Receiving the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award this year are Chinese-Japanese artist couple RongRong & inri, who are based between Beijing and Kyoto, straddling two dynamic contemporary photography scenes.

Photography artist Rıza Erdeğirmenci traveled around Turkey for two years for his latest book ‘Lokanta.' He spent days at tradesmen restaurants and observed culinary culture. [...] Erdeğirmenci believes that food is where our culture shows. 

Norbert Baksa, a Hungary-based photographer, said the images were designed to raise awareness of the situation. [...] But his latest shoot, named “Der Migrant”, hasn’t received much acclaim, with many criticizing him for glamorizing the refugee crisis.

“[G]lobal media plays a very important role in international relations. Media targeting a foreign audience are a vital part of a country’s public diplomacy infrastructure, since they contribute to showcasing the country’s culture and traditions and help to channel its policies with the outside world,” Idrissov said. 

Since its inception in London in 1851, the prestigious exposition has served as a platform for nations to showcase their innovations, fostering cultural exchange between countries. This year, nine internationally renowned photographers were asked to take visitors on a “journey around the world in pictures” to illustrate the Fair’s theme: Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.

Islamic State social media accounts are circulating disturbing and graphic images seemingly showing the executions of gay men, stoning of an alleged adulterer and other public executions. The barbaric acts of violence seem to have occurred in Iraq’s Nineveh province and Mosul.