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1/17
Christmas classics:
The Royal Ballet ushered in the Advent season at the Royal Opera House in London with a performance of »The Nutcracker«.
Photo: TOBY MELVILLE / REUTERS
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2/17
Dead bow:
A pelican that probably died from an infection with the bird flu pathogen H5N1 lies on the beach in Lima.
The highly contagious virus has killed thousands of pelicans, blue-footed boobies and other seabirds in Peru.
Photo: ERNESTO BENAVIDES / AFP
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3/17
Light and shadow:
In winter, the sun's rays rarely stray between the office buildings in London's financial district of Canary Wharf.
Because London lost importance after Brexit, the government now wants to ensure better location conditions.
Photo: TOBY MELVILLE / REUTERS
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4/17
Clattering hooves, trotting horses, jumping over the moat...
Equestrian sport has its audience - and it's not just made up of Bibi&Tina fans.
The Melbourne Race took place in Melbourne in the middle of the week.
There was less magic, but the noble steeds still have something magical about them.
Photo: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images
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5/17
Plastic tree:
In the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, the non-governmental organization »Oko Spire« collects plastic bottles from the streets.
The 15,000 bottles collected in this way are then put together to form a Christmas tree.
Photo: YURI CORTEZ / AFP
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6 / 17
Oh, Christmas tree:
Christmas is not a traditional holiday in China, but some people still celebrate it.
This vendor prepares Christmas trees for sale at a Hong Kong market.
Photo: ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP
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7/17
Taken away:
Extinction Rebellion activists wait in a police bus after being arrested.
They had previously protested for more environmental protection at the beginning of the species protection summit in Paris.
Photo: ANNA KURTH / AFP
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8/17
Shadows from the past:
the former Nachtigalplatz in Berlin has been renamed.
His former namesake Gustav Nachtigal is considered a central figure of German colonialism in West Africa.
Instead, the signs now say Manga Bell Square: named after Cameroonian Rudolf Duala Manga Bell, who rebelled against colonial rule in his country.
Photo: IMAGO/Jürgen Ritter
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9/17
Scorched earth:
When the Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupted, hot lava destroyed agricultural areas like this paddy field.
Photo: JUNE KRISWANTO / AFP
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10/17
Transience:
This picture of the Monfero monastery, which is located in the Spanish region of Galicia, is idyllic but also a little gloomy.
The building is struggling to deteriorate - vegetation is already covering parts of the walls and cloister.
Photo: Cabalar/EPA
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11/17
Cold moon:
This is the name given to the last full moon of the year.
Here he is behind the Galata Tower in Istanbul.
Photo: Emrah Gurel/AP
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12/17
Makeshift:
A migrant wrapped in a thermal blanket stands between tents at a makeshift camp set up in front of the Council of State building in Paris.
Non-governmental organizations have been demanding better housing for migrants for months.
Photo: YOAN VALAT/EPA
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13/17
It's Christmas time:
A woman from Ethiopia visits the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem with her child.
According to religious tradition, the church, located a few kilometers from Jerusalem, was built over the cave where Jesus was born.
Photo: Mahmoud Illean/AP
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14/17
Isolated:
A worker collects medical waste in front of a quarantine station in Beijing.
On Wednesday, the Chinese government announced the first relaxation of the strict Covid quarantine rules.
Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
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15/17
Cleaning where others are celebrating the World Cup
The World Cup is currently taking place in Qatar.
In Europe, the event is viewed critically, in other parts of the world football fun is more in the foreground.
Thousands of fans from Africa and South America cavort in the country - these men, however, have to work.
They're cleaning the windows of Katara Tower in Lusail.
Photo: ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP
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16/17
Against corruption:
A protester holds up a cartoon depicting inequality during a demonstration in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar.
Protesters, angered by corruption allegations linked to Mongolia's coal trade with China, stormed the state palace in the capital, demanding the dismissal of officials involved in the scandal.
Photo: Alexander Nikolskiy / dpa
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17 / 17
Light in the dark:
The world-famous Christmas tree in front of the Rockefeller Center will shine again this year.
It is decorated with more than 50,000 colored lights.
The approximately 25 meter high spruce tree is crowned by a star weighing more than 400 kilograms, which was designed by the architect Daniel Libeskind.
Photo: Julia Nikhinson/AP