Castro's soldiers at Playa de Giron, Cuba, after thwarting the ill-fated US backed 'Bay of Pigs' invasion. (Photo by Graf/Getty Images). April, 1961

Beautiful, strange and occasionally alarming pictures from the shortlist for this year’s Wellcome image awards – which celebrate the very best in science photography and imaging – from an x-ray of a bat to a micrograph of a kidney stone. The exhibition opens on 12 March at three science centres and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. Photo: Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of an Arabidopsis thaliana flower, also commonly known as thale cress. Some of the anthers are open, revealing pollen grains ready for dispersal. Arabidopsis was the first plant to have its entire genome sequenced and is widely used as a model organism in molecular and plant biology. Horizontal width of image is 1200 microns. Magnification 100x. (Photo by Stefan Eberhard/Wellcome Images)

A police officer detains a person during protest by supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan against his arrest, in Karachi, Pakistan, 09 May 2023. Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, was taken into custody by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on 09 May outside the Islamabad High Court, where he had arrived to appeal for bail in multiple cases filed against him. The arrest came after Khan's ouster from power in April 2020 following a failed vote of confidence in parliament. (Photo by Rehan Khan/EPA)

Monkeys climb onto tourists during the annual Monkey Festival, after officials start capturing monkeys, in Lopburi province, Thailand, on November 24, 2024. (Photo by Patipat Janthong/Reuters)

An owl peeps out from behind a rusty piece of farming equipment in Teddesley Park, Staffordshire, UK in the last decade of July 2025. (Photo by David Akers/Solent News & Photo Agency)

Model Bella Hadid falls as she walks the runway at the Michael Kors Spring 2017 Runway Show duing New York Fasion Week at Spring Studios on September 14, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Rex Features)

A Kashmiri Shi'ite Muslim mourner flagellates himself during a Muharram procession to mark Ashura in Srinagar, India October 12, 2016. (Photo by Danish Ismail/Reuters)

Men carrying a shrine jump over a bon fire, which means a wish for good luck during a traditional Chinese lunar new year celebration in Jieyang, Guangdong province, China, February 2, 2017. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)