A look at the best news photos from around the world.
December 23, 2021
![People walk along La Rambla in downtown Barcelona, Spain. Spain is reporting almost 700 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people over 14 days. The Omicron variant has gone from 5% of new cases in Spain to 47% within one week.](https://gdb.voanews.com/c270fe94-c181-4f13-bf75-0e857bc79dd0_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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People walk along La Rambla in downtown Barcelona, Spain. Spain is reporting almost 700 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people over 14 days. The Omicron variant has gone from 5% of new cases in Spain to 47% within one week.
![Alpine Rescue Team members dressed as Santa Claus drop down the Policlinico Umberto I Hospital to meet with children hospitalized in the pediatric area, in Rome, Italy.](https://gdb.voanews.com/54b2c3b5-f8bf-40b4-9f82-02cba01d0e74_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Alpine Rescue Team members dressed as Santa Claus drop down the Policlinico Umberto I Hospital to meet with children hospitalized in the pediatric area, in Rome, Italy.
![A diver wearing a Santa Claus costume performs at Koral Restaurant aquarium ahead of Christmas celebrations in Badung, Bali, Indonesia.](https://gdb.voanews.com/74b677a5-1965-473f-9dab-3d10aa962704_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A diver wearing a Santa Claus costume performs at Koral Restaurant aquarium ahead of Christmas celebrations in Badung, Bali, Indonesia.
![Catholic locals dressed as Joseph and Virgin Mary gather around a baby, five-moth-old Amarildo Vjerdha, who played the role of Jesus Christ, during a reenactment of the birth of Jesus Christ, in Hajmel, Albania.](https://gdb.voanews.com/477134c1-9914-4cd5-8822-be82913102ff_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Catholic locals dressed as Joseph and Virgin Mary gather around a baby, five-moth-old Amarildo Vjerdha, who played the role of Jesus Christ, during a reenactment of the birth of Jesus Christ, in Hajmel, Albania.