Photographer Jason Hawkes returns to The Big Picture once more having captured stunning aerial shots of global landscapes, many of which have somehow been affected by humans. View all 26 photographs here.

News stories about North Korea have been quite frequent recently, with their test launch of a rocket over Japan, withdrawal from nuclear disarmament talks coupled with a threat to restart their nuclear program - and their recent arrest and indictment of two U.S. reporters on its border with China. Even with all this attention, photographs from North Korea are still restricted and hard to come by.

One way around that has been for photographers to peer inside from across the border. Collected at the Big Picture are some recent photographs, looking into reclusive North Korea from the outside - and some of the reactions these observations induce.

Via The Big Picture.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft is now a nearly a year into its extended mission, called Cassini Equinox. The spacecraft continues to operate in good health, returning amazing images of Saturn, its ring system and moons, and providing new information and science on a regular basis. Collected at The Big Picture are 24 more breathtaking images from our ringed neighbor.

Via The Big Picture.

Christian communities around the world are currently celebrating Holy Week - both the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. Holy Week commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ culminating in his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Here, hooded penitents from the Fusionadas brotherhood take part in the procession in Malaga, Spain.

Via The Big Picture

Beginning March 22nd, 2009, Alaska's Mount Redoubt, began a series of volcanic eruptions, and continues to be active to this date. Ash clouds produced by Redoubt have pushed 65,000 feet into the sky, disrupting air traffic, drifting across Cook Inlet, and depositing layers of gritty ash on populated areas of the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage, about 180 km to the northeast... Nature always does it best.

Via The Big Picture

Afghan horsemen play Afghanistan's national sport Buzkashi in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, March 20, 2009. Buzkashi is the national sport of Afghanistan, which literally translated means "goat grabbing."

In Buzkashi, a headless carcass is placed in the center of a circle and surrounded by the players of two opposing teams. The object of the game is to get control of the carcass and bring it to the scoring area.

Via Big Picture

Iraqi Kurds carry torches up a rocky hill as they celebrate Nowruz in the Kurdish town of Akra, 500km north of Baghdad on March 20, 2009. Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in Iranian calendar. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on March 21.

Via The Big Picture.

On March 18, 2009 an undersea volcano erupted off the coast of Nuku'Alofa, Tonga, sending plumes of steam, ash and smoke up to 100 meters into the air. Dana Stephenson of Getty Images managed to capture this stunning shot of the eruption.

See the rest of the set over at The Big Picture.

Last Wednesday, people in India and other countries with large Hindu populations celebrated Holi, the Festival of Colors. Holi is celebrated as a welcoming of Spring, and a celebration of the triumph of good over evil. What that translates to in action is an enthusiastic dropping of inhibitions, as people chase each other and playfully splash colorful paint, powder and water on each other.

It's like living through one of those Color Like No Other commercials... what I would give for an experience like that! For more stunning photography from the event, head over to The Boston Globe's Big Picture.

Lamas and Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims participating in the Buddha Thangka unfolding ceremony at the Wutun Shang Tibetan Buddhist monastery on January 30, 2009 in Tongren County of Qinghai Province, China.

The Big Picture has compiled some stunning photographs of the event. Check it.

What a waste, seriously. On Monday (late pass, I know), the new Rem Koolhaas-designed building in Beijing's CCTV complex caught on fire after an unofficial fireworks display staged by CCTV officials (that made no sense). The building would have housed the soon-to-be-open-but-not-anymore Mandarin Oriental.

Megan had some interesting things to say about the current state of China's media democracy (or lack thereof) in light of this architectural tragedy. Also, be sure to check out The Huffington Post for a more comprehensive review of the incident.

Via The Big Picture.