The week in photos: February 21-27, 2026

2026-02-28 - 08:04

MANILA, Philippines – The confirmation of charges hearings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) kicked off on February 23, setting the stage for four days of high-stakes arguments over former president Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly drug war. British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman’s opening statement before the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I was straight out of Duterte’s populist playbook. During the hearing, Kaufman resorted to personal and political attacks, false causality, and even misleading information to defend his client. Meanwhile, the prosecution of the ICC was confident that it would be able to confirm the charges against Duterte and move the case to trial. On February 25, two separate rallies held along EDSA on the 40th anniversary of the People Power uprising produced starkly different scenes. One gathering remained largely peaceful, while the other was marred by commotion after police attempted to block protesters. Both actions sought to evoke memories of the historic bloodless revolt while also underscoring what many see as its “unfinished business” — the continuing struggle to rid government of corruption and political dynasties. Catch more stories in these photos from the week that was: Late afternoon light shines on El Capitan’s Horsetail Fall during the annual ‘Firefall’ event in Yosemite National Park, California, on February 21, 2026. PHOTO BY TRACY BARBUTES/REUTERS A model poses on the Brooklyn Bridge as snow falls during a winter storm in New York City on February 22, 2026. PHOTO BY JEENAH MOON/REUTERS Muslim men perform Maghrib prayers during the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Baitul Makmur Mosque in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, on February 22, 2026. PHOTO BY JOHANNES CHRISTO/REUTERS Mourners react during the funeral of Muhammad Hanani, a Palestinian who was killed in an Israeli raid, in Beit Furik, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on February 22, 2026. PHOTO BY MOHAMAD TOROKMAN/REUTERS Joan Thiele performs during the closing ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics at Verona Olympic Arena in Verona, Italy, on February 22, 2026. PHOTO BY CLAUDIA GRECO/REUTERS Tourists walk past the burnt wreckage of buses after a series of blockades and attacks by organized crime following a military operation in which cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera, ‘El Mencho,’ was killed in the state of Jalisco, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on February 23, 2026. PHOTO BY ALFONSO LEFE/REUTERS Maria Espinosa, mother of a drug war victim, cries as she shows a photo of her late son, along with other victims’ pictures, minutes before the start of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s hearing on the confirmation of charges on his alleged crimes against humanity case at the International Criminal Court, in Quezon City, on February 23, 2026. PHOTO BY NOEL CELIS/REUTERS People take pictures with blossoming Tabebuia rosea trees at Kasetsart University’s Kamphaeng Saen Campus, in Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand, on February 23, 2026. PHOTO BY CHALINEE THIRASUPA/REUTERS Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako wave to well-wishers from a balcony during a public appearance to mark the Emperor’s 66th birthday, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan, on February 23, 2026. PHOTO BY KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS The remains of a sperm whale are towed before an autopsy is conducted at Zikim beach, close to the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, on February 24, 2026. PHOTO BY RONEN ZVULUM/REUTERS Representative Al Green, Democrat of Texas, protests before President Donald Trump delivers the first State of the Union address of his second term to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber in Washington DC on February 24, 2026. PHOTO BY KENNY HOLSTON/POOL VIA REUTERS Italy marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by illuminating The Colosseum in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, in Rome on February 24, 2026. PHOTO BY REMO CASILLI/REUTERS A rally participant holds a newspaper printed in 1986 as his group gathers to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the EDSA uprising, at the People Power Monument on February 25, 2026. PHOTO BY ANGIE DE SILVA/RAPPLER Cebu Archbishop Alberto Uy leads Cebuano Catholics — including the clergy, religious groups, and students — in a peace march from the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño to Plaza Independencia in Cebu City, and recreates the historic march of the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution, on February 25, 2026. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE HERNANDEZ/RAPPLER Hundreds of police officers barricade the perimeter near Malacañang Palace in anticipation of possible protest action commemorating the 40th anniversary of EDSA People Power, on February 25, 2026. PHOTO BY RAPPLER North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter Kim Ju-ae watch a flypast during a military parade to commemorate the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, on February 25, 2026. PHOTO BY KCNA VIA REUTERS Men daubed in colours throw colored powder at each other during ‘Lathmar Holi’ celebrations at Barsana, Uttar Pradesh, India, on February 25, 2026. PHOTO BY KISHAN KUMAR/REUTERS A model presents a creation from the Prada Fall/Winter 2026/2027 collection during Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, on February 26, 2026. PHOTO BY ALESSANDRO GAROFALO/REUTERS People line up to form a Mexican football jersey before being awarded a Guinness World Record for the largest human image of a shirt, at Victor Manuel Reyna stadium, in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico, on February 27, 2026. PHOTO BY DAMIAN SANCHEZ/REUTERS Families of the drug war victims and human rights advocates light candles and call for justice on the last day of the ICC hearing on the confirmation of charges against Duterte, at the University of the Philippines on February 27, 2026. PHOTO BY JIRE CARREON/RAPPLER – with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com