A jogger looks at The Stone of Hope, a granite statue of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., at his memorial in Washington, DC, on Jan. 14. Martin Luther King Day, which celebrates the Jan. 15, 1929, birth of the civil rights leader, was observed this week in the US. (Mandel Ngan - AFP / Getty Images)
Although much of the world seems frozen over by the icy grip of winter, this week’s top photos capture glimmers of hope that are shining through across the globe. Whether it’s in the form of food for the hungry, the faithfulness of pets or families taking part in festivities, there is evidence everywhere that light, joy and laughter are prevailing over darkness and despair.
Kite Flight Festival
A man flies a kite during Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti festival in Ahmedabad, India, on Jan. 14. Kites are flown in many parts of India during Makar Sankranti, a festival that marks the transition of winter to spring. In Gujarat state, Uttarayan is a holiday when families pitch themselves on rooftops to fly kites from dawn to dusk. (Ajit Solanki / AP)
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Honor for Enduring Loyalty
Pupils from George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh, Scotland, attend a memorial service commemorating the 150th anniversary since the death of Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye terrier who became known for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner. Disney made a movie about the loyal little dog in 1961. (Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images)
Hope for the Hungry
A woman wearing a burqa walks along a road toward her home after receiving free bread distributed as part of the ‘Save Afghans From Hunger’ campaign in Kabul on Jan.18. The effort launched last week was organized by a university professor in Kabul, according to a report by the Tulsa World. Afghanistan is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe, compounded by the Taliban takeover in August, when Western countries froze international aid and access to assets held abroad. The Save Afghans from Hunger campaign at fundly.com has raised more than $45,000 to provide necessities such as flour, rice, oil, beans, chickpeas, milk and sometimes green tea and sugar. (Wakil Kohsar- AFP / Getty Images)
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Flying High
The youngest woman to fly solo around the world, 19-year-old Belgian-British pilot Zara Rutherford, lands her ultralight Shark aircraft in Kortrijk, Belgium, Jan. 20 after five months circumventing the planet. Rutherford flew 50,000 kilometers (31,000 miles) over 52 countries on five continents in a single-seater sport plane. The daughter of a former British military pilot steered her ULM over the Atlantic Ocean to Greenland, over America, Japan, Siberia and back to Europe. (Olivier Matthys / Getty Images)
Smile for the Camera
A visitor takes a snapshot at the “New Fiction” Exhibition showcasing paintings and sculptures by artist and designer KAWS at Serpentine North Jan. 18 in London. KAWS, an artist formerly known as Brian Donnelly, got his start painting graffiti in his native Jersey City, but has gone on to great commercial success. As the New York Times said, “Somewhere along the way, he became a market heavyweight, a favorite of both street-art enthusiasts and high-octane collectors.” (Eamonn M. McCormack / Getty Images)Newlyweds take wedding photos on a hazy day near the Yangtze River on Jan. 19 in Wuhan, China. Life for many of the residents in Wuhan is returning to normal two years after the city imposed strict lockdowns to reduce the spread of COVID-19. China will be marking the Spring Festival, which begins with the Lunar New Year, on Feb. 1, ushering in the Year of the Tiger. (Uncredited / Getty Images)
