From Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen defying age with their stunning looks to worshippers taking part in a Naked Man Festival, these are news agency AFP’s pictures of 2017.
Thousands of men brave freezing temperatures to fight for lucky charms thrown by a priest at Japan’s annual nude festival in the collection of photos the new provider believes best sum up the past year.
Also pictured are 10,000 male dancers taking part in the rehearsal of a mass Saman dance performance in the Gayo Lues highland district of Indonesia’s Sumatra island.
The first year of Donald Trump’s US presidency is also charted, as are the conflicts and disasters that have dogged the planet during the past 12 months.
American firefighters are pictured removing their country’s flag from a luxury home in California as as flames from a wildfire close in on the property during this year’s record-breaking heatwave.
Top models (from left) Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen pose at the end of the show for fashion house Versace during the Women’s Spring/Summer 2018 fashion shows in Milan, on September 22
In this picture taken on February 18, 2017, worshippers wait for the priest to throw the sacred batons during the annual Naked Man Festival or ‘Hadaka Matsuri’ at Saidaiji Temple in Okayama, western Japan. With only a skimpy loincloth to protect their modesty, thousands of men brave freezing temperatures to fight for lucky charms thrown by a priest at Japan’s annual Naked Man Festival
Men take part in a rehearsal of a mass traditional Saman dance performance in the Gayo Lues highland district in Aceh on Indonesia’s Sumatra island on August 12
Firefighters remove a US flag as flames from the ‘Wall Fire’ close in on a luxury home in Oroville, California on July 8
People watch as competitors pass by during the 2017 Dakar Rally Stage 1 between Asuncion and Resistencia, in Argentina, on January 2
US President-elect Donald Trump boards the elevator after escorting Martin Luther King III to the lobby after meetings at Trump Tower in New York City on January 16
A member of the Iraqi special forces’ Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) holds a sword while guarding a position at Mosul’s university on January 15, 2017, during an ongoing military operation against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists
New York US surfer Balaram Stack wipes out during the 2017 Backdoor Shootout surfing contest at Pipeline on the North shore of Oahu in Hawai on January 13
A picture taken on January 20, 2017, shows a dead body hanging from an electricity post in eastern Mosul during an ongoing military operation against Islamic State
US President Donald Trump takes the cap off a pen to sign an executive order to start the Mexico border wall project at the Department of Homeland Security facility in Washington, DC, on January 25
Tents set up for the participants in the Campus Party Brazil, a technological event that reaches its tenth edition, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on February 1
Palestinians run for cover as smoke rises following an Israeli air strike on a Hamas post, in the northern Gaza Strip on February 6
Elementary school children play outside of their classrooms as mount Sinabung volcano spews thick volcanic ash as seen from Karo, North Sumatra province, on February 10
This aerial picture taken on February 10, 2017 shows a woman cleaning the village square after firecrackers were set off as part of the ‘beat the Buddha’ celebration in Yuxi village, China
Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) return to the sea after laying their eggs in the sand at Rushikulya Beach, some 140 kilometres (88 miles) south-west of Bhubaneswar, early February 16
A section of the US/Mexico border fence is seen at San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora state, on February 15, 2017 in northwestern Mexico
In a photo taken on February 15, 2017 swimmers perform in a synchronized swimming gala event in Pyongyang. The gala was part of a series of events being held to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il
This picture taken on February 16, 2017 in Fangshan village in China’s coastal province Fujians, shows Zheng Yinquan performing the ‘eating flowers’ ritual. Villagers in eastern China have a unique way of washing away the taint of evil spirits — by bathing in a shower of scorching sparks
A young Syrian man carries a wounded child following reported government airstrike on the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus, on February 25
Kellyanne Conway takes a photo as US President Donald Trump and leaders of historically black universities and colleges talk before a group photo in the Oval Office of the White House before a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence on February 27
A Syrian man waters herbs on the roof of his damaged building in the Syrian rebel-held town of Arbin, in the eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on March 3
An Iraqi woman lies on the ground as civilians flee Mosul while Iraqi forces advance inside the city during fighting against Islamic State group’s fighters on March 8
A Syrian man drives a home-made toy car in the rebel-held town of Beit Naim, in the eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, on March 7
President Donald Trump participates in a roundtable with women small business owners at the White House in Washington, DC, March 27
Mohammed Mohiedin Anis, or Abu Omar, 70, smokes his pipe as he sits in his destroyed bedroom listening to music on his vinyl player, gramophone, in Aleppo’s formerly rebel-held al-Shaar neighbourhood
Donald Trump sits in the drivers seat of a semi-truck as he welcomes truckers and CEOs to the White House in Washington DC, March 23
A picture taken on April 3, 2017, shows a man walking amidst wrecked vehicles, some had been previously used as barricades, piled in a junkyard in Western Mosul
A relocated rhino charges a Nepalese forestry and technical team after being released as part of a relocation project in Shuklaphanta National Park, some 510 kms from Kathmandu on April 4
Korean People’s Army (KPA) soldiers watch a military parade marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung, in Pyongyang on April 15
Two suspected men sit restrained in a Humvee, awaiting to be interogated on the front line in west Mosul on 21 April
French presidential election candidate for the En Marche ! movement Emmanuel Macron (R) and his wife Brigitte Trogneux pose for the photograph, on April 22, 2017, in Le Touquet, northern France, on the eve of the first round of presidential election
Relatives mourn the death of a family member due to the cholera crisis at the temporary hospital in Mingkaman, a camp for the Internally displaced people (IDPs) on April 26, 2017, in the Eastern Lakes States
French CRS anti-riot police officers are engulfed in flames as they face protesters during a march for the annual May Day workers’ rally in Paris on May 1
French president-elect Emmanuel Macron arrives to deliver a speech at the Pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris on May 7, 2017, after the second round of the French presidential election
This photo taken on March 7, 2017, shows the dead body of Valien Mendoza, a suspected drug dealer, gunned down by unidentified assailants in Manila
Iraqi children sit amidst the rubble of a street in Mosul’s Nablus neighbourhood infront of a billboard bearing the logo of the Islamic State (IS) group on March 12
A demonstrator catches fire during clashes with riot police within a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas on May 3
A Humvee passes over the body of a jihadist in west Mosul on March 10, 2017 as Iraqi forces advance in the city in the ongoing battle to seize it from the jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) group
A recently painted mural by British graffiti artist Banksy, depicting a workman chipping away at one of the stars on a European Union (EU) themed flag, is pictured in Dover, south east England on May 8
A Venezuelan opposition activist receives assistance during a rally against the government of President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, on May 18
A man watches the race at Ace Speedway in Alamance County on May 19, 2017 in Altamahaw, North Carolina
ndian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan arrives on May 19, 2017 for the screening of the film ‘Okja’ at the 70th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France
Opposition activists clash with riot police during a protest against the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on May 20
US film producer Harvey Weinstein poses during a photocall as he arrives to attend the De Grisogono Party on the sidelines of the 70th Cannes Film Festival, at the Cap-Eden-Roc hotel in Antibes, near Cannes, southeastern France, on May 23
Venezuelan opposition activists attempt to defilade behind a wall from a National Guard riot policeman shooting rubber bullets at them during clashes in Caracas on May 31
This picture taken on May 29, 2017 shows a man in an excavator digging in the debris of partially demolished houses at the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute in Sertar county in southwest China’s Sichuan province
An opposition activist hides behind a shield during clashes with riot police in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 7
Ousted FBI director James Comey is sworn in during a hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Capitol Hill June 8
Donald Trump pauses during a press conference with Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis in the Rose Garden of the White House June 9, 2017 in Washington
In this picture taken late on June 13, 2017, physiotherapist Masayuki Ozaki takes a bath with his silicone sex doll Mayu at a love hotel in Yachimata
Illegal immigrants are seen at a detention centre in Zawiyah, 45 kilometres west of the Libyan capital Tripoli, on June 17
A wildfire is reflected in a stream at Penela, Coimbra, central Portugal, on June 18
A policeman stands by a dead body of a victim of a wildfire in Pedrogao, on June 18
Iraqis flee from the Old City of Mosul on June 20, 2017, during the ongoing offensive by Iraqi forces to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State
A road meanders amongst burnt forest areas affected by a wildfire in Vale do Cambra, some 30 km to Pedrograo Grande, on June 20, 2017. The huge forest fire that erupted on June 17, 2017 in central Portugal killed at least 64 people and injured 135 more
Devotees wear costumes made of banana leaves as they head to church to attend mass as part of a religious festival, in honor of St. John the Baptist, also known locally as the ‘mud people’ festival, in Aliaga town, Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila, on June 24
A Libyan coast guardsman stands on a boat during the rescue of 147 illegal immigrants attempting to reach Europe off the coastal town of Zawiyah, 45 kilometres west of the capital Tripoli, on June 27
A picture taken on July 4, 2017 shows a replica of the Eiffel Tower as part of the set for the Chanel 2017-2018 fall/winter Haute Couture collection at the Grand Palais in Paris
An Iraqi woman, carrying an infant, walks by the destroyed Al-Nuri Mosque as she flees from the Old City of Mosul on July 5
A man on his bike looks at a masked protester throwning a stone at riot police using water cannon on July 7
A picture taken on July 9, 2017, shows a general view of the destruction in Mosul’s Old City
Police man a security cordon as a huge fire engulfs the Grenfell Tower early June 14
This picture taken with an underwater camera shows Italy’s Linda Cerruti and Italy’s Costanza Ferro competing in the Women Duet technical final during the synchronised swimming competition at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, on July 16
An air tanker drops fire retardant on flames as firefighters continue to battle against the Detwiler fire in Mariposa, California on July 19
Italy’s Eugenio Amos and his co-driver Sebastien Delaunay of France ride over sand dunes while competing during the Stage 12 of the Silk Way 2017 between Jiayuguan and Alxa Youqi, China on July 20
Riot police arrest an opposition activists during clashes following a march towards the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) in an offensive against President Maduro and his call for Constituent Assembly in Caracas on July 22
In this photo taken on July 29, 2017, people walk up stairs before a propaganda poster showing Korean People’s Army (KPA) soldiers at a museum in Sinchon, south of Pyongyang
People enjoy the beach as they look at a forest fire in La Croix-Valmer, near Saint-Tropez, on July 25
Students clean the steps in front of the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il at Mansu hill as the country marks ‘Victory Day’ in Pyongyang on July 27
US athlete Justin Gatlin kneels in front of Jamaica’s Usain Bolt after Gatlin won the final of the men’s 100m athletics event at the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium in London on August 5
The mother of a man shot in the head allegedly by Kenyan police uses a blanket to cover her son’s body in an alley of Mathare slum in Nairobi, on August 9
The mother of a man allegedly shot in the head by a Kenya Administration Police officer in Nairobi, on August 9
A propaganda poster is displayed during a rally in support of North Korea’s stance against the US, on Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang on August 9
Monaco’s freediver Pierre Frolla wearing a prototype of an ”Oceanwings’ wetsuit glides through the water on August 13
A woman is received first-aid after a car accident ran into a crowd of protesters in Charlottesville, VA on August 12
People make their way onto an I-610 overpass after being rescued from flooded homes during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey August 27
A lies abandoned after heavy damage when Hurricane Harvey hit Rockport, Texas on August 26
Lights of ultra-trailers competing illuminate the way on September 1
People walk through the flooded waters of Telephone Rd. in Houston on August 27, 2017 as the US fourth city city battles with tropical storm Harvey and resulting floods
A North Korean soldier stands on the bank of the Yalu river near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, in China’s northeast Liaoning province on September 4
A photo taken on September 6, 2017 shows the Hotel Mercure in Marigot, near the Bay of Nettle, on the French Collectivity of Saint Martin, during the passage of Hurricane Irma
oldiers stand guard a few metres away from the Sensacion hotel which collapsed with the powerful earthquake that struck Mexico overnight, in Matias Romero, Oaxaca State, on September 8
This undated picture released from North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 16
Palestinian children do their homeworks during a power cut in an impoverished area in Gaza City, on September 11
The car of Ferrari’s Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen (R) is seen after a crash as Ferrari’s German driver Sebastian Vettel (C) leads during the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix in Singapore on September 17
A picture shows rocks swept by strong waves onto a road in Le Carbet, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria, on September 19
A picture shows rocks swept by strong waves onto a road in Le Carbet, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria, on September 19
Spectators listen to a television news brodcast of a statment by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, before a public television screen outside the central railway station in Pyongyang on September 22
A man rides his bicycle through a damaged road in Toa Alta, west of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on September 24
Rescuers, firefighters, policemen, soldiers and volunteers desperately remove rubble and debris from a flattened building in search of survivors after a powerful quake in Mexico City on September 19
Kadri Gursel kisses his wife after his release from Silivri prison on September 26, 2017 in Istanbul, following a Turkish court order to free the columnist and editorial director of Turkey’s opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet
Dead bodies of Rohingya Muslim refugees lay on the shore of Inani beach, near Cox’s Bazar on September 28, 2017. On September 28
A Rohingya Muslim refugee walks by night after crossing the border from Myanmar, on the Bangladeshi shores of the Naf river in Teknaf on September 29
Protestors hold Spanish flags during a demonstration against independence in Catalonia called by the xenophobic far-right party ‘Platform for Catalonia’ (PXC) in front of the Spanish National Police headquarters in Barcelona, on September 30
A Rohingya refugee girl looks next to newly arrived refugees who fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar in Ukhiya on September 6
A Bangladeshi man helps Rohingya Muslim refugees to disembark from a boat on the Bangladeshi shoreline of the Naf river after crossing the border from Myanmar in Teknaf on September 30
A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) runs to take cover from sniper shots near the central hospital of Raqa on October 1
Solar panel debris is seen scattered in a solar panel field in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Humacao, Puerto Rico on October 2
A man is pulled out of the rubble alive following a quake in Mexico City on September 19
Protester comedian Simon Brodkin (R) gives a piece of paper written as a mock P45 (employee leaving form) to Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May (L) as she was delivering her speech on the final day of the Conservative Party annual conference at the Manchester Central Convention Centre in Manchester, northwest England, on October 4
Boats sail during the 49th Barcolana regatta in the Gulf of Trieste on October 8
Supporters of an independence for Catalonia listen to Catalan president Carles Puigdemont’s speech broadcasted on a television screen at the Arc de Triomf (Triumphal Arch) in Barcelona on October 10
A Syrian woman looks back as civilians gather on the western front after fleeing the centre of Raqa on October 12
Fire damage is seen from the air in the Coffey Park neighborhood October 11
A Somali man reacts next to a dead body on the site where a car bomb exploded at the center of Mogadishu, on October 14
Rojda Felat, a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander, waves her group’s flag at the iconic Al-Naim square in Raqa on October 17
A woman cries as she looks at her house in Raqa on October 20
A Syrian infant suffering from severe malnutrition is seen at a clinic in the rebel-controlled town of Hamouria, in the eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, on October 21
A woman on a bike gestures with her middle finger as a motorcade with US President Donald Trump departs Trump National Golf Course October 28
Mourners pray for the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej during the procession transferring the relics and his ashes from the Grand Palace to a local temple in Bangkok on October 29
Supporters of National Super Alliance (NASA) presidential candidate Raila Odinga react after the result of re-elections as the incumbent President declared his victory in Kisumu, on October 30
A crowd releases lanterns into the air as they celebrate the Yee Peng festival, also known as the festival of lights, in Chiang Mai on November 3
A man believed to be Carles Puigdemont gestures inside the public prosecutor’s office in Brussels, on November 5
A migrant tries to board a boat of the German NGO Sea-Watch in the Mediterranean Sea on November 6
Emirati visitors look at exhibits during the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum on November 11
People hold Catalan pro-independence Estelada flags during a demonstration in Barcelona on November 11
A protester brandishing a machete and a knife prepares to take cover from incoming tear gas canisters during clashes with police forces in Kibera, Nairobi, on October 26
Italy’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualification football match between Italy and Sweden, on November 13
An Iranian man rests as he lies atop salvaged mattresses and items outside damaged buildings in the town of Sarpol-e Zahab in the western Kermanshah province near the border with Iraq, on November 14
Young women walk past an armoured personnel carrier that stations by an intersection as Zimbabwean soldiers regulate traffic in Harare on November 15
A man looks at a television set broadcasting a state address by Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe in Mbare, Harare on November 19
A Zimbabwean soldier sitting in tank gestures as people greet and celebrate after the resignation of President Mugabe in Harare on November 21
Zimbabwe’s members of parliament celebrate after Mugabe’s resignation on November 21
People remove, from the wall at the International Conference centre, where parliament had their sitting, the portrait of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe after his resignation on November 21
Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian striker Neymar celebrates his second goal during the UEFA Champions League Group B football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Glasgow Celtic at Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris on November 22
Migrants stand in line for food distributed by volunteers outside of derelict warehouses which they use as a makeshift shelter in Belgrade on January 11