Today's best photos: from a swimming Santa in South Korea to snow-covered trees in Germany

'The National’ selects the most striking pictures from around the world

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Tis' the season

A girl is entertained by a diver dressed as Santa Claus, performing during a promotional event for Christmas in Seoul, South Korea.

Snow patrol

In this photo taken from a drone, a road stretches through the snow-covered Thuringian Forest in Ilmenau, Germany.

We have lift-off

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the 32nd batch of Starlink internet satellites, arches over the skyline of Cocoa Beach, Florida, after blasting off from Cape Canaveral.

Stuck in the mud

Cement trucks belonging to miners sit buried by volcanic ash after heavy rains shifted ash from the slopes of Indonesia's most active volcano, Merapi, in Magelang. AFP

Enjoying the weather

People enjoy sunset during a windy day in Istanbul, Turkey, with waves crashing over on to the promenade.

Perfect smile

Halima Aden speaks at the BoF VOICES 2021 event at Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire, England. Getty Images

Social swim

A man swims over a Snapchat logo during the Snapchat x Great Barrier Reef Foundation announcement at Bondi Icebergs in Sydney, Australia.

Here comes the sun

People watch the sunrise behind The Shard, as seen from Primrose Hill in London.

Updated: December 03, 2021, 11:37 AM