Photos of the day

Antarctic cave and a red squirrel: photos of the day – Thursday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

London, UK

Keir Starmer speaks to police officers during a visit to the City of London police headquarters

Photograph: Paul Grover/AFP/Getty Images

Strensham, UK

Horses in the mist at Sam Drinkwater’s Granary Stables in Worcestershire

Photograph: David Davies/PA

Manila, Philippines

Filipino Catholic devotees jostle one another to touch the Black Nazarene during its annual procession. The Feast of the Black Nazarene is attended by millions of barefoot devotees and happens every year on 9 January. The Black Nazarene is a dark wood sculpture of Jesus brought to the Philippines in 1606 from Spain and considered miraculous by devotees

Photograph: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

Rasht, Iran

Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops board a plane during a drill at an airport on their way to Kermanshah

Photograph: Hossein Zohrevand/AP

London. UK

Roue Cyr performers ride the mono wheel during the dress rehearsal for Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo at the Royal Albert Hall

Photograph: Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images

Kingussie, Scotland

A red squirrel peeps out from behind a snow bank in Inverness-shire

Photograph: Jane Hobson/Rex/Shutterstock

Maputo, Mozambique

Supporters of Mozambique’s main opposition leader, Venâncio Mondlane, celebrate after his return to the country. Mondlane returned from more than two months in exile on 9 January, saying he was ready to take part in talks over disputed election results that have led to weeks of deadly protests

Photograph: Alfredo Zuniga/AFP/Getty Images

Washington DC, US

Donald Trump is flanked by the senators John Barrasso and Shelley Moore Capito during a press conference after a meeting with the Republican leadership at the Capitol

Photograph: José Luis Magaña/AP

Caracas, Venezuela

Members of the Bolivarian militias participate in a swearing-in ceremony after the president, Nicolás Maduro, activated the ‘integral management bodies’

Photograph: Miguel Gutiérrez/EPA

Antarctica

Workers carry boxes into an ice core storage cave at Little Dome C field base

Photograph: AP

Nuseirat, Gaza Strip

Palestinians inspect the damage caused by Israeli attacks in Gaza City

Photograph: APAImages/Rex/Shutterstock

Luxor, Egypt

Tourists are helped into the basket of a hot air balloon before flying above the west bank of the Nile river in Egypt’s southern city

Photograph: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

Harbin, China

An artist works on a snow sculpture during the Harbin international snow sculpture contest in Heilongjiang province

Photograph: Andy Wong/AP

Altadena, US

Firefighters battle the Eaton fire in California. Powerful Santa Ana winds pushed the fire across more than 4,000 hectares in less than 24 hours, destroying hundreds of homes and killing at least five people. At least 1,000 structures have burned and 70,000 people have been forced from their homes in the Los Angeles area as dangerous wildfires continue to erupt

Photograph: David McNew/Getty Images

Al Henakiyak, Saudi Arabia

Drivers compete during stage 4 of the Dakar Rally 2025 between Al Henakiyah and Alula

Photograph: Valéry Hache/AFP/Getty Images

Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

Firefighters extinguish a blaze caused by an air strike by Russian troops on the industrial infrastructure in south-east Ukraine

Photograph: Ukrinform/Rex/Shutterstock