North Korean people line up on the street side and welcome the motorcade of Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, 19 June 2024. The Russian president is on a state visit to North Korea from 18-19 June at the invitation of the North Korean leader. He last visited North Korea in 2000, shortly after his first inauguration as president. (Photo by Gavriil Grigorov/EPA/EFE)

Domestic tourists visit the beach at Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area in Wonsan, North Korea's Kangwon Province on July 1, 2025. North Korea opened a massive resort area on its east coast, state media said on July 2, with the tourism pet project of leader Kim Jong Un reportedly set to welcome Russian guests later this month. (Photo by Kim Won Jin/AFP Photo)

A fire-eater of the “Diables de Terrassa” performs during Sitges' little “Festa Major”, “Santa Tecla” in Sitges, Spain on September 19, 2016. This celebration brings together some of Catalonia’s most emblematic festive traditions. The central axis of the celebrations is the traditional parade, made up of “big-head” carnival figures and characters who dance to music played on different traditional instruments. One of the most popular events is the Correfoc or fire-running, which is also the closing event of the fiesta. The people run and jump over characters dressed up as devils and dragons, carrying fire. (Photo by Matthias Oesterle/ZUMA Press/Splash News)

A burning flame and a broad expanse of water are among the few things which do not tire us with their beauty. However, while we have many sources of water around us, it is quite hard to marvel at a burning flame on a daily basis. Melissa Crisp is one of the few people who were able to subdue the element of fire. She is the person who is behind the design of the uniquely-shaped fire pits, which feature mystifying themes, including a pair of lovers, a fire on the rodeo arena, a forest fire, a fiery flower, and a number of others. Each of the fire pits entrances you, and it almost seems like the characters are alive, as the hot fire burns deep within the spheres, casting dancing shadows all around. (Photo by Melissa Crisp)

A girl cover her face while riding a motorcycle as haze shrouds a street near Tanjung Siapi Api port in Palembang, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, September 19, 2015. Indonesia will take 30 days to bring smouldering forest fires under control, the national disaster management agency said on Friday, as smog from the fires pushes pollution in Southeast Asia to record highs. (Photo by Reuters/Beawiharta)

A man inspects a plastic cover placed over an artwork attributed to Banksy on May 17, 2012 in London, England. The stencilled image depicts a poor child making Union Jack flags on a sewing machine and is located on the wall of a Poundland discount shop in the Wood Green area of north London. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid)

North Korea has closed its borders in fear of the spread of the Ebola virus. But at a time when the secretive state was still welcoming tourists, former aid worker Andrew Macleod made the journey to the repressive nation. Andrew's holiday snaps and camera footage provide a unique insight into the reclusive country, where he came across deserted motorways, metro stations plastered with propaganda and attractive border guards. Here: a female traffic police officer in the snow in February 2013, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Photo by Andrew Macleod/Barcroft Media)

A woman stands in a gift shop in central Rason city, part of the special economic zone northeast of Pyongyang, in this August 30, 2011 file photo. North Korea is a militarized, male-dominated society, but it is women who are making the money as the insular nation allows an unofficial market-based economy to take shape. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)