The week’s best photos – Velvet classic

A farmer

A Kashmiri farmer harvests lotus stems from the freezing water of Anchar Lake in Srinagar, India (Image credit: Tauseef Mustafa / AFP via Getty Images)

Aftermath of a fire at the Tishreen Palace in Damascus, Syria (Image credit: Omar Haj Kadour / Getty Images)

People dressed as Santa Claus take part in the Michendorfer Nikolauslauf run in Germany (Image credit: Ralf Hirschberger / Getty Images)

A woman walks past a tomato stall in Accra, Ghana (Image credit: Olympia De Maismont / Getty Images)

A steelworker holds torches during a protest against the planned closure of the Thyssenkrupp plant in Eichen, Germany (Image credit: Jana Rodenbusch / Reuters)

A red squirrel stuck in a tree in Italy, winner of this year’s Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards (Image credit: © Milko Marchetti / Nikon Comedy Wildlife )

Indigenous Nagas perform a dance at the Hornbill Festival in Kohima, India (Image credit: Anupam Nath / AP)

Australia’s Louis Muhlen-Schulte competes in the World Cup ski race in Beaver Creek, Colorado (Image credit: John Locher / AP)

A diver dressed as Santa Claus waves to visitors at the Sunshine Aquarium in Tokyo, Japan (Image credit: Richard A. Brooks / Getty Images)

People wearing Krampus costumes attend a parade in Munich, Germany (Image credit: Angelika Warmuth / Reuters)

Protestors are seen during a rally for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol in South Korea (Image credit: Kim Hong-ji / Reuters)

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton practices before the start of the Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi (Image credit: Giuseppe Cacace / Getty Images)