Today's best photos: from the Melbourne Cup to a wandering rhino

'The National' selects the most striking pictures from around the world

TOPSHOT - This aerial photo taken on November 17, 2021 shows newly-produced cars lined up surrounded by recent snow at a BMW factory in Shenyang in China's northeastern Liaoning province. (Photo by AFP) / China OUT

How does your garden glow?

The opening of the spectacular Dubai Garden at Zabeel Park.

Back in the saddle

Jockeys Declan McDonogh, Mark Enright and Dylan Browne McMonagle ride at the annual one-day Laytown races, held on the beach under official horse racing turf club rules, which has returned after being cancelled for the past two years due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Multi-coloured bus park

Tour buses sit idle in a parking lot in Hong Kong, as strict Covid-19 measures keep tourists away from the city.

Dubai Expo 2020

Musicians perform under the vast slanted video wall of the Saudi Arabia pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants businesses, their employees and their families to move to the kingdom. The once ultraconservative capital, Riyadh, now offers a lifestyle where concerts, cinemas, world-class sporting events and deal-making are in abundance. The Expo pavilion represents part of the charm offensive.

Pyramid skydiving

Skydivers drop down over the Great Pyramids during the Egypt Air Sports Festival in Giza, which attracted dozens of international participants.

Above the clouds

The Lakhta Centre business tower, which is under construction, at sunrise in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

St Thomas Becket Church

St Thomas Becket Church bathed in morning sunshine in Fairfield in Kent, south-east England. It dates back to the late 12th century and sits isolated in a field cut through with dykes.

The Melbourne Cup

James McDonald riding Verry Elleegant has that winning feeling on Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington Racecourse the Australia city.