• Thousands of penguins (Manchots Royaux) are pictured on December 21, 2022 on the Desolation Island, part of the Crozet Islands which are a sub-Antarctic archipelago of small islands in the southern Indian Ocean. - They form one of the five administrative districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. The Crozet Islands are home to four species of penguins. Most abundant are the macaroni penguin, of which some 2 million pairs breed on the islands, and the king penguin, home to 700,000 breeding pairs; half the world's population. Mammals living on the Crozet Islands include fur seals and southern elephant seals. Killer whales have been observed preying upon the seals. (Photo by PATRICK HERTZOG / AFP)
    Thousands of penguins (Manchots Royaux) are pictured on December 21, 2022 on the Desolation Island, part of the Crozet Islands which are a sub-Antarctic archipelago of small islands in the southern Indian Ocean. - They form one of the five administrative districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. The Crozet Islands are home to four species of penguins. Most abundant are the macaroni penguin, of which some 2 million pairs breed on the islands, and the king penguin, home to 700,000 breeding pairs; half the world's population. Mammals living on the Crozet Islands include fur seals and southern elephant seals. Killer whales have been observed preying upon the seals. (Photo by PATRICK HERTZOG / AFP)
  • French President Emmanuel Macron, centre, visits the archaeological site of Jerash in Jordan. AFP
    French President Emmanuel Macron, centre, visits the archaeological site of Jerash in Jordan. AFP
  • A motorbike ambulance, a two-wheeler with a sidecar, on its way to a pregnant woman in the remote village of Kodoli, in India's Chhattisgarh state. AP Photo
    A motorbike ambulance, a two-wheeler with a sidecar, on its way to a pregnant woman in the remote village of Kodoli, in India's Chhattisgarh state. AP Photo
  • Westjet and Air India aircraft at Vancouver Airport after a snowstorm led to cancellations and major delays. AP
    Westjet and Air India aircraft at Vancouver Airport after a snowstorm led to cancellations and major delays. AP
  • Argentina fans in Buenos Aires cheer as the team parades on a bus after winning the Qatar 2022 World Cup. AFP
    Argentina fans in Buenos Aires cheer as the team parades on a bus after winning the Qatar 2022 World Cup. AFP
  • A migrant street vendor pushes his cart to work as he starts his day from his temporary shelter in Jammu, India. AP Photo
    A migrant street vendor pushes his cart to work as he starts his day from his temporary shelter in Jammu, India. AP Photo
  • Motorists travelling in a flooded area in Matangkuli, Indonesia. AFP
    Motorists travelling in a flooded area in Matangkuli, Indonesia. AFP
  • The Intercity-Express ICE high-speed train at the opening of the extended Deutsche Bahn vehicle hall in the ICE depot in Berlin. EPA
    The Intercity-Express ICE high-speed train at the opening of the extended Deutsche Bahn vehicle hall in the ICE depot in Berlin. EPA
  • Muizenberg beach in Cape Town, South Africa. EPA
    Muizenberg beach in Cape Town, South Africa. EPA
  • Destruction in the village of Bohorodychne, in eastern Ukraine. AFP
    Destruction in the village of Bohorodychne, in eastern Ukraine. AFP
  • Pope Francis talks with nuns during the weekly General Audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall, in Vatican City. EPA
    Pope Francis talks with nuns during the weekly General Audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall, in Vatican City. EPA
  • A woman dressed as Santa Claus steering a paddleboard close to Mare e Sol beach on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. AFP
    A woman dressed as Santa Claus steering a paddleboard close to Mare e Sol beach on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. AFP

World

Today's best photos: from penguins in the Antarctic to Santa in Corsica

The National picks the most striking images from around the world

The National

December 21, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

More from The National

Tuesday's best photos: from vast snow sculptures to ferocious waves

Monday's best photos: from Sikhs at the Golden Temple to football fans in Buenos Aires

Sunday's best photos: from the World Cup final to Santas on gondolas in Venice

Saturday's best photos: from ski jumping in Switzerland to lightning in Albania

Friday's best photos: from Al Forsan to karate championships

Thursday's best photos: from a storm in Louisiana to fuel shortages in Syria

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

Updated: December 21, 2022, 3:07 PM
Photography