"Mashed potatoes may not be the first dish one associates with a top chef," writes Gersende Rambourg, who had covered gastronomy for three years for AFP.

"But in a way, the fact that Joel Robuchon, the celebrated French chef who died last week, had perfected such simple fare reflected who he was -- down to earth, accessible, an artist and lover of his craft who could make your mouth water with a description of a roast chicken."

"When wildfires began devouring the coastal resort of Mati in July, eventually killing 91 people in the deadliest fire in Greece's history, I was among the first journalists on the scene," writes Angelos Tzortzinis, a photographer based in Athens.

"I am no stranger to death and suffering -- in my line of work I have covered war and the migrant crisis and have seen my share of human misery. But the deadly blaze became the most traumatic assignment of my career."