Vitor Martins puts forward his fist, that has the word “God” tattooed on it, in front of his Santa Claus outfit inside his house, before a performance with children in Sao Caetano do Sul's town square, near Sao Paulo, December 7, 2014. Martins has dressed as Santa Claus, working at shopping centres and various events, for fifteen years, and has 94 percent of his body covered in tattoos, with several in reference to Christmas. (Photo by Nacho Doce/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)

An injured protestor is led away during clashes with police near Tahrir Square on November 23, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. Thousands of Egyptians are continuing to occupy Tahrir Square after four days of clashes with security forces despite a promise from military leaders to bring forward Presidential elections. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

A simulated casualty is evacuated during an emergency services exercise at the disused Aldwych underground station on February 22, 2012 in London, England. Operation Forward Defensive aims to test the response to a terrorist incident on the London Underground network during the 2012 Olympic Games. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Hawaii has long been known as a tropical paradise, but in recent years another image has intruded into the state's carefully crafted one of idyllic beaches and relaxing resorts: homelessness. The number of homeless people has grown in recent years, leaving the state with 487 homeless per 100,000 people, the nation's highest rate per capita, above New York and Nevada, according to federal statistics. Many of the homeless, however, defy the stereotype of the mentally ill or drug addicted. They are families, with men and women who work full-time jobs. They are struggling to get a foothold in a place with a high cost of living and low wages. Here: in this Thursday, August 27, 2015 photo, a homeless man drinks water while sitting on the beach at Ala Moana Beach Park located near Waikiki in Honolulu. (Photo by Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)

Boca Juniors' Paraguayan defender Bruno Valdez (bottom) and Nacional's forward Bruno Damiani fight for the ball during the Copa Libertadores round of 16 second leg football match between Argentina's Boca Juniors and Uruguay's Nacional, at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, on August 9, 2023. (Photo by Juan Mabromata/AFP Photo)

Olympiakos' Italian defender #05 Lorenzo Pirola (L) is held by Sporting Braga's French forward #09 Amine El Ouazzani during the UEFA Europa League 1st round day 2 football match between Olympiakos and Sporting Braga at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus on October 3, 2024. (Photo by Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP Photo)