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Pictures of the Month
July 2020
With the 'Pictures of the Month' epa offers you a selection of its professionally edited service. The curated photo selection highlights the most important topics of this month and brings together some of epa's most eye catching and visually appealing images selected by our Editors.
The photo selection spans all image categories ranging from economy, business and finance through to human interest, sports, arts, culture and entertainment. Thus, offering a comprehensive retrospective for each month.
This month's coverage included these topics:
- News:
e.g. Coronavirus / Covid-19, Hong Kong Legislative Council elections primaries, Russia constitutional reforms / Anti-Putin protests, Israel anti-government protests, Syria election, Poland presidential elections, China US-consulate closure, German EU Presidency starts, EU economic recovery package, Bulgaria anti-corruption protest, USA Portland protests, Black Lives Matter demonstrations, UK Edward Colston statue replaced, Malaysia Najib Razak trial verdict, Myanmar jade mine accident, Hurricane Hanna, Japan floods, Botswana mysterious elephants death, death of John Lewis, Turkey Hagia Sophia becomes mosque, Eid Al-Adha. - Sports:
e.g. FC Liverpool Premier League Champion Title Celebration, NFL Washington Redskins consider name change, Bett1ACES Tennis Tournament, Netherlands inline skating training. - Arts, Culture and Entertainment:
e.g. death of Ennio Morricone, Louvre reopening, Mexico Zoo reopening, Hipporehabilitation horse for touch therapy.

An image made with a drone shows a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, USA, 03 July 2020. While other Confederate statues along Monument Avenue are coming down, a lawsuit is protecting the Lee statue from being removed. EPA-EFE/JIM LO SCALZO

Visitors wearing protective face masks line up to see Leonardo da Vinci's painting La Gioconda (Mona Lisa), at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, 06 July 2020. After a nearly four-months closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Louvre Museum reopens to public. EPA-EFE/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

Visitors wearing protective face masks take photographs in front of Leonardo da Vinci's painting La Gioconda (Mona Lisa), at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, 06 July 2020. After a nearly four-months closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Louvre Museum reopens to public. EPA-EFE/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

A graffiti mural, created by the artist Harrygrebdesign, depicts late Italian composer and conductor Ennio Morricone in the Trastevere district of Rome, Italy, 06 July 2020. The Oscar winner died in the night in a Roman clinic, for the consequences of a fall. The musician and composer, author of famous soundtracks of Italian and world cinema, was 91 years old. A few days ago he suffered a broken femur. EPA-EFE/FABIO FRUSTACI

An image made with a drone shows workers removing a statue of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart from Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, USA, 07 July 2020. The statue is the third memorializing the city’s former role as the capital of the Confederacy to be removed in this month. EPA-EFE/JIM LO SCALZO

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a statement ahead of a meeting and a plenary session at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, 08 July 2020. Germany is, since July 1, at the head of the rotating presidency of the EU. EPA-EFE/STEPHANIE LECOCQ

An image made with a drone shows a mural of Breonna Taylor, who was killed in her own apartment by Louisville, Kentucky police officers, on two basketball courts in Annapolis, Maryland, USA, 08 July 2020. Taylor was shot at least eight times on 13 March as police, executing a so-called no-knock warrant, forcibly entered her apartment on a narcotics raid. No drugs were found. EPA-EFE/JIM LO SCALZO

European Council President Charles Michel speaks during a press conference to present his new proposal for the MFF (Multiannual financial framework) and the recovery package at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, 10 July 2020. EPA-EFE/KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / POOL

An image made with a drone shows the Washington Redskins logo on a football field at Redskins Park, one of the team's training facilities in Ashburn, Virginia, USA, 10 July 2020. On 03 July, the Redskins announced they are 'reviewing' the team name, which is a dictionary-defined racial slur for Native Americans. EPA-EFE/JIM LO SCALZO

Bulgarians shout slogans and hold the national flag during a protest in front of the Council of Ministers in Sofia, Bulgaria, 11 July 2020. Thousands of Bulgarians gathered in downtown Sofia for another day in support of President Rumen Radev, who called for "cleansing of power confiscated by the mafia." The Prosecutor's office took over the presidency on 08 July 2020 searching the offices of the president's secretary for legal affairs and anti-corruption Plamen Uzunov and security and defense consultant Iliya Milushev, after which the two were arrested and charged with crimes to limit influence, among others, which led to protests in support of the president. EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV

Incumbent President Andrzej Duda (C) with his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda (L) and daughter Kinga Duda (R) gives statement after initial exit polls in Polish Presidential elections in Pultusk, Poland, 12 July 2020. According to initiall exit polls, Polish President Andrzej Duda has won percent 50.4 percent of votes and Civic Coalition candidate and Mayor of Warsaw Rafal Trzaskowski has won 49.6 percent of votes in the second round of presidential elections in Poland. EPA-EFE/LESZEK SZYMANSKI POLAND OUT

Protester Jen Reid with a raised fist poses in front of a depiction of herself, the statue 'A Surge of Power (Jen Reid)' by British artist Marc Quinn, which stands on the vacant plinth where a statue of Edward Colston stood, in Bristol, Britain, 15 July 2020. Marc Quinn erected a statue of a black female protester, who had climbed up on the pedestal and stood there with her arm raised, after Colston's statue was torn down in response to the killing of unarmed George Floyd whilst in the custody of US police. EPA-EFE/NEIL HALL

Empty graves in the Muslim quarter of the Westpark Cemetery, after the health authorities ordered more graves to be dug in preparation for an expected surge in coronavirus related deaths, in Johannesburg, South Africa, 15 July 2020. According to reports, South African authorities are expecting an increase in the numbers of coronavirus infections, which would result in a shortage of graves through out the country. EPA-EFE/KIM LUDBROOK

The President-elect of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, speaks after receiving from the Central Electoral Board (JCE) the certificate that accredits him as the winner of the presidential elections of 05 July, during an act in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 15 July 2020. Abinader, from the opposition Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) and who won the elections with 52.52% of the votes, according to the final results, will assume power on 16 August in what would be the first change of government in the country since 2004. EPA-EFE/Orlando Barria

The 16 winners of the democratic primaries pose for photographers in Hong Kong, China, 15 July 2020. More than 600,000 Hongkongers voted to determine who should represent the opposition in the 06 September Legislative Council elections. EPA-EFE/JEROME FAVRE

Jannik Sinner of Italy in action against Karen Khachanov of Russia during their semi final match of the bett1ACES tennis tournament held at Hanger 6 of the inoperative Tempelhofer airport, in Berlin, Germany, 17 July 2020. The second part of the exhibition tournament will be played on a hard surface, in an airport hanger converted to a small tennis stadium and will be held under strict hygiene restrictions made to cope with the spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 which causes the COVID-19 disease. EPA-EFE/OMER MESSINGER

People gather at a large mural of Civil Rights leader and Democratic Representative from Georgia John Lewis along historic Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 18 July 2020. Lewis died at age 80 on 17 July 2020 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2019. He was the youngest leader in the March on Washington of 1963. EPA-EFE/ERIK S. LESSER

People protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside his residence in Jerusalem, Israel, 18 July 2020. Netanyahu faces an ongoing trail after the State Attorney's Office indicted him on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust. EPA-EFE/ABIR SULTAN

Police use a water cannon to disperse protesters blocking a road during a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside his residence in Jerusalem, Israel, 18 July 2020. Netanyahu faces an ongoing trail after the State Attorney's Office indicted him on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust. EPA-EFE/ABIR SULTAN

Artist Tim Guider works on a mural titled 'The subtle violence of social silence', highlighting indigenous Australian deaths in custody, at Redfern in Sydney, Australia, 19 July 2020. EPA-EFE/JOEL CARRETT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT

The Comet NEOWISE or C/2020 F3 is seen after sunset passing over the Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA, 19 July 2020 (issued 20 July 2020). The comet passed closest to the Sun on 03 July and its closest approach to Earth will occur on 23 July. EPA-EFE/ETIENNE LAURENT

A formation of six Romanian school jet-fighters IAR 99 Hawk, lead by a military transport aircraft C-27J Spartan, belonging to the Romanian Air Force, fly over the Statue of Air Heroes, during the Aviation and Air Force Day in Bucharest, Romania, 20 July 2020. The Romanian Aviation and Air Force Day is celebrated every year on 20 July, when the Holy Prophet Elijah, considered the spiritual protector of the pilots, is celebrated by the Romanian orthodox believers. Some 110 years ago, Romanian aviation pioneer Aurel Vlaicu made the first complete flight with an airplane of his own design, over the Romanian territory. EPA-EFE/ROBERT GHEMENT

Honoria (R), a 95-year-old woman, looks out her window as she explains how she has been holding up after more than 120 days of quarantine inside her home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 17 July 2020 (issued 20 July). The effects of living under quarantine and mandatory isolation are being felt by everyone, but the most vulnerable demographic when it comes to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes the pandemic COVID-19 disease is, without a doubt, the elderly population. They must deal with the daily difficulties of shopping and other procedures, in addition to finding ways to stay in touch with their loved ones. EPA-EFE/JUAN IGNACIO RONCORONI

Workers and owners of gyms, beauty saloons, and barbershops demonstrate in front of the Presidential House, to demand that they are allowed to reopen their businesses, in San Jose, Costa Rica, 20 July 2020. EPA-EFE/Jeffrey Arguedas

South Korean workers spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus outbreak at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, South Korea, 21 July 2020.
South Korea reopen the national cultural facilities in the metropolitan area, including museums, art centers and libraries, which have been shut down for months due to the coronavirus and COVID-19 disease pandemic. EPA-EFE/JEON HEON-KYUN

People observe a Polar Bear during the reopening to the public of the Guadalajara Zoo, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, 20 July 2020. The Guadalajara zoo reopened its doors to the public after being closed for four months due to the coronavirus pandemic. EPA-EFE/Francisco Guasco

European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen (L) and European Council President Charles Michel (R) give a elbow shot at the end of a news conference following a four day European summit at the European Council in Brussels, Belgium, 21 July 2020. European Union nations leaders meet face-to-face for a fourth day to discuss plans to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and a new long-term EU budget. EPA-EFE/STEPHANIE LECOCQ / POOL

A hipporehabilitation horse for touch therapy bends its head to a patient in the garden at Karel Boromejsky Sisters of Charity Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic, 21 July 2020. Special trained horses for this touch therapy from citizens' association for hippotherapy Caballinus regularly visit patients in follow-up and palliative care at the Prague's Karel Boromejsky Sisters of Charity Hospital since March 2020. According to medical staff, horse touch therapy significantly improves the mental state of these patients thanks to emotions, experiences and activation, and this hospital is the only one in the country to offer it. EPA-EFE/MARTIN DIVISEK

The head of the Higher Judicial Committee for Elections, Judge Samer Zumriq, speaks at the Justice Ministry in Damascus, Syria, 21 July 2020. Zumriq announced the names of the candidates who won seats at the People’s Assembly in the 19 July parliamentary elections. He said that elections were re-conducted in Aleppo and its countryside and in Deir Ezzour due to an increase in the electoral papers. EPA-EFE/YOUSSEF BADAWI

Participants in action during an inline skating training session at the Circuit Zandvoort in Zandvoort, The Netherlands, 21 July 2020. The skaters are preparing for the upcoming national championships of the 100-meter sprint and marathon events scheduled for 29 August. EPA-EFE/KOEN VAN WEEL

A nurse in hazmat suit, weights a baby at a vaccine house in Depok, Indonesia, 16 June 2020.
(issued 22 July 2020) The country reported its first case of COVID-19 on Mar. 2, about a month and a half after the first case outside of China was reported in Thailand on Jan. 13. Now it has the most infections in all of Southeast Asia with over 89,869 confirmed cases and more than 4,320 deaths. It is believed that more than 200 Indonesian children have died due to the infectious disease. At least 1,543 children have tested positive for COVID-19 and 36 have died, while 204 out of more than 6,000 under surveillance (suspected cases) have died, the Jakarta Post reported, citing Indonesian Pediatric Society data from June 25. EPA-EFE/ADI WEDA

Children from the Vicente Tiago family of 30 people who fled the armed attacks in Muidumbe, Cabo Delgado, and took refuge in a small precarious house in Chiuba, Pemba City, Cabo Delgado province, Mozambique, 21 July 2020 (issued 22 July 2020). It is one of thousands of families in need of food aid in the humanitarian crisis affecting the northern province of Mozambique. EPA-EFE/RICARDO FRANCO

A photo taken with a drone shows post-industrial areas and a pond covered with duckweed, near Rudoltowice, south Poland, 22 July 2020. EPA-EFE/Andrzej Grygiel POLAND OUT

Liverpool supporters react outside Anfield stadium in Liverpool, Britain, 22 July 2020. Liverpool have been crowned champions of the Premier League for the first time in three decades. The Liverpudlian club led by German manager Juergen Klopp has won the English top league top title. EPA-EFE/JON SUPER

People perform the first Friday prayer during the official opening ceremony of Hagia Sophia as a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, 24 July 2020. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the first Friday prayers. Turkey's highest administration court on 10 July ruled that the museum that was once a mosque built in a Cathedral would be turned into a mosque again by annulling its status as museum. EPA-EFE/TOLGA BOZOGLU

Black Lives Matter protesters in downtown Portland, Oregon, USA, 25 July 2020. Several thousand Black Lives Matter protesters against racism and police brutality clashed with local police and federal agents deployed to the city by US President Trump administration. EPA-EFE/DAVID SWANSON

A police officer stands in front of the US Consulate in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China, 26 July 2020. The US Consulate General in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu has been ordered to cease operations as a reciprocate measure to closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston, USA. The decision to close China's consulate general in Houston was made to protect American intellectual property and the private information of its citizens, said US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus. EPA-EFE/Alex Plavevski

A protester named Lorissa interacts with a police officer as she is arrested during clashes between police and protesters in front the Federal Court House during a Black Lives Matter and Anti Fascist protest in Los Angeles, California, USA, 25 July 2020. Hundreds of Black Lives Matter protested against racism and police brutality and in support of the Portland's demonstrations. EPA-EFE/ETIENNE LAURENT

People perform the noon prayer at the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, 26 July 2020. Hagia Sophia officially opened as a mosque on 24 July after Turkey's highest administrative court on 10 July ruled that the museum that was once a mosque built in a Cathedral would be turned into a mosque again by annulling its status as museum. EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN

An opposition activist wearing a face mask that reads 'NO! NO! NO!' as she collects signatures under a collective lawsuit to court with a demand to cancel the results of the vote on amendments to the Russian Constitution in the Pushkinskaya square in Moscow, Russia, 26 July 2020. The nationwide vote on approval of changes to the Russian Constitution lasted for seven days from 25 June until 01 July to avoid crowding amid ongoing pandemic COVID-19 disease in Russia. Some amendments to the Russian Constitution will allow President Vladimir Putin to potentially stay in power until 2036. EPA-EFE/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

A man attempts to remove plate in front of the US consulate in Chengdu, Sichuan province capitol, China, 26 July 2020. The US Consulate General in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu has been ordered to cease operations as a reciprocate measure to closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston, USA. The decision to close China's consulate general in Houston was made to protect American intellectual property and the private information of its citizens, said US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus. EPA-EFE/ALEX PLAVEVSKI

The casket of US Representative from Georgia John Lewis arrives during a ceremony preceding the lying in state in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 27 July 2020. John Lewis will lie in state at the Capitol for two days before being laid to rest in Atlanta, Georgia. Lewis died at age 80 on 17 July 2020 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2019. John Lewis was the youngest leader in the March on Washington in 1963. EPA-EFE/SHAWN THEW / POOL

Ukrainians burn smoke grenades during their rally in front of the Presidential office in Kiev, Ukraine, 27 July 2020. They protest is against an agreed new, full ceasefire, and no possibility for Ukrainian forces to shoot in response in the eastern Ukrainian conflict zone. A new ceasefire regime, which was agreed upon by the Trilateral Contact Group during Minsk peace talks on 22 July 2020 began to operate in Donbas at 00:01 Kyiv time on 27 July 2020. Senior military officers and President Zelensky say the new truce does not mean that the Ukrainian military will not be able to return fire in response to enemy attacks, as local media report. EPA-EFE/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and Jill Biden pay their respects to US Representative from Georgia John Lewis following a memorial service in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 27 July 2020. John Lewis will lie in state at the Capitol for two days before being laid to rest in Atlanta, Georgia. Lewis died at age 80 on 17 July 2020 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2019. John Lewis was the youngest leader in the March on Washington in 1963. EPA-EFE/SHAWN THEW / POOL

Ducks rest on a street destroyed by hurricane Hanna in Monterrey, Mexico, 27 July 2020. Hurricane Hanna, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, weakend this Monday to a tropical depression after leaving at least four dead, six missing and severe floods in the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and Coahuila. EPA-EFE/Andres Landa

A dog sits in a plastic tub filled with water in Taipei, Taiwan, 28 July 2020. Betel nut seller Mr Luo, the dog's owner, said he puts his dog, a 12-year-old mixed breed called Ah Dai (Stupid), in a plastic tub filled with water whenever the weather gets hot. Ah Dai enjoys the bath and can sit in the basin for hours, according to Mr Luo. Luo has a dozen pairs of glasses for Ah Dai, so the dog wears different glasses every day and many tourists take photos of Ah Dai. EPA-EFE/DAVID CHANG

A blacksmith sharpens knives to slaughter sacrificial animals ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha in Karachi, Pakistan, 28 July 2020. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year; it marks the yearly Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) to visit Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts, one for the family, one for friends and relatives, and one for the poor and needy. EPA-EFE/SHAHZAIB AKBER

Members of the press surround former Malaysia prime minister Najib Razak (C) as he speaks before leaving the Kuala Lumpur High Court complex in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 28 July 2020. Najib, who claimed his innocence over charges thrown at him in connection with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, was found guilty of all seven charges and sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined 49 million US dollars. EPA-EFE/FAZRY ISMAIL

Former Malaysia prime minister Najib Razak (C) reacts before leaving the Kuala Lumpur High Court complex in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 28 July 2020. Najib, who claimed his innocence over charges thrown at him in connection with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, was found guilty of all seven charges and sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined 49 million US dollars. EPA-EFE/FAZRY ISMAIL

Protesters wave Bulgarian flags during an anti-government protest in front of Parliament in Sofia, Bulgaria, 29 July 2020. Thousands have gathered at the anti-government protest demanding the resignation of the populist Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev accused of having ties to oligarchs and serving the interest of the mafia, not the citizens, according to media reports. The protesters are demanding the withdrawal of the entire government, which they consider corrupt and demand new early elections. EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV

Veterans form a line or 'wall' to protect the Black Lives Matter protesters demonstrating against racism and police brutality next to the Justice Center in downtown Portland, Oregon, USA, 31 July 2020. EPA-EFE/ETIENNE LAURENT

A woman holds a poster reading 'Boycott Putin's amendments' as she protests against amendments to the Constitution of Russia on Dvortsovaya Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia, 01 July 2020, as Russians vote in the main day of a ballot on constitutional reforms allowing President Putin to potentially stay in power until 2036. EPA-EFE/ANATOLY MALTSEV

Friends and relatives gather near the bodies of victims after a landslide at a jade mining site in Hpakant, Kachin State, Myanmar, 02 July 2020. According to media reports, search and rescue efforts are ongoing after a landslide at a jade mining site was triggered by heavy rain. At least 126 bodies have been found, media added. EPA-EFE/ZAW MOE HTET

Aerial view of the carcass of one of the approximately 350 elephants that have been found dead for unknown reasons in the Okavango Delta area, near the town of Maun, northern Botswana, 03 July 2020. This unprecedented death toll for the pachyderms does not appear to be related to poaching, as their coveted ivory tusks are still attached to the corpses. Authorities are performing various tests to determine the cause of death. EPA-EFE/STR