The best photos of 2018

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How to sum up a year in 12 images? It’s a tough undertaking but we’ve chosen one photo from each month to build a mini-portrait of 2018.

As you might suspect, headline news provided the fodder for some of our selections. One image shows female protestors dressed in costumes inspired by dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale on Washington DC’s Capitol Hill, during a Senate hearing about sexual assault allegations involving Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

And June’s G7 summit provided the setting for one of the most iconic images of the year - German photographer Jesco Denzel’s snapshot of a defiant Donald Trump facing off against a cluster of world leaders led by Angela Merkel.

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There are also glimpses into the quirkier side of life, be it a mass wedding ceremony in South Korea or a masked penitent dragging a cross through a Spanish village as part of an Easter ritual.

But while there was no shortage of newsworthy happenings, some of the most arresting images featured here depict everyday life.

From a snow-spotted Household Guardsman standing firm in the face of the Beast from the East to the very second that England fans saw the ball hit the back of Croatia’s net in the World Cup semi-final, enjoy our snapshots of moments that capture an eventful year.