Today's best photos: from lions at Kyiv Zoo to Mount Merapi eruption

'The National' picks the best images from around the world

Lions at Kyiv Zoo, as Russia presses on with its invasion of Ukraine. Many of the animals are highly stressed, showing reaction to air raid sirens and the sound of explosions, staff say. EPA

A pair of Dogue de Bordeaux on the first day of the Crufts Dog Show in Birmingham, central England. PA

An Iranian boy chases pigeons in the capital Tehran. AFP

BEIJING, CHINA - MARCH 10: Delegates, some dressed in traditional clothing from different ethnic groups, gather for photos after the closing session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People on March 10, 2022 in Beijing, China. China's week-long annual political gathering, known as the Two Sessions, convenes the nation's leaders and lawmakers to set the government's agenda for domestic economic and social development for the next year. (Photo by Kevin Frayer / Getty Images)

A Palestinian woman, wearing a traditional embroidered dress, attends an event celebrating the registration of Palestinian embroidery on the Unesco Cultural Heritage List, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. AFP

Ceramic pots are loaded on to a truck in Gharyan, Lebanon where dwindling demand is forcing potters to seek new markets online. AFP

Protesters form a peace symbol as they demonstrate against the Russian invasion of Ukraine at Heroes' Square in Budapest. AFP

Police detain a man who was protesting near the Chinese embassy to mark the 63rd Tibetan uprising anniversary in New Delhi. AFP

A Ukrainian serviceman comforts a resident who is leaving his home after Russian artillery shelling in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP

Lava flowing from Indonesia's most active volcano, Mount Merapi, seen from the village of Umbulharjo in Sleman, outside Yogyakarta. AFP

More from The National:

Wednesday's best photos: from a crashed Russian bomber to traditional torito celebrations

Tuesday's best photos: from carnival fever in Switzerland to Paris fashion week

Monday's best photos: from fighting starlings to Skijoring in Colorado

Sunday's best photos: from skaters in Canada to surfers in Portugal

Saturday's best photos: from a sand storm in Iraq to Beijing's Paralympic Winter Games