Hunger on the ground, rockets in the sky: Eyecatching photos of the week

The world never ceases to confound us. These photos—of a stretched hand in despair, a raised hand in dissent—resonate beyond their description for a leisurely flip or a deep read this week

By Madhu Kapparath

Published: Mar 21, 2024 12:56:29 PM IST

Updated: Mar 21, 2024 12:58:28 PM IST

Image: Zohra Bensemra / Reuters

A child carries bread before breaking the fast during the holy month of Ramadan, in Fass Boye, Senegal, on March 19, 2024. The small fishing village of Bass Boye on the west coast of Africa has often seen struggling Senegalese take off on treacherous and deathly sea journeys to Europe, escaping from poverty.

Image: MOHAMMED ABED / AFP

A Palestinian man shows the contents of a cardboard box of food aid provided by the non-profit, non-governmental organisation World Central Kitchen in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. During this sacred month of Ramadan, World Central Kitchen is working to provide 92,000 food boxes—4.7 million meals—to starving Palestinians.

Image: Rodrigo Oropeza / AFP

People enjoy a nap at the World Sleep Day event at the iconic Monumento to the Revolution in Mexico City, Mexico, on March 15, 2024. The 'mass siesta', organised by the Mexico City government, aimed to raise awareness about the importance of adequate sleep and drew more than 300 people eager to get some shut-eye.

Image: Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP

Royal Challengers Bangalore's players celebrate after winning the Women's Premier League (WPL) Twenty20 cricket final match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on March 17, 2024. The nation hailed the team for its monumental victory, RCB's first-ever T20 title across both WPL and the Indian Premier League, with many taking to the streets to celebrate this feat.

Image: Biju BORO / AFP

Members of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) took part in a torch rally in Guwahati on March 12, 2024, to protest the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). India's interior ministry enacted a citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslims just weeks before the world's most populous country heads into a general election.

Image: KCNA VIA KNS / AFP

This picture, taken on March 18, 2024, shows North Korea's Western Region Artillery Unit's ultra-large rocket salvo firing drill at an unconfirmed location in North Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a series of firing drills by artillery units in the west of the country.

Image: Joel KOWSKY / NASA / AFP

Support teams work around the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft shortly after it splashed down with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, US on March 12, 2024. The astronauts are returning after nearly six months in space as part of Expedition 70 aboard the International Space Station.

Image: Vladislav Nekrasov / Reuters

A man walks out of a voting booth displaying a giant mammoth skeleton at a polling station located in Novosibirsk State University on the final day of the presidential election in Novosibirsk, Russia, March 17, 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin, 71, won the elections by securing 87.97 percent of the votes. With a six-year term set to follow, he will become Russia's longest-serving leader in more than 200 years.

Image: Maxim Shemetov / Reuters

Revellers take part in the celebrations of Maslenitsa, an ancient pagan holiday marking the end of the winter, in the village of Nikola-Lenivets in the Kaluga region, Russia, on March 16, 2024. Celebrated since pagan times in the Slavic regions of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and other countries, the festivities include the burning of effigies of "Lady Maslenitsa," family visits, snowball fights, and the cooking and eating of blini, pancakes, or crepes

Image: Roman PILIPEY / AFP

Ukrainian civilian women practice with weapons as they attend training for women on the use of weapons and combat medical kits in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 16, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Organised by a civilian organisation, Ukrainian Walkyrie, the training teaches women basic knowledge about weapons and combat medical kits and raises money for the Ukrainian army.

Image: MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP

Leonardo Muylaert, known as the Brazilian Superman, poses for a picture at the Saens Pena Square in the Tijuca neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 18, 2024. A chance video of Muylaert visiting an event went viral on TikTok, where he was called the "Brazilian Superman." Muylaert liked the idea and jumped on a Superman costume, and since then, he has been travelling around Brazil as Superman.

Image: Yara Nardi / Reuters

Members of the Roman historical society Gruppo Storico Romano prepare before the re-enactment of the 'Ides of March', also known as the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, in the archaeological area of Largo Argentina in Rome, Italy, on March 15, 2024. Gruppo Storico Romano is a cultural non-profit organisation founded in 1994 by a group of friends with a passion for ancient Rome.

Image: Wakil KOHSAR / AFP

Afghan miners dig for gold in the mountains of Yaftal Sufla district in Badakhshan province, northeastern Afghanistan, on March 12, 2024. Many unemployed men try their luck carving out a living in the rocky mountains that dominate Badakhshan province.

Image: Mohsen KARIMI / AFP

Afghan men receive food from a local charity during the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan in the Injil district of Herat, Afghanistan, on March 18, 2024. The UN World Food Programme has put out an emergency appeal after its latest assessment showed that over half of families do not have enough food to eat each day.