World Photos

Across the Asia-Pacific region, international tourist arrivals were down 95% in the first five months of the year, compared to the same period before the pandemic in 2019, according to the U.N. WTO. From the Great Wall to the Kashmir valley, Asia's tourist destinations are looking to domestic visitors to get them through the COVID-19 pandemic's second year.

COVID-19 | Another virus surge brings more misery to Louisiana hospital

Early in the pandemic, nursing staff at Willis-Knighton hospital would hang a paper angel on the wall every time they lost a patient to the virus. But as the months progressed and the death toll rose from one surge after another, the visual became a brutal sight for providers to look at hour after hour.

This week in pictures: The most stunning images from Asia

Here are some of the most compelling images from Asia this week

In Pics | At least 60 dead in Kabul blasts; ISIS claims responsibility

Kabul health officials were quoted as saying 60 civilians were killed. Video shot by Afghan journalists showed dozens of bodies strewn around a canal on the edge of the airport. At least two blasts rocked the area, witnesses said.

Palestinian twins open cafe in converted jet in West Bank

Few Palestinians in the occupied West Bank get to board an airplane these days. The territory has no civilian airport and those who can afford a plane ticket must catch their flights in neighboring Jordan. But just outside the northern city of Nablus, a pair of twins is offering people the next best thing. Khamis al-Sairafi and brother Ata have converted an old Boeing 707 into a cafe and restaurant for customers to board.

International Dog Day | The science behind why dogs are good for you

On the occasion of International Dog Day, let's take a look at the science behind why dogs, and other pets, make you happier.

Delhi, Chennai among most surveilled in the world, ahead of Chinese cities

Data for the world's most surveilled cities shows that India's capital city New Delhi ranks first with 1,826.6 cameras per square mile, while Chennai which has 609.9 cameras per square miles ranks third; London is second (1,138.5 cameras) and Mumbai at 18 (157.4 cameras)

RIP Charlie Watts | A look at the life and work of the Rolling Stones drummer

Charlie Watts, the drummer of the legendary British rock'n'roll band the Rolling Stones, died on August 24 at the age of 80. As musicians around the world mourn death of Charlie Watts, let’s know more about the legendary drummer who quietly anchored the Rolling Stones for five decades.

Copenhagen named world's safest city; two Indian cities make it to Top 50 list

Denmark's capital Copenhagen has been named the world’s safest city as per a recent study by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The study took into account 60 cities across 76 indicators, covering digital, health, infrastructure, personal, and environmental security scored out of 100. With 56.1 points and 54.4 points, respectively, Indian capital New Delhi and Mumbai managed to grab their place in the Top 50 list. Here are the world’s top 10 safest cities.

In Pics | Paralympics open in empty stadium — just like Olympics

The Paralympics began August 24 in the same empty National Stadium — during the same pandemic — as the opening and closing ceremonies of the recently completed Tokyo Olympics.

The great British animal weigh-in

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo conducts the 2021 weigh-in and measurement of its animals in Dunstable, Britain.

Popular Buckingham Palace guard ceremony returns after COVID hiatus

Members of the public watch the Band of The Coldstream Guards marching during the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London, which is taking place for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

In Pics | Satellite images of chaotic scenes at Kabul airport

The images from Planet Labs Inc. and Maxar Technologies show planes landing at Kabul international airport. Large crowds still surround the airport, full of thousands trying to flee the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

'We want justice', Afghan refugees protest outside UNHCR office in Delhi

The protest was organised by Afghan Solidarity Committee (ASC). Protesters came from the capital's Lajpat Nagar, 'Little Kabul' of Delhi, Bhogal, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad, among other places

In Pics | Scenes from Kabul airport amid evacuation

Amid the chaos of thousands trying to flee Afghanistan since the Taliban captured power, heartbreaking scenes are emerging on social media. A heart-breaking video showing a US Marine lifting a baby over a razor wire-topped wall at Kabul's airport caught global attention. A video in which a baby is handed over to the American army over the perimeter wall of the Kabul airport for it to be evacuated, went viral and grabbed global attention. The US military released several photographs of soldiers helping and caring children. Here are some pictures of the scenes from the Kabul airport.

Tokyo robot cafe offers new spin on disability inclusion

Around 20 miniature robots with almond-shaped eyes sit on tables and in other parts of the cafe, which has no stairs and smooth wooden floors large enough for wheelchairs. The machines named OriHime feature cameras, a microphone and a speaker to allow operators to communicate with customers remotely.

Turkey reinforces border to block any Afghan migrant wave

Afghans who manage to make the weeks-long journey through Iran on foot to the Turkish border face a three-meter high wall, ditches or barbed wire as Turkish authorities step up efforts to block any refugee influx into the country. The beefed up border measures in Turkey, which already hosts nearly 4 million Syrian refugees and is a staging post for many migrants trying to reach Europe, began as the Taliban started advancing in Afghanistan and took over Kabul last week.

In Pics | Storm Henri makes landfall in Northeast US

Storm Henri made landfall on August 22 on the coast of Rhode Island, and the National Hurricane Center warned that the slow-moving storm would continue dumping heavy rains on wide swaths of the region.

In Pics | Hurricane Grace devastates Mexico's Gulf coast

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Grace quickly weakened to a tropical storm as it churned over mountainous areas in central Mexico east of Mexico City and then dissipated at midafternoon. The storm caused rivers to overflow and landslides in places and some evacuations were needed, Veracruz authorities said

In pics | Slice of life in Afghanistan in two decades of war

Here are some of the images of conflict and occupation over the course of two decades, and now the unexpectedly chaotic departure as the Taliban swiftly reassert control over the country.

Taliban in Afghanistan | A look at what 20 years of war has done to the Afghan people

Afghanistan has been ravaged by four decades of war. In 1979, the then-Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to support the embattled pro-Soviet leader who had just seized power in Kabul. Just 12 years after the Soviets left in 1989. Afghanistan would find itself invaded again, this time by the US. As the US finally withdrew its troops, we look at what 20 years of war has done to the Afghan people.

Odd and unusual images from around the world this past week

A collection of odd and quirky images from around the world this past week.

This week in pictures: The most stunning images from Asia

This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published by Associated Press photographers in Asia and the Pacific.

In Pics | A fiery world as climate sizzles and wildfires grow

It is “code red for humanity”, the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports says, as the Earth warms rapidly. July was the planet’s hottest month in 142 years and wildfires—raging from the US to Greece to Russia—are a stark warning of things to come

Return of the Taliban in Afghanistan: The human cost

Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, already a laggard on the HDI front, may undo what little progress it made in the last 20 years.

Escaping the Taliban: Evacuees flee Afghanistan

Afghans as well as foreign nationals flee Afghanistan after Taliban insurgents seized the capital Kabul, stunning the world with the pace of their takeover of the country

Pandemic fiction: Fall books include stories of the virus

Near the end of 2020, the pandemic had lasted long enough for author Jodi Picoult to try something that seemed unthinkable for novelists in its early stages — turn it into fiction.

Taliban captures Afghanistan: How US armed the Taliban

In Afghanistan, the Taliban seized not only political power but also US-supplied military equipment. Take a look

Taliban in Afghanistan | Where do Afghan refugees go?

As calls for countries to receive refugee grow, a look at the countries the Afghans headed to before the Taliban takeover.

In Pics | Escorted by Taliban: India's midnight evacuation from Afghanistan

Outside the main iron gate of the Indian embassy in Kabul, a group of Taliban fighters waited -- armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Inside the compound were 150 Indian diplomats and nationals -- growing increasingly nervous as they watched news of the Taliban tightening their grip on the capital, which they took a day earlier without a fight.

Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis | A look at the world's biggest terrorist groups

Which are the world’s deadliest militant groups? Where do they operate? What are their preferred modes of attack? As the Taliban grabs headlines, here are answers to these questions and more.

In Pics | As Afghanistan adjusts to new reality, there have been signs of life cautiously resuming in Kabul

As Afghanistan adjusts to new reality, there have been signs of life cautiously resuming in Kabul.

In Pics | The people of Afghanistan amid the two decades of conflict in the country

Portraits of a civilian population that has borne the brunt of two decades of conflict in Afghanistan.

Taliban in Afghanistan | Why Taliban takeover of Afghanistan matters to the world

Over the past decades, the fate of Afghanistan has been inevitably intertwined with the Taliban, which has regained control 20 years after it was chased out of its strongholds by 9/11-hit America. But, is a Taliban regime only a matter of concern for the Afghans? Let’s understand why Taliban takeover of Afghanistan matters to the world, and India.

In Pics| Afghanistan-Taliban crisis: A look at a morning in Afghanistan under Taliban rule

The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan after the US-backed Afghan government collapsed and President Ghani fled the country, bringing an unprecedented end to a two-decade campaign in which the US and its allies had tried to transform the war-ravaged nation. In a Facebook post, Ghani said he had left the country to avoid clashes with the Taliban that would

Kabul planes mobbed as Afghans make a desperate dash to exit

Dramatic footage posted on social media shows hundreds of men running alongside a US Air Force plane as it rolls down the runway, with some clinging to the side of it. In other videos, civilians frantically clamber up an already overcrowded and buckling set of airstairs.

The longest war: Scenes from two decades in Afghanistan

Taliban insurgents entered the Afghanistan capital Kabul on August 15, an interior ministry official said, as the United States evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter. A look at the scenes from almost two decades of war in Afghanistan.

Taliban Capture Afghanistan | Who are the Taliban and what their return means for Afghanistan

Who runs the Taliban and how did the extremist militant group rise to power? Here's everything you need to know.

Tokyo Olympics | Meals provide glimpse of post-Olympic quarantine

The AP photographers took pictures of their hotel rooms and one day's worth of breakfasts, lunches and dinners, providing a window into their lives in quarantine. All say the inconvenience is worth it to keep their friends and family safe.

In Pics| Chaos in Kabul as Taliban set to rule Afghanistan after 20 years

US troops were forced to fire warning shots into the air at Kabul's airport to prevent crowds of desperate citizens running onto planes, an official has told the Reuters news agency.

In Pics | Taliban captures Kabul as US diplomats evacuate by chopper

Civilians fearing that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated women’s rights rushed to leave the country, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings.

In pics | Strong 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Haiti; killing at least 1200

Saturday’s earthquake struck the southwestern part of the hemisphere’s poorest nation, almost razing some towns and triggering landslides that hampered rescue efforts in two of the hardest-hit communities. The disaster also added to the plight of Haitians, who were already grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, a presidential assassination and deepening poverty.

Last week in pictures | Here are some of the most compelling images from around the world

From Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, to a hermit in New Hampshire, to preparations for India’s Independence Day celebrations, this photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world.

Odd and unusual images from around the world this past week

From a boat shaped like a violin to participants in a wife carrying competition, here a look at odd and unusual images seen from around the world this week.

This week in pictures: The most stunning images from Asia

This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published by Associated Press photographers in Asia and Pacific

In Pics | Taliban captures Kandahar, Herat in Afghanistan

The seizure of Kandahar and Herat marks the biggest prizes yet for the Taliban, who have taken 12 of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals as part of a weeklong blitz.

Explainer: What are geostationary satellites and how are they different from other orbiting satellites

A look at how geostationary satellites differ from other orbiting satellites.

Lionel Messi 'extremely happy' after joining PSG, says he is dreaming of winning fifth Champion League title

Lionel Messi claimed the last of his European titles with former side Barcelona in 2015, while the Qatari-owned Parisians are yet to clinch the continent's elite club competition.

Independence Day 2021 | Countries that share their Independence Day with India

India will mark its 75 years of Independence on August 15, 2021. Apart from India, here are other countries which also won freedom on August 15.

Wildfires in Algeria leave 42 dead, including 25 soldiers

Multiple fires were burning through forests and devouring olive trees, cattle and chickens that provide the livelihoods of families in the Kabyle region. The Civil Protection authority counted 41 blazes in 18 wilayas, or regions, as of August 9 night, with 21 of them burning around Tizi Ouzou.