Week in pictures: 23 - 29 July 2022

A selection of powerful news photographs taken around the world this week.

News imageAmber Bracken / Reuters Pope Francis meets First Nations, Metis and Inuit indigenous communities in Maskwacis, Alberta, Canada, on 25 July 2022Amber Bracken / Reuters
Pope Francis meets indigenous communities in Maskwacis, in the Canadian province of Alberta. The pontiff visited to apologise for the Church's role in assimilating indigenous children in residential schools.
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News imageCarlos Barria / Reuters A house is on fire as the Oak Fire burns near Darrah in Mariposa County, California, US., on 23 July 2022Carlos Barria / Reuters
A blazing house falls victim to the Oak Fire near Darrah, in Mariposa County, California. The wildfire has forced the evacuation of more than 6,000 people, many of whom have been staying in temporary shelters.
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News imageJohn Wessels / AFP A pirogue team races along the Senegal River in Saint-Louis, Senegal, on 23 July 2022John Wessels / AFP
A pirogue team races along the Senegal River in the country's coastal city of Saint-Louis. The competition is believed to date back 200 years, with each neighbourhood in the city putting forward several teams.
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News imageAlexi Rosenfeld / Getty Images Participants show off artwork at the ninth annual NYC Body Painting Day in Union Square, New York City, US, on 24 July 2022Alexi Rosenfeld / Getty Images
Participants show off artwork at the ninth annual NYC Body Painting Day in Union Square, New York. More than 50 artists and nude models took part.
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News imageNavesh Chitrakar / Reuters An effigy of demon Ghantakarna is burnt to symbolizs the destruction of evil during the Ghantakarna festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal, on 26 July 2022Navesh Chitrakar / Reuters
An effigy of demon Ghantakarna is burnt to symbolise the destruction of evil during the Ghantakarna festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal.
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News imageStelios Misinas / Reuters A biker performs tricks at Kavouri beach during a heatwave near Athens, Greece, on 24 July 2022Stelios Misinas / Reuters
A biker performs tricks at Kavouri beach during a heatwave near Athens, Greece.
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News imageHannah Mckay / Reuters The opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, UK, on 28 July 2022Hannah Mckay / Reuters
The Commonwealth Games began in Birmingham, UK, on Friday, following a spectacular opening ceremony the previous evening. More than 5,000 athletes, representing 72 nations and territories, are competing in 280 medal events until 8 August.
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News imageIbrahim Chalhoub / AFP A freediver collects a sea urchin off the shore of Lebanon's northern coastal city of Batroun on 24 July 2022Ibrahim Chalhoub / AFP
A freediver collects a sea urchin off the shore of Lebanon's northern coastal city of Batroun.
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News imageAnatolii Stepanov / AFP Local residents look at the damage to a building partially destroyed overnight during a missile strike on the outskirts of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on 25 July 2022Anatolii Stepanov / AFP
Residents inspect the damage to a building partially destroyed during a missile strike on the outskirts of Kramatorsk, in Ukraine's Donetsk region.
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News imageJoe Giddens / PA Media A mother and son walk among their crop of sunflowers, which have come into bloom early due to recent high temperatures, at Vine House Farm in Deeping Saint Nicholas, near Spalding, Lincolnshire, on 28 July 2022Joe Giddens / PA Media
A mother and son walk among their crop of sunflowers, which have come into bloom early due to recent high temperatures, at Vine House Farm in Deeping Saint Nicholas, Lincolnshire, UK. An estimated 12 million sunflower heads fill 100 acres.

All pictures are subject to copyright.