The Week in Pictures: Total solar eclipse in Spain, earthquake in Flores island and wildfires in France

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People watching the total solar eclipse in Spain, earthquake in Flores island and massive wildfires in France- these and more pictures from around the world feature in this week’s selection.

The moon completely covers the sun during a total solar eclipse as seen from the Galactica Centre, near the Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory in Arcos de las Salinas, near Teruel, Spain, August 12, 2026. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann REFILE - CORRECTING LOCATION FROM 'THE JAVALAMBRE ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY' TO 'THE GALACTICA CENTRE, NEAR THE JAVALAMBRE ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY'.

AUG 12

The moon covering the sun during a total solar eclipse as seen from the Galactica Centre, near Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory in Arcos de las Salinas, Teruel province, Spain. The eclipse carved a narrow path of totality across Arctic Russia, Greenland, western Iceland and northern and eastern Spain, ending near sunset in the Mediterranean and Balearic Islands.

PHOTO: REUTERS

TOPSHOT - A firefighter hoses down the charred ground as flames continue to burn in the Landes forest in Luglon, southwestern France, in the early hours of August 14, 2026. The fire that broke out on August 13, 2026 in the Landes forest has now spread across 400 hectares, and 400 people "are being evacuated as a precautionary measure", according to the prefecture of this south-western department. (Photo by ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP)

AUG 14

A firefighter hosing down charred ground in the Landes forest in Luglon, south-western France. The fire that broke out in the forest has spread across 400ha, and hundreds of people “are being evacuated as a precautionary measure”, according to the south-western Landes department’s government.

PHOTO: AFP

Count Binface gestures while standing with other candidates after Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage was declared the winner for the Clacton by-election, triggered by the resignation of Farage, in Essex, Britain, August 14, 2026. REUTERS/Jack Taylor TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY REFILE - UPDATING GRAMMAR

AUG 14

Count Binface (centre) – a novelty candidate who is the persona of British comedian Jon Harvey – with other candidates after Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage was declared the winner for the Clacton by-election in Essex, Britain.

PHOTO: REUTERS

AUG 15

Dustin Stoltzfus (wearing blue gloves) fighting against Mansur Abdul-Malik during the middleweight bout in the UFC 330 mixed martial arts event at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

PHOTO: REUTERS

A motorbike stops next to a collapsed building following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Borong, East Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara on August 16, 2026. Help started arriving on August 16 for thousands of evacuees on Indonesia's Flores island after a powerful earthquake killed 51 people, injured dozens and damaged hundreds of houses and buildings. (Photo by JUNI KRISWANTO / AFP)

AUG 16

A motorist beside a collapsed building after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Borong, on the Indonesian island of Flores, which is part of East Nusa Tenggara province. Help started arriving for thousands of evacuees on Flores after the quake killed 51 people, injured dozens and damaged hundreds of buildings.

PHOTO: AFP

TOPSHOT - This aerial photograph taken on July 28, 2026 shows dates laid out to dry on a field near a palm orchard at Khairpur, in Pakistan's Sindh province. Date season arrives in July, when temperatures in Sindh regularly hit the mid-40 degrees Celsius. Date labourers are one of many professions in agriculturally-dependent Pakistan that are becoming more difficult and dangerous as temperatures rise. Pakistan is among the countries globally most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP)

AUG 14

An aerial photograph showing dates laid out to dry on a field near a palm orchard in Khairpur city, in Pakistan’s Sindh province. Date season arrives in July, when temperatures in Sindh regularly exceed 40 deg C.

PHOTO: AFP

Enthusiasts celebrate in front of a mechanised ground fireworks display during celebrations marking the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady in Mosta, Malta, August 15, 2026. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

AUG 15

Devotees celebrating in front of a mechanised ground fireworks display during the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady in Mosta, Malta.

PHOTO: REUTERS

A sedated female tiger lies inside a transport cage before departing for Ezeiza Airport at the former Lujan Zoo, which closed in 2020 amid concerns over animal welfare, during the transfer of 15 big cats to the United States and 15 others to South Africa by animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS, in Lujan, Argentina, August 15, 2026. REUTERS/Alessia Maccioni TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

AUG 15

A sedated female tiger lying inside a transport cage at the former Lujan Zoo in Argentina before leaving for Ezeiza International Airport. After the zoo closed in 2020, animal welfare organisation Four Paws arranged for 15 of its big cats to go to the US and 15 others to South Africa.

PHOTO: REUTERS

TOPSHOT - Rescuers and people search for survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building three days after a 7.4 earthquake in Pereira, Colombia on August 13, 2026. Rescuers in Colombia were making last-ditch efforts to locate earthquake survivors early on August 13, 2026, as the critical 72-hour window for rescue operations neared its end. (Photo by Luis ACOSTA / AFP)

AUG 13

Rescuers and volunteers searching for survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building three days after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Pereira, Colombia.

PHOTO: AFP

TOPSHOT - The carcasses of a mother and calf elephant are seen at Kimana Sanctuary, on the outskirts of Amboseli National Park, on August 12, 2026, following a series of elephant deaths in the area. On the ground, raising a cloud of dust, the elephant exhausts itself trying again and again to get back on its feet, in a futile effort that only causes it to spin endlessly in circles. Genghis Khan appears set to become the 20th elephant in Kenyas Amboseli region to succumb to an as-yet mysterious illness.
Since the end of June, at least 19 elephants, mostly females or young animals, have died after displaying the same symptoms, notably partial paralysis preventing them from standing.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said at the end of July that it had detected a high concentration of cyanide in the carcasses, raising the possibility of pesticide poisoning resulting from the animals consuming fruit from surrounding farms. (Photo by SIMON MAINA / AFP)

AUG 12

The carcasses of a female elephant and a calf at Kimana Sanctuary, on the outskirts of Amboseli National Park, Kenya, amid a series of elephant deaths in the area. The Kenya Wildlife Service said it had detected a high concentration of cyanide in the carcasses, raising the possibility of pesticide poisoning resulting from the animals eating fruit from surrounding farms.

PHOTO: AFP

Produced by: Desmond Foo and Adele Ong

The Week in Pictures: Total solar eclipse in Spain, earthquake in Flores island and wildfires in France

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