Lava Flow and Holiday Cheer: Captivating Images from Around the Globe

This week’s photographic highlights showcase a volcanic eruption in Iceland, a surprise piano performance in London, and significant protests in New Zealand, among other striking scenes.

Lava flows across one of the roads near Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland. The Icelandic Meteorological Office reported a new fissure eruption on 21 November, sending plumes of hot lava into the air.

In a delightful surprise, actor Jeff Goldblum entertained commuters with a piano performance at St Pancras International in London, celebrating his role in the upcoming film Wicked, where he plays the Wizard, by performing festive songs.

In Ecuador, firefighters battled a fierce wildfire near El Cajas National Park, while in India, a farmer harvested water chestnuts from a pond on the outskirts of Jabalpur, showcasing the industrious spirit of local agriculture.

At the Official Barcelona Test for the 2025 MotoGP season, French rider Fabio Quartararo was captured in action, gearing up for the upcoming racing challenges.

Elsewhere in Scotland, the man-made fish-shaped Muckle Troot Loch near Inverurie was surrounded by a stunning blanket of snow and ice as parts of the UK braved sub-zero temperatures.

In New Zealand, over 40,000 demonstrators gathered outside parliament to protest a controversial bill aimed at redefining the country's founding relationship between British colonisers and Māori people. This event followed a nine-day hīkoi, or peaceful protest, traversing the nation.

The situation in Spain was grim as flood-damaged homes lined the river in Chiva, after a devastating storm led to a month’s worth of rain falling within just eight hours, resulting in over 200 fatalities and many missing.

Finally, festive spirit was alive as men donned Santa costumes for the Ministry of Fun's annual Santa School training at London's Postal Museum, famous for its vast collection of letters to Santa that date back to 1963.