11-17 January 2025: Photos of the week

Animal rights campaigners in France celebrated after a tamed wild boar facing the threat of death was allowed to stay with its owner. The boar, named Rillette, was found in 2023 as a piglet by Elodie Cappé on her horse-breeding farm in Chaource, central France. Local authorities had refused Ms Cappé the permission required to keep a wild animal. A French court has now ruled the decision must be re-examined.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to put Ukraine in the “strongest possible position” while on a trip to Kyiv where he signed a “landmark” 100-year pact with the war-stricken country. He also visited a Kyiv school taking part in the UK-Ukraine school partnerships programme as the pupils took part in a video-link with All Saints School in Anfield, Liverpool.

Outgoing US President Joe Biden warned of the dangers of an oligarchy gaining power as he delivered his farewell address and brought a decades-long career in politics to an end. He also used his final televised speech from the White House to issue warnings about climate change and social media disinformation.

Devout Hindus take a holy bath during the religious festival of Kumbh Mela, also known as Mahakumbh. Millions of people join the event – described as humanity’s biggest gathering – over six weeks in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj.

Staff member Jennifer Allinson cleans one of the chandeliers in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. Every January, the Edwardian chandeliers are carefully lowered and cleaned.

People enjoy the snowy weather in the village of Prokhladnoye, Kyrgyzstan.

American Danielle Collins thanked fans who heckled her during her second-round victory over Destanee Aiava at the Australian Open. “My professional career is not going to last forever so I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff [negative crowd reactions] they’re paying my bills,” said 10th seed Collins.

Firefighters work to put out remaining embers and hotspots following the Palisades fire in Los Angeles. Thousands of homes have been destroyed during the LA fires, one of the costliest natural disasters in US history.

Traders pause outside a house on stilts in Ganvié, the largest lakeside village in Africa, on the outskirts of the Benin port city of Cotonou.

Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz speed past sand dunes during the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.