The Week in Pictures: Lady Liberty comes crashing down, and surfers pay moving tribute to Bondi victims
England inch closer to a humbling Ashes defeat, hundreds of Santas hit the slopes, and can the King split the G? - here are a selection of some the best photos from the UK and around the world this week.
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A replica of the Statue of Liberty outside a department store called Havan in Guaiba, Brazil was toppled after the city was hit by strong winds on Monday. No injuries were reported after the 24-metres-tall replica crashed to the ground, and it is not the first time this has happened. Statues of Liberty are commonplace outside Havan stores across Mexico, and another one of the replicas was toppled in Capao da Canoa during a cyclone in 2021.
A protester walks next to burning tyres near the European Parliament in Brussels on Thursday, as farmers protested against the EU-Mercosur free-trade deal between the European Union and the South American countries of Mercosur, on the day of a European Union leaders' summit. Thousands of farmers demonstrated against planned potential cuts to agricultural subsidies in the EU's future budget, as tractors blocked traffic around Luxembourg Square.
On Sunday, over 300 people dressed in Santa Claus costumes skied down South Ridge at Sunday River resort in Newry Maine. The Santas, who were out for their 25th annual ski, managed to raise $10,000 for The River Fund and the Boyne Forever Foundation.
By Tuesday, flowers, candles and other mementos had built up on the Hollywood star of director and actor Rob Reiner on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The director of many much loved films including 'This is Spinal Tap' and 'When Harry Met Sally...' was killed alongside his wife Michelle in the early hours of Sunday morning. Their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner has been charged with their murders.
On Wednesday, eery pink fog enveloped many areas of the country, including Dunsden in Oxfordshire. The rare atmospheric phenomenon is caused when when sunlight passes through moisture or particles in the air, scattering shorter blue and green wavelengths and allowing red light to dominate.
Sahee, a male Asiatic lion is prepared for an x-ray under general anaesthetic by vet Dr Steve Philps on Tuesday ahead of a specialist procedure to check his fertility and other health issues at Hertfordshire Zoo in Broxbourne. He and his female counterpart Sonika have been paired as part of the European Endangered Species Programme. Around 700 Asiatic lions remain in the wild and they have been classified as vulnerable to extinction.
On Saturday, hundreds of kayakers paddled their Christmas-decorated canoes to the Santa Lucia festival in Copenhagen. Every year on December 13, the procession takes place after dark, with plenty of paddling and lots of singing. In Scandinavia and around the world, Saint Lucia festivals commemorate Saint Lucy (the catholic patron saint of the blind and protection of sight) with activities including lanterns, fireworks, and light in every form, marking light triumphing over darkness.
The King sported a frothy moustache on Thursday after he had tasted a pint of Guinness during his visit to officially open the Guinness Open Gate Brewery London. Charles also had a go at pulling a pint of the black stuff, and was complemented by brewery staff on "the perfect" pull. The Guinness Open Gate Brewery, a £73 million investment, contains a microbrewery, visitor experience, restaurants, shops, and events space.
On Monday, homes in Briton Ferry, Neath were left under two feet of flood water after amber rain warnings for possible danger to life came into force in parts of Wales, alongside several yellow warnings across the UK. Just days before Christmas, many families were forced to take shelter in local hotels and small businesses were forced to shut up shop.
England's Ben Stokes reacts after getting bowled by Australia's Mitchell Starc on Friday during the critical Third Test of the Ashes at the Adelaide Oval. England are inching closer to a humbling Ashes defeat despite a battling stand of 106 from England’s warrior-like captain Ben Stokes, as Australia’s accidental opener Travis Head scored his second century of the series.
After a week of mourning and healing following Sunday's attack on a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach which claimed 15 lives, members of the Bondi community paddled and swum into the ocean to form a circle to honour victims, survivors and first responders of the shootings. The government is moving to tighten gun laws across the country.