The best photographs of 2021 - striking images of the world's biggest events

A look back at the year's big events and the most striking imagery

An explosion caused by police weapons flares into the sky as supporters of then president Donald Trump riot in front of the US Capitol Building in Washington, on January 6. Reuters

US President-elect Joe Biden, with his wife Jill by his side, is sworn in as the 46th president of the US during the 59th presidential inauguration in Washington on January 20. EPA

Senator Bernie Sanders, who was a candidate in the Democratic presidential race, sits in the bleachers on Capitol Hill before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US president on January 20. AFP. AFP

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, right, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, centre, congratulate the UAE Mars Mission team responsible for sending the Hope probe to the Red Planet on February 10.

People run for safety as Kurdish animal rights activists release a bear into the wild in Dohuk, Iraq, on February 11. The bear had been kept as a pet in a garden. Reuters

The first high-resolution, color image sent back by the Hazard Cameras on the underside of Nasa’s Perseverance Mars rover after its landing in the area known as Jezero crater on February 18. Getty Images

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi welcomes Pope Francis at Baghdad International Airport on March 5. It was the first trip to the country by a leader of the Roman Catholic church. Reuters

A nun pleads with police not to harm protesters in Myitkyina, in Myanmar's Kachin state, amid an operation to quell demonstrations against the military coup, on March 8. AFP

A Syrian child rests on a stack of neutralised shells at a metal scrapyard on the outskirts of Maaret Misrin town, in Idlib province, on March 10. A family displaced from the village of Latamneh in Hama's northern countryside four years ago, has found a source of income in collecting and selling metal scrap, including unexploded ordnance shells. AFP

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, with his mother, Sheikha Fatima in a photo he shared earlier this year. Photo: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed / Twitter

The UK's Queen Elizabeth II sits in isolation during the funeral ceremony for her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17. Getty Images

Police detain student protester Patsy Stevenson in London, on March 13, as people gather at a memorial site, after the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard. Reuters

The 'Ever Given' container ship blocks the Suez Canal, Egypt. The 400-metre container ship remained wedged across the water channel for six days after it was knocked off course during a sandstorm on March 23. Getty Images

Lebanon's capital Beirut in darkness during a nationwide blackout on April 3. AFP

Funeral pyres of people who died of Covid-19 burn at a cremation ground in New Delhi, on April 26. AFP

Israeli police detain a Palestinian protester during demonstrations before a court hearing in an Israeli-Palestinian land ownership dispute in the Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem. Reuters

A fire rages at sunrise in Khan Yunish after an Israeli air strike on targets in the southern Gaza strip, on May 12. AFP

Achraf, 16, cries as he swims using bottles as floaters, near the fence between the Spanish-Moroccan border, as thousands of migrants swim across the border, in Ceuta, Spain, on May 19. Reuters

A gibbon walks amid models of vehicles at a zoo in the park of miniatures in Bakhchisaray, Crimea on May 24. Reuters

A Palestinian girl stands amid the rubble of her home destroyed by Israeli air strikes on May 24, in Beit Hanoun, Gaza. Getty Images

A Marine holds the door as Gianna Floyd, the daughter of police shooting victim George Floyd, walks into the White House, on May 25. AP

Egyptians swim in the Suez Canal as a container ship moves through it in Ismaila, on May 27, after the 'Ever Given' was freed. EPA

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, centre, poses with the G7 leaders for a family photo during the G7 Summit in Carbis Bay, Britain, on June 11. With him are US President Joe Biden second left, front, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau left, France's President Emmanuel Macron second-right, front, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi, second-right, rear, Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, second-left, rear, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, rear and European Council President Charles Michel, left, rear. EPA

Players of Denmark wait while their teammate Christian Eriksen receives medical treatment during their Uefa Euro 2020 football match against Finland in Copenhagen, on June 12. Eriksen collapsed on the pitch towards the end of the first half and received medical on the pitch before being stretchered off and rushed to a nearby hospital. EPA

A bolt of lightning crosses the sky as people look at buildings displaying a light show on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing on June 30. AFP

Vehicles queue for fuel at a petrol station on the Tripoli-Beirut highway in Qalamun, northern Lebanon, on July 1, amid severe shortages. AFP

Wounded captive soldiers arrive on a lorry at a rehabilitation centre in Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, Ethiopia, on July 2. Fighters of the Tigray People's Liberation Front said more than 7,000 captive soldiers walked from Abdi Eshir, about 75 kilometres south-west of Mekele, for four days. AFP

Sir Richard Branson flies in space on board a Virgin Galactic vessel, a voyage he described as the "experience of a lifetime" on July 11. Getty Images

A South African policeman tries to disperse looters during protests over the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma in Durban, on July 12. EPA

Cars piled up by the water at a roundabout in the Belgian city of Verviers, on July 15, after heavy rains and floods lashed western Europe, killing at least two people in Belgium. AFP

Athletes prepare to compete In an empty stadium due to Covid restrictions, during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, on July 30. Getty Images

Paris Saint-Germain's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi salutes supporters gathered outside the Parc des Princes stadium after his first official press conference as PSG player in Paris on August 11. AFP

Hundreds of people run alongside a US Air Force C-17 transport plane as it moves down a runway at the international airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 16. Thousands of Afghans rushed to the airport, some so desperate to escape the Taliban capture of their country that they held onto the American military aircraft as it took off and fell to their death. AP

Maj Gen Christopher Donahue becomes the last American soldier to leave Kabul as he boards the final US Air Force flight out of Afghanistan, on August 30. AFP

A firefighter works as the Caldor wildfire burns in Grizzly Flats, California, on August 22. Reuters

A suitcase and backpacks of Afghan people who were waiting to be evacuated are seen at the site of the August 26 twin suicide bombs, which killed scores of people including 13 US troops, at Kabul airport on August 27, 2021. AFP

Emma Raducanu of Britain celebrates after defeating Lelyah Fernandez of Canada to win the women's final of the US Open on September 11. EPA

A US Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas on September 19. AFP

Lava is seen through the window of a kitchen after the eruption of a volcano on La Palma island, Spain, on September 28. Reuters

Expo 2020 Dubai opens with a grand ceremony on September 30. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

Afghans gather outside the passport office after Taliban officials announced they will start issuing passports to its citizens again, on October 6. Reuters

A child enjoys a water feature at the Expo 2020 Dubai site, on October 7. Pawan Singh/The National.

Fighters from the Shiite Hezbollah and Amal movements take aim during clashes in the area of Tayouneh, in Lebanon's capital Beirut, on October 14. AFP

A member of the Minga Indigena indigenous delegation attends the Cop26 UN Climate Summit on November 3, in Glasgow, Scotland. Getty Images

Journalists film former police officer Jimmy Cherizier, leader of the 'G9' coalition of gangs, as he gives a media tour of the La Saline shanty area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on November 3. Reuters

From left: Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman, Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Ruler of Fujairah and Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, attend the Federal Supreme Council meeting, at the Sheikh Rashid Palace in Hatta, Dubai, on December 2. Photo: Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs

A fireworks display during the official ceremony to celebrate the 50th UAE National Day in Hatta, on December 2. Wam

Valtteri Bottas drives the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One car during final practice before the first Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, in Jeddah on December 4. Getty Images

A protester flashes the "V" gesture and waves a Sudanese flag during a demonstration demanding civilian rule, in Khartoum. AFP

From supporters of outgoing US President Donald Trump storming the Capitol Building in January to the UAE celebrating its 50th year in style in December, the world's photographers captured some striking imagery of the events that caught the eye in 2021.

It was a year that saw great triumphs in sport, innovation, the arts and milestone events such as Dubai Expo 2020. New leaders were inaugurated or took power, but 2021 was also a year of great tragedy through many conflicts and climate crises. And it was another year where the Covid-19 pandemic continued to play a major part of everyday life.

Thousands of photos stream through the gaze of our photo editors each day. Here, The National's Picture Editor Tim Knowles selects 49 of the best.

Scroll through the photo gallery above to see the events that shaped the year.

More: The National's best staff photographs of 2021