The week in pictures: Ebola outbreak in Africa, Putin in China and Cannes Film Festival mermaids
Key takeaways
- Here is a look back at some of the week’s most striking images.
- By: FRANCE 24 A woman cries as Red Cross workers carry the coffin of a person who died of Ebola from a health center in Rwampara, Congo, May 20, 2026.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The Ebola outbreak spreads in Democratic Republic of Congo, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping meet in Beijing, Japanese actress Arisa Sasaki dresses as a mermaid for the Cannes Film Festival and Gaza flotilla activists are humiliated by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Ben-Gvir. Here is a look back at some of the week’s most striking images.
By: FRANCE 24 A woman cries as Red Cross workers carry the coffin of a person who died of Ebola from a health center in Rwampara, Congo, May 20, 2026. © Moses Sawasawa, AP A caretaker tending to an albino buffalo nicknamed “Donald Trump” at a farm in Narayanganj, Bangladesh, where crowds flock to see the unusual animal ahead of its sacrifice for Eid al-Adha, May 17, 2026. © Salahuddin Ahmed, AFP Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping tour a photo exhibition on Russia-China ties in Beijing on May 20, 2026. © Alexander Kazakov, AFP Japanese actress Arisa Sasaki poses during a photocall of the film "Titanic Ocean" at the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France on May 21, 2026. © Olivier Chassignole, AFP Screenshot from a video of the arrest of Gaza flotilla activists, posted on the account of Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, on May 20, 2026. © Itamar Ben Gvir, X Aston Villa's Scottish midfielder #07 John McGinn and his teammates celebrate with the trophy after winning the UEFA Europa League final football match between SC Freiburg and Aston Villa at Besiktas Park in Istanbul on May 20, 2026. © Stefano Rellandini, AFP JR prepares to transform Paris’s Pont Neuf into a monumental “cave” installation, inspired by Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s iconic 1985 artwork, May 21, 2026. © Simon Wohlfahrt, AFP Muslim pilgrims touch the walls of the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, May 21, 2026. © Altaf Qadri, AP The award winners at the closing ceremony of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France on May 23, 2026. AFP - SAMEER AL-DOUMY Read next
The week in pictures: Trump evacuated at media dinner, Leo XIV in Africa and robots race in Beijing Americas The week in pictures: Trump in China, Cannes festival and Philippines Senate shooting In pictures Asia / Pacific The week in pictures: May Day marches, King Charles in Bermuda and Mali's rebel push In pictures Asia / Pacific The week in pictures: Orban ousted in Hungary, Pope Leo's Africa tour and Trump as Jesus In pictures Middle East Today's top stories