Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world.
Pedestrians walk past Cheeky’s Street Bar in Braamfontein, 3 March 2025, on a rainy day in Johannesburg. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
Phumulamqashi informal settlement residents demonstrate near Lenasia South in Johannesburg, 3 March 2025. Residents barricaded the Golden Highway with rocks for water to be reconnected after illegal connections were dismantled in 2024. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The CitizenA curvy road passes through snow-covered hills and mountains in Gangneung, South Korea, 03 March 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/YONHAPA person walks under colorful lanterns in Taipei, Taiwan, 03 March 2025. Taiwan’s government is reviewing citizenship rules for Hong Kong and Macau residents to curb Chinese influence via immigration. Currently, they can obtain permanent residency and a Taiwan ID after just one year of residence through marriage, investment, or professional skills. Picture: EPA-EFE/RITCHIE B. TONGOVisitors watch animals in their enclosure at the National Zoological Gardens in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 03 March 2025. The practice of keeping wild animals as pets was observed among Sri Lankan monarchs and later continued by European colonizers. The present-day National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka traces its origins to the late 1920s when it was established by John Hagenbeck, a German animal dealer and owner of plantations in Ceylon. Picture: EPA-EFE/CHAMILA KARUNARATHNEPedestrians carrying umbrellas walk along a street in Braamfontein, 3 March 2025, on a rainy day in Johannesburg. Picture: Michel Bega/The CitizenCostumed revelers arrive by boat crossing the River Danube for the Busho parade, on the fourth day of the carnival, in Mohacs, Hungary, 02 March 2025. The traditional Busho carnival, which marks the end of winter, dates back to the 16th century when members of the Shokatz ethnic Croatian group living in Mohacs dressed up in sheepskin costumes and frightful wooden masks to scare away their Turkish invaders, who escaped in panic seeing the terrifying figures. Picture: EPA-EFE/Tamas KacsurMembers of the troupe Unidos do Viradouro take part in a parade during the first night of Rio Carnival parades at Marqu de Sapuca ambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 02 March 2025. This year’s carnival festivities run from 28 February to 8 March. Picture: EPA-EFE/ANDRE COELHOPrimary school teachers react after listening to a High Court stay order, during a sit-in demonstration in the Shahbagh area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 03 March 2025. The High Court stayed the verdict that had cancelled the government’s decision to issue appointment letters to over six thousand candidates. The teachers demand the reversal of Bangladesh’s High Court decision that canceled the appointment process of over six thousand candidates as assistant teachers in government primary schools in Dhaka and Chittagong divisions earlier in February 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/MONIRUL ALAMA Pakistani man prepares meals for Muslims to break their fast on the evening of the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, 02 March 2025. Muslims around the world observe the holy month of Ramadan by praying at night and abstaining from food and drink between sunrise and sunset. Picture: EPA-EFE/SOHAIL SHAHZADLisa (C) performs a tribute to the James Bond movie series the 97th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA, 02 March 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/ALLISON DINNER(L-R) Adrien Brody, winner of the Best Actor in a Leading Role for “The Brutalist”, Mikey Madison, winner of the Best Actress in a Leading Role for “Anora”, Zoe Saldana, winner of the Best Actress in a Supporting Role for “Emilia Perez”, and Kieran Culkin, winner of the Best Actor in a Supporting Role for “A Real Pain”, pose in the press room during the 97th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA, 02 March 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/CAROLINE BREHMANMembers of a team of orange throwers wearing costumes throw oranges during a traditional Carnival festival in Ivrea, Northern Italy, 02 March 2025. The Carnival of Ivrea is well-known for the ‘Battle of the Oranges’ tradition that includes throwing and dodging oranges between organized groups involving some thousands of people. Picture: EPA-EFE/JESSICA PASQUALONIsraelis enjoy a hot water spring near the Marom Golan settlement in the annexed Golan Heights, near the border with Syria, 02 March 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/ATEF SAFADIFiremen hose burning shanties as a fire engulfs a slum area in Muntinlupa city, Metro Manila, Philippines, 03 March 2025. A spike of fire incidents were recorded by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) amid the start of the country’s fire safety month. Fire Prevention Month is observed in the month of March, with incidents of fire expected to increase during summer coinciding with the onset of extreme hot weather. Picture: EPA-EFE/FRANCIS R. MALASIGRelatives carry the flag-draped coffin of Israeli hostage Itzik Elgarat during his funeral outside his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, southern Israel, 03 March 2025. Elgarat was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led attack on 07 October 2023, and his body was returned by Hamas along with three other hostages’ bodies on 27 February 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/ABIR SULTANA soldier stands guard outside the Great Hall of People in Beijing, China, 03 March 2025. China’s major annual political meetings, known as ‘Lianghui’ or ‘Two Sessions,’ will begin on 04 March with the opening of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), while the National People’s Congress (NPC) will open on 05 March. Picture: EPA-EFE/ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARESA carnival float depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi J during the Rose Monday carnival parade in Mainz, Germany, 03 March 2025. Mainz is one of the carnival strongholds in Germany, with its Rose Monday parade jokingly criticizing political and social developments. Rose Monday is the traditional highlight of the carnival season in many German cities. Picture: EPA-EFE/RONALD WITTEK
