Riots, escaped horses and a milkshake to the face: 2024 in pictures

Fifty countries voted in elections in 2024 - a year that also brought extreme global weather events, continued fighting in Ukraine and the Middle East, and rioting across the UK.

Throughout the year, photographers have managed to capture stunning and shocking images - from extraordinary political moments to natural wonders.

 

Here we take a look back at this year in pictures.

Luke Littler in action against Luke Humphries (not pictured) during the final of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday January 3, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story DARTS World. Photo credit should read: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.
Image:3 January: Luke Littler, 16, loses to Luke Humphries in the final of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace in London. Pic: PA
Floodwater from the rivers Avon and Severn surrounds Tewkesbury Abbey as floodwaters continue to fall in the aftermath of Storm Henk in Tewkesbury, Britain, January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Phil Noble
Image:8 January: Floodwater from the rivers Avon and Severn surrounds Tewkesbury Abbey amid Storm Henk. Pic: Reuters/Phil Noble
FILE - In this photo provided by the Maryland National Guard, the cargo ship Dali is stuck under part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Baltimore. (Maryland National Guard via AP, File)
Image:26 March: Dali cargo ship after hitting the Francis Scott bridge in Maryland and causing it to collapse. Pic: AP/Maryland National Guard
Household Cavalry horses Vida (grey) and Trojan (Black) on the loose bolt through the streets of London near Aldwych. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2024.
Image:24 April: Household Cavalry horses Vida (grey) and Trojan (black) bolt loose in London's Aldwych. Pic: PA
A child looks on as Palestinians enjoy the beach on a hot day, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem        SEARCH
Image:24 April: Palestinians on the beach in Rafah amid the war in Gaza. Pic: Reuters/Mohammed Salem
A drone view shows an airplane sitting on a flooded runway at the airport in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, May 17, 2024. REUTERS/Adriano Machado        SEARCH
Image:17 May: A plane sits on a flooded runway at Porto Alegre airport in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Pic: Reuters/Adriano Machado
Mandatory Credit: Pic: TOLGA AKMEN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock 
A young woman (L) throws a milkshake at Nigel Farage (R), leader of Reform UK party and prospective parliamentary candidate for Clacton, in Clacton-on-sea, Essex, Britain, 04 June 2024.
Image:4 June: Victoria Thomas Bowen, 25, throws a milkshake over Nigel Farage during election campaigning in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. Pic: TOLGA AKMEN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Pic: Just Stop Oil/PA

Screen grab taken from handout video of Just Stop Oil protesters spraying an orange substance on Stonehenge. Picture date: Wednesday June 19, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story POLICE Stonehenge. Photo credit should read: Just Stop Oil/PA Wire
Image:19 June. Just Stop Oil protesters deface Stonehenge. Pic: Just Stop Oil/PA
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange kisses his wife Stella Assange as he arrives in Canberra, Australia, June 26, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su
Image:26 June: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange kisses his wife Stella Assange in Canberra after being freed from prison. Reuters/Edgar Su
Firefighters drop retardant from a plane next to a house as they battle a wildfire in a canyon in Oroville, California, U.S., July 2, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Barria        SEARCH
Image:2 July: Firefighters battle wildfires in Oroville, California. Reuters/Carlos Barria
Newly elected Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with his wife Victoria Starmer are clapped in by staff as they enter his official London residence at No 10 Downing Street for the first time after the Labour Party won a landslide victory at the 2024 General Election. Picture date: Friday July 5, 2024.
Image:5 July: Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer walk into Downing Street after he was elected prime minister. Pic: PA
Former prime minister Liz Truss has lost her Norfolk South West seat to the Labour Party, at Alive Lynnsport in King's Lynn, Norfolk, during the count in the 2024 General Election. Picture date: Friday July 5, 2024.
Image:5 July: Former prime minister Liz Truss loses her seat as an MP at an election count in King's Lynn. Pic: PA
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning on the podium at Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire. Picture date: Sunday July 7, 2024.
Image:7 July: Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton celebrates after winning the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Pic: PA
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses an extraordinary meeting of the UK Cabinet at 10 Downing Street, London. Picture date: Friday July 19, 2024.
Image:19 July: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the UK cabinet at 10 Downing Street. Pic: PA
A small boat arrives to collect more people thought to be migrants off the beach in Gravelines, France. Picture date: Monday July 29, 2024.
Image:29 July: A small boat carrying migrants near a beach in Gravelines, France. Pic: PA
A chair is thrown at police officers as trouble flares during an anti-immigration protest outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. Picture date: Sunday August 4, 2024.
Image:4 August: A chair is thrown at police officers outside a Holiday Inn in Rotherham amid UK rioting sparked by the Southport stabbings. Pic: PA
Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - August 9, 2024
The moon is pictured with the Olympic cauldron and the Eiffel Tower REUTERS/Christian Hartmann          SEARCH
Image:9 August: The Eiffel Tower with the Olympic Cauldron during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Pic: Reuters/Christian Hartmann
Lightnings strike  above the domes of the churches of the Kremlin of Suzdal, in Russia, August 23, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov        SEARCH
Image:23 August: Lightning strikes above the Kremlin of Suzdal church in Russia. Pic: Reuters/Maxim Shemetov
AM - MANAUS - 10/09/2024 - MANAUS, AMAZONAS, DROUGHT OF THE RIO NEGRO, - Small boats navigate through a channel formed due to the drought of the Rio Negro on the morning of this Wednesday (09). The river, which bathes the capital Manaus, suffers for the second consecutive year with a record drought, reaching the lowest level in more than 120 years of measurement, marking 12.66 meters on October 4, surpassing the previous record of 12.70 meters from October 2023. Photo: Suamy Beydoun/AGIF (via AP)
Image:10 September: Drought of the Rio Negro in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. Pic: Suamy Beydoun/AGIF (via AP)
Pic: SpaceX
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