A guest poses for photographs at the infinity pool of the newly-inaugurated Dolce Hanoi Golden Lake hotel, the world's first gold-plated hotel, in Hanoi on July 2, 2020. It even has a gold-plated infinity pool on the roof. The 400-room, 25-storey property will operate under the American Wyndham Hotels brand. Prices start at $300 a night for rooms, or there are apartments to rent costing from $6400 per square metre. (Photo by Manan Vatsyayana/AFP Photo)

People hold umbrellas as they walk past a flooded street in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China, July 19, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

A cooling tower is seen under mechanical demolition in Binzhou, Shandong Province, China, July 13, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

Two sheep fight in a competition in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, China on August 1, 2017. (Photo by Reuters/China Stringer Network)

A sandstorm hits the city of Zhangye in Gansu province, China on November 27, 2018. (Photo by Reuters/China Stringer Network)

A Beijing Opera performer dances for a show by designer Hao Weimin at China Fashion Week, China, October 28, 2019. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

A WZ-10 attack helicopter performs during Airshow China 2022 at Zhuhai Air Show Center on November 9, 2022 in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province of China. The 14th Airshow China will be held from Nov. 8 to 13. (Photo by Qian Baihua/VCG via Getty Images)

Pangolins in Crisis: Brent Stirton, South Africa; 1st place, Natural world and wildlife. “Pangolins are the world’s most illegally trafficked mammals, with an estimated one million trafficked to Asia in the last 10 years. Their scales are used in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine, and their meat is sold as a high-priced delicacy. As a result, pangolins are listed as critically endangered and anyone who trades or consumes them is breaking the law. This body of work exposes the trade, while exploring aspects of illegality and celebrating the people who are trying to save these animals”. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Sony World Photography Awards 2020)