People dressed as Santa Claus dance during an event as a part of Christmas celebrations in Chennai on December 22, 2024. (Photo by R.Satish Babu/AFP Photo)

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 Indian Hindu widow smeared with colors sits and watches others playing during Holi celebrations at the Gopinath temple, 180 kilometres (112 miles) south-east of New Delhi, India Monday, March 21, 2016. A few years ago this joyful celebration was forbidden for Hindu widows. Like hundreds of thousands of observant Hindu women they would have been expected to live out their days in quiet worship, dressed only in white, their very presence being considered inauspicious for all religious festivities. (Photo by Manish Swarup/AP Photo)

A workman smooths out the gravel near the base of British artist Alex Chinneck' latest sculpture “A bullet from a shooting star” on the Greenwich Peninsula in London on September 17, 2015. The 35-metre tall, upside-down electricity pylon overlooks the Canary Wharf financial district. (Photo by Leon Neal/AFP Photo)

Yandex.Eda food delivery service employees by Barrikadnaya Station of the Moscow Metro in Moscow, Russia on April 12, 2020. Russian President Vladimir Putin has expanded non-working period till April 30, 2020 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Sergei Savostyanov/TASS via Getty Images)

A candle burns during a vigil in Aotea Square to remember victims of the Paris attacks on November 14, 2015 in Auckland, New Zealand. According to reports, over 150 people were killed in a series of bombings and shootings across Paris, including at a soccer game at the Stade de France and a concert at the Bataclan theater. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, skulls and bones are stacked at the Catacombs in Paris, France. The subterranean tunnels, stretching 2 kilometers (1.24 miles), cradle the bones of some 6 million Parisians from centuries past and once gave refuge to smugglers. The site used to close at 5 p.m., but is now staying open until 8 p.m. The change is mainly aimed at allowing more people to visit and reducing long lines, since it can only hold a limited number of people at a time and visits can't be reserved in advance. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)

Tattoo enthusiasts pose for a photo during the 14th Expotattoo Colombia Fair in Medellin, Colombia, on May 26, 2024. (Photo by Jaime Saldarriaga/AFP Photo)