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Sandy fire forces evacuations as firefighting aircraft battle fast-moving blaze in California

Moving, tragic, surprising, inspiring, terrifying, shocking... This is a selection of images from our planet, over the past seven days.

Daily Maverick Photo Team
Photo Essay-In Pictures18 A Cal Fire firefighting aircraft drops fire retardant ahead of the Sandy Fire on May 18, 2026 in Simi Valley, California. The fast-moving Sandy Fire burned more than 1,300 acres near Simi Valley and prompted mandatory evacuation orders as strong winds pushed flames toward homes and nearby communities. The fire has destroyed one home. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Russian President Vladimir Putin inspects an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 20, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/Pool)
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U.S. President Donald Trump holds artists renderings as he talks to reporters about his proposed White House ballroom next to the worksite on May 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Senate parliamentarian ruled this week that taxpayer funds in the budget reconciliation package cannot be used for a $1 billion provision intended to fund security for Trump’s White House ballroom. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Resident Naama Srour looks through the rubble at the site of an Israeli strike, that killed multiple people according to Lebanon's Health Ministry, in Deir Qanoun al-Nahr, Tyre district, southern Lebanon, May 20, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)
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Members of the M23 rebel group guard the laboratory as provincial authorities visit the Rodolphe Merieux Laboratory, National Biomedical Research Institute (INRB), where samples from suspected Ebola cases are tested, as part of the response to the epidemic in Goma, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, May 19, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi)
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A convoy with an ambulance believed to be carrying an American health worker, who has been brought to Germany for treatment after contracting Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, arrives at the Charite University Hospital in Berlin, Germany, May 20, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Axel Schmidt)
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A Palestinian looks through the doorway of a UNRWA school in the Maghazi area of central Gaza May May 20, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa)
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General view of the Nova Exhibition, "06:29AM - The Moment Music Stood Still" on May 18, 2026 in London, England. The exhibition opens in London on May 20 for six weeks, inviting visitors to reflect as they step into a recreation of the Nova Music Festival site, where 413 people were killed during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. The installation provides a timeline of the horrific events that unfolded that day, amid actual staging, vehicles, and discarded personal items from the festival site. (Photo: James Smith/Getty Images)
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Attendees pray during Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving, on the National Mall, on May 17, 2026, in Washington, DC. Leading up to the America 250 celebration later in the year, thousands gathered on the Mall for a day of scripture, testimony, and prayer organized by Freedom250. (Photo: Graeme Sloan/Getty Images)
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A humanoid robot dressed as Buddhist monks attend the Lotus Lantern Festival to celebrate the forthcoming birthday of Buddha at the Jogyesa Temple on May 16, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea. Buddha was born approximately 2,570 years ago, and although the exact date is unknown, Buddha's official birthday is celebrated on the full moon in May in South Korea, which is on May 24 this year. (Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
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Former National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Adv Shaun Abrahams testifies at the Khampepe Commission Of Inquiry at Sci-Bono Discovery Centre on May 14, 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The inquiry was established to investigate allegations of political interference in the investigations of apartheid era crimes. (Photo: Gallo Images/Fani Mahuntsi)
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A man wearing the traditional scarlet uniform of the Chelsea pensioners sits among the flowers of the "The Campaign to Protect Rural England Garden: On The Edge" show garden on Press Day at the Chelsea Flower Show on May 18, 2026 in London, England. Open to visitors from May 19-23, the annual event by the Royal Horticultural Society sees garden designers competing to earn coveted bronze, silver or gold medals with their imaginative landscapes and floral displays. (Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images)
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A bison with molting (shedding) fur stands near a tree on May 19, 2026 in Yellowstone National Park. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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Laniakea by David Moraton is projected at Barrangaroo on May 20, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. Vivid Sydney is an annual celebration of creativity, innovation and technology, running from 22 May to 13 June 2026. (Photo: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
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Jury Member Demi Moore attends the "Paper Tiger" screening during the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 16, 2026 in Cannes, France. (Photo: Kate Green/Getty Images)
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Harry Styles performs on stage during his Together, Together Tour at Johan Cruijff Arena on May 16, 2026 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Photo: Anthony Pham/Getty Images for HS)
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A Gucci video montage plays in Times Square during the GucciCore Fashion Show on May 16, 2026 in New York City. (Photo: JP Yim/Getty Images for Gucci)
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A model walks the runway during the Gary Bigeni show at Australian Fashion Week 2026 at Museum of Contemporary Art on May 15, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
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Milena Smit attends the photocall for 'Bitter Christmas' (Amarga Navidad) during the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France, 20 May 2026. The film festival runs from 12 to 23 May 2026. (Photo: EPA/CLEMENS BILAN)


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