Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world.
Members of the Cape Minstrel bands attend the annual ‘Tweede Nuwe Yaar’ (second new year) carnival through the streets of Cape Town, South Africa, 04 January 2025. This yearly parade dates back to the mid-nineteenth century when the slaves in Cape Town were granted by their colonial masters one day off in the year. To celebrate, groups would dress up as minstrels, waving parasols, strumming banjos, making music, dancing, and parading from the District Six area through to the city center. Many of the songs still sung today date back to the 1800s. Picture: EPA-EFE/STRINGER
South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton celebrates after scoring a double century (200 runs) during the second day of the second international Test cricket match between South Africa and Pakistan at Newlands stadium in Cape Town on January 4, 2025. (Photo by Rodger Bosch / AFP)Amr Abu Hashem, a 26-year-old displaced Palestinian from Khan Younis, dressed as Santa Claus to tour the destroyed homes and temporary tent shelters of displaced families in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, distributing candy and entertaining children, 31 December 2024 (issued 05 January 2025). Omar, who lost a leg during one of the wars in the Gaza Strip, says he took this initiative to bring some joy to displaced children ahead of the Eastern Christmas celebrations despite the difficult circumstances. More than 45,300 Palestinians and over 1,400 Israelis have been killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and the Israeli Army, since Hamas militants launched an attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip on 07 October 2023, and the Israeli operations in Gaza and the West Bank which followed it. Picture: EPA-EFE/HAITHAM IMADJose Ignacio Gayoso of Spain and Santiago Javier Ramiro of Spain drive their TH-Trucks Team car during the second stage of the 2025 Dakar Rally, in Bisha, Saudi Arabia, 05 January 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/Gerard LaurenssenTimon Grancagnolo of Germany in action during the Men’s singles race at the FIL Luge World Cup in Sigulda, Latvia, 05 January 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/TOMS KALNINSEnchanted Tools shows off their smart robot during CES Unveiled Las Vegas at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, 05 January 2025. CES, the world’s largest annual consumer technology trade show, is a place where industry manufacturers, advertisers and tech-minded consumers gather to view new innovations coming to the market each year. CES takes place from 07 to 10 January 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/ALLISON DINNERAn elderly woman buys fruit at a market in Hanoi, Vietnam, 06 January 2025. Vietnam’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 7.55 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to the country’s General Statistics Office. Picture: EPA-EFE/LUONG THAI LINHPeople ride a motorcycle amid rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, 05 January 2025. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecasted additional rain, including isolated instances of heavy rainfall, for the area. Picture: EPA-EFE/A. HUSSAINSchoolchildren have free meals at an elementary school in Depok, West Java, Indonesia, 06 January 2025. The Indonesian government has officially started the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) with a total of 190 kitchens across 26 provinces serving the community, aiming to make a major milestone in fulfilling national nutrition needs. Picture: EPA-EFE/MAST IRHAMYouths play cricket at the Maidan, an urban park, amid dense fog on a cold winter morning in Kolkata on January 6, 2025. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP)Cardinal James Michael Harvey opens the Holy Door of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls during a ceremony for the Catholic Jubilee Year in Rome, Italy, 05 January 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/REMO CASILLIA performer, known as the Holly Man, takes part in the Twelfth Night celebrations in London, Britain, 05 January 2025. Twelfth Night is a Christian festival on the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Twelfth Night is an annual collective celebration of the New Year held each year in the Bankside area of London. Picture: EPA-EFE/ANDY RAINUS actress, singer Zendaya arrives for the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 5, 2025. (Photo by Etienne Laurent / AFP)Business people offer prayers for prosperity for their companies and the economy on the first business day of the year at the Kanda Myojin Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, 06 January 2025. Thousands of people visited the shrine on the first business days of the New Year to pray for prosperity in their business endeavors. Picture: EPA-EFE/FRANCK ROBICHONPeople walk their dog along the covered in snow footpath by the Atherfield narrow canal in Marsden, northern England, on January, 5, 2025, as heavy snow across parts of England are set to cause disruption. – An amber weather warning — the second most serious — for snow and freezing rain was in place for much of Wales, central England and parts of northwestern England. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
