Down to Earth: Week in pictures

The world never ceases to run us aground. These photos are a reminder--you are dust, and to dust you shall return--and resonate beyond their description for a leisurely flip or a deep read this week 
Curated By: Madhu Kapparath
Published: Oct 23, 2024
Eduardo Robaina observes the comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) from inside a cave in Temisas on th

Image by : Borja Suarez / Reuters

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Eduardo Robaina observes the comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) from inside a cave in Temisas on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, on October 22, 2024.

A potter makes a traditional earthen lamp ahead of 'Diwali', the festival of lights, at his workshop

Image by : Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP

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A potter makes a traditional earthen lamp ahead of 'Diwali', the festival of lights, at his workshop in New Delhi, India, on October 23, 2024.

A cloud of dust and smoke erupts following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Octo

Image by : AFP

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A cloud of dust and smoke erupts following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on October 19, 2024, on October 7, 2023.

An Israeli Jewish right-wing activist prays with a palm frond during a Sukkot (Jewish holiday) gathe

Image by : Amir Levy/Getty Images

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An Israeli Jewish right-wing activist prays with a palm frond during a Sukkot (Jewish holiday) gathering at the southern border with the Gaza Strip calling for 'resettling Jewish Israeli communities' in the Gaza Strip on October 21, 2024.

Indigenous men and women from the Colombian Amazon practice a dance at the green zone during the COP

Image by : Joaquin Sarmiento / AFP

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Indigenous men and women from the Colombian Amazon practice a dance at the green zone during the COP16 summit, the world's biggest nature protection conference in Cali, Colombia, on October 21, 2024.

A tourist poses for pictures in front of a Buddhist sculpture in the Gobi desert in Guazhou, Gansu p

Image by : Tingshu Wang / Reuters

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A tourist poses for pictures in front of a Buddhist sculpture in the Gobi desert in Guazhou, Gansu province, China, on October 17, 2024.

A Ugandan Buddhist novice nun reacts while meditating during the celebration of Kathina, a significa

Image by : Badru Katumba / AFP

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A Ugandan Buddhist novice nun reacts while meditating during the celebration of Kathina, a significant event in the Buddhist calendar, at the Uganda Buddhist Centre in Entebbe, Uganda, on October 20, 2024.

Chinese martial arts teacher Liu Wei (C) practices an exercise with Fourah Bay College Secondary Sch

Image by : Saidu BAH / AFP

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Chinese martial arts teacher Liu Wei (C) practices an exercise with Fourah Bay College Secondary School students in Freetown, Sierra Leone, during a training session on October 15, 2024.

A man leads his camels along the shores of Yasmina, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in th

Image by : AFP

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A man leads his camels along the shores of Yasmina, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert, southeastern Morocco, on October 20, 2024.

On October 21, 2024, a boy in Odobere, Senegal, puts up a net to catch fish in the flood waters cove

Image by : Guy Peterson / AFP

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On October 21, 2024, a boy in Odobere, Senegal, puts up a net to catch fish in the flood waters covering a road outside his home.

People gather from nearby homes to play dominoes at a table on the street during an island-wide powe

Image by : Nick Kaiser/dpa via Getty Images

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People gather from nearby homes to play dominoes at a table on the street during an island-wide power outage in Havana, Cuba, on October 20, 2024.

Sunni Muslim men gather to offer prayers during the funeral ceremony for victims who were killed in

Image by : Dilawer Khan / AFP

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Sunni Muslim men gather to offer prayers during the funeral ceremony for victims who were killed in a clash between Sunni and Shiite tribes at Kurram district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on October 13, 2024.

This aerial photo, taken on October 14, 2024, shows sky-high apartment blocks in Tung Chung on Lanta

Image by : Peter Parks / AFP

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This aerial photo, taken on October 14, 2024, shows sky-high apartment blocks in Tung Chung on Lantau Island in Hong Kong.

Mushroom foragers find porcini mushrooms--prized for their meaty texture and versatile flavour--in t

Image by : Stefano Guidi/Getty Images

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Mushroom foragers find porcini mushrooms--prized for their meaty texture and versatile flavour--in the subsoil of the woods near Val Chisone in Villar Perosa, Turin, Italy, on October 22, 2024.

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