The week in photos: November 29 to December 5, 2025

MANILA, Philippines – Thousands of protesters, mostly belonging to progressive groups, trouped to Luneta on November 30 to call for the resignation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, and the formation of a transition council.

On the same day, several groups marched from the EDSA Shrine to the People Power Monument to reiterate their appeal to hold accountable government officials involved in anomalous flood control projects and further demanded to end political dynasties.

In Hong Kong, more than a thousand people turned out on November 30 to pay tribute to the victims of the city’s deadliest fire in more than 75 years. Mourners waited in a queue stretching for more than a kilometer along the banks of a canal near the burnt-out Wang Fuk Court housing complex to lay white flowers for those who died. Some attached sticky notes addressed to the victims.

Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV bade farewell to Lebanon on December 2 with a fervent appeal to leaders across the Middle East to listen to their people’s cries for peace and to change course away from the “horror of war.” Addressing 150,000 people at a Mass on Beirut’s historic waterfront, the Catholic leader pleaded for Lebanon to address years of conflict, political crises, and economic misery.

Catch more stories in these photos from the week that was:

Officials attend a ceremony at the Central Government Offices of Hong Kong to mourn victims killed in the deadly fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Tai Po, in Hong Kong, on November 29, 2025. PHOTO BY MAXIM SHEMETOV/REUTERS

History enthusiasts, dressed as soldiers, fight during the reenactment of Napoleon’s famous battle of Austerlitz, marking its 220th anniversary, near the southern Moravian town of Slavkov u Brna, Czech Republic, on November 29, 2025. PHOTO BY DAVID W CERNY/REUTERS

People dressed as Santa Claus and Christmas Angel sing during the annual meeting of the rent-a-Santa Claus service in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, on November 30, 2025. PHOTO BY NADIA WOHLLEBEN/REUTERS

A group of protesters march along Roxas Boulevard in Manila for the ‘Baha sa Luneta 2.0’ anti-corruption rally on November 30, 2025. PHOTO BY ANGIE DE SILVA/RAPPLER

Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David prepares for the celebration of a Holy Mass to start the Trillion Peso March protest against corruption at the People Power Monument in Quezon City on November 30, 2025. PHOTO BY JIRE CARREON/RAPPLER

Religious devotees, students, workers, and human rights advocates march in Cebu City, calling for genuine accountability and reforms to address corruption and injustice in the country, on November 30, 2025. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE HERNANDEZ/RAPPLER

A man walks past members of Extinction Rebellion during a wreath-laying ceremony marking Remembrance Day for Lost Species, an annual global initiative that commemorates extinct species and ecosystems, reflects on the stories behind these losses, and promotes action to prevent future extinctions, on the False Bay coastline, in Cape Town, South Africa, on November 30, 2025. PHOTO BY ESA ALEXANDER/REUTERS

A demonstrator wearing a mask depicting Israeli President Isaac Herzog pretends to feed a banana to another demonstrator wearing a mask depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a protest outside a courthouse in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 1, 2025. PHOTO BY AMIR COHEN/REUTERS

A protester wearing a CGT labour union vest with an image of revolutionary hero Che Guevara walks with CGT dockworkers of the Golfe de Fos during a demonstration against austerity measures and for wages, as part of a nationwide strike and protest calling on lawmakers to reject the government’s proposals for France’s 2026 budget, in Marseille, France, on December 2, 2025. PHOTO BY MANON CRUZ/REUTERS

A young boy sleeps on a makeshift bed inside the restaurant owned by his family, who say that they are looking to protect themselves from potentially being profiled by federal agents while traveling between home and work, amid reports that the US Department of Homeland Security is planning to deploy federal border agents to Louisiana in the coming days, in New Orleans, Louisiana, on December 2, 2025. PHOTO BY SETH HERALD/REUTERS

A child dressed as the Pope and others as Swiss Guards gather on the day Pope Leo XIV visits De La Croix Psychiatric Hospital during his first apostolic journey, in Jal el-Dib, Lebanon, on December 2, 2025. PHOTO BY YARA NARDI/REUTERS

The Jonas Brothers, Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas, react after placing their handprints in cement during a ceremony in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on December 3, 2025. PHOTO BY MARIA ANZUONI/REUTERS

A muddy doll lies on the ground in an area hit by deadly landslides following heavy rains in Malalak, Agam regency, West Sumatra province, Indonesia, December 3, 2025. PHOTO BY WILLY KURNIAWAN/REUTERS

A council worker mops the floor inside a kaleidoscope tunnel at a winter lights Christmas installation, in Dublin, Ireland, on December 3, 2025. PHOTO BY CLODAGH KILCOYNE/REUTERS

The Cold Moon, the last supermoon of the year, illuminates the sky as a ship passes by, in the Strait of Magellan in Punta Arenas, Chile, on December 4, 2025. PHOTO BY PABLO SANHUEZA/REUTERS

Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov is seen in action against Hans Niemann of the US during the Grand Masters Diving Chess Competition in Silo Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa on December 4, 2025. PHOTO BY ESA ALEXANDER/REUTERS

Organizing Committee president Giovanni Malago and president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Isidoros Kouvelos hold the Olympic flame during the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics handover ceremony in Panathenaic Stadium on Athens, Greece, on December 4, 2025. PHOTO BY LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/REUTERS

French President Emmanuel Macron runs following a visit to Sichuan University in Chengdu, Sichuan province, during a three-day visit to China, on December 5, 2025. PHOTO BY SARAH MEYSSONNIER/POOL VIA REUTERS

Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and their children Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte attend the ‘Together At Christmas’ carol service at Westminster Abbey, in London, Britain, on December 5, 2025. PHOTO BY AARON CHOWN/POOL VIA REUTERS

– with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com