24 hours in pictures, 21 October 2025

Sthembiso Mdlalose Returns To Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court For Usindiso Building Fire

Sthembiso Mdlalose returns to Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on October 21, 2025 in Palm Ridge, South Africa. Mdlalose is currently on trial for allegedly starting the deadly Usindiso Building fire that claimed 76 lives two years ago. (Photo by Gallo Images/OJ Koloti)

Revellers light firecrackers during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in central Durban, 20 October 2025. The Gujarati Hindu community is celebrating this special day around the world. Picture: Rajesh Jantilal

People walk in Victory Park during a sunny autumn day in St. Petersburg, Russia, 20 October 2025. The temperatures have reached eight degrees Celsius in the second-largest city of Russia. Picture: EPA/ANATOLY MALTSEV

Protesters pull a cart with an effigy of Philipines’ President Ferdinand Marcos during a farmer-led anti-corruption demonstration near Malacanang Palace in Manila on October 21, 2025. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

Bafana Mahungela returns to Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on October 21, 2025 in Palm Ridge, South Africa. Bafana Mahungela is accused of the brutal murder of Sandton teacher Kirsten Kluyts. He faces multiple charges, including kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, murder and attempted rape. (Photo by Gallo Images/OJ Koloti)

A commuter with his face covered in cloth rides along a bridge across river Yamuna in New Delhi on October 21, 2025, as smog engulfed the city skyline a day after Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Toxic air in India’s capital spiralled to more than 23 times UN daily health limits on October 21, as the annual winter pollution blanketed the sprawling urban area of 30 million people. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

Athletes parade at the Central American Games opening in Guatemala

A person cheers during the opening ceremony of the games in Guatemala City, Guatemala, 20 October 2025. The 12th edition of the Central American Games, taking place from 18 to 30 October 2025, was inaugurated in Guatemala with the participation of hundreds of athletes from the seven countries of the isthmus, who will compete in 41 sports. Picture: EPA/ALEX CRUZ

Police personnel pay tribute to slain police officers during an event held to mark ‘Police Commemoration Day’ in Hyderabad on October 21, 2025. (Photo by Noah SEELAM / AFP)

Students of the University of St Andrews, kiss as they take part in the annual “Raisin Monday Foam Fight” at the Lower College Lawn, in St Andrews, eastern Scotland, on October 20, 2025. At the annual event held at the university, first-year students, known as “academic children,” have a foam fight with their older student mentors referred to as “parents”. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP)

People attend a prayer service during Diwali celebrations at Neasden Temple in London, Britain, 20 October 2025. Hindus worldwide celebrate Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, which symbolizes the victory of good over evil. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, commonly known as Neasden Temple, hosts the largest Diwali festival activity in the UK to celebrate traditions and culture of the Hindu faith. Picture: EPA/TOLGA AKMEN

Women pose for a photo beside jacaranda trees in bloom at See Park in the main town on October 21, 2025 in Grafton, Australia. Each spring, the riverside town of Grafton in northern New South Wales transforms into a canopy of purple bloom as thousands of jacaranda trees line its streets. The Grafton Jacaranda Festival, first celebrated in 1935, honours this annual spectacle by blending nostalgic community traditions with a contemporary sense of inclusion and artistry. For several weeks from late October through November, the festival draws locals and visitors alike for street parades, open-air performances, drag queen bingo, and the much-loved Jacaranda Thursday, when shopfronts and locals alike embrace all things purple. (Photo by James D. Morgan/Getty Images)

Breanna Scott of Australia performs in the Women’s Floor Exercise at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia, 21 October 2025. Picture: EPA/MAST IRHAM

Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) unblocks drains at Alexandra in Johannesburg, 21 October 2025. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/ The Citizen

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