The world witnessed a day of stark contrasts on Friday, 7th November 2025, as communities grappled with natural disasters, political upheaval, and moments of human connection. The Guardian's picture editors have curated a powerful selection of photographs capturing these events from every corner of the globe.
Political Shifts and Security Operations
In a significant legal development, former Bolivian president Jeanine Añez walked free from the Miraflores prison after the country's supreme court annulled her 10-year sentence. The moment marked a dramatic turn in the nation's political landscape.
Meanwhile, in the United States, political theatre unfolded in Washington, DC, where President Trump watched as aides attended to a man who had fainted during an announcement about weight-loss drugs in the Oval Office. The incident provided an unusual glimpse into the workings of the White House.
Federal immigration enforcement also made headlines as Operation Midway Blitz continued in Chicago. Federal agents were seen stopping residents and asking for proof of citizenship during daily patrols through neighbourhoods and suburbs in search of undocumented immigrants. In one documented encounter, a man produced the required documents and was allowed to proceed.
Natural Disasters and Global Conflict
The Caribbean and South-East Asia were dealing with the aftermath of severe weather. In Petit-Goâve, Haiti, residents worked to remove a partially buried vehicle following the destructive path of Hurricane Melissa. The salvage operation highlighted the ongoing struggle for recovery in the storm-battered region.
Similar preparations were underway in Gia Lai, Vietnam, where a worker used a chainsaw to cut up a tree that had fallen in strong winds ahead of the approaching Typhoon Kalmaegi near Quy Nhon beach. The pre-emptive measures demonstrated the region's vigilance in the face of impending natural disaster.
International security concerns were visualised through a controversial post by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. He shared screen grabs from a video on his X account showing what he described as a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a designated terrorist organisation in the Caribbean. Hegseth stated that three people were killed in the military strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat, bringing the death toll from Washington's contentious anti-narcotics campaign to at least 70.
Commemoration and Cultural Moments
In Kyiv, Ukraine, the human cost of conflict was remembered as a woman stood in front of the memorial to fallen Ukrainian defenders at Independence Square. The poignant image was captured against a backdrop of ongoing energy infrastructure attacks, with streets and apartment buildings left without lighting after three Russian assaults in October.
Memory was also honoured in Bogotá, Colombia, where relatives commemorated the 40th anniversary of the M-19 guerrilla takeover of the Palace of Justice. A relative of Norma Esguerra Forero, who died during the incident, held a lightbox with her portrait during a solemn ceremony.
Lighter moments unfolded in the cultural sphere, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jane Fonda attending the Women in Film Honours at the Beverly Hilton in California. Across the border in Toronto, Britain's Prince Harry shook hands with Ozzie Reece as he met some of Canada's oldest war veterans at a creative arts programme in Sunnybrook hospital's veterans centre.
The world of sport provided its own drama in Osaka, Japan, where France's Camille Kovalev sustained an injury during her performance with Pavel Kovalev in the pairs short programme at the ISU Grand Prix of figure skating, her grimace capturing the physical demands of elite competition.
