A journalist reports on a ladder outside the Great Hall of the People during the opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China March 5, 2018. The NPC has over 3,000 delegates and is the world's largest parliament or legislative assembly though its function is largely as a formal seal of approval for the policies fixed by the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. The NPC runs alongside the annual plenary meetings of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), together known as “Lianghui” or “Two Meetings”. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

New exhibition of sustainable fashion explores the role of tartan in Scottish traditional dance, opening on April 23, 2024 as part of the Pomegranates festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Vengefully Changed Allegiance is asolo exhibition by fashion designer Alison Harm, founder of Edinburgh Psychomoda clothing brand, who uses industry scraps, vintage clot and broken jewellery. (Photo by Sally Anderson/Alamy Live News)

An endangered baby turtle hatched from its egg in its nest on the Belek coast, is trying to reach the open sea by walking along the beach in Antalya, Turkiye on August 05, 2025. In the Belek and Kizilot region, one of the largest nesting areas in the Mediterranean, many baby turtles continue to meet the sea. (Photo by Tahsin Ceylan/Anadolu via Getty Images)

People pause at a memorial set up for victims of a mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nev., on Tuesday, October 3, 2017. A gunman opened fire on an outdoor music concert on Sunday. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, with dozens of people killed and hundreds injured, some by gunfire, some during the chaotic escape. (Photo by John Locher/AP Photo)

Runner-up. “The heavens opened and the streets around Shibuya, Tokyo, were suddenly drenched in even more colour and movement. I was taking photos (my friend was holding the umbrella) when I noticed this woman at the crossing. I’m pleased with the futuristic feel of the image”. (Photo by Katherine Bridgestock/The Guardian)

“Secrets of the Whales”. Skerry’s photographs celebrate the lives and culture of whales, illuminating recent research and their diverse behaviours. His latest work focuses on four key species: sperm whales, humpbacks, orca and beluga whales. Humpback whales bubble-net feeding off the coast of Alaska. They work cooperatively to feed on herring by blowing a perfect ring of bubbles underwater to form a net encircling the fish. The whales then swim up through the centre of the bubble net with their mouths open. (Photo by Brian Skerry/National Geographic Photo/Visa pour l'Image)

A cleric and a woman pray behind a closed door of Masoume shrine in the city of Qom, some 80 miles (125 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 16, 2020. On Monday, Iran closed the Masoume shrine, a major pilgrimage site in the city of Qom, the epicenter of the country's new coronavirus outbreak. Authorities were already restricting access and barring pilgrims from kissing or touching the shrine, but it had remained open. (Photo by AP Photo)

In a photo taken on April 2, 2020 a staff member feeds a raccoon at the Table A Raccoon Cafe in Seoul. Business has been devastated by the coronavirus outbreak, with South Koreans staying at home under social distancing guidelines, and tourism disappearing. But unlike other firms, animal cafes have to stay open so that staff can look after their stock. (Photo by Ed Jones/AFP Photo)