Each week the picture editors at The Independent sort through hundreds of thousands images sent into us by photography agencies from all around the world.
These are some of the most eye-catching and the most striking images from culture, news, politics, sport and lifestyle.
You can also keep up with the latest photography making headlines via our Instagram.
A green man at the Beltane ceremony at Chalice Well, Glastonbury, Somerset, where Beltane is celebrated at sunrise and throughout the day.
Teacher members of the National Education Union (NEU) at a rally in Westminster, London, as they stage walkouts across England in an ongoing dispute over pay.
US rapper Doja Cat arrives for the 2023 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
An employee takes a sample at blast furnace 8 at the Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe in Duisburg, western Germany.
Protesters dressed as clowns pose in front of French police in riot gear as they take part in a demonstration on May Day (Labour Day), to mark the international day of the workers, more than a month after the government pushed an unpopular pensions reform act through parliament, in Lille, northern France.
Principal of an elementary school runs away as a black bear jumps out from the dumpster, in Summersville, West Virginia, US.
A truck burns after opposition protesters set fire to it after failing to open the container it was transporting, during clashes in the Kibera slum of the capital Nairobi, Kenya.
Chris Packham at the Royal Courts of Justice, London, for his libel trial over alleged tiger-related fraud to begin. The environmentalist is bringing a High Court libel claim over articles which he says falsely alleged he misled the public into donating to a wildlife charity to rescue "broken" tigers from circuses.
A woman holds bread from humanitarian aid in front of her house in Siversk, Donetsk region.
Indigenous activist Txai Surui speaks during the first day of the Web Summit Rio 2023 at the RioCentro Expo Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
US actor Jared Leto arrives for the 2023 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Lucha Libre wrestlers perform during the Lucha VaVoom spectacle 'Cinco de Mayan' at The Mayan theater in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Labour party leader Sir Keir Starmer holds 5 month old baby Hazel as he speaks to supporters alongside newly elected Labour Councillor Vince Maple, Chatham Central, on Chatham Pier.
Gardeners inspect the wisteria sinensis in bloom on the facade of Jesus College at the University of Cambridge.
A member of the military marches on The Mall, in central London, early Wednesday, May 3, 2023, during a rehearsal for the Coronation of King Charles III which will take place at Westminster Abbey.
People search for items to sell at the Alue Liem landfill in Lhokseumawe.
Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey pulls a pint of 'Return of the King' in the George Inn pub during a visit to Windsor, Berkshire, where the Conservatives lost control of Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead council in the local elections.
Bollywood actor and animal rights activist Dia Mirza interacts with school children during the launch of 'Ellie', a life-size animatronic elephant part of a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) nonprofit organization campaign, in Mumbai.
Royal fans dressed with different Union Jack-coloured items pose for pictures along the procession route, on The Mall, near to Buckingham Palace in central London.
A star devouring one of its planets as astronomers, using the Gemini South telescope in Chile, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, have observed the first compelling evidence of a dying Sun-like star engulfing an exoplanet.
