Volunteer of the SICS “Italian rescue dog school”, during a water rescue training session, inside the Averno lake in Pozzuoli. Italy, on October 26, 2024. (Photo by Vincenzo Izzo/Sipa USA)

Merit: A Night at Deadvlei. The night before returning to Windhoek, we spent several hours at Deadveli. The moon was bright enough to illuminate the sand dunes in the distance, but the skies were still dark enough to clearly see the milky way and magellanic clouds. Deadveli means “dead marsh. The camelthorn trees are believed to be about 900 years old, but have not decomposed because the environment is so dry. (Photo and caption by Beth McCarley/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

Members of Japan's idol group “Virtual Currency Girls” wearing cryptocurrency-themed masks perform in their debut stage in Tokyo, Japan, January 12, 2018. Japanese female idols have teamed up to form the ‘Virtual Currency Girls’ group to promote the knowledge of cryptocurrencies through entertainment. Each of its 8 members represents a cryptocurrency: bitcoin cash, bitcoin, ether, neo, nem, ripple, mona, and cardano. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

In the mountains of central Vietnam, a colossal pair of hands lifts a golden thread of walkway high above the clifftops, as if the mountain itself has sprouted limbs. Here: A giant hand structure at the Gold Bridge is seen on Ba Na hill near Danang city, Vietnam on August 1, 2018. (Photo by Reuters/Kham)

An extreme Vespa enthusiast rides his bike after attending weekend festival for extreme Vespas in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia, July 22, 2018. Every year, Indonesians from teens and granddads, to mechanics and students, gather in eastern Java to celebrate their love of the iconic Italian Vespa scooter. (Photo by Darren Whiteside/Reuters)

Ciara is the latest victim to be pranked by Vitalii Sediuk outside the Valentino Fashion Show today during Paris Fashion Week on September 30, 2014. The singer looked chic in a red lace outfit with a black coat hanging over her shoulders and was all smiles while posing for pictures. However, the fun was ruined when Vitalii threw off his cape to reveal a Chanel top and speedos with a message on his right thigh, reading “Ban in USA but I Rock Chanel”. No big altercation went down but Ciara’s security removed him from the crowd. (Photo by Backgrid USA)

Photographer Pol Kurucz’s vivid collection of photos explores issues faced by black Brazilian women, from political misrepresentation to unrealistic beauty standards. Kolor Collective is a Rio de Janeiro-based creative group that challenges the struggle faced by black women in Brazil through theatrical and provocative art. It was founded in 2015 by Franco-Hungarian photographer Pol Kurucz, who often touches on his own experiences of discrimination to call out sensitive social problems. (Photo by Kolor Art Collective/The Guardian)

Winner. “This was taken in the South Ari Atolls, Maldives, as the south-west monsoon season was setting in. It features my partner – and dive buddy – Emma after surfacing at the end of the last dive of the day to find 1.5 metre swells and dark monsoon clouds. MICK RYAN, JUDGE: This beautiful portrait of a diver in an ocean swell below a menacing sky stands out this month for its emotional and elemental beauty. It is a reminder that while we may play among nature we are always dwarfed by its power and must be constantly on our guard”. (Photo by Simon Dunn/The Guardian)