Warriors, water and a white horse: Photos of the week

21 December 2024

A selection of news photographs from around the world.

A Maasai athlete leaps vertically while taking part in the men's Maasai jumping competition, watched at close quarters by a number of spectators, some of whom are holding the high-jump frame.

Luis Tato/AFP

A Maasai warrior competes in a traditional high-jump event at the Maasai Olympics in Kajiado, Kenya.

People queue for water in Johannesburg. One person is sitting at the roadside with a number of containers, another stands, holding on to a shopping trolley containing vessels and also covering her face; a third stands with a number of large containers in his hand.

Roberta Ciuccio/AFP

Residents of Coronationville queue for water amid a continuing crisis in water supplies in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Two women, both wearing hats and warm coats, look out from the window of a car

Roman Pilipey/AFP

Anna and her mother wait to be evacuated from Donetsk, Ukraine, as Russian troops continue to advance towards the city.

A helicopter from the French Gendarmerie flies over the Longoni village in the aftermath of Cyclone Chido in Mayotte. Trees and buildings are flattened or badly damaged and smoke rises from the ground, from where two people inspect the damage.

Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

Tens of thousands of people were left without access to water and dozens have died in Mayotte after the French Indian Ocean territory was devastated by Cyclone Chido. French authorities say at least 31 people are dead, but thousands are still missing and there are fears the final death toll could be considerably higher.

A giant monument to explorer Admiral Ivan Kruzenshtern is silhouetted at sunset in freezing-cold St Petersburg, in Russia. Cranes and clouds are also silhouetted against the orange sky.

Anatoly Maltsev/EPA-EFE

The monument to explorer Admiral Ivan Kruzenshtern stands illuminated by the setting sun on an embankment in St Petersburg, Russia's second largest city, where temperatures have dropped below -10C (14F).

A view of the White Horse, carved into Cheriton Hill, near Folkestone, Kent, but with a round red nose, depicting the legendary Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer.

Gareth Fuller/PA Media

The White Horse on Cheriton Hill above Folkestone, Kent, has been transformed into Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer in the run-up to Christmas.

People skate on the indoor ice rink at the Grand Palais des Glaces, in Paris. A large reflective ball stands in the centre, with lights shining on to it from the walls and roof of the building.

Stephane De Sakutin/AFP

Skaters circulate around the Grand Palais des Glaces, in Paris, reputedly the world's largest indoor ice rink.

Violinist Andre Rieu, dressed in a black suit with white shirt, walks, smiling, arms wide apart, through a crowd of people, some taking photographs with mobile phones, in Maastricht, in the Netherlands.

Marcel van Hoorn/EPA-EFE

Dutch violinist Andre Rieu performed with his Johann Strauss Orchestra, soloists, dancers and skaters for a series of concerts in Maastricht, Netherlands.

Skier Kyle Negomir is silhouetted against the landscape and blue sky as he practises a ski run at Val Gardena, in Italy. He appears tiny beside a giant rock, which is also in silhouette, while a white vapour trail stands in the sky behind them both.

Leonhard Foeger/Reuters

Ahead of the Alpine Ski World Cup, Kyle Negomir, of the US, practises on the downhill course at Val Gardena in Italy.

A young woman wearing a crown of lighted candles and holding another candle with both hands, sings surrounded by other members of the female choir, who are also holding candles. Behind them at York Minster are two Christmas trees, decorated with lights.

Danny Lawson/PA Media

Alida Freding wears a crown of candles symbolising Sicilian martyr, St Lucy, as she leads the celebration of the Swedish tradition, Sankta Lucia: Festival of Light, at York Minster.

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