Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev as he bids the last farewell to his wife Raisa Gorbacheva during the funeral ceremony in Moscow, Russia, 23 September 1999 (reissued 30 August 2022). According to a Moscow Central Clinical Hospital statement, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev has died at the age of 91. As a supporter of the de-Stalinization programs of his predecessor Nikita Khrushchev, Gorbachev initiated numerous reforms during his tenure. He signed a nuclear arms treaty with the United States and withdrew the Soviet Union from the Soviet-Afghan war. His policies created freedom of speech and press, and decentralized fiscal policy planning and execution to increase efficiency. Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union, overseeing Russia’s transition from one party rule to fragile democracy. (Photo by Sergey Chirikov/EPA/EFE)

Drag Race UK alumni, Cheddar Gorgeous in the window of a Primark store in Manchester to celebrate the opening of the Photo by Fujifilm x Primark concession in Manchester on Wednesday, November 1, 2023. Fans are invited to visit the instore concession on the first floor in Primark on Market Street where Cheddar Gorgeous will be in a garment made up of over 1,000 Fujifilm INSTAX prints and designed by local fashion creator and artist, Mariusz Malon. (Photo by James Speakman/PA Wire)

Leon Sejranovic, Stacey Hymer and Bailey Lewis pose in Melbourne on May 21, 2024, as they are announced as the Australian taekwondo team for the Paris Olympics. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

A dog belonging to the Armed Police Force jumps through a ring of fire while performing a trick during Kukur Tihar as part of Tihar, a term used in Nepal for Diwali, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 20, 2025. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

The car of Dan Wheldon of England driver of the #77 Bowers & Wilkins Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara Honda (left) flies in the air during the Las Vegas Indy 300 part of the IZOD IndyCar World Championships presented by Honda on October 16, 2011 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

It's often said that pets and their owners can start to look alike, but these adorable photographs take the old mantra to a new extreme. They are the work of Svetlana Valyiskaya (27), from St Petersburg, who snaps pets in everyday poses in her spare time from her job as a commercial photographer. The vibrant costumes and scenes, which Svetlana designs herself, have made the photos a hit in her native Russia – and it's not hard to see why. She said: “I really love animals, they are loyal, faithful and true and always interesting to work with – plus they never criticise the photographs afterwards”. (Photo by Svetlana Valyiskaya/Mercury)

Becca D'Agostine, Andy Fuhrmann and Dafid Fine came up with a unique way to document their road trip by taking selfies on a couch at each location. Here they are seen at Mount Baker, Wash. (Photo by Caters News)

An orphaned rhesus monkey and white dove that seemed to have lost its mate forged a special bond at the Neilingding Island-Futian National Nature Reserve in China. The monkey was born on the island but had strayed from its mother. Luckily, it was taken in by work staff in the protection center and became friends with the pigeon that had lingered there after possibly losing its mate. (Photo by CNImaging/Photoshot)