The best photographs of 2013 – in pictures

Attack of the locusts. "Madagascar has been suffering for years from this locus pest and the problem is only growing. It was terrifying to be in the middle of this swarm. There were so many that even the sky was turning black. I ran towards a mass of them, flying up from the red dirt road which was black from them covering the whole ground. Of course I ended up having tens of them on my face and body, but that’s a little effort for a good picture. I could imagine what havoc these insects would cause for farmers and I knew this was an important story." Photograph: Dieter Telemans/Panos

Boston bombing. It was Tlumacki’s 20th Boston marathon, covering the event for the Boston Globe. The Pulitzer- nominee was in his usual spot that morning: at the finish line. When the second explosion went off, 78-year- old runner Bill Iffrig was knocked to the ground and caught in Tlumacki’s lens. ‘Things were happening so fast, and I knew that my time was limited,’ Tlumacki told journalists. ‘It took me a few minutes to comprehend the carnage and devastation.’ Photograph: John Tlumacki/AP

Typhoon Haiyan. ‘It was two days after typhoon Haiyan and Tacloban had been devastated, with debris everywhere and scattered corpses on the streets. I saw Joshua Cator, 11 years old, scavenging in the ruins. I learned that he had lost most of his relatives, including his mother, Raquel, and sister, Jamyca, 6, and yet I saw resiliency in his face; his first instinct was survival, and to help others to survive. Now, he lives with his grandfather, in the same damaged house that trapped and killed so many of his family members. For me, his image is a portrait of strength.’ Photograph: Dennis Sabangan/EPA

A sign from above. ‘It was difficult to tell the story of Pope Benedict’s resignation because there were no visible reactions at the Vatican – no one praying in the streets as they had when Pope John Paul II died. I noticed dark clouds, and thought that if a storm was to come, I could take a picture of St Peter’s with a thunderbolt behind it. After about 40 minutes I stopped for a moment to wipe the raindrops on the lens, and lighting struck, along with tremendous thunder, and a group of tourists next to me screamed with fear. As the storm raged I managed to capture the lightning striking the dome. Some people thought the picture was fake, and that hurt me. Others believed I had photographed the wrath of God.’ Photograph: Alessandro Di Meo/EPA

Tasting victory. Andy Murray wins Wimbledon, defeating Novak Djokovic, after losing to Roger Federer in 2012. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA

Spain train crash. The train crash in Galicia on 24 July was one of the worst in Spanish history. This shot, a freeze frame from aerial video footage, shows carriages scattered across the tracks after the train derailed on a bend while travelling at twice the official speed limit. Of four crew and 218 passengers, 79 people were killed and more than 140 injured.
Photograph: Screengrab/AP

Freedom. Glenn Greenwald hugs his partner David Miranda as he returns to Brazil after being detained by UK authorities. Photograph: Ricardo Moraes/Reuters

Williamsburg funerals. ‘This was a triple tragedy for the Satmar community in Williamsburg. A Jewish couple, both only 21, were killed in a hit and run. Their baby was delivered by cesarean at the hospital but died Monday morning. People gathered in thousands in front of the synagogue. The NYPD made it incredibly hard for us to find a vantage point, and it was already uncomfortable – this was a terrible and tragic incident, I don’t want to be the guy arguing with police in the middle of a grief- stricken neighbourhood. I ran across the street and found one building with a fire escape that took me to the roof. There was a brief moment when the light hit the rabbi, and I caught it. It was a sad, overwhelming moment.’ Photograph: Robert Stolarik/Carters News Agency

Female fighter in Syria. ‘Her name is Fadwa. She’s 20 years old, a widow with three children. Every time I asked the women of the Free Syrian Army why they decided to fight, the answer was: “My husband died on the front lines, I will die on the front lines, may God help us.” This was taken in a secret location in Aleppo. I tried to make her feel at ease and make sure she didn’t see me as a threat. The pose was her choice. I had to take the pictures fast. Black and white is a safe bet when you are not in control of the light. I was focusing on their eyes and their clothes. Is it a cliche to say I can’t stop looking at the baby?’ Photograph: Sebastiano Tomado/Rex

Family feud. Jang Song-thaek, the uncle of Kim Jong-un, is removed from a party meeting. He was later executed. Photograph: Screengrab/Yonhap/Reuters

Water everywhere. The area around Magdeburg is flooded after the Elbe bursts its banks. Insurers paid out close to £2bn. Photograph: Thomas Peter /Reuters

Firestorm. ‘My wife and I were looking after our five grandchildren when a bush fire storm swept through our small coastal town of Dunalley in Tasmania. As columns of fire came towards us from all sides, we ran to the sea and took refuge under the jetty for two hours. As the jetty caught fire, the air was smoky and intensely hot; the water was terribly cold. But the biggest problem was the lack of air. I took this photo with my wife’s iPhone, to text to our daughter so she could see we were all together. Eventually I found a dinghy and dragged the family to safety. I find it encouraging that the picture has been so widely used and that the response to it has been so strong. It is the record of the day we could have perished, and a reminder that we have much to be thankful for.’ Photograph: Tim Holmes/AP

Crashing the catwalk. Two activists from the Femen group protest during a show for Nina Ricci’s ready-to-wear spring/ summer 2014 fashion collection. Photograph: Jacques Brinon/AP

Overcome. And the best actress Oscar goes to ... Jennifer Lawrence for her role in Silver Linings Playbook. Photograph: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Military martyr. Chelsea Manning leaves court during her court martial. She was sentenced to 35 years, but may be out on parole in eight. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/AP

Polar bear MOT. A team of 12 people work for four hours to give Boris the polar bear his annual health checkup. The 27-year-old, 66-stone bear – who was rescued from a Mexican circus 10 years ago and now lives in Point Defiance Zoo, Tacoma, Washington – has his talons trimmed, his eye operated on, and one brave soul even performs root canal surgery.
Photograph: Dean J Koepfler/Tacoma News Tribune/MCT

Aftermath. Passerby Ingrid Loyau-Kennett talks to Michael Adebowale, seen carrying a knife after stabbing Lee Rigby to death. Photograph: Pixel8000/Twitter

Taksim Square protest. ‘I was in London when the protests began in Turkey. I told my desk in Frankfurt that I wanted to be there – I’m from Istanbul – this was my story. I was nervous on adrenaline, but you have to keep calm and not just shoot everything you see. I could see this guy resisting the police while the water cannon was coming and I knew I had to wait. He got away and wasn’t too badly hurt. But five people died and 15 lost their eyes.’
Photograph: Kerim Okten/Camera Press

Selfie-obsessed?Cameron and Obama pose for a photo with Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt at the Mandela memorial. Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty

Shipwreck. The Costa Concordia lies on its side, close to the Italian island of Giglio. Some 32 people drowned in the disaster. Photograph: Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters

Francis speaks. Pope Francis’s first speech is recorded by seemingly the whole crowd as he speaks from St Peter’s Basilica. Photograph: Michael Sohn/AP

Crying for Margaret. Tears stream down the face of the chancellor at the funeral of Margaret Thatcher, in April. Osborne said he had “welled up a bit”
Photograph: Screengrab

Winter fire. A truck is covered in ice as firefighters battle a huge blaze in a warehouse in Chicago in January. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty

Hands on. Barack Obama shakes hands with Cuban premier Raúl Castro at the Nelson Mandela memorial service. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty

A violent anniversary. ‘The pictures team in Cairo and I were told that the Egyptian security forces would be building a barrier between the anti-Morsi protesters and themselves. So, I was in place from the night until the early morning. I took this photo at 5:30 am as the protesters in Tahrir Square marked the second anniversary of the “January 25 revolution” that overthrew President Mubarak.’ Photograph: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters

Run down. Oscar Pistorius in court for a bail hearing after being charged with the murder of Reeva Sternkamp. Photograph: Deaan Vivier/City Press/Getty

Sliding to safety. ‘I have been a photographer in Dhaka for several years, and have covered tragic situations in the past, but I have I never witnessed a disaster such as this. A nine-storey building had collapsed, about 25km from Dhaka, with some 4,000 workers trappers inside. When I arrived at the scene, I saw local volunteers and firefighters doing everything they could to help survivors and recover dead bodies, with no concern for their own lives and safety. I was looking for photographs that would explain what was going on when I noticed that people were using large sheets of cloth as improvised slides to evacuate survivors from the building. It was a terrible time in Dhaka. I am glad that the image has been seen so widely, and that people around the world know the history of what happened that day.’ Photograph: Munir Uz Zaman/AFP

Running to safety. A child flees after the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya is attacked by gunmen. At least 67 people died. Photograph: Goran Tomasevic/Reuters

Leap of faith. ‘I was photographing a surfing competition at Steamer Lane, California, when I noticed a guy running towards the waves, seemingly late for the next heat. I anticipated what he was about to do, and took a picture of his leap. It’s not unusual to jump off the cliff – I’ve done it myself – he timed it perfectly; the waves were a real nice cushion; afterwards he just paddled out to sea. It was only when I got home and downloaded the photo onto my computer that I realised how spectacular it was. The sad thing is, I accidentally deleted all of that day’s pictures, so this is a version that I enhanced slightly and saved on my computer. National Geographic wanted to run it, but as I didn’t have original file they couldn’t.’ Photograph: Allen Hughes/Caters News Agency

Flag waving. Supporters of Pakistan Muslim League (N) celebrate election results in front of their party office in Lahore. Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/Getty