World Photos

The Taliban capture of Faizabad, capital of the northeastern province of Badakhshan, came as President Ashraf Ghani landed in Mazar-i-Sharif to rally its defenders as Taliban forces closed in on the biggest city in the north.

Explainer: What are meteor showers and when do they occur

A meteor shower is celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or originate, from one point in the night sky. Here’s everything you need to know about the meteor showers.

Part of our world: Mermaids mingle at US convention

Held at an aquatic centre in Manassas, in the eastern United States, the convention is billed as the world's largest dedicated to mermaids, and attracts enthusiasts from all walks -- or swims -- of life.

In Pics | Tokyo Olympics 2020 draws to close with message of moving forward

With a large firework display adding a burst of sound to the dancing, singing and merry-making, Tokyo pulled the curtains down on one of history's most unique Games, handing over the flag to Paris with the message of moving forward while remembering those who lost their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. India certainly could look towards that brighter future after claiming its best ever haul of seven medal, including their first gold medal in 13 years, from javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who is also going back as the country's first track-and-field medallist at the Games.

9 Countries that are offering Citizenship by Investment

Worldwide, nearly 30 countries offer residence- and/or citizenship-by-investment programs. Currently, there are only 9 countries that provide a direct route to citizenship based on investment.

Last week in pictures | Take a look at some of the most stunning images from around the world

From wildfires in California and Greece, to drought conditions in Argentina, to the Italian artistic swimming team competing in Japan, this photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world.

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.

Tokyo Olympics | No avoiding pandemic reminders at Games

The most lasting images from the 2020 Games — held in 2021, of course — will be those that underline the once unimaginable circumstances surrounding them. Reminders are everywhere that these will forever be remembered as the Pandemic Olympics.

Tokyo Olympics 2020 | A look at some countries and the sports they have dominated

As the Indian men’s hockey clinches the bronze in Tokyo, ending 41-year medal wait, let's take a look at some countries and the sports they have dominated through the years.

In Pics | Colourful hot air balloons fill the skies during Bristol Fiesta Fortnight

The ‘Fiesta Fortnight’ features hundreds of hot air balloons taking off from multiple locations across the city and filling the sky with not only classic hot air balloons, but some special shapes and characters. The mass ascent took off on August 2 and will take place till August 15.

In Pics | Anger simmers as Lebanon marks one year of deadly port explosion

One of the largest non-nuclear blasts in history killed at least 214 people in Beirut on August 4, 2020, levelled entire neighbourhoods and deepened the economic abyss but no one has been held accountable for the destruction

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | A look at some facts about world’s largest charitable organization

As Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates get officially divorced, a look at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – the largest charitable organization in the world-- and what the couple’s separation may mean for it.

Calling It Off | Some of the most talked about divorces in recent times

As Bill Gate and Melinda French officially got divorced, let's take a look at some of the most talked about divorces in recent times.

In Pics | Tokyo taken over by omnipresent Olympic rings

Five interlocking circles — representing the five continents with Olympic competitors — multicolored and ubiquitous at the Games.

In Pics | List of new entrants in UNESCO World Heritage List

UNESCO has announced some new entrants, including two sites from India, to World Heritage List. Take a look...

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 | Residents flee as winds fan massive wildfire in southern Turkey

A massive forest fire in southern Turkey spread to the town of Manavgat as the flames were fanned by strong winds on July 28, according to the local mayor, and TV footage showed residents running for their cars as streets were engulfed in smoke.

In Pics | Hong Kong's urban farms sprout gardens in the sky

Radishes, carrots and rhubarb are flourishing in farms that have come up on decommissioned helipads, shopping mall rooftops and public terraces in land-starved Hong Kong

Tokyo Olympics 2020 | Olympic athletes inspire robotic ‘zen garden’ in Tokyo

At a serene zen garden in a Tokyo park, abstract lines inspired by the movements of Olympic athletes are carefully traced in the gravel -- not by monks, but by robots. The newly installed artwork, titled "The Constant Gardeners", features four large industrial robotic arms that work together to sculpt a traditional Japanese rock garden.

In Pics | 'AirBubble' offers respite from Warsaw pollution

The AirBubble will be in place until November for now, but could possibly become a permanent fixture. There are plans to install bubbles in other cities too.

Tokyo Olympics | Wild weather swing barely makes a blip in Tokyo

July and August in Japan are notoriously hot and humid and Japan has faced criticism for not accurately describing the severity. During the bidding process organizers described the summer weather as mild and ideal.

In Pics | Western wildfires calm down in cool weather, but losses grow

Cooler weather on July 27 helped calm two gigantic wildfires in the U.S. West, but a tally of property losses mounted as authorities got better access to a tiny California community savaged by flames last weekend and to a remote area of southern Oregon where the nation's largest blaze is burning.

Tokyo Olympics 2020 | Surfing makes its debut; Brazil's Italo Ferreira and USA's Carissa Moore secure historic gold medals

Brazil's Italo Ferreira and American Carissa Moore overcame challenging conditions in brilliant style to win historic first Olympic surfing gold medals at the Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach on Tuesday.

Tokyo Olympics 2020 | A look at the youngest medalists in the history of the Summer Games

Japan's Momiji Nishiya and Brazil's Rayssa Lealbecame are some of the youngest medalists in the history of Summer Games, after winning medals at a skateboarding event.

In Pics | Hot air balloons fill New Jersey skies

The 38th annual New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning set off from Readington, New Jersey, where crowds watched as over 100 colorful hot air balloons filled the sky.

Splash of colour: UK beach huts brighten pandemic gloom

As huge waves crash onto the esplanade at Walton-on-the-Naze, inhabitants read books and newspapers, snooze or chat, often in multi-generational groups. Huts have names such as Paradise Found and Serenity. Many huts are also rented out by the day, some offering Instagram-worthy features such as cocktail bars or table football.

Tokyo Games 2020: From Bhutan boots to Colombian hat - a close look on athletes' uniform during Olympics opening ceremony

Here is a close look on the uniforms of atheletes across the world at the opening ceremony of Tokyo Games 2020, showing a mosaic of cultures and fashions and traditions

This week in pictures: Most stunning images from around the world

From the opening of the Olympics in Japan, to the reopening of nightclubs in London, to coronavirus restriction protests in Athens, this photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world.

In Pics | Inside a 4-year-old girl's mission to clear plastic waste from the ocean

Eleven million tons of plastic are discarded into the ocean every year, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Plastic debris can be deadly to seabirds and marine life, with hundreds and thousands of marine mammals dying each year by consuming or being trapped in plastic waste.

Tokyo Olympics: Top 10 Indian athletes to watch out for

Tokyo Olympics: India's Olympic contingent for Tokyo 2020 includes 127 participants from 18 sports, including two alternate players and one reserve goalie in men's and women's hockey squads, respectively.

US, allies accuse China of masterminding Microsoft Exchange cyberattack: Here is the lowdown

Microsoft’s Exchange software handles all communications at companies that use it. The hackers used this to take permanent control of the corporate servers.

China floods | Thousands evacuated from Henan province, death toll goes up to 33

The torrential rain has affected about three million people in Henan province and a total of 376,000 local residents have been relocated to safe places, the provincial emergency management department said.

Tokyo Olympics | Ancient Olympics vs the first Modern Games: How Games evolved

The first modern Olympic Games took place in its ancient birthplace of Athens. The Games attracted athletes from 14 nations, with the largest delegations coming from Greece, Germany, France and Great Britain.

In Pics | Massive wildfire in the US West brings smoke over to the East Coast

Skies over New York City were hazy Tuesday as strong winds blew smoke east from California, Oregon, Montana and other states. Oregon's Bootleg Fire grew to 606 square miles (1,569 square kilometers) — half the size of Rhode Island.

Tokyo 2020: A 35-hour Olympic journey from Argentina to Tokyo

There is no easy way from Argentina to Japan. Associated Press Photographer Natacha Pisarenko's trip was more complicated than most. This photo essay shows you her journey.

Upcoming Netflix series, movies: Money Heist 5, Sex Education 3 and more are coming in 2021

With the upcoming films and series, Netflix forecasts paid net additions of 3.5 million customers in comparison to 2.2 million in the prior year period. If it achieves this forecast, it will have added more than 54 million paid net adds over the past 24 months or 27 million on an annualised basis over that time period, which is consistent with its pre-COVID-19 annual rate of net additions, says the company.

In Pics | Jeff Bezos' trip to space and back on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket

Jeff Bezos was accompanied by a hand-picked group: his brother, an 18-year-old from the Netherlands and an 82-year-old aviation pioneer from Texas — the youngest and oldest to ever fly in space.

In Pics | Meet Maharashtra-born Sanjal Gavande who is part of Jeff Bezos’ rocket Blue Origin's team

Sanjal Gavande, who joined Blue Origin in April 2021 as a system engineer, later became part of the New Shepard project. Here are a few things to know about the Indian-born engineer who is part of Bezos’ Blue Origin’s engineer team.

In Pics | Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha across the globe in pandemic’s shadow

Muslims around the world are marking Eid al-Adha on July 20, yet again in the shadow of the pandemic and amid growing concerns about the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Where does space begin? Here’s everything you need to understand about Karman Line

'Karman Line' is named after Theodore von Karman, a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer, and physicist. he was the first person to attempt to derive such an altitude limit. But what is Karman Line, and what is the debate around 'space' and 'not space'? Find out here.

In Pics | Gaza cafe serves up recycling lessons alongside usual drinks

As a model of creative recycling in one of the most densely populated places on earth, a Gaza Strip cafe is serving up a healthy dose of environmentalism alongside its signature morning coffee.

In Pics | Severe floods strike Germany, Belgium; over 150 dead as water recedes

More than 150 people have died and dozens were missing as severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging torrents that swept away cars and caused houses to collapse on July 15, 2021.

'I shoot for the common man': Danish Siddiqui's finest work

Pulitzer winner Danish Siddiqui covered war zones and crises from Iraq to Hong Kong to Nepal. He was killed on Friday covering Afghan-Taliban clashes near the Pakistan border.

When Kabul fell — portraits of the city after Taliban’s collapse 20 years ago

Striking images from Kabul, Afghanistan, captured just after the Taliban regime collapsed about 20 years ago.

Here're some of the world's best virtual museum tours you can take

The global coronavirus outbreak has changed the world and prompted digital revolution and adoption of virtual world. Let’s take a look at some of the virtual tours to the most enchanting museums across the world.

A look at some of the gripping pictures clicked by photojournalist Danish Siddiqui during his last assignment in Afghanistan

Siddiqui had shared his on-the-field experiences on social media in threads. His last tweet on July 13 was during the coverage of Afghanistan’s situation, where he travelled with the convoy of Afghan Special Forces and felt ‘lucky’ to survive after Taliban attacked the vehicle he and Afghan forces were travelling.

Pulitzer-winning Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui killed in Afghanistan clashes: Here're some of his iconic clicks

In 2018, Siddiqui, who recently did extensive coverage of the graveyards and mass cremations during the COVID-19 outbreak in India, became the first Indian, along with his colleague Adnan Abidi, to win the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for documenting the Rohingya refugee crisis.

Tokyo Olympics 2020: A look at some high-profile players who withdrew from games over COVID-19

Olympics 2020: With Tokyo recording its highest COVID-19 case numbers since a winter wave in January, scrutiny of virus risks around the Olympics is intense.

Michelangelo-inspired cardboard bridge floats above Rome's Tiber river

An illuminated 18-metre long cardboard bridge suspended by three large white helium balloons is floating above Rome's Tiber river, bringing to life a project imagined but never realised by Michelangelo.

Desperate search for oxygen in Myanmar as latest COVID-19 wave hits

Hundreds queued across Yangon as the sun rose on July 14 in the hope of refilling blue oxygen cylinders to take home to family members stricken with the virus. Some had brought chairs and prepared for a long wait. For others, it was too late.