The Guardian’s picture editors have selected photographs from around the world for Wednesday, featuring a glacier experiment in Switzerland, a royal funeral in Norway, and the aftermath of flash floods in Nepal.
Glacier 3000 Wool Blanket Experiment
At Glacier 3000 in western Switzerland, blankets made of sheep’s wool and synthetic material are laid over glacier ice as part of an experiment testing a natural, biodegradable alternative to synthetic coverings to reduce glacier melt. Preliminary results suggest that sheep’s wool can slow ice melt as effectively as conventional protective tarpaulins, according to the experiment's organizers.
Royal Funeral and Global Events
In Oslo, Norway, the Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, bowed to King Harald V’s coffin during his funeral ceremony at Oslo Cathedral. In Devighat, Nepal, people held on to a cage on a makeshift zipline as they crossed the Trishuli River after deadly flash floods and a mudslide damaged bridges and stranded residents in Nuwakot district.
In Marawi, Philippines, army personnel checked a vehicle as they guarded a Commission on Election checkpoint along a highway in Lanao Del Sur province, on the southern island of Mindanao, before elections in the Bangsamoro autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao taking place next week.
Political and Aviation Developments
In Berlin, Germany, Alice Weidel, the AfD co-leader, spoke during the 2027 budget debate in the Bundestag. In London, UK, passengers at Heathrow faced disruption after a system issue hit Nats, which provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports. Cancellations and delays were expected as airlines dealt with the knock-on effects of flights cancelled to and from UK airports on Tuesday.
In Paris, France, a Vortex reusable spacecraft developed by Dassault Aviation was displayed at the International Space Summit. In Changsha, China, women posed for a picture next to a monument of a young Mao Zedong in Hunan province on the 50th anniversary of the death of the former Chinese communist leader.
Fashion, Shipping, and Conflict
In Beijing, China, models on a catwalk showed designs by Liu Wei, on the theme of Green Tech Uniform, during China fashion week. In Hormuzgan, Iran, an oil tanker waited off the coast of Bandar Abbas in the strait of Hormuz. Tankers, anchored about 10 miles offshore, were reported to be waiting due to the threat of a US attack, and serious deformation, including rust, was observed on the surface of vessels that remained stationary for an extended period.
In Sha’ar Binyamin, West Bank, an Israeli soldier stood at a winery in the Israeli settlement of Sha’ar Binyamin in the occupied West Bank, south-east of Ramallah. In Kyiv, Ukraine, rescuers worked at the site of a strike on a high-storey residential building. At least four people were injured as a result of an overnight Russian attack, according to the Ukrainian State Emergency Service.
In New York City, the Tribute in Light was illuminated over the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center, as seen from the Empire State Building, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center.
