The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s misfortunes have often eclipsed its good news, with ongoing armed conflicts and most recently an Ebola outbreak. Much of the world knows little of the country’s vibrant arts scene, and last weekend in the capital, Kinshasa, models showed off daring new looks dreamed up by local designers on the catwalk. (Photo by Olivia Acland/The Guardian)

The Rio dry cargo ship that has ran aground during a storm in December 2018 in Kabardinka, Krasnodar Territory, Russia on August 11, 2020. The vessel has become a tourist attraction of the region. (Photo by Alexander Ryumin/TASS)

Rebecca Bailey rides a unicycle during a winter nor'easter snow storm in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. February 9, 2017. (Photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters)

One of the invited tattoo artists, Tom Storm, works on the arm of Kerrie Hibbert at the 2017 Tattoo Collective event at the Old Truman Brewery in London, England on February 17, 2017. (Photo by PA Wire)

People holding umbrellas under strong wind walk pass a crosswalk as tropical storm Ma-on passes Hong Kong, Thursday, August 25, 2022. (Photo by Anthony Kwan/AP Photo)

Pedestrians fight wind and rain as they cross Hollywood Boulevard during Tropical Storm Hilary, Sunday, August 20, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/AP Photo)

Nyah and Thea watch as the top end storms roll in across Nightcliff beach and Jetty in Darwin, Australia on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. (Photo by Neve Brissenden/AAP Image)

Boys pan for gold on a riverside at Iga Barriere, 25 km (15 miles) from Bunia, in the resource-rich Ituri region of eastern Congo February 16, 2009. Ituri is one of many areas of the country to have experienced bitter ethnic conflict between rival tribes in recent years. Massacres have left tens of thousands dead. It is this fighting that led U.S. authorities to take the unprecedented step of naming Congo in section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank financial regulation act, which says U.S.-listed companies that source gold, tungsten, tantalum and tin from Congo or its neighbours must assure the U.S. stock exchange regulator that their business is not helping fund conflict. (Photo by Finbarr O'Reilly/Reuters)