Bici Palermo Tuning – a group of teenagers from the Sicilian capital Palermo – spend anything up to €1,300 customising their bikes with car batteries and multiple speakers to develop thunderous sound systems. The police are not impressed. (Photo by Matteo de Mayda/Cosimo Bizzari/The Guardian)

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)

From stuffed elephants to picnics under power lines, Leipzig-born photographer Frank Herfort coaxes magical, colour-saturated tableaux from intriguing slices of everyday Russian life. Here: A lonely dog watches the mailboxes in a typical Moscow residential block. (Photo by by Frank Herfort/The Guardian)

Jo-Anne McArthur’s book of photographs puts the spotlight on ethics of zoos around the world. Accompanied by essays by Born Free Foundation’s Virginia McKenna and philosopher Lori Gruen, the images and stories are also shared online through “A Year of Captivity”. Here: Asian Elephant, Denmark, 2016. (Photo by Jo-Anne McArthur/Born Free Foundation/The Guardian)

The drag troupe Dabber Dolls, arriving in Glasgow Central station on September 21, 2022 for their first tour of Mecca Bingo halls, are joined by a Scottish fan. (Photo by Robert Perry/The Guardian)

Five-year-old Jeda takes a close look at “Sharnana” by artist Drew McDonald at the Sculpture by The Sea on October 18, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jessica Hromas/The Guardian)

Children playing on Walled City rooftop in Hong Kong, 1989. The lack of formal governance in the Walled City led to challenges, but it also fostered a unique system of informal social order. (Photo by Greg Girard/The Guardian)

The drag artist Wet Mess performs Testo – a show about testosterone – at the Here & Now Showcase, Edinburgh international festival fringe in 2024. (Photo by Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian)