24 hours in pictures, 18 December 2024

An aerial view taken with a drone shows the newly constructed bridge built by the Swiss army, following the devastation caused by storms that impacted Cevio, Switzerland, 18 December 2024. In June 2024, a series of severe storms caused major damage in various regions of Switzerland. Picture: EPA-EFE/SAMUEL GOLAY A Coronationville resident holds a placard as other residents queue to fill water bottles and jerrycans from larger water storage tanks amid an ongoing water outage in Johannesburg, on December 17, 2024. Johannesburg has been experiencing water disruptions for the past few days caused by maintainance work on the Eikenhof and Zwartkopjes pump stations. According to Coronationville residents this is a recurring problem forcing them to queue almost every week, not only during maintenance work on the infrastructure. (Photo by Roberta Ciuccio / AFP) Soldiers stand guard near the site where several bodies were discovered at a warehouse in the Sayyida Zeinab district of Damascus, Syria, 18 December 2024. According to the White Helmets, around 20 bodies and 10 bags containing human bones were discovered at the warehouse in the Sayyida Zeinab district. Picture: EPA-EFE/MOHAMMED AL RIFAI A veiled Iranian woman walks in front of a shop selling Christmas items in Tehran, Iran, 18 December 2024. Approximately 150,000 Christians live in Iran, with Armenians constituting the majority. They celebrate Christmas in churches and privately at home. Some Muslim families have also adopted a few Christmas traditions and buy presents and even Christmas trees for their children to enjoy. Picture: EPA-EFE/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH A woman with a child poses for a photo with a person dressed as Santa Claus at the Christmas Market and Advent in Zagreb, Croatia, 18 December 2024. Zagreb Advent is a popular Christmas tourism attraction that takes place in 29 different locations throughout Zagreb from 29 November 2024 to 08 January 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/ANTONIO BAT The monument to Russian Admiral Ivan Kruzenshtern is silhoutetted at Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment during sunset in St. Petersburg, Russia, 18 December 2024. Temperatures in Russia's second-largest city reached minus ten degrees Celsius. Picture: EPA-EFE/ANATOLY MALTSEV Several migrants are taken care of by the Red Cross upon their arrival at the port in the town of Arrecife, Lanzarote island, Canary Islands, southwestern Spain, 18 December 2024. Spanish authorities rescued 57 migrants, including five women, 83 km off Lanzarote Island. Picture: EPA-EFE/Adriel Perdomo People skate on an ice rink inside the Grand Palais in Paris, France, 18 December 2024. After five years of renovation, the Grand Palais is open for the world's largest indoor ice rink. Picture: EPA-EFE/TERESA SUAREZ President of Countdown Entertainment Jeffrey Straus (R) reacts to the seven-foot-tall numerals for 2025 being lit for the first time after their arrival to Times Square in New York, New York, USA, 18 December 2024. The numerals will soon placed atop One Times Square, where they will sit for the New Year's Eve celebration. Picture: EPA-EFE/SARAH YENESEL Buddhist devotees pay homage and walk around the pagoda containing the Sacred Lord Buddha's tooth relic (C), during an enshrinement ceremony at the Sanam Luang Royal Grounds in Bangkok, Thailand, 18 December 2024. The Sacred Lord Buddha's tooth relic from China was enshrined in Bangkok to honor the Thai King's 72nd birthday on July 2024, and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and China. Known as Phra Dattha Thatu, the Buddha's Tooth Relic is believed to be a physical remnant of the Buddha himself. Picture: EPA-EFE/NARONG SANGNAK Trainee artisans, women, prepare a gabba, the traditional Kashmiri rag, inside a training center in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, 18 December 2024. Many Kashmiri women artisans engage in colorful embroidery of gabba, the handmade Kashmiri winter rugs, crafted from wool or a blend of wool and cotton. This embroidery technique, passed down through generations, involves skilled women artisans employing a hooked needle to create patterns and motifs on the gabba's surface. The traditional techniques employed in their creation not only preserve cultural heritage but also promote eco-friendly practices, resonating with contemporary sensibilities. Picture: EPA-EFE/FAROOQ KHAN Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reacts as she reports at the Senate on the upcoming European Council, in Rome, Italy, 18 December 2024. EU leaders will attend a European Council meeting in Brussels on 19 December. Picture: EPA-EFE/FABIO FRUSTACI Houthi fighters take part in a parade during a mobilization campaign, in Sana'a, Yemen, 18 December 2024. Yemen's Houthis have been recruiting militiamen as part of a mobilization campaign amid tensions with the United States and Israel. The Houthis keep up drone and missile attacks on Israel and shipping lanes in the seas around Yemen, in retaliation for the US support for Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip. Picture: EPA-EFE/YAHYA ARHAB Paris Saint-Germain's Italian goalkeeper #01 Gianluigi Donnarumma sustains an injury by Monaco's Ivorian defender #17 Wilfried Singo (L) during the French L1 football match between AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain at the Louis II Stadium (Stade Louis II) in the Principality of Monaco on December 18, 2024. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP) Soldiers stand during a welcoming ceremony of Canada's Minister of National Defense Bill Blair (not pictured) at the ministry's headquarters in Warsaw, Poland, 18 December 2024. The meeting will focus on strengthening relations between Poland and Canada in the fields of defense, security, and the exchange of experiences, as well as in the sphere of military cooperation and within NATO. Picture: EPA-EFE/ALBERT ZAWADA Picture of the wreckage of a Challenger 300 aircraft that crashed upon landing, and a burnt vehicle (R), in the town of San Fernando, Buenos Aires Province, on December 18, 2024. The pilot and co-pilot died after the private plane crashed during landing and caught fire near the airport of San Fernando. No other injuries were reported. (Photo by Juan MABROMATA / AFP) PICTURES: Carnival parade brightens up the streets of Orange Farm

24 hours in pictures, 18 December 2024

For more news your way