A selection of powerful news photographs taken around the world this week.
Image caption,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.
Image caption,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.
Image caption,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.
Image caption,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.
Image caption,An effigy of demon Ghantakarna is burnt to symbolise the destruction of evil during the Ghantakarna festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal.
Image caption,A biker performs tricks at Kavouri beach during a heatwave near Athens, Greece.
Image caption,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.
Image caption,A freediver collects a sea urchin off the shore of Lebanon’s northern coastal city of Batroun.
Image caption,Residents inspect the damage to a building partially destroyed during a missile strike on the outskirts of Kramatorsk, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Image caption,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.