The best photographs of 2022 - striking images of the world's biggest events

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

The car driven by Frenchman Mathieu Serradori of the SRT Racing team in action during the Rally Dakar 2022 between Ha'il and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on January 1. EPA

This car was swept away after the Rio das Velhas burst its banks in Honorio Bicalho, Brazil, on January 12. Getty Images

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic leaves the Park Hotel in Melbourne on January 16 after his visa to play in the Australian Open was cancelled for a second time. EPA

Snow at Salat Zagrous Camp for internally displaced Syrians in Afrin on January 19. EPA

A veteran from the Ukrainian national guard teaches civilians how to handle weapons amid the threat of invasion in Kyiv on January 30. Reuters

China's flag is raised at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 4. Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, meets Russia's Vladimir Putin on February 7 amid fears Moscow was preparing to invade Ukraine. AFP

Searching for valuables on the beach after Cyclone Batsirai hit Madagascar on February 8. Reuters

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon, centre, is tackled by Los Angeles Rams players at the Super Bowl in Inglewood, California, on February 13. EPA

A CCTV image issued by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine shows Russian military vehicles moving across the border from Crimea into Ukraine, on February 24.

Cars stream out of Kyiv as residents flee the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Getty Images

Ukrainian troops take positions in Kyiv on February 25. Reuters

Country Grammer ridden by Frankie Dettori wins the Dubai World Cup during The Dubai World Cup at Meydan racecourse in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Destroyed Russian armoured vehicles line the street in Bucha, west of Kyiv, on March 4. AFP

Civilians cross a damaged bridge as they flee the front-line town of Irpin, Ukraine, on March 7. EPA

An Orthodox monk after Mass in Putna, Romania, where prayers were said for Ukrainian refugees on March 8. Reuters

Britain's Prince William and Kate jamming in Trenchtown, where Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley was born, on March 23. EPA

Striking a pose in a traditional Bolivian cholita dress at the Uyuni Salt Flat on March 26. Reuters

Will Smith slaps comedian Chris Rock on stage during the Oscars in Los Angeles on March 27. Reuters

Air show display on the last day at the EXPO 2020 site in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Greenpeace activists in a rubber dinghy sail close to a Russian oil tanker during a protest in Norway on April 25. EPA

A child is carried after Ramadan prayers at Jama Masjid in Delhi on April 29. Reuters

Fireworks above the Yas Bay waterfront mark Eid Al Fitr. Victor Besa / The National

A pro-abortion activist during a rally in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington after its draft decision to overturn Roe v Wade on May 3. AFP

The first image of Sagittarius A, a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Photo: Nasa

A mysterious opening on Mars captured by Nasa's Curiosity rover on May 7. Photo: Nasa

Family and friends carry the coffin of reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot during an Israeli raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, on May 13. Reuters

The UAE flag flies at half-mast after President Sheikh Khalifa died at 73 on May 13. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

President Sheikh Mohamed attends the burial of Sheikh Khalifa. Also present were Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan, adviser to the President, and Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed. MOPA

President Sheikh Mohamed, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Hamad bin Mohamed Al Sharqi, Ruler of Fujairah, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Ruler of Ajman, and Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mu'alla, Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, attend a Federal Supreme Council meeting to agree to President Sheikh Mohamed's accession to the UAE presidency. MOPA

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appears by videolink at a Moscow hearing at which he had a nine-year sentence in a penal colony for fraud and insulting a court upheld. EPA

Actors Amber Heard and Johnny Depp watch as the jury leaves the courtroom for a lunch break at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 16. AP Photo

Police block activists during a protest denouncing the proclamation of the new Philippine President and Vice President in Quezon City on May 25. Reuters

Texas Democratic candidate for governor Beto O'Rourke disrupts a press conference on May 25, the day after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. Reuters

Luka Modric of Real Madrid lifts the trophy in front of fans after the Champions League final against Liverpool in Paris on May 28. Getty Images

A flypast at Buckingham Palace proved a little loud for Britain's Prince Louis as he stood next to Queen Elizabeth II on June 2. AFP

Francis Mwangi, 13, uses a virtual reality headset to 'visit' Buckingham Palace from Nyeri, Kenya, during Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee on June 2. Reuters

Chairs and bicycles lie abandoned after a mass shooting at a 4th of July celebration in Illinois, US. EPA

Demonstrators protest inside the house of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after he fled amid Sri Lanka's economic crisis, on July 9. Reuters

The first full-colour image from Nasa's James Webb Space Telescope. Photo: Nasa

Liz Truss launches her successful campaign to become UK prime minister on July 14. She lasted 44 days in the job. Getty Images

Flooding in Fujairah. Antonie Robertson/The National

A floating sofa amid flooding in Kalba, Fujairah. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr pull down a concrete barrier during a protest against corruption in Baghdad on July 30. Reuters

A forked tongue of flame flickers in the sky as firefighters tackle a wildfire in Pontevedra, Spain. EPA

England's Chloe Kelly celebrates scoring the winning goal against Germany in the final of the Women's Euro 2022 at Wembley Stadium in London. Reuters

Chioma Onyekwere of Nigeria competes in the women's discus final at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in the UK on August 2. Getty Images

US basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at a Moscow airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, on August 4. Reuters

The Roman camp Aquis Querquennis, exposed by low water levels in the Limia river in Ourense, Spain, on August 10. EPA

A Lebanese bank customer, Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein, turned himself in on August 11 after taking staff hostage for several hours in Lebanon's capital. His bank giving him $30,000 out of more than $200,000 in trapped savings, official media said. AFP

Supporters of writer Salman Rushdie gather outside New York Public Library after he was attacked on stage on August 12. EPA

A satellite dish makes an unlikely raft for children after floods in Balochistan province, Pakistan, on August 26. AFP

Cattle are led across a flooded road in Sindh province, Pakistan, on August 30. EPA

British prime minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie leave Downing Street on September 6. EPA

An plane drops retardant on the Fairview Fire near Hemet, California, on September 6. Reuters

A boat passes a toll plaza on a flooded motorway in Sehwan, Pakistan, on September 15. Reuters

Brazilian presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a rally in Curitiba on September 17. Reuters

The coffin of Britain's Queen Elizabeth is carried out of Westminster Abbey on September 19. Reuters

Iranians clash with police in Tehran during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini in custody on September 21. EPA

Switzerland's Roger Federer, left, sheds a tear after playing his last match, a doubles game with Spain's Rafael Nadal, right, on September 24. AFP

A portrait of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo during his funeral in Tokyo on September 27. EPA

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, leaves its headquarters in Rome on September 27 after it won a general election. EPA

The aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on September 30. AFP

Damaged police cars at Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang, Indonesia, after 127 people were killed following a stampede at a football match on October 2. EPA

A protester in Istanbul cuts her hair during a demonstration following the death of Iranian Mahsa Amini, on October 2. Reuters

Black smoke billows from the Kerch bridge that links Crimea to Russia after a lorry exploded on October 8. AFP

Victims of a massacre in which a former policeman reportedly killed at least 36 people are cremated in Nong Bua Lamphu, Thailand, on October 11. Getty Images

A drone swoops in for an attack in Kyiv on October 17 amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AFP

A Ukrainian serviceman takes cover during a Russian drone strike on October 17. Reuters

The collapsed dome of the Jakarta Islamic Centre Grand Mosque on October 21. EPA

China's former President Hu Jintao, centre, is led out behind President Xi Jinping, right, and Premier Li Keqiang at the Communist Party's National Congress on October 22. EPA

Iranians mark 40 days since Mahsa Amini's death at Aichi cemetery in Saqez, her home town, on October 26. AFP

The belongings of victims of the deadly Halloween stampede in Seoul on November 1. Getty Images

Pope Francis meets Bahrain's King Hamad at Sakhir Palace, south of Manama on November 3. Reuters

The Pope waves to the audience at Sakhir Palace. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The International Convention Centre in Sharm El Sheikh on November 7, ahead of Cop27. EPA

A Ukrainian artillery unit soldier fires at Russian positions outside Bakhmut on November 8. AFP

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks via video at the Nato Parliamentary Assembly in Madrid on November 21. EPA

A man carries his dead son's body after an earthquake that killed hundreds in Cianjur, Indonesia on November 22. AFP

Saudi Arabia's Salem Al Dawsari scores the winner against eventual champions Argentina in Qatar on November 22. Reuters

An Iranian fan holds a jersey in memory of Mahsa Amini before the November 25 World Cup match against Wales. Reuters

Prince Harry and wife Meghan's Netflix documentary, released on December 8. Photo: Netflix

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Sheikh Hamdan and Sheikh Maktoum watch the Rashid rover launch on December 11. Photo: Dubai Media Office

Protestors demonstrate against new Peru President Dina Boluarte at the airport in Arequipa on December 12. AFP

Argentina's Lionel Messi holds aloft the World Cup trophy on December 18. AP

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