World Photos

Take a look at the top retirement destinations in 2021, according to the Global Retirement Index.

Last week in pictures: A look at most stunning images from around the world

Take a look at some of the most compelling images published by AP from around the world.

Decoupling: Ukrainian couple split after 123 days handcuffed together

Alexandr Kudlay and Viktoria Pustovitova handcuffed to save their on-again off-again relationship but it didn’t work. They shed their bonds on national TV, saying the experiment had brought home uncomfortable truths.

Journalist who investigated journalism: Janet Malcolm passed away at 86

Janet Malcolm, the inquisitive and boldly subjective author and reporter known for her challenging critiques of everything from murder cases and art to journalism itself, passed away at 86 on June 17.

COVID-19 | French tourism seeks new boost with Disneyland reopening

France started gradually reopening its economy last month after a COVID-19-induced lockdown. Monuments and museums, including major sites like the Louvre and Versailles, are open, as well as hotels, cafes and restaurants. Tourists will still have to wait for the Eiffel Tower, set to reopen on July 16 after major renovation work.

In pics | Victoria's Secret hires Priyanka Chopra and six others in major rebranding effort 'VS Collective'

The efforts are aimed at redefining the version of “sexy” that Victoria’s Secret has represented to the masses so far.

See pictures from China's crackdown on Apple Daily, the Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper

Three top editors and two senior executives of Apple Daily newspaper were arrested on June 17 under Hong Kong's new national security law on suspicion of colluding with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security

10 interesting things about Satya Nadella's astonishing rise from a young engineer to Microsoft chairman

In 1992, Nadella joined Microsoft as an engineer and was among the few Indians who were promoted to the executive role in 2000. In his book Hit Refresh, Nadella pointed out that despite many top-performing Indians, there were no Indian Vice Presidents in the organization.

A peek into some of the world's largest diamonds ever discovered

Following the discovery 1000+ carat diamond (supposedly the third-largest diamond) is discovered in Botswana, here's a peak at some of the biggest gem-quality diamonds ever discovered.

Joe Biden wraps up first overseas trip of presidency

The eight-day, three-country swing included meetings with leaders of the Group of Seven wealthiest democracies in scenic Cornwall, England, and a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.

In Pics | China launches first crewed mission for space station construction

The Shenzhou-12 crew will complete four major tasks in orbit, said Ji Qiming, assistant to the CMSA director.

Cristiano Ronaldo stunt costs $4 billion to Coca-Cola; a look at similar instances where celebs gestures affected brands

Cristiano Ronaldo removed a pair of coca cola bottles and caused the brand’s shares to tumble.

Tourists return to cruise ships as COVID-19 pandemic abates

A year after several cruise ships were host to major coronavirus outbreaks and with large numbers of Americans now vaccinated, cruise lines have been striving to get business going.

COVID-19 | California marks reopening with jackpots, Hollywood flair

At midnight, California lifted most of is pandemic restrictions, meaning no more state rules on physical distancing or capacity limits at restaurants, bars, supermarkets, gyms, museums, amusement parks, stadiums or anywhere else.

China offers glimpse of Tibetan life without the Dalai Lama

“Xi Jinping’s new socialist ideology with Chinese characteristics is the guide for the whole party and all nationalities to fight for the great rejuvenation of China,” the sign proclaims in Tibetan and Chinese script, referring to China’s leader, who has sought to put his imprint on virtually every aspect of life across the vast county.

In Pics | UEFA Euro 2020: France win after a German finds the back of the net

Euro 2020: Own goal from Hummels was the difference between the two sides as France go second in the points table in Group F behind Portugal.

Israel's new coalition government wins majority, ending Netanyahu's long rule

On June 13, after a long political drama, the coalition won majority vote in the parliament with a razor-thin margin of 60 to 59 in a 120-seat chamber.

COVID-19 | Vaccines reach far-flung locations around the world

Healthcare workers go the distance to administer coronavirus vaccines to people in remote places around the world.

Wasabi the Pekingese wins best in show at Westminster: In pics

Wasabi and Bourbon beat out thousands of other dogs to win Best in Show at the American Kennel Club National Championship in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

Last week in pictures: A look at most stunning images from around the world

This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world.

G7 summit: From climate change protests to vaccine politics, here's a look at all the action

Leaders of the G7 begin their first of three days of meetings on June 11 in Carbis Bay, in which they discussed COVID-19, climate, foreign policy and the economy.

In pics | 12-year-old Bolivian girl is ready to punch her way to boxing glory

At age 8, Bolivian boxer Gracce Kelly Flores defeated a 10-year-old boy. Now, with three national boxing medals under her belt, she dreams of reaching the women's boxing world championship.

Cambodia orders dismantling of floating houses along river Tonle Sap, aims to reduce environmental pollution

Local authorities on Saturday ordered the dismantling of the numerous floating houses inhabited mostly by ethnic Vietnamese, in efforts to reduce environmental pollution and increase the city aesthetics.

G7 Summit | Here's what's on the leaders agenda

Leaders of seven major economies have gathered in the UK for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic broke.

Top 10 biggest companies in the world in 2021 according to their market cap

With a market capitalization of $2.25 trillion, Apple regained its position as world’s largest company in 2021 as of June 2021. The market capitalization or market cap is the total market value of a publicly traded company’s outstanding shares and is commonly used to measure how much a company is worth. According to the data by CompaniesMarketCap, here are the top 10 largest publicly traded companies by their market capitalization as of June 11, 2021.

A look at the upcoming missions to Venus and why the planet is so difficult to explore

If we were only looking at their physical size, rock type, mass, and density, Earth and Venus are very similar. This is why they are called twins. The surface of Venus is the hottest in the solar system.

Croatia's museum of optical illusions goes global

Inspired by a US science TV show called "Brain Games", they wanted to create a place where visitors could be entertained while stimulating their grey cells -- and now they have licensed franchises from New York to Kuala Lumpur.

Odd and unusual images from around the world this week

These are some of the odd and unusual images from around the world captured this week.

This week in pictures: The most stunning images from Asia

This week in pictures: Compelling images from Asia

Explained | Why Pride month is celebrated in June and other key facts about gay pride

Here are some key facts about Gay Pride.

Solar Eclipse 2021 | Some stunning pictures of partial eclipse sweeping over northern hemisphere

People across Earth's northern hemisphere viewed an annular solar eclipse on June 10 with parts of Canada and Siberia privy to the best view of the celestial event.

Britain prepares to host 47th G7 summit

The seaside village of St. Ives in Cornwall will host the G7 summit, which is expected to be dominated by vaccine diplomacy, trade, climate and an initiative for rebuilding infrastructure in the developing world.

Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin to meet in 18th-century Swiss villa for summit, take a look

Dotted with redwood trees, rose bushes and ancient fountains, the classic villa is located in a park along the left bank of Lake Geneva.

QS World University Ranking 2022 | 3 Indian Institutions in top 200; a look at world's top 10 Universities

London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) released its World University Ranking 2022 on June 8, listing world’s top 1300 universities. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology achieved a record-extending 10th consecutive year as world number-one. Only three Indian institutions have figured in the top 200 universities of the world list. The India Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, is India's top ranked institution for the fourth consecutive year at the QS World University Rankings 2022 and ranked 177 worldwide. IIT, Delhi, has become India's second-best university, having risen from the 193rd rank to 185 since last year. Take a look at the top 10 Universities in the world for 2022.

A look at the race to NewSpace and the companies eyeing the sector

It looks like the era of space tourism is about to erupt. Meet the billionaires eyeing space as the next entrepreneurial frontier.

Mumbai among the world’s top cities with most billionaires: Take a look at the top 10

India’s financial capital Mumbai makes its place in the list of top 10 cities where world’s billionaires live. According to the Forbes, a quarter of the 2,755 members of the 2021 Forbes World’s Billionaires list live in just 10 cities around the world. China’s capital city Beijing is home to 100 billionaire residents. Here are the 10 cities in the world with the most billionaires.

Music fans flock to Albania’s beach festival despite COVID-19 outbreak

Organizers claimed that everyone at the festival was free of COVID-19 but offered no proof for those claims and no virus checks were apparent.

COVID-19 | A look at the origin and investigation of lab leak theory

From being dismissed as a conspiracy theory to President Joe Biden urging US intelligence agencies to investigate the lab leak theory, here’s how the discourse changed.

Return of live music to London inspires artists

The return of live music in the city that produced bands from the Rolling Stones to the Spice Girls is reigniting the creativity of some of London's many musicians and songwriters after 14 months of silence.

Meghan and Harry welcome second child, Lilibet 'Lili' Diana

The name pays tribute to both Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, whose family nickname is Lilibet, and his late mother, Princess Diana.

Last week in pictures: Here are some of the most stunning images from Asia

Take a look at some of the most compelling images published by AP from Asia and Pacific.

Last week in pictures: A look at the most striking images from around the world

This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world.

Flying Saucers and a shaky cup of alienation

Flying Saucers and a shaky cup of alienation

In pics | Shearing time for sheep in Germany’s mountains

The most experienced cutters can shear a sheep in two minutes. The job is not as easy as they make it look: the shearers must wield their tools while keeping under control a wriggling animal weighing up to 100 kilos (220 pounds) and not necessarily eager to lose its winter padding.

In pics | Sri Lanka braces for environmental disaster as ship sinks

The Singapore-flagged MV X-Press Pearl started sinking on June 3, a day after authorities extinguished a fire that raged on the vessel for 12 days. Efforts to tow the ship into deeper waters away from the port in Colombo failed after the ship’s stern became submerged and rested on the seabed.

In pics | Princess Diana's wedding dress goes on display in London

The dress Princess Diana wore at her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles went on public display on Thursday at the late princess’s former home in London.

In pics | Tokyo nightlife bustles despite coronavirus emergency

COVID-19 cases are still high and hospitals remain under strain despite a state of emergency as Japan on June 3 marks 50 days before the start of the Tokyo Olympics. But the city’s nightlife continues almost as usual as people in one of the world’s least vaccinated countries show increasing signs of frustration and defy the largely toothless emergency measures.

In pics | After pandemic pause, Avengers swing, soar into Disneyland

A Spider-Man ride that lets visitors blast bots with virtual webs from their bare hands and a show of strength from the royal guard of Wakanda are among the highlights of the new Avengers Campus at Disney’s California Adventure Park, whose debut was paused for about a year by the coronavirus pandemic.

In pics | Tiananmen crackdown exhibit opens in Hong Kong

The organizer of Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square candlelight vigil has opened its yearly exhibit of photographs and paraphernalia from the bloody 1989 crackdown in Beijing on those calling for democracy in China. The opening comes even as Hong Kong authorities have for the second year in a row banned the annual June 4 vigil, which normally draws tens of thousands of people into the streets.

In pics | Three-child policy: China lifts cap on births in major policy shift

In 2016, China scrapped its decades-old one-child policy - initially imposed to halt a population explosion - with a two-child limit, which failed to result in a sustained surge in births as the high cost of raising children in Chinese cities deterred many couples from starting families.