Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world.
An aerial view of the wreckage of a train that crashed when a construction crane collapsed in Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima province on January 14, 2026. A crane at a China-backed high-speed rail project in Thailand collapsed onto a passenger train on January 14 and caused it to derail, killing at least 32 people, authorities said. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)Supporters of Uganda’s incumbent president and National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni carry mascot performers on their motorcycles as they head to the rally grounds ahead of the party’s closing campaign rally ahead of the 2026 Ugandan general elections, in Kampala on January 13, 2026. (Photo by AFP)Friends Khayelihle Onyango, left, and Musawenkosi Mpofu pose for a photograph on the first day of school, 14 Januayr 2026, at St Stithians in Sandton. Khayelihle says he’d like to be a soccer player when he grows up, and Musawenkosi would like to be a policeman. Picture: Michel Bega/The CitizenPedestrians walk along the stairs displayed with the BTS logo and release date of BTS’ 2026 album at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on January 14, 2026. K-pop megastars BTS will launch a comeback world tour from April, the band’s label said on January 14. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)Five-year-old Grade R pupil Jett Kaiser (left) and seven-year-old brother, and Grade 2 pupil, Cuba prepare for the new school year, 14 January 2026, at Ridgewood College, in Benoni. Picture: Michel Bega/The CitizenA pedestrian walks across the ice-covered Dnieper River in Kyiv on January 14, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Sergei GAPON / AFP)Rus-Ter-Vaal principal Kobus France marches with students to their new school from the old building in Sedebeng East in Emfuleni municipality, 14 January 2026. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/ The CitizenItalian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni, after being acquitted in cake fraud trial, exits the courtroom in the Milan Courthouse in Milan on January 14, 2026. Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni on January 14, 2026 was awaiting a verdict in a trial in which the Instagram star is accused of fraud over charity endorsement deals. The 38-year-old social media star and businesswoman has been on trial since September 2025 for aggravated fraud over promotions of a pandoro cake — a Christmas treat similar to a panettone — and Easter eggs, both purporting to raise money for charity or social causes. (Photo by Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP)Iranians attend the funerals of security forces personnel killed in recent protests in Tehran on January 14, 2026. A funeral ceremony began in Tehran on January 14, 2026 for over 100 members of the security forces and other “martyrs” killed in the wave of protests that has rocked the Islamic republic, state television said. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)Balloon sellers wait for customers along the banks of river Ganges at Kedar Ghat in Varanasi on January 14, 2026. (Photo by Niharika KULKARNI / AFP)Visitors look at neon signs at the “Luminous Neon” and “The Light Within The light Without” exhibition at the Hong Kong Design Centre on January 14, 2026 held by Tetra Neon Exchange, a group focused on conserving the city’s neon signs that are slowly being taken down due to building safety. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)British actor Erin Kellyman poses on the red carpet upon arrival to attend the world premiere of “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” at the BFI IMAX in London, on January 13, 2026. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)Bulgarian dancers wearing costumes perform a ritual dance around a bonfire during the Kukeri Carnival in the village of Sadovik, western Bulgaria, on January 13, 2026. The kukeri rituals culminate in dances on the evening of January 13 and the morning of the January 14, when the men put on masks and go around the villages, dancing with numerous bells to make noise and drive away evil spirits and send off the old year and to mark the beginning of Spring. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)Western Cape Premier Alan Winde welcome Grade 1 learners during a visit at Tamboerskloof Primary School as part of the 2026 Back-to-School Campaign on January 14, 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa. The oversight visit also celebrates the start of the school year. (Photo by Gallo Images/ER Lombard)
