An Afghan vendor selling birds to be kept as pets wait for customers in his shop in Kabul on December 11, 2021. (Photo by Ahmad Sahel Arman/AFP Photo)

Composite picture of lightning strikes over Colima, Mexico in just 5 minutes on July 14, 2020. These incredible photos show over 50 forks of lightning striking a city in just five minutes – in a storm being dubbed “The Night of a Thousand Forks”. The amazing, panoramic photos over the valley shows the whole sky light up as the forks of lightning strike at different points along the length of the city's 165 square miles. (Photo by South West News Service/Action Press)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and these striking images of 2017 are no exception. The photo highlights include incredible snapshots of the natural world as well as some awesome animal and human encounters. The vibrant gallery also shows thrill-seekers pushing themselves to the limit with breathtaking stunts captured in perfect clarity. The pictures have been taken by a host of photographers from around the world. Here: The two lion cubs singing their hearts out at Antelope park in Zimbabwe. (Photo by David Jenkins/Caters News Agency)

“These Rajasthani sisters were sitting on the staircase inside their house relaxing and enjoy a cup of masala chai”. (Photo by Firdaus Hadzri/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest)

Jockeys and their horses reflect in the water of Laytown Beach during the third race of the day at the Laytown Races in Co Meath, Ireland on Tuesday, September 12, 2023. (Photo by Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)

English actress and model Elizabeth Hurley snuggles up to her beau Billy Ray Cyrus in lingerie on December 9, 2025. (Photo by elizabethhurley1/Instagram)

In this photo taken on March 16, 2019, 13-year-old Reymark Cavesirano collects left over herring onboard a fishing boat anchored at the mouth of Manila Bay off Navotas City in suburban Manila. Cavesirano, a grade five student, paddles to the anchored fishing boats and helps crew clean their nets, and in exchange collects leftover herring still tangled in the nets. Across the Philippines, there are 5 million child labourers, aged between five and 17, many of them working in dangerous conditions. About 22 million people – a fifth of the population – live below the national poverty line. (Photo by Ted Aljibe/AFP Photo)

General view of a herbal store in Cairo, Egypt January 10, 2017. In an economic crisis that has led to a shortage of medicines, Egyptians are skipping trips to drug stores and instead turning to herbal remedies to treat every-day illnesses. (Photo by Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters)