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2019: The year in photos

Last updated on: January 02, 2020 09:19 IST

We sorted through countless photographs taken around the world to come up with the top images of 2019.

Together these tell the story of the year -- capturing moments of hope and heartbreak, triumph and tragedy.

 

Select one of the categories to get started.

Police remove members of Kerala Students Union, the student wing of the Congress party, as they take part in a protest after two women entered the Sabarimala temple, in Kochi. Photograph: Sivaram V/Reuters

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar (the last time he was seen in public before his demise in March) arrives to present the State Budget in the Goa Legislative Assembly, in Panaji on January 30. Photograph: PTI Photo

A view of Sangam at early hours on the auspicious Mauni Amavasya during the Kumbh Mela 2019, in Allahabad (Prayagraj) on February 4. Photograph: PTI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to the martyred CRPF jawans, who lost their lives in the Pulwama terror attack, after their mortal remains were brought at AFS Palam in New Delhi. Photograph:Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo

Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as he is released by Pakistan authorities at the Wagah border on the Pakistani side. Varthaman, who was captured by Pakistan after his jet went down following a strike by an enemy missile. Photograph: PTI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with commuters in the metro train on his way to attend the Gita Aradhana Mahotsav at ISKCON temple, in south Delhi’s East of Kailash. Photograph: PIB/PTI Photo

An EVM awareness team uses the famous double-decker living root bridges to traverse polling stations, at Nongriat in Shillong ahead of the general election. Photograph: PTI Photo

World's shortest woman Jyoti Amge,25, shows her finger marked with indelible ink after casting vote during the first phase of general elections, at a polling station in Nagpur on April 11. Photograph: PTI Photo

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra waves at the supporters during an election campaign roadshow in support of the party candidate Shiv Sharan Kushwaha (to Priyanka's right) for the Lok Sabha elections, in Jhansi. Photograph: PTI Photo

A view of the destruction caused by Cyclone Fani after its landfall, in Puri on May 3. Photograph: PTI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves towards his supporters during a roadshow in Varanasi. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

A medical student during a demonstration protest to show solidarity with their counterparts against the assault in Kolkata, in Bengaluru in June. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

Naval officers and cadets perform yoga on board the decommissioned INS Viraat to mark the 5th International Day of Yoga, at Naval Docks in Mumbai. Photograph: Shirish Shete/PTI Photo

Bolts of lightning flash across the sky during thunderstorm and rain over the suburbs, in Mumbai. Photograph: Neel Geelani/PTI Photo

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his deputy G Parameshwara with other members during the Assembly session at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. The Janata Dal Secular-Congress coalition government faced a trust vote and lost. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

India’s second Moon mission Chandrayaan-2 lifts off onboard GSLV Mk III-M1 launch vehicle from Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on July 22, 2019. ISRO had called off the launch on July 15 after a technical snag was detected ahead of the lift off. Photograph: PTI Photo

Bansuri Swaraj, daughter, and Swaraj Kaushal, husband, of former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, pay tribute to the mortal remains of the latter before being taken for her last rites, in New Delhi on August 7, 2019. Swaraj, 67, passed away on Aug 6, 2019, after a massive cardiac arrest. Photograph: Arun Sharma/PTI Photo

Congress president Sonia Gandhi consoles family members of former finance minister and BJP leader Arun Jaitley as party leader Rahul Gandhi looks on, at Greater Kailash, New Delhi on August 24, 2019. Jaitley passed away at the age of 66, after being admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences recently on complaints of palpitations and restlessness. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

Traffic offenders request policemen after violating traffic rules, at Ring Road in New Delhi. The Motor Vehicles Act seeks to tighten traffic regulations and impose steep penalties for violations of traffic rules. Photograph: Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi consoles Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman Kailasavadivoo Sivan as he got emotional after the Vikram lander connection was lost during soft landing of Chandrayaan 2 on lunar surface, in Bengaluru, on September 7. Photograph: PTI Photo

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh waves as he sits inside the cockpit of a light combat aircraft Tejas before a sortie at HAL airport in Bengaluru. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

A patient leaves from Nalanda Medical College and Hospital following waterlogging after heavy monsoon rains in Patna on September 28,2019. Photograph: PTI Photo

The US-made Apache AH-64E attack helicopter being accorded water salute during its induction ceremony into the Indian Air Force, at Airforce Station, Pathankot in September. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo

Former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand, accused of rape by a law student, is seen outside a government hospital after a medical examination following his arrest by a special team of Uttar Pradesh police, in Shahjahanpur. Photograph: PTI Photo

A girl runs for cover after throwing stones during a protest in Srinagar in October. A delegation of 23 European Union MPs were on a visit to Jammu and Kashmir for a first-hand assessment of the situation in the Valley following the revocation of the states special status under Article 370. Photograph: PTI Photo

A masked Kashmiri man with his head covered with barbed wire attends a protest after Friday prayers during restrictions following the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the government, in Srinagar. Photograph: Danish Ismail/Reuters

An ambulance carrying the Unnao rape survivor, who was set afire earlier, to be air-lifted from Civil Hospital in Lucknow to Delhi, in Lucknow. Photograph: PTI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in Mamallapuram. Xi and Modi held informal summit talks in the coastal town for two days. Photograph: PIB/PTI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses for a selfie with Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan at an event to mark Mahatma Gandhis 150th birth anniversary year, in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo

Nationalist Congress Party leaders Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar during a special session of Maharashtra Assembly, at Vidhan Bhawan in Mumbai. Photograph: PTI Photo

A sadhu celebrates after the Supreme Court's verdict on the disputed religious site in Ayodhya. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray greets his supporters after taking oath as the 18th Chief Minister of Maharashtra, at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. Photograph: PTI Photo

Demonstrators burn tyres during a strike called by All Assam Students’ Union and the North East Students’ Organisation in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, in Guwahati on December 10, 2019.. Photograph: PTI Photo

A bus set ablaze by protesters against the Citizenship Amendment Act at Mathura Road, in New Delhi, in December. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo

Students of Jamia Millia Islamia University stage a protest against the passing of Citizenship Amendment Bill. Photograph: PTI Photo

People watch as fireworks explode over Copacabana beach during New Year celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photograph: Raquel Cunha/Reuters

Mount Anak Krakatau volcano spews hot ash during an eruption, as seen from Indonesian Naval Patrol Boat, KRI Torani 860, at Sunda strait in Lampung, Indonesia. Photograph: Antara Foto/Sigid Kurniawan/Reuters

People are evacuated by a member of security forces at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya. Photograph: Baz Ratner/Reuters

Members of a rescue team react upon returning from the mission, after a tailings dam owned by Brazilian mining company Vale SA collapsed, in Brumadinho, Brazil. Photograph: Washington Alves/Reuters

United States Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker Nancy Pelosi greet US President Donald Trump just ahead of the State of the Union address in the chamber of the US House of Representatives at the US Capitol Building on February 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. Trump's second State of the Union address was postponed one week due to the partial government shutdown. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A Syrian Democratic Forces fighter walks down a empty street amid destruction on February 16, 2019 in As Susah, Syria. Civilians have begun returning to some small towns close to Bagouz that were recently liberated by the US-led coalition and the SDF. Photograph: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

A Palestinian girl cleans the face of her brother outside their destroyed house after an Israeli missile targeted a nearby Hamas site, in Gaza City. Photograph: Mohammed Salem/Reuters

Seventeen-year-old Farhana Islam of Albert Einstein high school in Kensington, Maryland demonstrates with other high school students outside the US Capitol building with the word "ENOUGH" written across her face during a walk out protest over a lack of US federal government action and legislation on gun violence and school shootings in Washington, DC, US. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

Members of the ShieldWall Network, a white nationalist group, burn a swastika and cross during a party outside Atkins, Arkansas, US. Photograph: Jim Urquhart/Reuters

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hugs a mosque-goer at the Kilbirnie Mosque on March 17, 2019 in Wellington, New Zealand. Fifty people are confirmed dead and 36 are injured still in hospital following shooting attacks on two mosques in Christchurch on March 15. The attack is the worst mass shooting in New Zealand's history. Photograph: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

NASA astronaut Anne McClain is seen during a spacewalk at the International Space Station on March 22. Photograph: NASA/Reuters

A family member of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 plane crash victims mourns at the fenced-off accident site during the final mourning day to mark the 40th day in Gara Boka village, near Bishoftu town, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photograph: Tiksa Negeri/Reuters

Julian Assange gestures to the media from a police vehicle on his arrival at Westminster Magistrates court on April 11, 2019 in London, England. After weeks of speculation, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was arrested by Scotland Yard Police Officers inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in Central London. Ecuador's President, Lenin Moreno, withdrew Assange's Asylum after seven years citing repeated violations to international conventions. Photograph: Jack Taylor/Getty Images

Smoke and flames rise from Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. A fire broke out and quickly spread across the building, collapsing the spire. The cause is yet unknown but officials said it was possibly linked to ongoing renovation work. Photograph: Veronique de Viguerie/Getty Images

Kumari Fernando, who lost her husband, Dulip Fernando, and two children, Dulakghi and Vimukthi, during the bombing at St Sebastian's Church, yells towards the graves during a mass burial for victims at a cemetery near the church in Negombo, three days after a string of suicide bomb attacks on churches and luxury hotels across the island on Easter Sunday. Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters

Scientists and volunteers with the Marine Mammal Center and California Academy of Sciences perform a necropsy on a beached grey whale in Tiburon, California. This female grey whale is over 12 metres long. Scientists are studying the causes of death of 7 whales that have washed up on the shores of the San Francisco Bay and along the coast in the past month. It was determined that four of the whales died from malnutrition and three have died from ship strikes. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

British Prime Minister Theresa May reacts as she delivers a statement announcing she would be stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party, in London, Britain. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

A "Baby Trump" balloon floats during an anti-Trump protest in London, Britain. Photograph: Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters

The bodies of Salvadoran migrant Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez and his daughter Valeria lie in the Rio Bravo river in Matamoros, in Tamaulipas state, Mexico. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters

United States President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Panmunjom, South Korea on June 30, 2019. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Protesters break the windows of the Legislative Council building on the anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China in Hong Kong, China on July 1. Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters

Guatemalan migrant Ledy Perez embraces her son Anthony while praying to ask a member of the Mexican National Guard to let them cross into the United States, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Photograph: Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters

A firefighter tries to extinguish a fire as a wildfire burns near the village of Gavalas, in Evia, Greece. Photograph: Giorgos Moutafis/Reuters

Workers of a wedding hall inspect the scene after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan in August. The blast carried out by the Islamic State killed 63 people and injured hundreds of others. Photograph: Mohammad Ismail/Reuters

Former US Special Counsel Robert Mueller arrives before testifying to the House Judiciary Committee about his report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. Mueller, along with former Deputy Special Counsel Aaron Zebley, will later testify before the House Intelligence Committee in back-to-back hearings on Capitol Hill. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Chimene Jackson kisses her husband Johnnie shortly after dawn outside her parents' home, which has been deemed uninhabitable due to structural damage from the recent 7.1 magnitude earthquake, on July 8, 2019 in Trona, California. Homeowners Benny and Anna Sue Eldridge, husband and wife, are currently sleeping outside the home with other family members on mattresses and in trucks for safety. Firefighters told them a stronger earthquake could cause the house to collapse. Anna Sue's father constructed the home with Benny's help in 1961. During the daytime they have been packing furniture, heirlooms and other items to place into storage as they try to decide where they will live next or if they will rebuild. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

United States First lady Melania Trump kisses Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau next to US President Donald Trump during the family photo with invited guests at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters

People react during an interfaith vigil for victims of a mass shooting which left at least 20 people dead, on August 4, 2019 in El Paso, Texas. A 21-year-old male suspect was taken into custody in the city which sits along the US-Mexico border. At least 26 people were wounded. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

A protester wears a safety helmet and an eye patch in honour of another protester who was shot in the eye during a demonstration at the Hong Kong International Airport on August 13, 2019 in Hong Kong. Pro-democracy protesters have continued rallies on the streets of Hong Kong against a controversial extradition bill since June 9 as the city plunged into crisis after waves of demonstrations and several violent clashes. Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam apologised for introducing the bill and declared it "dead", however protesters have continued to draw large crowds with demands for Lam's resignation and complete withdrawal of the bill. Photograph: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

A man walks among debris at the Mudd neighbourhood, devastated after Hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas on September 6. Photograph: Marco Bello/Reuters

Smoke billows during a fire in an area of the Amazon rainforest near Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil. Photograph: Bruno Kelly/Reuters

Protesters march through Brussels with placards as they take part in a Global Climate Strike demonstration on September 20, 2019 in Brussels, Belgium. Millions of people join protests around the world to mark the start of a week of global climate strikes, with activists calling on their Governments to urgently address the climate crisis. Photograph: Jack Taylor/Getty Images

Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg watches as US President Donald Trump enters the United Nations to speak with reporters in New York City, US. Photograph: Andrew Hofstetter/Reuters

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau balances a baby during a campaign stop alongside local Liberal candidate Andrea Kaiser, September 23, 2019 in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Just a week after he launched his re-election campaign, Trudeau was caught in a scandal after a photo emerged showing him wearing brownface makeup to an Arabian Nights party at the private school where he was teaching in 2001. Photograph: Cole Burston/Getty Images

Military members march in formation past Tiananmen Square during the military parade marking the 70th founding anniversary of People's Republic of China, on its National Day in Beijing, China. Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters

Victor, a nine-year-old white-tailed eagle equipped with a 360 camera, flies over glaciers and mountains in Chamonix, France, during a preparation flight of the Alpine Eagle Race, an event aiming at raising awareness on global warming. Photograph: Eagle Wings Foundation/Chopard/Reuters

Iraqi youth watch the news of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi death, in Najaf, Iraq on October 27, 2019. Photograph: Alaa al-Marjani/Reuters

Chilean demonstrator protest against the policies of President of Chile Sebastian Piñera at Palacio de La Moneda on October 28, 2019 in Santiago, Chile. Demands behind the protests involve health care, pension system, privatisation of water, public transport, education, social mobility and corruption. Photograph: Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images

A demonstrator carries an Iraqi flag during ongoing anti-government protests in Baghdad, Iraq. Photograph: Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters

A general view of Venice, Italy. More than 80 per cent of the city was flooded after the high tide of 187 cm, the highest level in more than 50 years, leading the government to declare a state of emergency. A second high tide meant that the iconic St Mark’s Square would remain closed, along with many shops and schools. Photograph: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

Britain's Prince Louis photo taken by his mother Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, at their home in Norfolk, Britain in April. Photograph: Duchess of Cambridge/Reuters

Jennifer Lopez presents a creation from the Versace Spring/Summer 2020 collection during fashion week in Milan, Italy. Photograph:Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters

Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, holding her son Archie, meets Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

D'Arcy Carden, Time's Up x2 ribbon detail, attends HBO's Official Golden Globe Awards After Party at Circa 55 Restaurant in Los Angeles, California. Photograph: Presley Ann/Getty Images

Lady Gaga poses with the Music (Original Song) award for 'Shallow' from 'A Star Is Born' with presenter Chadwick Boseman backstage during the 91st Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. Photograph: Matt Sayles/A.M.P.A.S/Getty Images

Britain's Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge having fun together after the inaugural King’s Cup regatta hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ahead of Cowes SailGP on August 09, 2019 in Cowes, England. Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Taisto Miettinen and Katja Kovanen from Finland compete to finish second in the Wife Carrying World Championships in Sonkajarvi, Finland. Photograph:Lehtikuva/Timo Hartikainen/Reuters

A reveller lies in tomato pulp during the annual "La Tomatina" tomato food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain. Photograph: Heino Kalis/Reuters

Prince Dudeman and Flofy ride a wave together as they compete at the 14th annual Helen Woodward Animal Center "Surf-A-Thon" where more than 70 dogs competed in five different weight classes for "Top Surf Dog 2019" in Del Mar, California, US. Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters

Employees of the Frieden Burda museum put Banksy's partially shredded artwork "Love is in the bin" in place at the museum in Baden Baden, Germany. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

A booth for Flash Drive for Freedom is on display at the Austin Convention Center at the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference and festivals in Austin, Texas, US. Photograph: Sergio Flores/Reuters

Pusha the cat, which adopted four orphaned baby squirrels and currently feeds and lives with them, lies at a local park of miniatures in Bakhchisaray, Crimea. Photograph: Alexey Pavlishak/Reuters

Actor-singer Jared Leto arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala in New York City. Photograph: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

A participant of the international World Beard and Moustache Championships poses before taking part in one of the 17 categories of beard and moustache styles competing in Antwerp, Belgium. Photograph: Yves Herman/Reuters

Participants kiss as they take part in the 2019 World Pride parade and mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in New York, US. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters