tehran. Getty Images
    A woman with a rifle stands by an Iranian revolutionary flag during a pro-government National Army Day demonstration in Tehran. Getty Images
  • People perform rituals as they commemorate their late mothers at the sacred Matatirtha Shrine pond on Mother's Day in Kathmandu, Nepal. EPA
    People perform rituals as they commemorate their late mothers at the sacred Matatirtha Shrine pond on Mother's Day in Kathmandu, Nepal. EPA
  • A participant walks through a kite depicting a whale while taking part in the 39th International Kite Festival at the beach of Berck-sur-Mer, northern France. AFP
    A participant walks through a kite depicting a whale while taking part in the 39th International Kite Festival at the beach of Berck-sur-Mer, northern France. AFP
  • Columns of smoke rise from a mountainous area as wildfires burn around the town of Otsuchi in north-eastern Japan. Reuters
    Columns of smoke rise from a mountainous area as wildfires burn around the town of Otsuchi in north-eastern Japan. Reuters