Day in Photos: First Wheelchair User in Space, Mercosur Heads of State Summit, and Christmas Swimming Race

Day in Photos: First Wheelchair User in Space, Mercosur Heads of State Summit, and Christmas Swimming Race
In this image provided by Blue Origin, paraplegic engineer Michaela Benthaus poses after Blue Origin's capsule landed in West Texas on Dec. 20, 2025. She became the first wheelchair user to blast into space. Blue Origin via AP
In this image provided by Blue Origin, paraplegic engineer Michaela Benthaus poses after Blue Origin's capsule landed in West Texas on Dec. 20, 2025. She became the first wheelchair user to blast into space. Blue Origin via AP
A glimpse into the world through the lens of photography.
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A cyclist moves along a road amid dense smog during a winter morning in New Delhi, India, on Dec. 20, 2025. Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images
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Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi welcomes Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the leaders-level “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue (CA+JAD) Summit in Tokyo, on Dec. 20, 2025. David Mareuil/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
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France's Julia Simon fires her rifle as she trains during the women's 10km pursuit event of the IBU Biathlon World Cup, in Le Grand Bornand, near Annecy, France, on Dec. 20, 2025. Olivier Chassignole/AFP via Getty Images
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Mourners attend the funeral of the slain youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Dec. 20, 2025. Hadi, 32, a key figure in the student-led uprising that toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year, was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka on Dec. 12. Abdul Goni/AFP via Getty Images
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An attendant keeps watch as patrons ride a virtual roller coaster in a simulation booth at an arcade shop in Bangkok, Thailand, on Dec. 20, 2025. Candida Ng/AFP via Getty Images
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French soldiers from the 5th Tank Regiment take part in a training exercise at a military field in Zayed Military City, near Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 20, 2025. Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
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(L–R) Argentina's President Javier Milei, Paraguay's President Santiago Peña, Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Uruguay's President Yamandú Orsi pose for a family photo during the Mercosur Heads of State Summit at the Iguazu Falls in Foz do Iguacu, Paraná State, Brazil, on Dec. 20, 2025. Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images
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An exhibitor arranges items in a box during the 24th edition of the International Gold and Jewellery Exhibition at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Kuwait City, on Dec. 20, 2025. Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images
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A woman cries as she and other families of victims of South Korea's deadliest plane crash on home soil gather for a rally in Seoul, on Dec. 20, 2025, ahead of the first anniversary of the Dec. 29, 2024, Air Jeju plane crash, when a Boeing 737-800 was flying from Thailand to South Korea's southwest but ended up belly-landing at Muan airport and exploding in a fireball after slamming into a concrete structure, killing 179 people. Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images
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A snowboarder sits in a chair lift above a snowless landscape in La Clusaz resort near Annecy, France, on Dec. 20, 2025. Olivier Chassignole/AFP via Getty Images
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Participants hold up signs with the names of the six victims that were killed in a deadly SUV rampage that also wounded more than 300 at the Christmas market at the Old Market Square one year prior, at St John's Church (Johanniskirche) in Magdeburg, Germany, on Dec. 20, 2025. Ronny Hartmann/AFP via Getty Images
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Hundreds of surf rescuers participate in a Shoulder2Shoulder memorial event for victims of the Dec. 14 terrorist attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 20, 2025. George Chan/Getty Images
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An Iranian woman wearing traditional dress celebrates with Yalda decoration in northern Tehran, on Dec. 20, 2025, in preparation for the annual festival of Yalda, an ancient Zoroastrian rite held on the longest night of the year or the beginning of winter. AFP via Getty Images
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Members of the Royal Malaysia Police display seized illegal drugs and drug-making equipment during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 20, 2025. AFP via Getty Images
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Third-placed Italy's Florian Schiederfirst (R) and first-placed Switzerland's Franjo Von Allmen spray sparkling wine as they celebrate near the podium after competing in the men's downhill race part of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2025-2026, in Val Gardena, Italy, on Dec. 20, 2025. Stefano Rellandini/AFP via Getty Images
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A stray dog stands on the deck of a fishing boat as it returns from a squid fishing voyage at Muara Angke fishing port in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Dec. 20, 2025. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomes and shakes hands with Portugal's Prime Minister Luís Montenegro upon his arrival in Kyiv on Dec. 20, 2025. Tetiana Dzhafarova/AFP via Getty Images
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Residents sit near posters of candidates from the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) for the legislative elections in the Abobo municipality in the Abobo commune legislative race, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Dec. 20, 2025. The legislative elections are scheduled for Dec. 27, 2025. Sia Kambou/AFP via Getty Images
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An Air Force pilot from 104 French Air Base prepares the French Rafale fighter jet to take off for a training exercise at the air base of Al Dhafra, near Abu Dhabi, on Dec. 20, 2025. Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
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JC Richie of South Africa plays his tee shot on the fifth hole on day three of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open 2026 at Heritage La Reserve Golf Club in Bel Ombre, Mauritius, on Dec. 20, 2025. Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
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Disguised swimmers dive into Lake Geneva during the 87th “Coupe de Noel” (Christmas Cup) swimming race in Geneva, Switzerland, on Dec. 20, 2025. More than 4,200 participants took part in the traditional two-day event, a 120m-long swim off Geneva's banks into the 8.9 degrees Celsius water. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images