World in focus – best photos for December 22, 2016

Pope Francis is framed between heads of prelates on the occasion of his Christmas greetings to the Roman Curia in the Clementine Hall, at the Vatican. Gregorio Borgia / AP

Indian Policemen detain a supporter of a Kashmiri law maker, Abdul Rashid Sheikh during a protest in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, India. Sheikh and nearly a dozen of his supporters were detained by Indian Police as they protested against issuance of domicile certificates to West Pakistan refugees. Farooq Khan / EPA

Afghan women pass by a wall painted by a group of artists and activists called ArtLords, reading in Dari (I See You), in Kabul, Afghanistan. ArtLords aimed to paint walls of Kabul with slogans aimed at warnings to corrupt officials. EPA/JAWED KARGAR

A diver wearing a Santa Claus costume feeds fish and rays at Sunshine Aquarium during a special seasoning feeding show in Tokyo, Japan. Kimimasa Mayama / EPA

Smoke billows during a fire in Itoigawa, northern Japan. A fire made worse by high winds spread to at least 140 buildings in a small Japanese city on the Japan Sea coast. Kyodo News via AP

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev pays his respects to slain Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, during the funeral ceremony at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow. Ekaterina Shtukina / AFP

The top of a hill rises up out of the mist in the Taunus region near Schmitten, western Germany. Arne Dedert / AFP

A look at the best photos from around the world today.