AP mobile scroll: a selection of standout vertical images published by The Associated Press in 2025.
Photo editing by Courtney Dittmar and Anne-Marie Belgrave.
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Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men of the Kiryat Sanz Hassidic participate in a Tashlich ceremony in Netanya, Israel, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)
An injured Sudanese woman who fled el-Fasher city, after Sudan's paramilitary forces killed hundreds of people in the western Darfur region, sits in a tent at a camp in Tawila, Sudan, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammed Bakry, File)
Relatives mourn near the body of Amarjeet Singh, 51, killed in Pakistani artillery shelling in Poonch along the Line of Control, Indian-controlled Kashmir, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)
The Canadian Snowbirds fly over the Golden Gate Bridge during the Fleet Week Air Show in San Francisco, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
An aerial view of students marching through the fields in northern Serbia, as they go to Novi Sad for a huge rally on Nov. 1 marking the first anniversary of a train station disaster that killed 16 people, in Indjija, Serbia, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut, File)
Pope Leo XIV blesses a child at the end of a Mass for the Jubilee of Migrants and Missionaries in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino,File)
Voters stand in line at a polling station during general elections in Jesus de Machaca, Bolivia, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)
Ayami Sato pitches during the second day of tryouts for the Women's Professional Baseball League, Aug 23, 2025, at the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
Investigators look at the damage of an apartment building where the downed Ukrainian drone fell in Sapronovo village outside Moscow, Russia, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo)
Serena Williams dances on stage during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV,File)
A worker's gloves and tool are lined up along the track ahead of a three-day skeleton and bobsled World Cup stage and Olympic test event in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)
A worker walks through a building under construction in Georgetown, Guyana, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)
Leandro Bojko and Micaela Garcia compete in the stage category finals of the World Tango Championship, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)
Women sing and gesture as they mark Prophet Muhammad's birthday, known as Mawlid, in Dakar, Senegal, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu, File)
A woman covers herself as revelers throw tomatoes at each other during the annual "Tomatina" tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol near Valencia, Spain, Aug. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz, File)
A Hindu woman performs evening rituals to the Sun god during the Hartalika Teej festival at the Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Aug. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)
A model wears a creation from the Stephane Rolland Haute Couture Spring Summer 2025 collection, presented in Paris, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
Constitution Aspening gets bathed at Pimlico Race Course ahead of the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes, May 16, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
First lady Melania Trump holds an American flag while visiting Children's National Hospital, July 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
Just-married couple Eyad Othman and Aliza Ammash walk through Jerusalem's Old City, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
MUNDANO, a Brazilian artist, uses ashes collected from wildfires as he participates in a demonstration to raise awareness against forest destruction at the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Nov. 18, 2025, in Belem, Brazil. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)
Shiite Muslim women perform their prayer at the shrine of Saint Abdulazim in Shahr-e-Ray, south of Tehran, Iran, Aug. 14, 2025, during a ceremony to observe the Arbaeen. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Allegheny County Airport, May 30, 2025, in West Mifflin, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
Eugene Graham watches as protesters stand off against police and federal officers at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File )
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men of the Kiryat Sanz Hassidic participate in a Tashlich ceremony in Netanya, Israel, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)
An injured Sudanese woman who fled el-Fasher city, after Sudan's paramilitary forces killed hundreds of people in the western Darfur region, sits in a tent at a camp in Tawila, Sudan, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammed Bakry, File)
Relatives mourn near the body of Amarjeet Singh, 51, killed in Pakistani artillery shelling in Poonch along the Line of Control, Indian-controlled Kashmir, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)
The Canadian Snowbirds fly over the Golden Gate Bridge during the Fleet Week Air Show in San Francisco, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
An aerial view of students marching through the fields in northern Serbia, as they go to Novi Sad for a huge rally on Nov. 1 marking the first anniversary of a train station disaster that killed 16 people, in Indjija, Serbia, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut, File)
Pope Leo XIV blesses a child at the end of a Mass for the Jubilee of Migrants and Missionaries in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino,File)
Voters stand in line at a polling station during general elections in Jesus de Machaca, Bolivia, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)
Ayami Sato pitches during the second day of tryouts for the Women's Professional Baseball League, Aug 23, 2025, at the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
Investigators look at the damage of an apartment building where the downed Ukrainian drone fell in Sapronovo village outside Moscow, Russia, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo)
Serena Williams dances on stage during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV,File)
A worker's gloves and tool are lined up along the track ahead of a three-day skeleton and bobsled World Cup stage and Olympic test event in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)
A worker walks through a building under construction in Georgetown, Guyana, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)
Leandro Bojko and Micaela Garcia compete in the stage category finals of the World Tango Championship, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)
Women sing and gesture as they mark Prophet Muhammad's birthday, known as Mawlid, in Dakar, Senegal, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu, File)
A woman covers herself as revelers throw tomatoes at each other during the annual "Tomatina" tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol near Valencia, Spain, Aug. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz, File)
A Hindu woman performs evening rituals to the Sun god during the Hartalika Teej festival at the Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Aug. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)
A model wears a creation from the Stephane Rolland Haute Couture Spring Summer 2025 collection, presented in Paris, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
Constitution Aspening gets bathed at Pimlico Race Course ahead of the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes, May 16, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
First lady Melania Trump holds an American flag while visiting Children's National Hospital, July 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
Just-married couple Eyad Othman and Aliza Ammash walk through Jerusalem's Old City, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
MUNDANO, a Brazilian artist, uses ashes collected from wildfires as he participates in a demonstration to raise awareness against forest destruction at the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Nov. 18, 2025, in Belem, Brazil. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)
Shiite Muslim women perform their prayer at the shrine of Saint Abdulazim in Shahr-e-Ray, south of Tehran, Iran, Aug. 14, 2025, during a ceremony to observe the Arbaeen. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Allegheny County Airport, May 30, 2025, in West Mifflin, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
Eugene Graham watches as protesters stand off against police and federal officers at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File )
BRUSSELS (AP) — Farmers in tractors blocked roads and set off fireworks in Brussels on Wednesday outside a European Union leaders’ summit, prompting police to respond with tear gas and water cannons as protesters rallied against a major free-trade deal with South American nations.
Farmers fear that the deal will undercut their livelihoods, and there are broader political concerns that it could also help drive support for the far right.
Thousands of farmers are also expected at twin rallies planned by farmers' unions that are set to converge on Place Luxembourg, a stone's throw from the European Parliament and the Europa Building where leaders of the 27 EU nations are meeting. They are to discuss amending the trade pact or delaying its signing.
Also on the agenda of the EU summit is a proposal to seize Russian assets for use in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Italy signaled it had reservations too, joining the French-led opposition to signing the massive transatlantic free-trade deal between the EU and the five active Mercosur countries — Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia. The deal would progressively remove duties on almost all goods traded between the two blocs over the next 15 years.
Worried by a surging far right that rallies support by criticizing the deal, the French have demanded safeguards to monitor and stop large economic disruption in the EU, increased regulations in the Mercosur nations like pesticide restrictions, and more inspections of imports at EU ports.
Premier Giorgia Meloni told the Italian Parliament on Wednesday that signing the agreement in the coming days “would be premature."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is determined to sign the agreement, but she needs the backing of at least two-thirds of EU nations.
Italy’s opposition would give France enough votes to veto von der Leyen’s signature.
“This doesn’t mean that Italy intends to block or oppose (the deal), but that it intends to approve the agreement only when it includes adequate reciprocal guarantees for our agricultural sector,” Meloni said.
The accord has been under negotiation for 25 years. Once ratified, it would cover a market of 780 million people and a quarter of the globe’s gross domestic product. Supporters say it would offer a clear alternative to Beijing's export-controls and Washington's tariff blitzkrieg, while detractors say it will undermine both environmental regulations and the EU's iconic agricultural sector.
Despite the likelihood of a delay, von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa are still scheduled to sign the deal in Brazil on Saturday.
The political tensions that have marked Mercosur in recent years — especially between Argentina’s far-right President Javier Milei and Brazil’s center-left Lula da Silva, the bloc’s two main partners — have not altered the willingness of South American leaders to seal an alliance with Europe that will result in benefits for their agricultural production.
“We remain optimistic that next Saturday we will have approval from the European Union and, therefore, that we can proceed with the signing of the treaty,” said Uruguay’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Gabriel Oddone.
Lula has been one of the most fervent promoters of the agreement from South America’s largest economy. As host of the upcoming summit, the Brazilian president is betting on closing the deal on Saturday and scoring a major diplomatic achievement ahead of next year’s general elections, in which he will seek reelection.
At a cabinet meeting Wednesday, Lula was clearly irked by Italy and France's positions. He said that Saturday would be a make-or-break moment for the deal.
“If we don't do it now, Brazil won't make any more agreements while I'm president,” Lula said, adding that the agreement would “defend multilateralism” as Trump pursues unilateralism.
Milei, a close ideological ally of Trump, also supports the deal.
“We must stop thinking of Mercosur as a shield that protects us from the world and start thinking of it as a spear that allows us to effectively penetrate global markets,” he said some time ago.
Associated Press writers Debora Rey in Buenos Aires and Mark Carlson in Brussels contributed to this report.
A farmer puts wood in a fire during a demonstration outside the EU Summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Protestors and farmers stand next to a wood fire during a demonstration outside the EU Summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Farmers use their tractors to block a main road during a demonstration outside a gathering of European leaders at the EU Summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)