Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world.
Police officers patrol the tarmac before the arrival of an Eastern Airlines plane carrying Venezuelan migrants repatriated from the US at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, on December 3, 2025. Venezuela announced on December 2, 2025, that it had reauthorized flights carrying migrants deported by the US, days after suspending them due to President Donald Trump’s demand that Venezuelan airspace be considered “closed.” (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)Christmas lights shine in front of the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, 04 December 2025. Picture: EPA/Anders WiklundA colourfully branded vehicle is seen ahead of the opening of the rAge Expo, 4 December 2025. The expo, focussing on video gaming, technology, esports, geek culture and digital entertainment, takes place from 5 to 7 December at Fourways Mall, Level 8. There will be more than 180 exhibitors. Picture: Michel Bega/The CitizenA Romanian man and his son look at the window of a candy store, which is decorated for Christmas, in downtown Bucharest, Romania,04 December 2025. Romania, an Orthodox-Christian country, celebrates Christmas on 25 December. Picture: EPA/ROBERT GHEMENTAn aerial view shows a section of oil palm plantations submerged in the water amid deforestation in the mountains of Sumatra, Aceh province, Indonesia, 04 December 2025. The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) stated that floods and landslides in Sumatra are directly related to environmental damage, specifically to deforestation and land-use change, such as the conversion of forests for various industries, including oil palm plantations. WALHI has referenced satellite imagery as evidence of large-scale deforestation in the flood-affected zones during the period between 2016 and 2024. Picture: EPA/HOTLI SIMANJUNTAKA hot air balloon flies over the Haouz plain in the the Oulad Hassoune region, a vast area north of Marrakech on December 4, 2025. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP)Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of al-Mjadel on December 4, 2025. The Israeli military said it would strike what it described as Hezbollah military infrastructure in southern Lebanon and warned people in two villages to evacuate immediately. (Photo by KAWANT HAJU / AFP)The Barmy Army cheer during Day 1 of the Second Men’s Ashes Test between Australia and England at The Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, 04 December 2025. Picture: EPA/JONO SEARLEA labourer stands atop an under-construction building on a clear day in Bengaluru on December 4, 2025. (Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP)A relative kisses a newly recruited Indian army soldier from the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) after a passing-out parade at the JAKLI army headquarters in Srinagar on December 4, 2025. (Photo by Tauseef MUSTAFA / AFP)A cotton candy vendor waits for customers in front of Lal Khan’s tomb in Varanasi on December 4, 2025. (Photo by Niharika KULKARNI / AFP)Greek actress Mary Mina, playing the role of the High Priestess, lights the Olympic torch during the handover Olympic flame ceremony for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, at the Panathinean stadium in Athens, on December 4, 2025. (Photo by Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP)Ferrari’s British driver Lewis Hamilton takes a photo of the team after a group photo session ahead of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on December 4, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)A statue part of the Telephosfries relief sculpture of the Great Altar of Pergamon is pictured during a press tour of the renovation site of the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany, 04 December 2025. The Pergamon Museum is undergoing extensive, long-term renovation under the ‘Master Plan Museum Island’ project. While the North Wing and the Pergamon Altar hall are slated to reopen in spring 2027, the entire project, including the South Wing and the new fourth wing, is projected for completion into the mid-2030s. Picture: EPA/HANNIBAL HANSCHKEepaselect epa12569603 An airplane flies as the Cold Supermoon, the last supermoon of 2025, shines over the sky in Kathmandu, Nepal, 04 December 2025. EPA/NARENDRA SHRESTHA
