2022 in pictures: Striking photos from around the world

Image source, Rojan Shrestha/NurPhoto/Getty Images

A woman from the Kirat community wearing traditional dress dances during the Sakela festival in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Image source, Pedro Vilela / Getty Images

Landslides and flooding caused by torrential rain killed at least 15 people in south-eastern Brazil. More than 28,000 people had to leave their homes in Minas Gerais state, where rivers overflowed leaving towns partially submerged.

Image source, CARLOS OSORIO / reuters

People take part in protests against coronavirus vaccine mandates near Canada's parliament in Ottawa. Ontario declared a state of emergency in response to two weeks of the trucker-led protests.

Image source, Future Publishing / Getty Images

Beijing became the first city to host both a summer and winter edition of an Olympic Games, with the opening ceremony of this year's winter games once again held in the iconic Bird's Nest stadium in China's capital.

Image source, BRIAN SNYDER / Reuters

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face on stage at the Oscars in Hollywood, Los Angeles, after the comedian made a joke about the actor's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The incident overshadowed the awards ceremony. Smith later apologised to Rock, saying his behaviour was "unacceptable and inexcusable".

Image source, ROMAN PILIPEY/EPA-EFE

Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine at the end of February, attacking locations across the country. Here, civilians cross the river using a makeshift bridge, as they flee fighting in the frontline town of Irpin, near the capital Kyiv.

Image source, Chris McGrath / Getty Images

A man pushes his bike through debris and decimated military vehicles in Bucha, a town just outside Kyiv. In April, journalists entering the Ukrainian town - the site of fierce fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces - found dead bodies of men in civilian clothes abandoned in the streets.

Image source, Wendell Teodoro / Getty Images

Elvis tribute artists arrive at Central station, Sydney, ahead of boarding the Elvis Express to Parkes. The Parkes Elvis Festival, in New South Wales, is held annually, usually to coincide with Presley's birthday in January. However, the 2022 event was rescheduled to April due to Covid restrictions earlier in the year.

Image source, LUIS TATO / AFP

Samburu women make traditional ornaments and jewellery out of beads in Sera Conservancy, Samburu County. The beadwork is sold through the Conservancy, creating an income for local farming families that have seen their traditional lifestyle threatened by climate change and the deterioration of Kenya's rangeland.

Image source, CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP

US actress Kristen Stewart poses during a photocall for Crimes Of the Future, at the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in France.

Image source, JIM URQUHART / REUTERS

Abortion rights protesters gathered at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, after the United States Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, which saw abortion made legal across the US.

Image source, ADREES LATIF / Reuters

Migrants are registered by border patrol agents in Roma, Texas, after crossing the Rio Grande river from Mexico. Migration into the US from Mexico continued to surge, breaking 2021's record levels. Over 50 migrants died in June, trapped in an abandoned lorry on a highway in Texas: it was the worst case of migrant deaths due to smuggling in the US.

Image source, TAANRUUAMCHON / Reuters

Rescuers saved an elephant and her calf who had both fallen into a pit in Thailand. The mother had to be hoisted to safety after trying to reach her baby.

Image source, CARLOS MAMANI / AFP

Aymara indigenous women play football during a championship in the Aymara district of Juli in Puno, southern Peru.

Image source, Sergei Gapon/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

People visit the site of the newly erupted Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland's Meradalir valley, outside the town of Grindavik. The volcano erupted on 3 August after weeks of minor earthquakes in the area.

Image source, THOMAS PETER / Reuters

The pagodas on Louxingdun Island were dramatically exposed, as the water of Poyang Lake reached historically low levels during a severe drought across Jiangxi province in China.

Image source, Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

Pall bearers carry the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, bearing the Imperial State Crown, into St. George's Chapel in Windsor. Britain's longest-serving monarch died peacefully at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, aged 96.

Image source, UESLEI MARCELINO / Reuters

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a rally in Curitiba, Brazil during the 2022 presidential election, which saw Lula go head to head with far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro - two bitter rivals from opposite sides of the political spectrum. Lula won, with 50.9% of the votes, ousting current president Bolsonaro, and marking a stunning political comeback.

Image source, RICHARD PIERRIN / AFP

Senior leaders called for calm after days of violent anti-government protests in Haiti. Protesters demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, after an end to government fuel subsidies caused petrol and diesel prices to skyrocket.

Image source, dia images / Getty Images

Around the world women united in protest against the Iranian government by cutting their hair - as seen here in Istanbul. The protests began following the death in custody in Tehran of Mahsa Amini, a woman who was detained by Iran's morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab "improperly".

Image source, Kevin Frayer / Getty Images

In October, Chinese former leader Hu Jintao was led out of the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress. The frail-looking 79-year-old was sitting beside President Xi Jinping when he was escorted away by officials. No formal statement was made by the Chinese government concerning the incident.

Image source, GUY PETERSON / AFP

A mother cradles her child, who is suffering from severe malnutrition, in the intensive care unit of Bay Regional Hospital in Baidoa, Somalia. After four failed rainy seasons in a row, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia are in the midst of the worst period of drought in the region for 40 years.

Image source, Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

US President Joe Biden speaks at a Democratic National Committee event in Washington DC, three weeks ahead of US midterm elections in early November. The final results have left a divided government in the US. Come January, the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, will be held by Republicans, while the 100-seat Senate will be run by Democrats.

Image source, JOSEPH RIMKUS / Reuters

The US space agency, Nasa, launched the most powerful rocket ever built - Artemis 1 - in November. The 100m vehicle blasted off on its debut flight from Florida's Cape Canaveral - the start of a mission to send an unmanned capsule around the Moon.

Image source, BARBARA DEBOUT / AFP

A model poses with a creation by Victoire Kouroupe, a local designer, ahead of the first Central African Fashion Week, in Bangui in December.

Image source, Shaun Botterill / FIFA / Getty Images

Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the World Cup, lifting the trophy for Argentina for the first time since the late Diego Maradona captained the team to victory in 1986. Argentina won the penalty shootout 4-2 against France after a spectacular game centred on the much-anticipated confrontation between 35-year-old maestro Messi and French virtuoso Kylian Mbappe.

Image source, ISABEL INFANTES / Reuters

People wearing Santa Claus outfits take part in a charity race to raise funds to help vulnerable families, in Madrid, Spain.