Masooma Alizada (L) and Frozan Rasooli (R), members of Afghanistan's Women's National Cycling Team prepare a bicycle before training on the outskirts of Kabul February 20, 2015. Afghanistan's Women's National Cycling Team has been breaking new ground for women's sports and pushing the boundaries of what is – and is not – acceptable for young women in the conservative Muslim country. (Photo by Mohammad Ismail/Reuters)

“Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr, often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). Eid is an Arabic word meaning “festivity”, while Fiṭr means “breaking (the fast)”. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the twenty nine or thirty days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The first day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month Shawwal”. – Wikipedia

Aerial view of the “Viracocha III”, a boat made only from the totora reed, as it is being prepared to cross the Pacific from Chile to Australia on an expected six-month journey, La Paz, Bolivia, October 19, 2016. An expedition in a boat made only of reeds crafted by indigenous Bolivians is getting ready to cross the Pacific from South America to Australia, in a fresh attempt to prove that ancient mariners were capable of making the journey. (Photo by David Mercado/Reuters)

Commended. In late May, about a quarter of a million snow geese arrive from North America to nest on Wrangel Island, in northeastern Russia. They form the world's largest breeding colony of snow geese. Photographer Sergey Gorshkov spent two months on the remote island photographing the unfolding dramas. Arctic foxes take advantage of the abundance of eggs, caching surplus eggs for leaner times. But a goose (here the gander) is easily a match for a fox, which must rely on speed and guile to steal eggs. “The battles were fairly equal”, notes Sergey, “and I only saw a fox succeed in grabbing an egg on a couple of occasions, despite many attempts”. Surprisingly, “the geese lacked any sense of community spirit”, he adds, “and never reacted when a fox harassed a neighboring pair nesting close by”. (Photo by Sergey Gorshkov/Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer)

Tattoos always seem to fascinate us, which is probably one of the reasons why Dionne Marshall has turned to tattooing patterns onto leather. The designs she creates are reminiscent of tattoos favored by people in Central America. Working with leather is a lot harder than working with paints or pencils. Unlike the latter, there is no room for mistakes when you make a tattoo. This is the reason why there are so few artists that specialize in creating art by tattooing leather. However, the results are definitely worth it, as this is a truly unique form of art with a primal feeling to it. (Photo by Dionne Marshall)

Leading contemporary artist Remi LaBarre describes his evocative oils as “painted songs”. Influenced by John Singer Sargent, his work reflects the lighting of hushed environments and presents poetic narratives of life after dark in bars and clubs. Remi's acclaimed artwork has won him a formidable reputation in Europe and North America. His premier UK collection features a breathtaking quartet of musical portraits which represent an atmospheric homage to his great love of jazz.

Potoos (family Nyctibiidae) are a group of near passerine birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. They are sometimes called Poor-me-ones, after their haunting calls. There are seven species in one genus, Nyctibius, in tropical Central and South America.
These are nocturnal insectivores which lack the bristles around the mouth found in the true nightjars. They hunt from a perch like a shrike or flycatcher. During the day they perch upright on tree stumps, camouflaged to look like part of the stump. The single spotted egg is laid directly on the top of a stump.

During dull lectures 19-year-old Jody Steel, from Boston, America, likes to draw on her thigh. Using pen she creates stunning temporary masterpieces – and now her doodles have given her internet fame and job offers from around the world. Even her lecturer is a fan – instead of punishing Jody when she was spotted doodling on her leg in class, the lecturer commissioned her to illustrate a book she was editing.