In January, Barack Obama wiped tears from his eyes as he spoke about the steps his administration is taking to reduce gun violence in the US. "Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad," Obama said, referring to the 2013 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
After one of the ugliest elections in American political history, Donald Trump won the title of Time magazine's Person of the Year. Trump took issue with the publication referring to him as the "president of the Divided States of America."
The civil war in Aleppo, the largest city in Syria, reached its climax in 2016. Thousands of civilians were killed and thousands more were trapped as rebel, Syrian, and Russian forces exchanged heavy fire, shattering the city in the process.
5-year-old Omran Daqneesh became a haunting symbol of the violence engulfing Syria. He was pulled from the rubble after his home was destroyed by Syrian and Russian airstrikes in eastern Aleppo.
This amazing image shows a Syrian woman throwing off her niqab after her home village was freed from ISIS. Women living under ISIS' rule are forced to wear all-black niqabs that cover the entire face and body.
In a rare symbol of unity between South Korea and its isolated neighbour in the North, these two gymnasts took a selfie together after competing at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Ieshia Evans was detained by law enforcement in riot gear as she peacefully protested the shooting death of Alton Sterling near the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department in Louisiana. Photographer Jonathan Bachman said: "When I came back to my car and looked through my take I knew I had a strong image... I am grateful that it has stimulated a discussion about an important issue in this country."
This image of a wounded flight attendant went viral after the Brussels bombing attack in March. Nidhi Chaphekar lay with torn clothes and a bloodied face after 32 civilians were killed in the deadliest terrorist attack in Belgium's history, which ISIS claimed responsibility for.
Theresa May met Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in July, where she invited her to become Prime Minister.
This iconic photo shows Air Force One touching in to land in Cuba for the first time ever. Obama's visit to Cuba was the first by a US president in almost a century as he took steps to normalise relations by removing the island-nation from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
A Turkish student cries during a protest to show solidarity with trapped citizens of Aleppo, Syria, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on December 14, 2016.
A woman with a Ziggy Stardust tattoo visits a mural of David Bowie in Brixton, south London. The pop legend passed away in January.
Pope Francis walks through the notorious gate at Auschwitz's with the sign "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work sets you free) during his visit to the former Nazi death camp in Poland.
In July, an attempted military coup by a faction within the Turkish armed forces calling itself the "Peace at Home Council" was stifled in less than 24 hours, after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on his supporters to take to the streets and repel the uprising. This photo shows Turkish military standing in front of the Republic Monument at the Taksim Square in Istanbul.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica looks at Andre De Grasse of Canada as they compete in the Men's 100m Semifinals at the Rio Olympics. Bolt went on to win gold in the men's final, finishing the 100m sprint in 9.81 seconds.
Jackeline, 26, holds her son, who is four months old and born with microcephaly, in front of their house in Brazil in February. Microcephaly, abnormal smallness of the head, has been linked to the Zika virus, which spread rapidly through South America and other parts of the world in 2016.
49 people were killed after a gunman inspired by ISIS went on a shooting rampage inside Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The tragedy sparked an outpouring of grief from the global LGBT community and vigils were held in cities around the world.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton hugs US President Barack Obama as she arrives onstage at the end of his speech on the third night of the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres wipes away a tear as she listens with U.S. President Barack Obama to her Presidential Medal of Freedom citation during a ceremony in the White House East Room in Washington.
The world followed every minute of Labour MP Jo Cox's fight to stay alive after she was shot by a far-right terrorist in her home constituency of Batley and Spen in Yorkshire, England. Cox had previously praised and celebrated the diversity of her "proud" constituency.
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, his wife Samantha and their children Nancy, Elwen and Florence, hug on the steps of 10 Downing Street just minutes after Cameron resigned following a shock defeat in the EU referendum.
Following David Cameron's final cabinet meeting, then-incoming Prime Minister Theresa May shared a laugh with photographers as she walked the wrong way out of 10 Downing Street.
Barack Obama and Angela Merkel met for the last time in an official capacity in Berlin in November. The pair formed a close bond during Obama's eight-year presidency.
In July, a 19-ton truck was driven into a dense crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France. 86 people were killed and a further 434 injured in the attack which ISIS later claimed responsibility for. In this picture, a French flag is seen at a memorial on the Promenade Des Anglais where the attack took place.
Filipino President Duterte's bloody war on drugs made headlines throughout the year. Since coming to power, Duterte has condoned the murder of more than 5,500 people suspected of either taking or selling illegal drugs. Those that aren't killed are sent to overcrowded prisons like the Quezon City Jail in Manila, pictured below. According to CNN, a large majority of inmates are in for drug-related offences.
Source: CNN
