Girls practice sit-ups during gymnastics lessons at the Shanghai Yangpu Youth Amateur Athletic School in Shanghai, China, on May 4, 2016. China's sports system has been enormously successful since the country returned to the Olympic fold in 1980, culminating with the host nation topping the medals' table at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And yet, with the Rio de Janeiro Games less than three months away, the system is beginning to break down due to the shifting demographics of a more prosperous nation. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

A Chinese future bride has her friends playing with her dress during a pre-wedding photoshoot in front of the Eiffel tower in Paris, France, August 28, 2015. As young Chinese become wealthier, they take abroad the tradition of taking their wedding photos days before they are married, rather than on their wedding day. (Photo by Philippe Wojazer/Reuters)

Despite any political differences between the United States and Russia, the space agencies of the two countries continue their cooperative work in Earth's orbit, aboard the International Space Station. Apart from the research being done in microgravity, ISS crew members continue to send back amazing images of our home world, photographed from low Earth orbit. Gathered here are recent images of Earth from aboard the ISS, and from a handful of other NASA satellites.

People carry drinks at 80s Bar in Damascus, Syria, March 11, 2016. In Damascus's Old City, just a mile from the battered frontline between government and rebel-held territory, young Syrians smoke, drink beer or soft drinks, and talk about anything but the war. The revival of activity in this once-vibrant quarter is part of efforts to project an air of normality in the Syrian capital, even as the five-year-old war that has killed more than 250,000 people and created 5 million refugees continues to rage nearby. (Photo by Omar Sanadiki/Reuters)

Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner seen in this celebrity social media picture on September 1, 2016. (Photo by XposurePhotos.com)

The sea otter mother with her three day old newborn pup ontop of her to keep it dry and warm while it sleeps. This devoted mother otter kept her newborn pup dry as she let the baby ride on her belly. Nature photographer Suzi Eszterhas, 40, spotted the adorable pair of southern sea otters swimming in Monterey Bay, California. The mother lifted the pup out of the water and on to her belly to keep it warm and dry and also blew air into the pup's fur to groom it. Ms Eszterhas was shocked to see the otters come closer to where she was standing and the mother left her child to float alone in the water. (Photo by Suzi Eszterhas/Minden Pictures/Solent News & Photo Agency)

The Sugar Plum Fairy, Katherine Free, left, dances with the dog, Pig, during the Birmingham's Ballet “Mutt-cracker”, a rendition of the famous ballet “The Nutcracker”, in Birmingham, Alabama, December 8, 2016. (Photo by Brynn Anderson/AP Photo)

German police officers take pictures as fireworks explode next to the Quadriga sculpture atop the Brandenburg gate during New Year celebrations in Berlin, Germany, January 1, 2017. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)