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Choristers of St Paul's Cathedral choir in London during their preparations for Advent and Christmas services, where they will perform throughout December. Picture date: Monday December 23, 2024. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Lucy North/PA Wire -

Hindu priests perform morning prayers on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi, India. AFP -

A building that fell off the wharf floats in the mouth of the San Lorenzo river in Santa Cruz, California. AP -

Shopfronts illuminated by Christmas lighting in Leavenworth in the US state of Washington. AP -

Fireworks explode over Sednaya Convent on the outskirts of Damascus. AP -

People attend a tour of Bunker-703, a recently declassified nuclear-resistant bomb shelter built in 1961 in Moscow. AP -
Emergency services attend a bushfire in the Grampians National Park in Australia's Victoria state. AFP -
A person dressed as Santa Claus jumps into the sea during the Copa Nadal (Christmas Cup) swimming race in Barcelona, Spain. Reuters -
Firefighters attend the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet near the western Kazakh city of Aktau. AFP -

Work in progress at the 37th Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Expo in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, north-eastern China. EPA -

The Italian Frecce Tricolori aerobatic team performs before the first run of the Men's Giant Slalom race at the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup event in Alta Badia, Italy. EPA -

A coastguard ship that was carried about five kilometres inland to the city centre of Banda Aceh during the Indian Ocean tsunami, Indonesia. Reuters -

Thousands protest over the collapse of a train station roof that killed 15 people last month in Belgrade. AFP -

An anti-terror policeman conducts a security check near a life-size cutout of Pope Francis at the Jakarta Cathedral on Christmas Eve in Jakarta. AFP -

Parked trolley buses during heavy snowfall in Sarajevo, Bosnia. AP -

Storm-damaged shelters and houses in the town of Vahibe, on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, on Christmas Eve, a week after Cyclone Chido hit the archipelago. AFP -

A surfer dressed as Santa Claus participates in the annual Surfing Santas event on Christmas Eve at Cocoa Beach, Florida. AFP -
Prayers at Christmas Mass in St Mary's Church in Dubai. Antonie Robertson/The National -

St Peter's Basilica during the Christmas Eve Mass in Vatican City. AFP -

Posters of the missing on a monument in Marjeh Square, Damascus, Syria. AFP -

Christians hold candles on Christmas Eve at Indonesia Arena in Jakarta. AFP -

Preparations under way for the International Hot-Air Balloon Festival in Pokhara, Nepal. AFP -

A butcher throws a cut of meat to a bidder during the traditional Christmas Eve meat auction at Smithfield Market in the City of London. AFP -

A house with inflatable Christmas decorations in Havana, Cuba, draws admirers. AFP -

Muay Thai fighters during the Kibra Youth Initiative boxing exhibition at Kibera Fort Jesus grounds in Nairobi, Kenya. AFP -

Afghan workers on a break at a shop in Herat citadel, also known the Citadel of Alexander and locally known as Qala Iktyaruddin, in Herat, western Afghanistan. AFP -
Christmas market at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. The National -

Ballet dancers perform Swan Lake, by Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, at Donbass Opera in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine. AFP -

Flowers are laid outside Johannis Church near the Christmas Market in Magdeburg, Germany. AP -

Women throw flowers into the sea in remembrance of the 2004 tsunami victims, marking the 20th anniversary of the tragedy, in Chennai, India. AP
Pictures of the week: From Christmas services to 2004 tsunami commemorations
Striking images from around the world
The National
December 27, 2024
Updated: December 27, 2024, 6:01 PM
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