A man comforted a child at a funeral in Juiz de Fora, Brazil, following heavy rains that claimed the life of 11-year-old Bernardo Lopes Dutra, according to images released Wednesday by Reuters.
The photographs, selected by The Guardian’s picture editors, also depict scenes from Gaza, Seoul, Kyiv, Washington D.C., Hyderabad, and London, offering a fragmented portrait of a world grappling with conflict, remembrance, and cultural traditions.
In Gaza City, women worked at a bakery in the Yarmouk refugee camp, established as a humanitarian initiative by the International Committee of the Red Cross. This effort comes as the region faces ongoing challenges, with reports from February 22nd indicating a need for drastic action to address the humanitarian situation, according to The Guardian.
Seoul marked the first full moon day of the lunar year with the traditional festival of Jwibullori, where LED fireballs were set alight to ward off rats. Meanwhile, in Kyiv, pedestrians walked through Independence Square the day after the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In Washington D.C., family members of Virginia Giuffre, an accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, listened as Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address. Trump’s remarks came amidst ongoing scrutiny and legal battles, and as his “Board of Peace” – a group of advisors – convened to discuss priorities including potential troop deployments to Gaza and financial aid, according to reporting from February 20th.
The Board of Peace, comprised of individuals described by The Guardian as “authoritarians, strongmen and dictators,” has drawn criticism, with major European allies declining to join its first meeting. Files reviewed by Trump officials reportedly outline plans for a 5,000-person military base in Gaza.
Elsewhere, a worker prepared vermicelli in Hyderabad, Pakistan, as Muslims observed Ramadan. In London, René Magritte’s artwork, Les Graces Naturelles, was displayed during a media preview at Christie’s auction house. A report released this week alleges that dozens of Palestinian journalists have been beaten, starved, or raped, adding to the complex and escalating situation in the region.
The Guardian reported on February 21st that during Ramadan in Gaza, residents “pray for mercy, share what we have and light a single candle for hope.”
