The best photos of the week: From Stumpy the tree mascot to the Carabinieri's robotic dog

Striking pictures from around the world

Stumpy the mascot dances near 'Stumpy' the cherry tree at the tidal basin in Washington, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. The weakened tree is experiencing its last peak bloom before being removed for a renovation project that will rebuild seawalls around Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park. (AP Photo / Nathan Ellgren)

A street vendor sells prawns on the seafront promenade at Galle Face in Colombo, Sri Lanka. AFP

Window cleaners known as 'Spidermen' at work on a skyscraper in Manama, Bahrain. Reuters

England's Marcus Smith scores a try during the Six Nations rugby union match against France at Groupama Stadium, Lyon. France won 33-31. AP

Billowing smoke and flowing lava pours out of a new fissure as a volcano erupts on the outskirts of Grindavik, western Iceland. AFP

People wait for sunset to break their fast with iftar at Al Taawun Mosque in Al Quoz, Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain, looms behind the illuminated skyscrapers of Shinjuku in Tokyo at sunset. AFP

Irish soldiers stand guard as a participant dressed as St Patrick walks past them during the annual St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin. Reuters

Passers-by photograph a new Banksy mural of a tree in north London, England. Getty Images

Artist Alain Roche plays piano while hanging from a crane in Munich. Audiences wearing headphones listened to the piano mixed with sounds of awakening nature captured by 40 microphones in Bavaria and Switzerland as the sun rose, in a project entitled When The Sun Stands Still. EPA

Drivers pass under Ramadan decorations on Hadarat Bridge during a dust storm in Nasiriyah, southern Iraq. AFP

A Palestinian man stands in the rubble of a building hit by overnight Israeli strikes in Rafah, southern Gaza. AFP

Women hit revellers with sticks during Lathmar Holi, part of the Hindu spring festival of colours, Holi, at the Radha Rani temple in Barsana, Uttar Pradesh, India. Getty Images

People visit the Hai Ramadan event at Expo City, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Hong Kong politicians passing a national security law introducing penalties such as life imprisonment for crimes related to treason and insurrection, and up to 20 years in jail for stealing state secrets. AFP

Cardboard coffins laid out in Rome's Piazza del Popolo by the Italian Labour Union during a campaign to draw public attention to work-related deaths. EPA

A South Korean tank takes part in a river-crossing exercise during a joint drill with US forces in Yeoncheon, South Korea. EPA

The casket of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney lies in state in Ottawa, Ontario. Reuters

Sheik Dien, 19, a follower of the Sengalese Muslim sect of Baye Fall, in the city of Touba. The sect is known for its colourful clothing and dreadlocks. AFP

A baby is weighed at a camp for internally displaced people in Jubaland state, Somalia. More than a quarter of the country's population have been displaced amid extremist violence. EPA

Boats sail past Shenjiamen Fishing Port during sunset in Zhoushan, eastern China. AFP

A woman visits a shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, to celebrate Nowruz, the Iranian new year. EPA

Rohingya refugees wait to be rescued after the boat they were travelling in capsized off northern Indonesia. AFP

Syrian Kurds mark Nowruz in the city of Qamishli, north-eastern Syria. AFP

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, speaks to German Finance Minister Christian Lindner during a parliament session at the Bundestag in Berlin. AFP

A kestrel catches a giant grasshopper near Kibbutz Nir Am on the Israel-Gaza border. AFP

A man takes shelter in a metro station during an air raid alert in Kyiv, Ukraine. Reuters

Astronaut Tracy Dyson (left) and Marina Vasilevskaya, who is set to become the first Belarusian woman in space, prepare for blast-off to the International Space Station at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Reuters

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hides inside her jacket after opposition politician Angelo Bonelli told her not to give him a 'disturbing look' during a briefing in the country's Parliament in Rome. AP

The Italian Carabinieri's first robotic dog, Saetta, is deployed alongside sniffer dog Olimpia after a bomb threat at the Ministry of Culture's office in Rome. The robotic dog can identify and defuse explosive devices. EPA

More from The National:

Friday's best photos: From equinox celebrations in Mexico to F1 fans in Melbourne

Thursday's best photos: From Spain's Museum of Light to ballet in South Africa

Wednesday's best photos: From the Carabinieri's robotic dog to a pricey white buffalo

Tuesday's best photos: From a crocodile zoo reopening to Banksy's new work - in pictures

Monday's best photos: From blossoms in Washington DC to St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin

Sunday's best photos: From volcano eruption in Iceland to carnival in Macedonia

Saturday's best photos: From an Ides of March re-enactment in Rome to a tornado in Ohio