A man wearing a mouth-nose protection to protect against the coronavirus walks past a department store window with the words “BACK TO LIFE” in Schwerin, Germany, Thursday, April 15, 2021. (Photo by Jens Buettner/dpa via AP Photo)

“If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it”. – Herodotus. “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation”. – Plato. Photo: Mandalay, Burma. (Photo by Steve McCurry)

A buffalo was on the verge of becoming dinner for a pride of lions… before his best friend stepped in. Usually, this kind of scene in South Africa ends with a tasty buffalo steak for the lions, but not this time. Just when an attacking lion thought he had the upper-hand, he got a bit of a (hilarious) surprise.

To produce the images that convey his fatalistic and ironic approach to life, tinged with hope, he needed the environment and knowledge of Mother Russia, oiled with a bit of bribery to certain circus trainers. Enter the Great Russian Bear, the personification of Russia for the last several centuries, onto center stage and into his studio. The bear is recognized as both brutish and cute – Misha was the mascot for the 1980 Olympic Games – and has remained a symbol of Russia since Tsarist times. In 2009 it is the symbol of the United Russia Party.

A group of young women have 'a bit of a do' for Oxfam at St Pancras International and enjoy a screening of the nation's favourite chick-flick Dirty Dancing on February 28, 2011 in London, England. Oxfam is calling on women across the UK to get together with their female friends in March to celebrate women's achievements for the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day (March 8, 2011) and raise money to support their work with women living in poverty. www.oxfam.org.uk/do (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Oxfam). LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 28

Popocatepetl volcano spews incandescent material as seen from Paso de Cortés on May 23, 2023 in Amecameca, Mexico. The second highest volcano in the country increased its activity while Mexican authorities raised the alert to yellow phase 3. Popocatepetl volcano caused the fall of ashes in different municipalities in Puebla, Estado de Mexico and Mexico City. Mexican army has spread forces as a preventive measure while the 3 levels of government are in coordination to observe the activity of the volcano and the situation in the surroundings. (Photo by Cristopher Rogel Blanquet/Getty Images)

A handout photo made available by Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation shows hot lava spewing from Mount Ibu in North Maluku province, Indonesia, 04 July 2024 (issued 05 July 2024). The Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) advises the community around Mount Ibu and visitors not to carry out activities within a radius of 2.0 kilometers and a sectoral expansion of 5 kilometers towards the crater opening in the northern part of the active crater of Mount Ibu. (Photo by PVMBG/EPA)

The Taal Volcano in the central Philippines boomed to life on Sunday, January 12, 2020 spilling ash and causing evacuations in nearby communities – and officials warn that a more powerful eruption is imminent. One of the world’s smallest volcanoes, Taal is among two dozen active volcanoes in the Philippines, which lies along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active region that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. (Photo by Kester Ragaza/Pacific Press/Rex Features/Shutterstock)