Athletes in Santa Claus costumes take part in Santa's Fun Run in the Old Town of Riga, Latvia, on December 8, 2024. Santa's Fun Run charity run aims to raise money for providing medical aid to children who are living in rural areas of Latvia. (Photo by Gints Ivuskans/AFP Photo)




A police officer evacuates a woman from a building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)




People gather to receive flatbread, after rebels seized the capital and ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria on December 9, 2024. (Photo by Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)




American-French actor Timothee Chalamet, American actress Monica Barbaro and American actress Elle Fanning attend a premiere of the film “A Complete Unknown” at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, U.S. December 10, 2024. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)




A man walks past the autumn leaves in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture on December 12, 2024. (Photo by Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP Photo)




A group of clowns with an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe poses for a picture during National Clown Day in Guadalajara, Mexico, on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Ulises Ruiz/AFP Photo)




A Ukrainian soldier drives a vehicle on a road leading to the town of Chasiv Yar, in Kostyantynivka, eastern Donetsk region, on December 10, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A missile strike killed two and wounded more than a dozen in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, officials said on December 10. Southern Ukraine has seen intensified strikes this autumn, reinforcing fears of a new Russian offensive in the area. (Photo by Roman Pilipey/AFP Photo)




Catholic penitents carrying images of the Virgin of Guadalupe advance on their knees to participate in the commemoration of the Virgin's day at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Yuri Cortez/AFP Photo)




An athlete stretches as she warms up ahead of her show as an other athlete gets ready backstage before competing in the 2024 International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB) Xtyle Fitness and Entertainment (XFE) Classic Fitness and Bodybuilding Show in Kempton Park Civic Centre in Ekurhuleni, on December 7, 2024. This event is part of the IFBB Fitness and Bodybuilding Events in South Africa, an official qualifying event for the prestigious Arnold Classic Africa and also forms part of the IFBB Platinum League. (Photo by Roberta Ciuccio/AFP Photo)




A demonstrator rides toy tractor past a placard reading “We all need to stand together” and down Whitehall during a stop “the death of British Farming” demonstration, to protest against changes to inheritance tax rules for land ownership for farmers, in central London, on December 11, 2024. (Photo by Oli Scarff/AFP Photo)




A Christmas tree is seen among the spotlights on the various NASA rockets in the Rocket Garden at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Wednesday, December 11, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (Photo by USA Today)




An aerial view of the exterior of the Lo Vasquez Shrine, during the commemoration of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, in Lo Vasquez, Chile on December 8, 2024. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Christians make the pilgrimage to the shrine, walking up to more than 70 km (43 miles) to reach the shrine, some of them walking the last five or six kilometers barefoot or on their knees, to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and pay homage to the Virgin with her sorrows. According to authorities, more than 1.5 million people came to the shrine. (Photo by Lucas Aguayo Araos/Anadolu via Getty Images)




An anti-government fighter prays in the courtyard of Damascus' historic Umayyad mosque on December 8, 2024, after Islamist-led rebels declared that they have taken the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by Abdulaziz Ketaz/AFP Photo)




Women pose with a rebel fighter's gun in front of a destroyed tank in Umayyad Square on December 11, 2024 in Damascus, Syria. Rebel forces in Syria have retaken the capital from longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, who has fled the country for Moscow. The fall of the Assad regime marks a new chapter for Syria, which has been mired in a multi-party civil war since 2011, sparked by the Arab Spring uprisings. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)




Opposition fighters sit at a restaurant at the Al-Hamidiyeh market inside the old walled city of Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, December 10, 2024. (Photo by Hussein Malla/AP Photo)




People are seen as they attend the magic of the holidays with (Los 4 Elementos in Spanish) Four Elements, a light festival that combines nature, art, and environmental awareness. This year's theme earth, air, water, and fire invites visitors to reconnect with the planet's essence through a dazzling 1.3 kilometer journey featuring over 300 luminous sculptures, some as tall as 12 meters in Bogota, Colombia on December 10, 2024. Designed as both an enchanting and educational experience, the event emphasizes the need to protect natural resources while captivating audiences with vibrant lights and artistic displays. It's a family-friendly celebration that inspires awe and reflection, reminding everyone of the importance of caring for our shared home: Earth. (Photo by Juancho Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)




Syrian opposition fighters sit for ice cream at the 19th-century Bakdash ice-cream parlour in the Hamidiyah market in the old part of Damascus on December 10, 2024. Islamist-led rebels took Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, ousting president Bashar al-Assad and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by Louai Beshara/AFP Photo)




Men sweep the street to clear bullet shells at Umayyad Square in Damascus on December 10, 2024. Syria's Islamist rebel leader on December 9 began discussions on transferring power, a day after his opposition alliance dramatically unseated president Bashar al-Assad following decades of brutal rule. (Photo by Louai Beshara/AFP Photo)




A man looks at a residential house illuminated with Christmas lights in Dublin, Ireland on December 9, 2024. (Photo by Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)