Week in Pictures: 15-21 February
- Published
A selection of striking news photographs from around the world this week.
Lizzo was one of several artists to perform live at the Brit Awards on Tuesday at the O2 Arena in London. Others included Billie Eilish, Stormzy and London rapper Dave, who won album of the year, moments after calling the prime minister a "racist" during his performance.
A woman burns incense sticks as she prays at a temple during the Hindu festival of Maha Shivaratri in Kolkata.
Police declared a major incident in the area around the Welsh village of Crickhowell after the river Usk bursts its banks near the Bridge End Inn. Heavy rain and strong winds, caused by Storm Dennis, lashed much of the UK on 15 and 16 February.
An abandoned "ghost" cargo ship was discovered washed up off the coast of County Cork, Ireland, following strong winds from Storm Dennis.
Nascar driver Ryan Newman has been released from hospital two days after a crash at the Daytona 500 in Florida. The 42-year-old American sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries on Monday when his Ford Mustang was hit from behind.
Men dressed in loincloths prepare to snatch one of two wooden sticks, called shingi, tossed by a priest during the annual "Naked Festival" in Saidaiji Temple, Okayama, Japan.
Forensic experts examine a damaged car after two shootings in Hanau near Frankfurt, in which nine people were killed. Germany's Federal prosecutor Peter Frank said the suspect, Tobias R, 43, posted material online that showed a "deeply racist mindset" before he opened fire on two shisha bars.
A bus carries Australian passengers from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, to board a Qantas aircraft chartered by the Australian government. More than 620 people on board the Diamond Princess tested positive for the virus, the largest cluster of cases outside China.
A light-and-sound art installation, Sarum Lights, has been installed in Salisbury Cathedral as part of its 800th anniversary celebrations.
People pass a poster in a Barcelona street by Italian urban artist Salvatore Benintende, aka TVBoy, depicting Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa wearing a protective face mask and holding a mobile phone, reading "Mobile World Virus". The Mobile World Congress in the city was cancelled amid concern about the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 2,000 people and affected more than 25 countries.
All photographs belong to the copyright holders as marked.