The best photos of the week: from the Paralympics to the SWAT Challenge

The most striking pictures from around the world

Performers take part in the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games at the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing on March 13, 2022. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)

San Diego Padres pitcher Dinelson Lamet throwing during spring training baseball practice on Thursday, March 17, 2022, in Peoria, Arizona. AP Photo

Innes Boyd, 2, and Lenny Boyd, 5, attend the preview of Van Gogh Alive in Festival Square on March 16, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Van Gogh Alive is an immersive, multi-sensory art experience combining high-definition projections of Van Gogh's paintings with digital surround sound and aromas of Provence.  Getty Images

Romanian Orthodox monk Father Mikhail after mass at the church in Putna Monastery, Romania. During the mass, blessings were given for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian onslaught. Reuters

Afghan officials destroy expired and counterfeit medicines in Kandahar, Afghanistan, March 16, 2022. The Kandahar Public Health Department destroyed 50 tonnes of substandard and counterfeit medicines. EPA

Staff erect fences to block access to Shek O beach in Hong Kong, China, on March 17, 2022. Hong Kong has closed government-managed beaches again in a further tightening of social distancing measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections. EPA

A roadside vendor selling mosquito nets in Peshawar, Pakistan, March 16, 2022. Every year hundreds of people in Pakistan suffer from dengue fever caused by mosquito bites. EPA

A man covered in coloured powder during Holi celebrations in Ahmedabad, India, March 17, 2022. Reuters

Part of an anonymous art installation in the Salton Sea, viewed from Bombay Beach, California, US, March 15, 2022. Reuters

The Maracanã stadium a day ahead of reopening on March 12, 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After three months closed for renovations, the stadium reopened with a new playing surface made of a hybrid system that combines natural grass with synthetic fibres. Getty Images

Buddhist monks walk barefoot over smouldering coals at a fire-walking festival at Mt Takao in Tokyo, Japan, on March 13, 2022. Reuters

Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton during a Q&A session at Al Wasl Plaza at the Expo 2020 site in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Ethiopian Orthodox deacons during the burial ceremony of Abune Merkorios, fourth patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, at Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP

Oceanman Dubai features competition in five events – the 10km Oceanman with 150 participants; the 5km Half Oceanman with a maximum of 300 participants; the 1.5km Spring with 250 participants; the 3x500m Oceanteam and the 500m Oceankids. Victor Besa / The National

Rescuers free a woman from a residential building that was struck as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine. March 14, 2022. Reuters

Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 15, 2022. Vietnam expects to fully open and welcome back international tourists after two years during which all international flights were suspended. EPA

A young boy carries drinking water home in the village of Madina Torobe, Senegal. Access to drinking water in the north-west of the country is a constant challenge. Fulani pastoralists and families living in these remote villages sometimes resort to digging holes in dried-up river beds in search of cleaner drinking water for themselves and their animals. AFP

An MV-22 Osprey during a joint military helicopter-borne operation drill between Japan Ground Self-Defence Force and US Marines at Higashi Fuji range in Gotemba, south-west of Tokyo. AP Photo

Village women compete in a tug-of-war in the compound of a Hindu temple at Hungloh village, south of Dharmsala, India, Monday, March 14, 2022. AP Photo

A snowstorm in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 14, 2022. Reuters

A police officer in personal protective equipment carries supplies to be distributed to residents at a residential area restricted because of the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Manzhouli in China's northern Inner Mongolia region on March 15, 2022. AFP

A welder at work at the Interpipe Steel plant in Dnipro, Ukraine. Getting steel gas pipes to Texas oil companies and railway wheels to European high-speed train operators is being put on hold as hundreds of Interpipe’s 10,000 employees in Ukraine join the fight against Russia. Working with a skeleton crew, some of Interpipe’s facilities are making metal barriers to block Russian tanks and convoys. Its bomb shelters house dozens of local families at night. AP

A giant lollipop on display in the departure hall of Changi International Airport in Singapore. AFP

A helicopter approaches the Eiffel Tower to install a new telecom transmission antenna on its top, in Paris, France, March 15, 2022. Reuters

Surfers wait on the next big set at Zurriola's beach in San Sebastian, Spain, March 15, 2022. EPA

A pyre lit by members and supporters of Sri Lanka's opposition party alliance, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (United People's Power) burns out as police guard the entrance to the Presidential Secretariat at Galle Face in Colombo, Sri Lanka, March 15, 2022. EPA

Fog covers the city of Kronberg near Frankfurt, Germany, March 16, 2022. AP Photo

A protest to mark the 11th anniversary of the start of the Syrian conflict, in opposition-held Idlib, Syria, on March 15, 2022. Reuters

On March 15, 2022, sand from the Sahara that fell overnight covers the snow in Piau-Engaly ski resort, southern France. A thin layer of sand from the Sahara fell on the night of March 14 in Madrid and a good part of Spain, before heading towards France. AFP

The Royal Thai Police take part in the obstacle course at the UAE SWAT Challenge in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

More from 'The National'

Friday's best photos: from the Holi festival to St Patrick's Day

Thursday's best photos: from sunflowers to ranunculus

Wednesday's best photos: from Spanish surf to Saharan sand

Tuesday's best photos: from a helicopter in the mist to a plane at sunset

Monday's best photos: from the Paralympics to water shortages

Sunday's best photos: from a green river to National Elephant Day

Saturday's best photos: from the Dragon of Calais to Lathmar Holi hymns