Tuesday, 16th December 2025, offered a stark visual narrative of our world, captured through the lenses of photojournalists from the icy streets of Siberia to a rain-soaked refugee camp in Gaza. The Guardian's picture editors curated a series of powerful images that tell stories of conflict, commemoration, climate, and daily life across the globe.
Conflict and Commemoration
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, grief was palpable as the mother of 16-year-old Ammar Sabbah mourned her son, killed by Israeli soldiers during a raid in Tuqu’. Meanwhile, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, a firefighter surveyed the damage to a residential building following a Russian strike, a sobering reminder of the ongoing war.
Memorials took a different form in Sydney, Australia, where a small Israeli flag was surrounded by floral tributes honouring the victims of the recent Bondi Beach shooting. Back in Europe, former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived at London's Dorland House to give evidence to the UK's ongoing Covid inquiry.
Protest and Environmental Strain
Civil unrest and environmental challenges featured prominently. In Athens, Greece, a woman walked her dogs while participating in a large public sector union rally, protesting against low salaries and rising living costs as parliament voted on the 2026 budget.
In France, nationwide farmer protests escalated. Members of the Young Farmers of the Yvelines partly blockaded the N12 road near Méré, hanging an effigy from agricultural equipment. They are demonstrating against the government's mandatory culling of over 3,000 cattle affected by lumpy skin disease.
Environmental strain was evident in Gaza, where Palestinians in the Bureij refugee camp cleaned up after severe flooding caused by heavy rain. A similar climate story unfolded in Washington state, USA, where officials ordered evacuations after a levee failed following a week of heavy rains, causing traffic to stream out of the city of Kent.
Ceremony, Industry, and the Quotidian
Amidst the turmoil, moments of ceremony and routine persisted. In Dhaka, Bangladesh, 54 paratroopers staged a spectacular skydiving display over the old airport to mark the country's 54 years of independence on Victory Day.
In Kangdong, North Korea, the country's leader Kim Jong-un, accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter Kim Ju-ae, inspected a newly completed food factory near Pyongyang. In Caracas, Venezuela, a member of the Bolivarian militia lifted a young girl during a rally celebrating the 26th anniversary of the Venezuelan constitution.
The day also held its share of peculiar and poignant incidents. In Guaíba, Brazil, strong winds toppled a towering replica of the Statue of Liberty, built by the Brazilian retailer Havan. In Memphis, USA, community advocate Brandy Price was overcome with emotion, lying on the floor after a local board dismissed an appeal over an AI company's air permit.
Finally, daily life continued in its varied forms: a roadside barber gave a shave in Delhi, India, while in Yakutsk, Russia, residents braved temperatures plunging below -47°C (-52.6°F).
This collection of images from Tuesday, 16th December 2025, serves as a powerful, unfiltered chronicle of human resilience, sorrow, celebration, and the relentless passage of life across our interconnected planet.
