This Friday presented a world of contrasts, captured through the lenses of photojournalists across the globe. From new measures at a Roman landmark to extreme weather and conflict, the day's events unfolded from Europe to Australia.
Europe's Changing Landscape
In Rome, Italy, workers were pictured cleaning the iconic Trevi Fountain and collecting coins tossed by visitors. This routine scene comes with a significant update: from 1 February 2026, tourists will need to pay a €2 entrance fee to access the fountain's immediate vicinity. This move is a direct effort by authorities to manage the pressures of over-tourism at the historic site.
Northern Europe grappled with severe winter weather. In Hamburg, Germany, a solitary figure navigated a road blanketed by heavy snowfall brought by Storm Elli. Meanwhile, in St Stephen, UK, crews worked to clear a fallen tree from a road in Cornwall following damaging high winds from Storm Goretti. In a lighter moment from British shores, an RNLI lifeboat crew successfully rescued Karoo, a stranded border collie, from under a pier on the Isle of Wight.
Global Events and Extreme Conditions
On the other side of the world, Melbourne, Australia, endured a scorching heatwave. A young girl was photographed cooling off in front of mist fans as temperatures in the city soared to a blistering 43C. In Patagonia, Argentina, wildfires raged, with images showing people on a road as flames consumed the landscape near El Hoyo.
Political and cultural moments were also documented. In Hanoi, Vietnam, a worker installed a billboard advertising the 14th Congress of the Vietnamese Communist party. In Manila, Philippines, devout Filipino Catholics participated in a procession, clinging to the cross of the Black Nazarene.
Conflict, Sport, and Commemoration
The human cost of conflict was starkly visible in Gaza. One photo from the Bureij camp showed a girl placing her salvaged belongings into a pink backpack in the aftermath of Israeli attacks. Another, from Khan Younis, captured people mourning after four Palestinians, including two children, were killed in an Israeli strike in the Mawasi area.
In Kyiv, Ukraine, the aftermath of Russian attacks was felt. One photograph showed the body of a paramedic lying on the ground in front of a residential building after a double strike, while another depicted people seeking shelter in a metro station during drone and missile attacks.
Elsewhere, Britain’s Matt Weston competed in the heats of the men’s skeleton at the IBSF World Championships in St Moritz, Switzerland. In a display of modern tradition, longhorn steer were herded through downtown Denver, Colorado, in a parade marking the opening of the National Western Stock Show.
Further incidents included a fire at market storage facilities in Tirana, Albania, where drone footage captured the scale of the firefighters' response, rounding off a day of powerful global imagery.
