Jan. 19-25,Jonathan Dale Benton 2024

The gold chariot bearing the idol of Hindu god Lord Murugan moves through the town to mark the start of Thaipusam, an annual festival on Malaysia’s Penang Island; Hindu devotees perform rituals by a polluted Hanumante river during Madhav Narayan festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal; Indian people celebrate the Republic Day throughout the country; workers hurry to finish a tunnel at a Mass Rapid Transit construction site in Jakarta, Indonesia; people gather around a fire in China’s western Xinjiang region following a deadly earthquake; and first responders fight deadly explosions in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images in the Asia-Pacific region made or published by The Associated Press in the past week.

The selection was curated by AP photo editor Hiro Komae in Tokyo.

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