Fortnight in pictures: (December 1 – December22)

Published: Dec 28, 2015

Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutiérrez (L) stands by as Miss Universe 2014 Paulina Vegas transfers t

Image by : Steve Marcus / Reuters

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Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutiérrez (L) stands by as Miss Universe 2014 Paulina Vegas transfers the crown to winner Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (R) during the 2015 Miss Universe Pageant in Las Vegas on December 20. Miss Colombia was initially announced as the winner but the host Steve Harvey said he made a mistake when reading the card

People take part in an anti-Donald Trump, pro-immigration protest outside the Plaza Hotel, where US

Image by : Brendan McDermid/ Reuters

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People take part in an anti-Donald Trump, pro-immigration protest outside the Plaza Hotel, where US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke, in the Manhattan borough of New York on December 11

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wipes his eyes after speaking during the release of the

Image by : Chris Wattie / Reuters

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Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wipes his eyes after speaking during the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report in Ottawa on December 15. Trudeau pledged to work towards full reconciliation with Canadian aboriginals as he accepted a final report on the abuses of the government’s now-defunct system of residential schools for indigenous children

Cuban security personnel detain a member of the Ladies in White dissident group during a protest on

Image by : Alexandre Meneghini / Reuters

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Cuban security personnel detain a member of the Ladies in White dissident group during a protest on International Human Rights Day in Havana on December 10. Cuban police detained at least six protesters shouting ‘Freedom’ and ‘Long live human rights’ and dissidents reported 100 arrests nationwide on UN Human Rights Day, when some Cubans seek to hold unauthorised demonstrations

German air force Tornado jets and a cargo aircraft prepare for landing at an airbase in Incirlik, Tu

Image by : Umit Bektas / Reuters

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German air force Tornado jets and a cargo aircraft prepare for landing at an airbase in Incirlik, Turkey on December 10. The German air force Tornado reconnaissance jets will support the military campaign against the Islamic State

Bolivian student Esteban Quispe, 17, walks on a rubbish dump as a replica of his Wall-E robot is see

Image by : David Mercado / Reuters

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Bolivian student Esteban Quispe, 17, walks on a rubbish dump as a replica of his Wall-E robot is seen in Patacamaya, south of La Paz on December 10. Quispe built the Wall-E robot using materials he obtained from a rubbish dump in the town located in the highland Andean region. He hopes to mechanise agriculture in Patacamaya by making use of robots that operate on solar energy

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) shortly after the announcement that

Image by : Lucas Jackson / Reuters

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Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) shortly after the announcement that the US Federal Reserve hiked interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade on December 16. The US central bank's policy-setting committee raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to between 0.25 percent and 0.50 percent, ending a lengthy debate about whether the economy was strong enough to withstand higher borrowing costs

Labourers unload sacks of rice from a handcart at a wholesale market in Kolkata on December 14. Indi

Image by : Rupak De Chowdhuri / Reuters

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Labourers unload sacks of rice from a handcart at a wholesale market in Kolkata on December 14. India’s wholesale prices fell for a 13th straight month in November, but a sharp pickup in food prices and a pending wage hike for millions of government employees are likely to keep policymakers worried about potential inflationary risks

Vehicles are seen in the port of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on December 1. Brazil’s economy shrank

Image by : Ricardo Moraes / Reuters

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Vehicles are seen in the port of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on December 1. Brazil’s economy shrank 1.7 percent in the third quarter, deepening its worst recession in 25 years and starving President Dilma Rousseff's government of taxes as she struggles with a growing fiscal deficit and a corruption scandal

A city worker walks through the City of London with St Andrew Undershaft church surrounded by busine

Image by : Toby Melville / Reuters

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A city worker walks through the City of London with St Andrew Undershaft church surrounded by business skyscrapers on December 16. The architectural landscape of London never stands still. Silhouettes of cranes pepper the horizon and buildings shoot skywards. Amid all this change, there appears to be one constant: Over 50 churches and other places of worship remain in the Square Mile

Demonstrators attend a protest calling for the impeachment of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff

Image by : Paulo Whitaker / Reuters

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Demonstrators attend a protest calling for the impeachment of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff at Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo on December 13. Brazil’s opposition alleges that Rousseff violated budget laws to increase spending during her 2014 re-election campaign. Many Brazilians are also upset about the country’s economic recession and a corruption scandal at state-run oil firm Petrobras

A couple sits along a flooded roadside under a picture of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in

Image by : Anindito Mukherjee / Reuters

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A couple sits along a flooded roadside under a picture of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in Chennai on December 6. The heaviest rainfall in over a century caused massive flooding in the city and neighbouring districts, driving thousands from their homes and shutting auto factories and IT companies

A member of the Spanish Armed Forces gets his face covered by a giant Spanish flag as he helps raise

Image by : Susana Vera/ Reuters

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A member of the Spanish Armed Forces gets his face covered by a giant Spanish flag as he helps raise it during a ceremony to mark the 37th anniversary of the 1978 Spanish constitution in Madrid on December 6

A TV technician talks with his newsroom about the signal strength a device is transmitting from the

Image by : Thomas Peter/ Reuters

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A TV technician talks with his newsroom about the signal strength a device is transmitting from the news conference room on the 39th floor of the Toshiba head office in Tokyo, Japan on December 21. Japan’s Toshiba Corporation said it will cut nearly 7,000 consumer electronics jobs after a $1.3-billion accounting scandal, in an overhaul that will streamline the sprawling conglomerate into a company focussed on chips and nuclear energy