Some 300 girls and women in India still practise open defecation. Over half the country’s population, 800 million people, do not have access to a toilet that meets basic standards. (Photo by Poulomi Basu/WaterAid)

“Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in Ukraine and Southern Russia. They inhabited sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins, and played an important role in the historical development of both Ukraine and Russia”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Кубанский казачий хор (Kuban Cossack chorus) - Розпрягайте, хлопцi, коней (Unharness The Horses, Guys!) – Ukrainian

Runner-up. “The heavens opened and the streets around Shibuya, Tokyo, were suddenly drenched in even more colour and movement. I was taking photos (my friend was holding the umbrella) when I noticed this woman at the crossing. I’m pleased with the futuristic feel of the image”. (Photo by Katherine Bridgestock/The Guardian)

Kenya Wildlife Service rangers and capture team cool down a sedated elephant at Mwea National Park, east of the capital Nairobi, Kenya Monday, October 14, 2024. (Photo by Brian Inganga/AP Photo)

American singer-songwriter FLETCHER celebrates with Tequila Don Julio 1942 at her Pride after party in Los Angeles, CA on June 9, 2023. (Photo by Taylor Kahan)

Claudia Gadelha (L) of Brazil fights with Jessica Aguilar of Mexico during their Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match, a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil August 1, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)

Mist and fog covers fields as the sun rises over the Somerset Levels on January 13, 2012 in Glastonbury, England. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)