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The eye that contemplates
A man looks at his mobile phone in London's Trafalgar Square and can't see the poster behind him. On it, the National Gallery advertises its 200th birthday celebrations. It depicts a painting by the Venetian early Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina. On 12 May 2024, twelve exhibitions will open in twelve cities across the UK to mark the anniversary.
See all the pictures of the week on our topic page.
Photo: Vadim Ghirda / AP
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Pilgrimage to the Virgin
Dozens of people stand in the square in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City to honor the country's patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe. According to official estimates, over five million faithful visited the basilica in the days leading up to the annual celebration.
Photo: Alfredo Estrella / AFP
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Outdoor pool season
While in Germany people shiver at temperatures around freezing point, in the southern hemisphere in Brazil sweating – and swimming begin. Here in Rio de Janeiro, athletes use the currently almost 30 degrees outside temperature for a competition in open water swimming. Right on Copacabana beach. There are worse December days.
Photo: Buda Mendes/Getty Images
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Alcohol for Santa Claus
A person decorated with baubles attends SantaCon last Saturday in New York City. During the pub crawl, people dressed up as Santa Claus, elves or other Christmas creatures. The organizers asked participants to donate 15 dollars, just under 14 euros, for admission to the participating venues. According to their own statements, the money will be used for charitable purposes.
Photo: David Dee Delgado / REUTERS
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Restored
A statue protected by a tarpaulin can be seen in the choir of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which was damaged by a major fire in April 2019. It is scheduled to reopen on December 8, 2024. By then, the famous church will have been extensively restored. The vault pierced by the fall of the spire has already been completed, as has the renovation of the north and south gable of the transept, which was damaged by the fire.
Photo: Sarah Meyssonnier / AP
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Desert Dreams
Six boys examine a water installation at Expo City in Dubai. The 28th UN Climate Change Conference brought together international heads of state, scientists and environmentalists. In Dubai, the international community decided to move away from fossil fuels.
Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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World in Shards
Nadiia Matviienko carefully removes a large shard of glass from the remains of her window frame. The Ukrainian woman's house was damaged during a Russian missile attack on Kyiv.
Photo: Valentyn Ogirenko / REUTERS
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Heartily missed
On the south bank of London's Thames, a wall commemorates all the people who died during the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his decision to delay a national lockdown during Britain's second major Covid wave. Confidants criticized Johnson's pandemic policy as disastrous.
Photo: Henry Nicholls / AFP
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9 / 21
Closed protest
In the occupied West Bank, shops and public institutions have remained closed in protest against the Israel-Gaza war. Schools, banks and universities also reportedly took part in the general strike.
Photo: Majdi Mohammed / dpa
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Monetary shock therapy
A look at the Argentine Central Bank in Buenos Aires: In his inaugural speech, President Javier Milei prepared the Argentine citizens for hard times: "There is no alternative to the austerity program, there is no alternative to shock therapy. I'll say it again: we have no money."
Photo: Luis Robayo / AFP
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Calendar in red
In the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, people look at calendars that are displayed in a shop before the New Year celebrations.
Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP
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Let there be light
In the Spanish village of Casarabonela, 40 kilometres from Malaga, the feast of Saint Lucia is celebrated on 13 December in the run-up to Christmas. On the eve of this festival, which is also popular in Sweden, among other places, a very special local procession is celebrated in the village in honour of the Virgin of the Rondeles: it goes back to an ancient tradition of olive oil farmers who carried burning wicker baskets to thank the "Holy Shepherdess" for the harvest. The photo shows one of the "rondeles" – wicker baskets soaked in oil – that are lit in the village in the evening and carried through the streets. After the procession, there is toasted bread with oil, doughnuts and hot chocolate.
Photo: Jorge Guerrero / AFP
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Red Christmas
A Christmas bauble sprayed with paint hangs from a tree in Leipzig's Mädler-Passage. Climate activists of the Last Generation colored the Christmas tree on Wednesday. One banner read: "Contemplative into disaster? Charity = climate protection!« The owner of a shoe store in the arcade told »Bild«: »The colour definitely doesn't come off the balls and bows anymore. The emotional damage is huge."
Photo: Patricia Bartos / dpa
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In the shadow of Aitmatov
On the occasion of the 95th birthday of national poet Chingiz Aitmatov, an international theatre festival was held in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. The actors depicted here are playing a play based on Aitmatov's novel »A Day Longer Than Life«, in which a mythical figure named Mankurt plays a role – half animal, half human, he served as a slave.
Photo: Igor Kovalenko / EPA
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Red as blood
A withered rose stands in a garden opposite the United Nations headquarters in New York. The UN General Assembly called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Photo: Shannon Stapleton / REUTERS
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Dresses without people
The NGO »Open Arms« has recreated scenes of a shipwreck on the beach of Sant Sebastià in Spain. This is to commemorate the people who lost their lives in the Mediterranean in 2023.
Photo: Albert Gea / REUTERS
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Passage prohibited
A street sign in York, England, is almost covered by water. Heavy rains have led to flooding. The city issued a flood warning.
Photo: Phil Noble / REUTERS
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Colorful protest
Protesters have gathered outside Britain's Supreme Court. They want to prevent a major road construction project, which includes a tunnel near Stonehenge.
Photo: Adrian Dennis / AFP
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Top water
The Kuwait Towers break through the cloud cover over the Gulf state. The taller of the two towers, with a total height of 185 meters, has an observation deck. Otherwise, however, both buildings serve as water towers – quite atypical for constructions of this height and design.
Photo: Yasser Al-Zayyat / AFP
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Rest before the run
A Santa Claus wearing running shoes takes a break on a bench. The man with the pointed cap is waiting for the start of the annual Santa Run in Bennekom, the Netherlands. Anyone and everyone can participate - whether with a walker or stroller. The money will be collected for the construction of a maternity ward in Malawi.
Photo: Remko de Waal / EPA
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Disassembled
A man draped in the EU flag watches as a Soviet war memorial is dismantled in the centre of Sofia. Bulgaria has been a member of the European Union since 2007.
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Photo: Stoyan Nenov / REUTERS