This week's selection of 20 photographs captures a world in flux: catastrophic flooding in Nepal and Tibet, intense Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine, escalating settler violence in the West Bank, and the loss of country music icon Dolly Parton.
Flood Disaster in the Himalayas
Nearly 600 people have been killed and hundreds, including many foreign tourists, are missing after flash floods hit the Himalayan border areas of Nepal and Tibet. The Red Cross has indicated that at least 93,000 people may have been affected by Wednesday's flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border.
Rescue efforts are being hampered by the destruction of dozens of bridges and miles of roads in the mountainous region, which is popular with trekkers and pilgrims. Rescue teams have reported finding bodies hundreds of miles downstream from the disaster zone in Nepal's Chitwan district.
Russian Strikes on Ukraine
In Ukraine, Russian drone and missile attacks have caused significant damage. Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on Thursday: 'Overnight, Russia carried out a massive strike against Ukraine, targeting ports, grain storage, energy, industry and other infrastructure with ballistic and hypersonic missiles and combat drones'.
The Ukrainian military said it shot down seven ballistic missiles and 258 drones during the lengthy attack, which extended over Wednesday night and into Thursday. In Boryspil, massive flames and thick smoke rose from burning commercial and food storage warehouses after a drone attack.
West Bank and Regional Tensions
In the Israeli-occupied Palestinian village of Jannatah, Israeli settlers confronted left-wing activists. Violent settler attacks in areas under direct Palestinian rule have almost doubled since 2025. In Gaza, smoke rose after an Israeli attack that a witness said targeted a prayer hall home to many displaced residents.
The latest round of war has hardened divisions over Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes targeted the area of al-Mansouri. Elsewhere, Indonesia's peatland fires continue, and a mine-clearing operation is underway in Syria.
Culture and Commemoration
The week also saw a spacewalk by astronauts Sophie Adenot and Anil Menon outside the International Space Station, a cosplayer preparing for a convention in Nairobi, and the døds diving world championship in Arendal, Norway.
In Costa Mesa, California, a visitor looked at a mural of Dolly Parton, who died this week aged 80. In Kramatorsk, Ukraine, a soldier named Oleksandr married Tetiana, a medic, saying: 'In this war, all this can just be vaporised, in a few months, in a few days.' The week's images conclude with this act of memory and resilience amid ongoing conflict.
