For more than a week now, torrential rainfall in Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul has swollen rivers, triggered landslides, and caused widespread flooding. More than 90 deaths have been blamed on the flooding, with another 130 people listed as missing. Rescue efforts continue across the state and in the hard-hit city of Porto Alegre. The intense rains have abated for the moment, but flooding rivers continue to rise downstream, forcing thousands to seek shelter and assistance. To receive an email notification every time new photo stories are published, sign up here. A view of the f ..read more

In the Greek village of Vrontados, each year during Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations, members of two rival churches hold a traditional “rocket war” by firing thousands of homemade fireworks toward each other while services are held. The goal for each side is to hit the bell in the tower of the opposing church. The festival, called Rouketopolemos, has been celebrated by the churches of Agios Markos and Panagia Erithiani for at least 135 years. Gathered here are images of this year’s battle, along with others from recent years. Rockets fly over the bell tower of Agios Markos church during Gre ..read more

On May 4, 1970, 54 years ago today, members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on a crowd of student protesters gathered on the campus of Ohio’s Kent State University, killing four students and injuring another nine. Several hundred students had been protesting against the Nixon administration’s expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia, and the mayor of the city of Kent asked the governor of Ohio to bring in members of the National Guard. News coverage of the shooting of unarmed protesters dominated headlines around the world and spurred hundreds of protests across the country. Gathered ..read more

A volcanic eruption in Indonesia, a tilting tower in Taiwan, a growing refugee camp in Chad, the Tokyo Rainbow Pride Parade in Japan, humanitarian aid parachuted into Gaza, protests opposing Israel’s attacks on Gaza in the United States, a performance by Phish at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and much more Spiral bookshelves are seen in a bookshop in Guangzhou, China, on April 23, 2024. ( John Ricky / Anadolu / Getty ..read more

Across the length of Chile, stretching 2,650 miles (4,265 kilometers) from north to south, more than 40 national parks have been established in the past century, protecting many endangered species, wild landscapes, and natural wonders. Collected below are images of several of these parks, from Lauca National Park, in the altiplano of Chile’s far north, to the dramatic mountains of Torres del Paine National Park, in the southern Patagonia region. A view of the Cuernos del Paine, a cluster of steep granite peaks in Chile's Torres del Paine National Park. ( Lukasz Nowak1 / Getty ..read more

On this Earth Day, a day set aside to remember and appreciate the environment and our responsibilities and roles within it, I wanted to gather a selection of images of the incredibly diverse bird life that we share this planet with. Tens of billions of individual animals are divided among some 10,000 species, inhabiting nearly every environment on Earth. These fascinating creatures are at home on land, at sea, or in the sky, from our polar regions to the tropics. On a day meant for us to care for our environment, it seemed appropriate to feature some of those we share it with. A rufous-creste ..read more

Eid al-Fitr prayers in India, trophy winners at the Boston Marathon, the burning of a historic building in Denmark, a wildfire in Kosovo, widespread flooding in Russia, a joyous water festival in Thailand, a music festival in China, and much more A woman stands on a breakwater in China's southwestern city of Chongqing on April 13, 2024. ( AFP / Getty ..read more

The winning entries of the annual World Press Photo Contest ​have just been announced. This year, according to organizers, 61,062 images were submitted for judging, made by 3,851 photographers from 130 different countries. World Press Photo was once again kind enough to share some of this year’s global and regional winners, gathered below. Europe, Winner, Singles—A Father’s Pain: Mesut Hançer holds the hand of his 15-year-old daughter, Irmak, who died in the earthquake in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, the day after the 7.8-magnitude quake struck the country's southeast, on February 7, 2023. Rescuers ..read more

Crowds of music fans gathered once more in Indio, California, this weekend, for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, catching performances by Doja Cat, Jon Batiste, Vampire Weekend, Sabrina Carpenter, Lil Yachty, Gwen Stefani, Peso Pluma, Atarashii Gakko, the Aquabats, and many more artists. Gathered below are images of this year’s performances and concertgoers during the first weekend of Coachella 2024. Brittany Howard performs onstage at Coachella 2024 in Indio, California, on April 12, 2024. ( Emma McIntyre / Getty for Coachella ..read more

The World Coal Carrying Championships in England, damage from an earthquake in Taiwan, a destroyed hospital in the Gaza Strip, a beekeeper at work in Ukraine, cherry tree blossoms in Germany, an appearance of the Easter bunny at the White House, rally racing in Kenya, flooding in west-central France, and much more Dancers perform during auditions to become a Radio City Rockette at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 3, 2024. ( Brittainy Newman / AP ..read more