Global Highlights: A Weekend in Pictures
The Guardian's picture editors have curated a stunning collection of photographs capturing events and scenes from across the globe this weekend. From natural beauty to human resilience, these images tell powerful stories.
Natural Wonders and Agriculture
In Aksaray, Turkey, the arrival of spring has transformed the landscape around Mount Hasan into a sea of red as blooming poppies create scenic vistas. The vibrant flowers have drawn visitors and nature enthusiasts to the area. Similarly, in Tanah Datar, Indonesia, a farmer works in a paddy field as Mount Marapi volcano spews volcanic ash in the background, illustrating the coexistence of agriculture and volcanic activity.
Space and Health
In Alxa, China, taikonaut Zhang Lu, commander of the three-member Shenzhou 21 crew, was helped out of the return capsule at the Dongfeng landing site after a historic 210-day orbital stay. Meanwhile, in Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, health workers stood in a new Ebola treatment centre during a visit from Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization. The highly contagious haemorrhagic fever is already present in three eastern DRC provinces and in neighbouring Uganda.
Conflict and Resilience
In Nahal Oz, Israel, a sunflower field blooms near the kibbutz on the border with Gaza, offering a serene contrast to the nearby conflict. In Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, a person walks past a site struck by a rocket fired from Lebanon on Saturday. In Gaza City, Palestinian children play near buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes during Eid al-Adha, showcasing resilience amid devastation.
Protests and Commemorations
In Newark, US, state police officers stood behind shields as teargas filled the area outside the Delaney Hall detention centre in New Jersey during a protest against the transfer of detainees and federal immigration policies. In Orania, South Africa, a resident wearing traditional dress carried a child as she paused in front of a monument at the cemetery built on the site of the Anglo-Boer war concentration camp of Doornbult. Bittereinderdag, celebrated in Orania on 31 May, commemorates the signing of the treaty of Vereeniging on 31 May 1902, which ended the war.
Culture and Sports
In Magelang, Indonesia, Buddhist monks prayed after arriving at the Borobudur temple during Indonesia’s ‘Walk for peace’. In Paris, France, Naomi Osaka from Japan played a backhand return to the US’s Iva Jovic during their women’s singles match at the French Open. In Southampton, UK, Take That’s Gary Barlow performed on stage during The Circus Live stadium tour at St Mary’s Stadium. In Kashmir, the mother of a newly graduated soldier of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment kissed her son during a graduation parade. In Moscow, Russia, people played on the pitch of the Luzhniki Stadium during a table tennis festival. In Warsaw, Poland, Estonian slackliner Jaan Roose walked on a 500-metre-long tightrope stretched between the Palace of Culture and Science and Varso Tower, 180 metres above the city. In Paris, France, Paris Saint-Germain supporters celebrated their team’s win in the Champions League final against Arsenal, played in Budapest, on the Champs-Élysées. In Jodhpur, India, a woman walked past blue-coloured houses. In Frankfurt, Germany, a thunderstorm approached the outskirts of the city. In London, UK, Arsenal fans let off smoke flares before the team’s Premier League trophy parade. In Fujimi, Japan, participants played rugby in a muddy rice field in the city in Saitama prefecture. Four-player rugby matches held in rice fields before the planting season have been gaining popularity in Japan as a form of community engagement and regional revitalisation. In Bangkok, Thailand, participants held a rainbow flag during the annual Pride parade to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s Pride month. In New York City, USA, a rare blue moon, the second full moon to appear in the sky in a single month, was seen behind the Statue of Liberty.
