The final weekend of 2025 offered a poignant visual snapshot of our world, captured through the lenses of photojournalists across the globe. From the serene beauty of a winter storm to the stark realities of conflict and homelessness, these images, selected by The Guardian's picture editors, tell diverse stories of human and natural life.
Nature's Beauty and Human Celebration
A major winter storm blanketed New York City, with snow falling gracefully on the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, transforming the urban landscape. Meanwhile, in the Scottish Highlands, walkers took in the breathtaking view from Stob na Broige peak towards Loch Etive, with the famed ridge of Buachaille Etive Mor providing a dramatic backdrop.
In a moment of festive joy, crowds enjoyed skating at the Royal Pavilion ice rink in Brighton, East Sussex, captured from a striking drone perspective. This comes as a £6.5m restoration project for the Pavilion Gardens is scheduled to begin next year. Further celebrations were seen in Lagos, Nigeria, where participants in traditional white garments marked the Eyo festival, and in Lviv, Ukraine, at the 20th-anniversary 'Spalakh Rizdvyanoi Zory' Christmas star festival.
Rare Wildlife and Stark Contrasts
A heartwarming scene unfolded at Debrecen Zoo in Hungary, where a rare baby white-handed gibbon clung to its mother during a special Christmas feeding. The reproduction of this species in captivity is considered rare worldwide, highlighting the importance of conservation efforts.
This stood in stark contrast to a grim scene in Paris, France, where a homeless person slept on a city centre pavement. With night-time temperatures below zero and the severe cold weather plan not yet activated in the Ile-de-France region, Paris city hall urged the government to act 'without delay', calling the situation for thousands 'dramatic'.
The most harrowing contrast was felt in Gaza City, where a Palestinian toddler, wearing a Christmas jumper, walked on torn tent material amid wind, rain, and cold. The majority of Gaza's 2.4 million people have been displaced by the war that began with Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
A World in Motion: From Politics to Storms
The weekend also captured moments of political and environmental significance. In Yangon, Burma, Buddhist novice nuns prayed at the Shwedagon Pagoda as the country began a multiphase general election under military administration. In Rome, Cardinal James Michael Harvey closed the holy door of the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls.
Extreme weather made its mark beyond New York. In Sun Village, California, vehicles were stranded as flood waters washed out East Palmdale Boulevard after storms dropped 15cm of rain in Los Angeles County, with triple that amount in the mountains. Meanwhile, in Haffkrug, Germany, a seagull braved algae-strewn waves on the Baltic Sea coast.
From the illuminated deer of a performance in Lausanne, Switzerland, to a man diving into the sea in Rio de Janeiro and a father-child bike ride past Peking Opera art in Beijing, the collection underscores the vast tapestry of global experience as the year drew to a close.
