IN PICTURES: Swimming training for Gaza’s children, and more from around the world
Translate
Daily Maverick Photo Team
Moving, tragic, surprising, inspiring, terrifying, shocking ... a selection of images from our planet over the past seven days.
19 Aug 2026
A swimming coach jumps into the water during a swimming training session for Palestinian children, including amputees, some of whom lost their limbs during the war, and orphans, as part of the ‘Waves of Hope’ project at a swimming pool in Khan Younis, Gaza, on 19 August. (Photo: Mahmoud Issa / Reuters)
US President Donald Trump gestures toward members of law enforcement after delivering remarks at the David S Mack Center for Training and Intelligence on 14 August in Garden City, New York. (Photo: Samuel Corum / Getty Images) Iranians drive near an anti-Trump billboard in Tehran, Iran, on 19 August. (Photo: Abedin Taherkenareh / EPA) Firefighters work at a site of a book market hit by a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 16 August. (Photo: Gleb Garanich / Reuters) A resident walks at the site of a street market hit by a Russian drone in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on 19 August. (Photo: Stringer / Reuters) Emergency personnel at the site of a rainstorm-triggered landslide in the northern Antofagasta region, in Paposo, Chile, on 18 August. (Photo: Rodrigo Gutierrez / Reuters) A motorist passes cracks on the road in the aftermath of an earthquake in Nagekeo, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, on 17 August. (Photo: Edgar Su / Reuters Lava and a plume of volcanic fumes belch out during an eruption of Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy, at dusk on 13 August. (Photo: Giuseppe Di Stefano / Reuters The burnt-out remains of homes on Quarry Park Road in Stourbridge, England, on 17 August after a wildfire that broke out in the West Midlands on 13 August prompted mass evacuations and destroyed 19 properties across five streets in Stourbridge. (Photo: Christopher Furlong / Getty Images) State Representative Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist and union organiser, participates in a worship service at the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church on 17 August in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Nixon scored a surprise victory on Tuesday in Florida’s Democratic Senate primary and is likely to face incumbent Republican Ashley Moody in the November general election. (Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images) A parade of Routemaster buses leaves the abandoned village of Imber on the Ministry of Defence training area in Salisbury Plain, England, on 15 August. The Imberbus is a one-day-only annual charity Routemaster bus service operating in Wiltshire, England, taking passengers across the restricted military roads of Salisbury Plain to the abandoned village of Imber. (Photo: Finnbarr Webster / Getty Images) Juvenile pipe bands prepare before entering the arena at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow Green in Glasgow, Scotland, on 14 August. Every year, more than 8,000 of the world’s best pipers and drummers compete in the World Pipe Band Championships. (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images) The skull of Saint Agatha, a third-century Christian martyr and patron saint of Catania, Italy, is carried in a glass case during a procession in Catania on 17 August, marking the 900th anniversary of the return of Saint Agatha’s relics to the Sicilian city in 1126 AD, 86 years after they were stolen by a Byzantine general who took them to Constantinople. (Photo: Fabrizio Villa / Getty Images) Morning mist and smoke rising during a wildfire burning in the High Fens (Hautes Fagnes) region, near Waimes, Belgium, on 16 August. (Photo: Bart Biesemans / Reuters) Storks gather on a warehouse roof near the village of Pidhirtsi in Ukraine on 15 August before heading to southern regions for winter. (Photo: Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters) A sedated female tiger lies inside a transport cage on 15 August before departing for Ezeiza Airport from the former Lujan Zoo in Lujan, Argentina, which closed in 2020 amid concerns over animal welfare. The tiger was one of 30 big cats transferred to the US and South Africa by the animal welfare organisation Four Paws. (Photo: Alessia Maccioni / Reuters) Jinny Lu wins first place in the ‘World's Ugliest Dog Contest on 14 August in Santa Rosa, California. The pug won $5,000 and a trip to New York, where she will appear on NBC’s Today show. (Photo: Heather Diehl / Getty Images) Wild horses on the Kruzi plateau near Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina, gather to drink water brought by residents on 13 August after prolonged drought and high temperatures dried up natural watering holes. (Photo: Amel Emric / Reuters) Police use water cannons to cool down revellers attending Rave The Planet techno parade demonstration ‘Imagine Love’, in Berlin, Germany, on 15 August. (Photo: Christian Mang / Reuters) French-Beninese musician, actress and activist Angélique Kidjo attends the ceremony in Hollywood, California, on 18 August honouring her with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Photo: JB Lacroix / WireImage) World-ranked No 2 tennis player Carlos Alcaraz of Spain feels the heat during a training session with Holger Rune of Denmark at Real Sociedad Club de Campo in El Palmar, Murcia, Spain, on 17 August. (Photo: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images) Fans of the Croatian soccer team GNK Dinamo burn flares during the Uefa Champions League 2026/27 play-offs first-leg match between GNK Dinamo and the Norwegian side Viking at Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb, Croatia, on 18 August. (Photo: Jurij Kodrun / Getty Images)
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2290505056_100920.jpg "U.S. President Donald Trump gestures towards members of law enforcement after delivering remarks at the David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence on August 14, 2026 in Garden City, New York. President Trump visited the police academy to highlight the FBI's 2025 Crime Statistics Report and rally support for local Republican candidates ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. (Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/14225434_390632.jpg "Iranians drive near an anti-Trump billboard in Tehran, Iran, 19 August 2026. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States lifts its blockade and ends sanctions. (Photo: EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH)")
/file/attachments/orphans/RC2EZMAYHDRM_377944.jpg "Firefighters work at a site of a book market hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 16, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)")
/file/attachments/orphans/RC2L1NAJF0KD_826950.jpg "A resident walks at the site of a street market hit by a Russian drone, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine August 19, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)")
/file/attachments/orphans/RC26W7ALUW31_843173.jpg "A drone view shows emergency personnel at the site of a rainstorm-triggered landslide in the northern Antofagasta region, in Paposo, Chile August 18, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Rodrigo Gutierrez)")
/file/attachments/orphans/RC290NAC6WTE_257994.jpg "A motorist passes cracks on the road in the aftermath of an earthquake in Nagekeo, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia August 17, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Edgar Su)")
/file/attachments/orphans/RC2WXMALW0QO_226699.jpg "A drone view shows lava and a plume of volcanic fumes during an eruption of Mount Etna at dusk, with lights from nearby communities visible in the distance, in Sicily, Italy, August 13, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Giuseppe Di Stefano)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2290875572_672465.jpg "The burnt out remains of homes on Quarry Park Road on August 17, 2026 in Stourbridge, England. Investigations and clean up continue after a wildfire that broke out in the West Midlands on August 13 prompted mass evacuations and destroyed nineteen properties across five streets in Stourbridge. (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2290939639_480027.jpg "Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon participates in a worship service during a visit to the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church on August 17, 2026 in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Nixon, who previously protested on the floor of the state House with a bullhorn after Republicans redrew district lines, vies with retired Lt. Col. Alex Vindman in the August 18 primary. The winner is likely to face incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) in the November general election. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2290615948_727358.jpg "A parade of buses leaves the abandoned village of Imber on the Ministry of Defence training area in Salisbury Plain marking the end of the day, on August 15, 2026 in Imber, England. The Imberbus is a one-day-only annual charity Routemaster bus service operating in Wiltshire, England, taking passengers across the restricted military roads of Salisbury Plain to the abandoned village of Imber. Imberbus raises money for the Friends of St.Giles's Church, Imber, and the Royal British Legion Poppy Day Appeal, as well as to other local charities and those charities supported by organisations that help Imberbus. (Photo: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2290467852_113576.jpg "Juvenile pipe bands prepare before entering the arena at the World Pipe Band Championships at Glasgow Green on August 14, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. Every year over 8,000 of the world's best pipers and drummers compete in the World Pipe Band Championships. People of all ages compete in categories for bagpipes and drums and the ultimate prize of being named Pipe Band Champions for 2026. (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2290860929_919552.jpg "The skull of Saint Agatha, a third-century Christian martyr and patron saint of Catania, is carried in a glass case during the procession on August 17, 2026 in Catania, Italy. Catania is marking the 900th anniversary of the return of Saint Agatha's (Sant'Agata in Italian) relics to the Sicilian city in 1126 AD, 86 years after they had been stolen by a Byzantine general who took them to Constantinople in 1040. Papal envoy Cardinal Pietro Parolin is participating in the historic celebrations, which include a special prayer vigil in Aci Castello and a solemn Pontifical Mass in Piazza Duomo. (Photo: Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/RC2IZMAW9D7E_226554.jpg "A drone view shows morning mist and smoke rising during a wildfire burning in the High Fens (Hautes Fagnes) region, near Waimes, Belgium, August 16, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Bart Biesemans)")
/file/attachments/orphans/RC25ZMAQW8EA_187423.jpg "Storks sit on a roof of a warehouse during sunset as they gather in a group before heading to southern regions for winter, near the village of Pidhirtsi, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine, August 15, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)")
/file/attachments/orphans/RC22ZMA85RGW_822044.jpg "A sedated female tiger lies inside a transport cage before departing for Ezeiza Airport at the former Lujan Zoo, which closed in 2020 amid concerns over animal welfare, during the transfer of 15 big cats to the United States and 15 others to South Africa by animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS, in Lujan, Argentina, August 15, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Alessia Maccioni)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2290010351_990816.jpg "Jinny Lu wins first place in the \"World's Ugliest Dog Contest\" on August 14, 2026 in Santa Rosa, California. A pug named Jinny Lu won first place with a $5,000 prize and a trip to New York where she will appear on NBC's \"Today\" show. (Photo: Heather Diehl/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/RC2OXMA2OV09_170989.jpg "Wild horses on the Kruzi plateau near Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina, gather to drink water brought by residents as prolonged drought and high temperatures have dried up natural watering holes, August 13, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Amel Emric)")
/file/attachments/orphans/RC23ZMAMOD2U_440486.jpg "Police uses water cannons to cool down revellers attending Rave The Planet techno parade demonstration \"Imagine Love\", in Berlin, Germany, August 15, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2291051082_830302.jpg "Angélique Kidjo attends the ceremony honoring her with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 18, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo: JB Lacroix/WireImage)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2290875857_434334.jpg "Carlos Alcaraz of Spain feels the heat during a training session with Holger Rune of Denmark at Real Sociedad Club De Campo on August 17, 2026 in El Palmar, Murcia, Spain. (Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)")
/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2291044193_882597.jpg "Fans of GNK Dinamo burn flares during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 play-offs first leg match between GNK Dinamo and Viking at Stadion Maksimir on August 18, 2026 in Zagreb, Croatia. (Photo: Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)")