The Week in Pictures: Celestial sights delight Scottish skies, and what's wrong with this 70ft Messi statue?

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The waxing Moon rises behind people close to the summit of Arthur's Seat in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh on Thursday night.

Last night's spectacular lunar display capped off a week of vastly varied sights across UK skies. While lightning strikes lit up storm clouds across the north-west, it was completely clear and blue for the rest of the country as the year's first heatwave saw record temperatures set for the month of May.

Not all the views from Arthur's Seat this week have been as stunning as the waxing moon however, as firefighters rushed to the scene on Monday just before 7pm to battle a large grass fire near the Scottish landmark.

Police have issued a public appeal for information as they try to establish the cause. No injuries have been reported.

Beachgoers enjoy the hot weather at Flamborough's North Landing beach on Tuesday in Flamborough, England.

Thought this was a picture of sunny scene on the Costa Brava? The Algarve perhaps? Think again - it's Yorkshire!

After a sweltering bank holiday weekend, Brits have basked in temperatures that, on Tuesday, exceeded the all-time hottest meteorological spring temperature of 34.8C, recorded in Kew Gardens in south-west London.

However, the hot weather has attracted many to open water swimming, resulting in a number of deaths in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Cornwall, Hampshire, Warwickshire, Cheshire, Pembrokeshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire.

On Wednesday, a teenage boy became the 11th person to die in a water-related incident over the course of the recent heatwave.

A sacrificial albino buffalo named after U.S. President Donald Trump which recently went viral, is pictured at an agro farm ahead of Eid-al-Adha, in Narayanganj, Bangladesh.

A rare albino buffalo in Bangladesh - nicknamed "Donald Trump" for its distinctive blond tuft - has been spared from Eid al-Adha sacrifice after a last-minute government intervention, a Home Ministry official said on Wednesday.

The nearly 700-kg (1,543 lb) animal had already been sold for ritual slaughter when authorities stepped in, citing security concerns after a surge of public interest ahead of Thursday's festival.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed ordered the buffalo be spared, the buyer refunded, and the animal moved to the national zoo in Dhaka.

Naomi Osaka of Japan in action against Laura Siegemund of Germany during the Women's Singles first round match on Day Three of the 2026 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, France on Tuesday.

Naomi Osaka sparkled...quite literally, with a bold fashion statement at the French Open as she moved through to the second round.

The Japanese star has made collaborating with fashion designers a feature of major tournaments and she caused a stir in the first round when she took to the court wearing a long black skirt and jacket, which she removed to reveal a sequinned gold dress.

“I felt like I look like the Eiffel Tower at night-time,” said the tennis star.

Osaka’s use of the tennis court as akin to a runway has divided opinions, with her opponent Laura Siegemund telling German TV: “I come here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show.”

Elsewhere at the Open, title favourite Jannik Sinner dramatically succumbed to the Paris heat as his hopes of a first French Open title ended. The world number one shock exit against Argentinian Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round blows the men’s tournament at Roland Garros wide open.

Servicemen of the 148th Separate Artillery Zhytomyr Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region on Monday.

After a recent escalation in aerial attacks by both sides in the more than four-year war, tensions have hit a new high as a Russian drone wounded two people as it struck an apartment building in NATO-member Romania.

The incident saw Nato jets scrambled, with General Secretary Mark Rutte insisting the actions of Russia are "a danger to us all" as he reassured Romanian President Nicușor Dan that Nato "stands ready to defend every inch of allied territory".

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani prays during Eid al-Adha prayers in the Bronx Borough of New York City on Wednesday.

The popular NYC mayor went viral this week after he donned an Arsenal-themed Kurta (a traditional, loose-fitting tunic) to attend Eid celebrations at the Bronx’s Macombs Dam Park.

The garment, which is inspired by Arsenal’s away kit, was likely a nod to North London team's Premiere League title win last week, as Mayor Mamdani is a loud and proud Gunners fan.

The 34-year-old, who is the first Muslim Mayor of New York, started supporting the club aged 10, when his uncle gifted a set of fridge magnets featuring Arsenal legends including Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, David Seaman and Sylvain Wiltord.

Construction continues on a temporary arena that will host the UFC Freedom 250 fight card on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.

Construction on "The Claw", a 90-foot-tall, open-air, dome-like lighting and staging grid has now nearly been completed ready for "UFC Freedom 250" this weekend.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is hosting an outdoor fight card at the White House on Sunday to celebrate America's 250th birthday and US President Donald Trump's 80th birthday.

4,300 people will watch the event on the South Lawn, most of whom will be members of the military.

Luke Littler celebrates with the trophy after winning the final of the 2026 BetMGM Premier League against Luke Humphries during Finals Night at The O2 in London on Thursday.

The 19-year-old now holds all three of darts’ ‘triple crown’ titles, having retained the World Championship in January and claimed his first World Matchplay last July.

A tearful Littler admitted the boos from the crowd had made him consider walking away before he beat his great rival in an epic final.

“It’s been a rollercoaster,” he said on stage.

“After Brighton, I think I came off stage and then in Manchester, I was sat at home saying to Faith [Littler's girlfriend] ‘I don’t want to do it anymore’. Just the crowd every week’.

A giant 70 ft fibreglass statue of Argentine football legend Lionel Messi installed on VIP Road in Kolkata, India is secured with nylon ropes after local residents reported that it was swaying in strong winds on Wednesday.

Lionel Messi virtually unveiled his statue in Kolkata's Lake Town area (Sree Bhumi Sporting Club) in December 2025, but it had previously drawn criticism from fans online for only vaguely resembling the Inter Miami forward.

Now, following the safety concerns raised this week, the decision has been made by the local Public Works Department to remove the statue altogether.

It is not yet clear when the statue, which is situated next to a busy road in the centre of the city, would be brought down.

“Removal has proved easier said than done,” said a state lawmaker. “We’re planning to remove the statue at the earliest opportunity."

Federal agents detain a protestor outside the federal immigration centre at Delaney Hall in Newark, where ICE is housing detained immigrants on Tuesday in Newark, New Jersey.

The protests, which started up over the weekend and are still ongoing, come amid reports of a hunger strike by 300-400 detainees inside the centre after they had been allegedly mistreated.

At one point on Tuesday evening, a protester who threw a projectile at ICE officers was reportedly chased down, tased and carried inside the jail.

Competitors in the men's downhill race chase the cheese down the hill during the annual Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling event on Sunday in Gloucester, England.

A German YouTuber won the famous Gloucestershire cheese-rolling contest over the bank holiday weekend after edging out a local man who came out of retirement to see off the pretender to his crown.

Tom Kopke, 24, pipped local legend and 23-time champion Chris Anderson close to the finish line, after chasing an 8lb double Gloucester cheese down Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, which is the steepest slope in the county.

The women’s downhill race was won by Alix Heugas, 27, from the Basque region of France.

Speaking afterwards, she said: "It was great, I had no technique, no training, just wing it."