In this photograph taken on December 14, 2016, an Indian craftsman works on unfinished cricket bats in a factory in Meerut, some 70 kms north- east of New Delhi. (Photo by Dominique Faget/AFP Photo)

A leader “Rolli” of a yodel group “Schuppel” runs in the snow in front of a farmstead during the “Silvesterchlausen” in the early morning in Urnaesch in the Swiss canton Appenzell Ausserroden on January 13, 2017. (Photo by Michael Buholzer/AFP Photo)

Larissa Neto, a muse of the Unidos da Tijuca Samba School, poses as she wears a carnival dress in Sao Goncalo near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 3, 2016. Rio de Janeiro's carnival parades are known the world over for the glitz and glamour, high-tech allegorical floats and shimmering bodies, which battle it out each year for the championship title. Each school is fronted by the Queen of the Drums, who dances alongside the raging percussion, and her court of sparkling, sculpted dancers known as “muses”. (Photo by Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)

The Perth-based photographer and journalist Frances Andrijich has travelled the Western Australian coast since the early 90s, capturing clotheslines in all their glory. In her images they take the roles of play equipment, Christmas trees and, in the summer, a homemaker’s dream. Andrijich admits she is hopelessly hung up on clotheslines; her latest book celebrates them under the spotlight of the Australian sun. Here: Vera Germanis hangs out underwear in Frances Andrijich’s grandparents’ backyard. This was the photographer’s first clothesline shot, taken in Midland Junction in 1991. (Photo by Frances Andrijich)

The incredible photographs show the three alligators crowding around the man’s head as they look directly at the camera and one even appears to sit on his lap whilst another reptile places a claw on his arm as it swims towards the surface. Photographs taken from above the surface show animal handler, Chris Gillette (29) from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA holding an alligator out of the water. The images of Chris were taken by Michael Dornellas at the Everglades Outpost Wildlife Rescue, Florida USA. Here: Mich­ael Dornellas brings the beast up close and personal to the camera. (Photo by Chris Gillette and Michael Dornellas/Mediadrumworld.com)

Photographs show an adventurer swimming with giant Manta Rays at night. In her latest daring adventure, Alison Teal set out in the middle of the night to free dive with Manta Rays off the coast of Hawaii. Using only hand held dive lights, Alison dove over 50 feet down being careful never to touch the mantas as they fed off the plankton in the light streams. Here: Photos taken by photographer Sarah Lee show the beautiful sight of Manta Rays at night, as they swim with America explorer, Alison Teal. (Photo by Sarah Lee/Caters News Agency)

Ahead of May Day, AFP' s video and photo teams spoke to men and women around the globe whose jobs are becoming increasingly rare, particularly as technology transforms societies. Here: Mohammad Ashgar, 65, an Indian rickshaw puller, poses for a photograph next to his rickshaw in Kolkata on April 21, 2018. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP Photo)

Just a week before Rio de Janeiro hosts South America's first Olympics, city residents expressed mixed feelings about the cost and security of the Games, while holding out hope they will bring joy to a nation facing economic and political crises. The conflicted thoughts mirror a recent survey by the Datafolha polling group showing that half of Brazilians were opposed to holding the Games, while 63 percent think the costs of hosting the event will outweigh benefits. (Photo by Pilar Olivares/Reuters)