Andy Hall

Residents across Clacton, Jaywick and Frinton-on-Sea express sharply divided views about Nigel Farage after his resignation as MP triggered a byelection. Some support him because they see him as charismatic, hardworking and the only credible alternative to the established parties, while others criticize his absence from the constituency, immigration rhetoric, financial controversies and use of Clacton as a political platform. Count Binface’s candidacy adds a comic dimension to a contest involving 34 candidates, but is not expected to seriously threaten Farage. The conversations also reveal deeper concerns about seaside decline, homelessness, poor housing, disability, inadequate services and the stigmatization of Jaywick. Local initiatives such as Sunspot, Rainy Bakes and a community carnival demonstrate residents’ efforts to improve the area and challenge negative portrayals, even as many remain distrustful of politicians and uncertain that the byelection will deliver meaningful change.

Coal heating is making Ulaanbaatar one of the world’s most dangerous cities for winter air pollution. Coal-fired stoves and boilers, especially in the city’s ger districts, produce extreme levels of fine particles and carbon monoxide, contributing to thousands of deaths, respiratory illness, cancer, miscarriages and premature births. Climate-driven livestock losses are pushing more nomadic families into the capital, worsening overcrowding and dependence on coal. Experts and residents say insulating homes, improving fuel and sanitation, expanding clean electricity and developing solar, wind and other renewable energy could reduce pollution, but weak government coordination, high energy costs and limited housing have stalled progress.

Photographs document the contrast between Mongolia’s vast pastoral steppe and the polluted urban environment of Ulaanbaatar. Coal-fired stoves and boilers, traffic fumes and winter temperature inversions trap smog over the capital, affecting schools, informal settlements and public health. At the same time, increasingly harsh winters and livestock losses are pushing herders from traditional nomadic communities into cities, while provincial centers also face growing pollution problems.

A photo gallery by Andy Hall documents the energy, diversity and community spirit of London’s Notting Hill Carnival across several years. The images show dancers, musicians, costumes, sound systems, families and street celebrations, while Hall reflects on the carnival’s Caribbean roots, the effects of gentrification and regulation, and the shadow cast by the Grenfell Tower fire.

Photographer Andy Hall contrasts historic Downtown Las Vegas with the newer Las Vegas Strip ahead of the city’s 2023 Formula One race. Once the center of gambling and Las Vegas mythology, downtown declined as the Strip developed into a corporate resort district, while its low-rise streets became associated with cheaper casinos, motels and social neglect. Despite this deterioration, the Fremont Street area is portrayed as lively and inclusive, retaining neon Americana through its casinos, wedding chapels, performers, tourists, locals and eccentric street culture.

A photo gallery documents public reactions and scenes surrounding Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on 19 September 2022. Images show mourners and spectators gathering across London, waiting overnight, watching the procession on screens and phones, taking photographs, sharing food and souvenirs, and paying their respects as the coffin traveled from Westminster Abbey toward Windsor. Other scenes capture the ceremony’s wider public setting, including crowds in Hyde Park and Whitehall, a pub audience in Wales, police preparations, media activity and tired onlookers at dawn.

Guardian photographers document Britain’s mourning after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, focusing on crowds at Buckingham Palace, the queue to see her lying in state, floral tributes, royal processions and ceremonies in London and Edinburgh. Their reflections describe a generally respectful, communal atmosphere shaped by grief, historical awareness, military pageantry and widespread smartphone recording. The photographers portray the public response as both personal mourning and a desire to witness the end of an era, while noting the contrast with the more shocked response to Diana’s funeral.

A photographic history of Birmingham presents fourteen archival and contemporary scenes, spanning its markets, sporting venues, civic landmarks, canals and neighborhoods. The gallery connects the city’s industrial and wartime past with stories of migration, Black British life, civil rights, the Birmingham Six and sporting culture, while highlighting Alexander Stadium as a main venue for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The UK recorded its hottest day on record, with temperatures exceeding 40C in parts of England and unusually warm overnight conditions. Guardian photographers documented how people in Manchester, York, Worcester, London, Boston and Swansea coped with the extreme heat, including workers taking breaks, residents seeking shade or water, tourists using umbrellas and fountains, and unusually quiet city centres. Wales also experienced record temperatures before rain arrived in Swansea, underscoring the volatile conditions associated with the climate crisis.

A photo gallery documents the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, showing the Croisette crowded with film-industry professionals, celebrities, models, paparazzi, local residents and visitors. Images capture red-carpet arrivals, beach screenings, private parties, promotional activity, security patrols and the festival’s blend of glamour with everyday life in Cannes.

Pfizer and BioNTech began testing an Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine, hoping it could be ready for regulatory approval by March. The UK reported 439 deaths within 28 days of a positive test and 94,326 cases, while Boris Johnson faced mounting pressure over Downing Street lockdown parties and a forthcoming Sue Gray report. Scotland announced a phased return to offices, and Sajid Javid said 77,000 NHS workers remained unvaccinated while mandatory-jab policies should be reviewed in light of Omicron. Across the world, cases continued to surge, including in Italy and Russia, while restrictions were eased in parts of Europe. Researchers also identified an antibody pattern that may help predict who is most vulnerable to long COVID.

A photo gallery documenting the return of workers and commuters to London’s financial district, including crowded stations, rush-hour journeys, office areas, lunch hours and after-work drinks in the City of London.

A photographic tour of landmarks representing Black history and culture in London, including memorials to Mary Seacole, Nelson Mandela, Caribbean women and African and Caribbean soldiers, as well as murals and commemorations connected to the Battle of Lewisham, CLR James and hip-hop culture.

Photographs by Andy Hall document English seaside resorts reopening as COVID-19 lockdown restrictions eased in April 2021. Scenes in Southend, Bournemouth, Margate, Broadstairs and Whitstable show cafes, stalls and leisure attractions gradually returning, while people socialise, visit beaches and enjoy beach huts, promenades and piers.

A photographic record of the City of London during the COVID-19 lockdowns from April 2020 to February 2021. The images show deserted streets, empty offices, masked pedestrians and isolated workers in the Square Mile, documenting how remote work and public-health restrictions transformed one of the world’s busiest financial districts into a ghost town. The photographer reflects on the pandemic’s uncertain long-term effect on the relationship between the City and its workers while expressing hope that normal life will return.

A photographic gallery by Andy Hall documents conflict, political change, drought, displacement, poverty, culture and everyday life across Africa. Images cover South Africa’s 1994 elections and the death of photojournalist Ken Oosterbroek, famine and refugee camps in Kenya and the Sahel, Angola’s civil war, the Rwandan genocide, urban poverty in Liberia and Kenya, and cultural life including Staff Benda Bilili, Senegal’s Blues du Fleuve festival and traditional boxing in South Africa.

A photographic tour of Berlin landmarks and memorials ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall. The captions revisit Checkpoint Charlie, Mauerpark, Potsdamer Platz, Brandenburg Gate, Bernauer Strasse and the East Side Gallery, while recalling the Wall’s role in dividing families, restricting movement and causing deaths. They also highlight how former border zones have become tourist, leisure and cultural spaces.

A photographic gallery explores the historical, military, cultural and contemporary ties between England and France, featuring coastal scenes from Portsmouth, Brighton, Dover and Weymouth alongside Le Havre, Cherbourg, Ouistreham, Bayeux and Calais. The images highlight the Norman conquest, D-Day and World War II memory, cross-Channel travel, migration, and shared landscapes around the English Channel.

Photographs document Syrian refugee children receiving formal and non-formal education, psychosocial support, literacy and numeracy lessons in Lebanon and Jordan. The EU-funded Back to the Future Project has helped thousands of children enroll in school, but around 60% of Syrian refugee children in the two countries remain out of school. Financial hardship, transport, documentation, language barriers, bullying, trauma, child labor and early marriage continue to drive exclusion and dropout. The initiative, supported by NGOs including AVSI, War Child and Terre des Hommes, received €15 million over three years and may expand to Iraq and eventually support children returning to Syria if conditions become safe.

A photographic tour of the City of London ten years after the 2008 financial crisis, showing commuters, traders, tourists, workers and everyday residents alongside construction activity and landmarks including the Bank of England. The captions place the changing streetscape in the context of Lehman Brothers’ collapse and the financial district’s post-crash construction boom.