The Associated Press has unveiled its most striking photographs from November 14-20, 2025, showcasing powerful moments from around the world captured by the news agency's photojournalists. Curated by photo editor Anita Baca and photo assistant MaKayla Hart, this week's collection presents a diverse array of human stories, political developments, and cultural moments that defined the global news landscape.
Political tensions dominated several frames, with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia attending a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on November 18. The same day, President Donald Trump was photographed meeting with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office, highlighting ongoing diplomatic relations between the two nations.
Conflict and humanitarian crises featured prominently in the week's most impactful images. In Ukraine, rescue workers were captured clearing rubble from a residential building heavily damaged by a Russian strike in Ternopil on November 19. The ongoing war's human cost was further illustrated through photographs of DTEK energy workers Roman Gerasymchuk, Andriy Korniychuk, and Igor Kryvenko sharing a moment of levity as they prepared for their journey back to base following repair work on an energy substation in the Kyiv region.
The Middle East conflict generated several powerful photographs, including Palestinians desperately grabbing sacks of flour from a moving World Food Programme aid truck in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on November 15. Educational resilience was captured in images of Palestinian students receiving instruction at a makeshift school composed of tents along a beach shore in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on November 12. The week also documented an Israeli soldier aiming his weapon to disperse protesters calling for displaced Palestinians' return to their homes in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem, West Bank, on November 18.
Tragedy struck Nigeria when photographers documented Amina Hassan, wife of the vice principal of the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, standing in the room where her husband was killed during a gunmen attack on the school dormitory in Kebbi on November 18. The attack also resulted in the abduction of schoolgirls, highlighting ongoing security challenges in the region.
Cultural and religious observances provided moments of beauty and devotion throughout the week. In India, devotees were photographed praying during the Rakher Upobash ritual, a religious festival honoring Hindu saint Loknath Brahmachari, at a temple in Chakla on November 15. Meanwhile, in New York's Queens borough, rabbis were captured embracing at the resting place of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, during the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries on November 14.
Sports moments ranged from triumph to heartbreak. Hungarian footballer Dominik Szoboszlai was photographed being consoled by fans after Hungary's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, losing 2-3 to Ireland in Budapest on November 16. Conversely, celebrations erupted in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on November 18, as fans celebrated their nation's victory over Nicaragua to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In mixed martial arts, Bo Nickal was captured celebrating his third-round knockout victory over Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 322 in New York on November 15.
Personal stories of struggle and resilience emerged through intimate portraits. Sechita McNair was photographed taking a break from repairing the family van in the driveway of her rental home in Jonesboro, Georgia, on June 6. In San Carlos, California, Christy Morrill, who lost decades of memories to autoimmune encephalitis, was captured holding up a viewfinder with a slide film of himself as a college student while looking through old photographs at his home on August 20.
Environmental activism found artistic expression through Brazilian artist MUNDANO, who was photographed inside his installation using ashes collected from wildfires to raise awareness against forest destruction at the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit in Belem, Brazil, on November 18. This powerful visual statement underscored the urgent environmental challenges facing the Amazon region.
Cultural celebrations and everyday life moments rounded out the collection. A woman donned a Chappell Roan-inspired hat during the Corona Capital music festival in Mexico City on November 15, while George Clooney and his wife Amal were photographed attending the Social Good Summit in Pasay City, Philippines, on November 16. Educational preservation was highlighted in Alaska, where students were reflected in a mirror during a Yupik language immersion class at College Gate Elementary in Anchorage on October 30.
The week's photographs also captured moments of protest and detention, including a Palestine Action demonstrator raising his fist as he was placed in a police van outside the Ministry of Justice in London on November 20, and an asylum seeker from Ecuador hugging her father as he was detained by federal agents in New York on July 31.
From the pastoral scenes of cattle handlers Juan Manuel de Arrascada and his brother Nestor stopping for lunch in Villa Del Mar, Argentina, to the industrial showcase of Russian KA-52 attack helicopters at the Dubai Air Show, this week's collection demonstrates the breadth and depth of global photojournalism. These images serve as windows into the complex tapestry of human experience, documenting everything from geopolitical tensions and humanitarian crises to moments of joy, tradition, and everyday resilience that define our interconnected world.
