• A race for purebred Arabian horses at the Liwa International Festival 2023 in Abu Dhabi. AFP
    A race for purebred Arabian horses at the Liwa International Festival 2023 in Abu Dhabi. AFP
  • The choir at St Paul's Cathedral in London preparing for a busy programme over Christmas. Getty Images
    The choir at St Paul's Cathedral in London preparing for a busy programme over Christmas. Getty Images
  • Furry friends were also in a festive mood before the UK royals' Christmas service. AFP
    Furry friends were also in a festive mood before the UK royals' Christmas service. AFP
  • Father Firas Dardar held a Christmas Eve Mass at the Syriac Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart in Basra, Iraq. AFP
    Father Firas Dardar held a Christmas Eve Mass at the Syriac Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart in Basra, Iraq. AFP
  • Russian shelling in the city of Kherson killed five and injured 20. AFP
    Russian shelling in the city of Kherson killed five and injured 20. AFP
  • Demonstrations in Paris after the recent shooting at the city's Kurdish culture centre. AP
    Demonstrations in Paris after the recent shooting at the city's Kurdish culture centre. AP
  • Sikh children wait for the result in a turban-tying competition in Amritsar. AFP
    Sikh children wait for the result in a turban-tying competition in Amritsar. AFP
  • Scooter riders on a section of parched river bed along the Yangtze River in Hubei province, China. AFP
    Scooter riders on a section of parched river bed along the Yangtze River in Hubei province, China. AFP
  • Yachts leave Sydney harbour at the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. AFP
    Yachts leave Sydney harbour at the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. AFP
  • A Moscow rescuer dressed as Santa Claus greets young patients at Morozovskaya children's hospital in Moscow, as part of Orthodox Christmas celebrations. EPA
    A Moscow rescuer dressed as Santa Claus greets young patients at Morozovskaya children's hospital in Moscow, as part of Orthodox Christmas celebrations. EPA
  • Shoppers queue up outside Selfridges on Oxford Street in London. UK retailers are expecting sales to fall amid the cost-of-living crisis. EPA
    Shoppers queue up outside Selfridges on Oxford Street in London. UK retailers are expecting sales to fall amid the cost-of-living crisis. EPA
  • Chinese medics treat patients at the China-Japan Friendship hospital during the Covid-19 outbreak in Beijing. Reuters
    Chinese medics treat patients at the China-Japan Friendship hospital during the Covid-19 outbreak in Beijing. Reuters
  • A Taliban fighter in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban recently banned women from attending university or working for NGOs. AP
    A Taliban fighter in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban recently banned women from attending university or working for NGOs. AP
  • A wooden boat that carried almost 200 Rohingya to Aceh province, Indonesia, the fourth such landing in recent months. AFP
    A wooden boat that carried almost 200 Rohingya to Aceh province, Indonesia, the fourth such landing in recent months. AFP
  • Parisians march in solidarity with the French capital's Kurdish community after three were killed and three injured in a shooting on December 23. AFP
    Parisians march in solidarity with the French capital's Kurdish community after three were killed and three injured in a shooting on December 23. AFP
  • Dubai's skyscrapers in a cloudy Downtown district hit by rain in recent days. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Dubai's skyscrapers in a cloudy Downtown district hit by rain in recent days. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A multi-vehicle collision on Zhengxin Yellow River Bridge in Zhengzhou, in China's central Henan province. AFP
    A multi-vehicle collision on Zhengxin Yellow River Bridge in Zhengzhou, in China's central Henan province. AFP
  • A migrant boy from Venezuela with a Captain America doll at the border between Mexico and the United States. Reuters
    A migrant boy from Venezuela with a Captain America doll at the border between Mexico and the United States. Reuters
  • Thai scientists are studying an infectious disease that is killing corals and threatening the local tourist economy. AFP
    Thai scientists are studying an infectious disease that is killing corals and threatening the local tourist economy. AFP
  • Houses on the shores of Lake Erie, near Fort Erie, Ontario, covered in ice after a winter storm. AP
    Houses on the shores of Lake Erie, near Fort Erie, Ontario, covered in ice after a winter storm. AP
  • Revellers dressed in mock military garb take part in the 'Els Enfarinats' food battle in the south-eastern Spanish town of Ibi. AFP
    Revellers dressed in mock military garb take part in the 'Els Enfarinats' food battle in the south-eastern Spanish town of Ibi. AFP
  • Horses wheel a device linked to a fishing net during the annual Chagan Lake Winter Fishing Festival in Songyuan, China. AFP
    Horses wheel a device linked to a fishing net during the annual Chagan Lake Winter Fishing Festival in Songyuan, China. AFP
  • Panda keepers with cubs ahead of the new year at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. AFP
    Panda keepers with cubs ahead of the new year at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. AFP
  • A kayaker with sharks below him in shallow water near the hot water stream from the Orot Rabin power plant near Hadera, Israel. EPA
    A kayaker with sharks below him in shallow water near the hot water stream from the Orot Rabin power plant near Hadera, Israel. EPA
  • Soldiers of the South Sudan People's Defence Forces prepare to leave for the Democratic Republic of Congo after a departure ceremony in Juba. AFP
    Soldiers of the South Sudan People's Defence Forces prepare to leave for the Democratic Republic of Congo after a departure ceremony in Juba. AFP
  • Riot police confront supporters of Luis Fernando Camacho, a key opposition figure, after his arrest in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. AFP
    Riot police confront supporters of Luis Fernando Camacho, a key opposition figure, after his arrest in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. AFP
  • A trader with a vulture for sale at a bird market in a snowy Kabul, Afghanistan. AP
    A trader with a vulture for sale at a bird market in a snowy Kabul, Afghanistan. AP
  • Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue illuminated in the colours of the Brazilian flag to honour football great Pele, who died at the age of 82. AP
    Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue illuminated in the colours of the Brazilian flag to honour football great Pele, who died at the age of 82. AP
  • Visitors at the Sensoji temple before the start of the New Year holiday in Tokyo. AFP
    Visitors at the Sensoji temple before the start of the New Year holiday in Tokyo. AFP
  • Penguins on a beach on one of the Crozet Islands in the Indian Ocean. AFP
    Penguins on a beach on one of the Crozet Islands in the Indian Ocean. AFP

Weekend

Best photos of the week: From horse racing in the desert to penguins on the beach

Striking pictures from around the world

The National

December 30, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

More from The National:

Friday's best photos: from penguins on the beach to a Debutante Ball

Thursday's best photos: from Spanish food battle to Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Wednesday's best photos: from a multi-vehicle crash in China to ice-covered houses in Canada

Tuesday's best photos: From Grey Glacier's record high temperature to New Year timekeeping

Monday's best photos: from Boxing Day shoppers to a turban-tying competition

Sunday's best photos: Icicles in US storm, dressed-up dogs and plenty of festive spirit

Saturday's best photos: from St Paul's choir to Arabian horse racing in Liwa

Updated: December 30, 2022, 6:09 PM
Weekend

Most popular today

1

Abu Dhabi appoints Sheikh Khaled as chairman of new sovereign wealth fund L'imad

2

Register now for The National’s award-winning journalism – free and tailored to you

3

Iran set to execute first protester after 'no trial and no due process'

4

George RR Martin has outlined 12 unpublished Dunk & Egg stories for HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

5

Al Hilal v Al Nassr: Cristiano Ronaldo and Kingsley Coman rally troops ahead of Riyadh derby

6

Palestine and ICE protest messages on Golden Globes red carpet

7

Etihad Airways named world’s safest airline thanks to turbulence management and crash-free history

8

Hit squad recruiter for Sweden's Foxtrot criminal network arrested in Iraq

9

My Dubai Salary: ‘From earning Dh3,000 in Dubai Duty Free, I now draw Dh200,000 a month in real estate’

10

Cartoon for January 14, 2026