The Week in Pictures: Kate's choristers prepare for their big moment, and Root celebrates his century

Choristers from the Westminster Abbey Choir in London hold candles as they stand in between the choir stalls during their preparations for Advent and Christmas services. On Friday evening the Westminster Abbey choristers are taking part in the Princess of Wales' annual Together At Christmas carol service, now in its fifth year, which will be broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve.

Mourners hang paper cranes, symbolising peace and hope, near the site of last week's devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong. The death toll from Hong Kong's worst fire in decades rose to 159 after all affected housing blocks were searched, police said, cautioning that the figure may not be final.

Palestinian Hamas militants and Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) use a digger as they search for the last two remaining bodies of hostages - an Israeli soldier and a Thai national - under the rubble of the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern of Gaza Strip. On Wednesday, Israel said the remains of Suthisak Rintalak (the Thai national) were found and retuned. The return of the 43-year-old's body means only the remains of Israeli police officer Master Sgt Ran Gvili now need to be handed over under the terms of the ceasefire deal.

Referee Malgorzata Kanieska inspects the snooker table during the Scott Donaldson and Ding Junhui match on day six of the 2025 Victorian Plumbing UK Championship at York Barbican. The world’s greatest snooker players have been battling it out all week for the UK Championship, one of the biggest events on the sport’s global calendar. Eight-time winner Ronnie O'Sullivan was defeated in his first round match against China's Zhou Yuelong, meaning he has now lost three tournament matches in a row.

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon the Russian leader's arrival at Palam Air Force Base in New Delhi, India. The two-day state visit aims to deepen defence ties between the two nations, as New Delhi faces heavy US pressure to stop buying oil from Moscow.

The Stornoway to Ullapool ferry sails by as Gordon Wink checks the lights on the fishing creel Christmas tree he helped to design and build on the harbour-side in Ullapool, Wester Ross. The 30ft tree, made using 340 creels used for catching crabs and prawns, has become a tradition in Ullapool since it was first constructed in 2016.

People walk near a dead Sumatran elephant buried in mud in a flood affected area in Meureudu, Pidie Jaya district in Indonesia's Aceh province. The death toll from floods that hit Indonesia last week has risen to more than 600 people, according to figures from the the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, while nearly 500 people remain missing.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks tired while speaking during a joint press conference with Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin (not pictured) following their meeting during his visit to Dublin. This week, a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s top team and Donald Trump’s envoys in Brussels was cancelled as attempts to forge peace in Ukraine stall.

Rescued grey seal pup Marieke looks out of a wheelbarrow into the breeding area at the Friedrichskoog Seal Sanctuary in Germany. Marieke and another pup named Karlsson were found abandoned and transferred to the facility from Helgoland Dune in November. They are being cared for at the only authorised seal rehabilitation center in the region, which typically looks after over 200 abandoned pups each year.

Joe Root celebrates after scoring his first test century during day 1 of the Second 2025/26 Ashes Series Test Match between Australia and England. The latest from the Gabba is that the tourists have been guilty of haphazard bowling and messy handling errors as they allowed their rivals to move into a 44-run lead at 378 for six on the second night of the floodlit match.

Driver Gregoire Munster and co-driver Louis Louka from team M-Sport Ford race through the dessert in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as part of the WRC World Rally Car Championship.