Bearing the cold
A snowboarder wears a protective cushion at the Thaiwoo ski resort in Zhangjiakou close to venues hosting the Beijing Winter Olympics next year. China hopes hosting the Games will help the country to become a popular winter sports destination and deliver on a target set by President Xi Jinping to get 300 million Chinese involved in winter sports, with an aim to build a 1 trillion yuan ($157 billion) industry.
Still smoking
Locals lead their livestock to safety as Mount Semeru continues to spew ash and smoke in the background after a volcanic eruption, in Lumajang, Indonesia.
Dressed for the beach
A man wears a traditional Kankurang mask on the beach in the popular tourist area of Senegambia in Banjul, the capital of Gambia. The Kankurang traditionally is said to be a protector spirit, warding off evil.
Black Sea fisherman
Todor, 71, works to bring a haul on to his boat from a net, in Varna, Bulgaria. Data shows that water pollution and overfishing have drastically reduced the fish stock in the Black Sea.
Walk the line
Workers assembling power lines on a transmission tower in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, China. The Baihetan-Jiangsu transmission project stretches for more than 63 kilometres, passing through 12 towns. It is a vital part of the national 'Transmission of Power from Western to Eastern China' plan, which can effectively enhance Jiangsu's power guarantee capacity and promote the use of clean energy.
In peak condition
A hiker walks on Riscas Peak in Ostana, near the French border, in Alpine north-western Italy.
Aboard the papal plane
A handout picture provided by the Vatican Media shows Pope Francis handing the microphone back to a journalist aboard the papal plane on his return flight to Rome after visiting Cyprus and Greece.
