Beshara: The most captivating photos of 2023

This year's selection includes a playground in China, a football match in a river and a newborn rhino

Players of Morocco celebrate their win after the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 soccer match between Morocco and Colombia at Perth Rectangular Stadium in Perth, Australia. EPA

A playground in China's south-western Chongqing municipality. AFP

The annual football match in the River Windrush, in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, south-western England. Reuters

A woman poses in the installation 'Hole in home' by German artist Ferdinand Spindel during a preview of the exhibition titled 'Immersion. The Origins: 1949-1969' in Lausanne, Switzerland. EPA

A newborn Sumatran rhino at Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia. The calf is a welcome addition to a species that currently numbers fewer than 50 animals. AP

Kuwait City's al-Hamra tower in heavy fog last week. AFP

Pandas at a zoo in Chongqing municipality, China. AFP

German surfer Sebastian Steudtner rides a big wave at Praia do Norte, in Nazare, Portugal. EPA

Six puppies try wet kibble for the first time at the Barry Foundation St Bernard breeding kennels in Martigny, Switzerland, following their birth on August 28. Reuters

Chelsea Pensioner Arthur Teasdale, 93, on the day of the National Service of Remembrance, in Whitehall, London. Reuters

A composite photo made up of 356 images shows circumpolar stars during a meteor shower, taken from a village in Cantabria, northern Spain. EPA

Swati maidens gather for the 2023 Umhlanga Reed Dance ceremony, at the Mbangweni Royal Residence, Eswatini. AFP

Artificially coloured chicks for sale on a street in Beirut. AP

Children play football at a dockyard in Dhaka. Reuters

Competitors dressed as Barbie and Ken at the World Bog Snorkelling Championships, at Waen Rhydd peat bog, Llanwrtyd Wells, Mid Wales. AFP

Restorer Eleonora Pucci cleans dusts Michelangelo's statue of David at the Galleria dell'Accademia, in Florence, Italy. Reuters

The Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race at the Goodwood Revival car racing festival in Chichester, Britain. Reuters

Lance Bombardier Heather Stark nuzzles Reggie in Woolwich, East London ahead of the the London International Horse Show. AFP

A surfer dives off his board while surfing at sunset in Encinitas, California. Reuters

A young demonstrator at a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right coalition government's judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv. Reuters

A blue supermoon rises behind the Temple of Poseidon, in Cape Sounion, near Athens. Reuters

More from The National:

Planting the seeds of change: How UAE rulers fuelled mangrove growth in the 90s

The 15 breakout Arab filmmakers of 2024

UAE space centre launches research programme for university students

How to save more money in 2024: 10 strategies to adopt