30 December 2010Last updated at 08:53

Pictures of the year 2010

A visitor stands outside the UK Pavilion on the opening day of the Shanghai World Expo.

The 2010 World Expo opened in the city of Shanghai in what China hoped would be further proof of its rising global influence. Almost 250 countries and international organisations showcased their culture in an event themed around sustainable development.

The legs of an earthquake victim are seen lying in street in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010. An earthquake with a magnitude of more 7 hit Haiti leaving thousands dead and many displaced.

An earthquake in Haiti in January left many thousands dead and millions hungry, their homes, schools and hospitals destroyed and their livelihoods taken away. The response to a cholera outbreak was described as "inadequate".

Seven days after the earthquake hit, New York City Urban Search and Rescue, along with Virginia Rescue, pulled an alive and healthy young boy named Kiki, who had been trapped in the rubble of his home in the Nazan region of Port au Prince.

A strong aftershock rocked the country a week later, sending screaming people running into the streets. However, rescue teams continued to find people alive in the rubble.

An eruption beneath Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull glacier which began on 20 March created an ash cloud that forced airspace closures across northern Europe. Most of the ash had dispersed by the beginning of May, when the eruption resumed.

Marooned flood victims looking to escape grab the side bars of a hovering Army helicopter which arrived to distribute food supplies in the Muzaffargarh district of Pakistan's Punjab province August 7, 2010.

Heavy monsoon rains in north-west Pakistan caused rivers to burst their banks. At least 1,600 people are believed to have been killed and entire villages were swept away. Some 20 million people were affected and six million needed food aid.

Plaquemines Parish coastal zone director P.J. Hahn lifts an oil-covered pelican which was stuck in oil at Queen Bess Island in Barataria Bay, just off the Gulf of Mexico.

An explosion at the Deepwater Horizon rig allowed millions of gallons of oil to spew into the Gulf of Mexico. The well was finally "killed" in September, five months after the disaster began.

A protester uses Molotov cocktails against riot police during May Day protests on May 1, 2010 in Athens, Greece.

Thousands of protesters gathered in Athens and other Greek cities to participate in May Day rallies, angered by the harsh austerity measures demanded by the EU in return for a financial bail-out package.

A red banner covers the body of a protester killed during an operation to evict anti-government "red shirt" protesters from their encampment in Bangkok May 19, 2010.

Fighting between Thai troops and anti-government protesters brought the streets of Bangkok to a standstill. At least 90 people were killed during 10 weeks of protests and clashes.

A woman reacts to the heavy smoke fire outside the town of Vyksa

A month-long record-breaking heatwave sparked nearly 50 fires in the Moscow region. More than 2,000 people were left homeless. President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the armed forces to help fight the flames.

Children of the Khayelitsha Township near Cape Town enjoy a game of football in the World Cup host nation of South Africa

Nelson Mandela: "The 2010 Fifa World Cup is more than just a game: it symbolises the power of football to bring people together from all over the world, regardless of language, the colour of one's skin, political or religious persuasion."

Mario Sepulveda celebrates after becoming the second miner to reach the surface at the San Jose mine in Copiapo

For more than two months, 33 men were trapped underground in Chile's San Jose mine. As the rescue attempt gathered pace in the Atacama Desert above, hundreds of relatives and dozens of international media organisations set up camp there.

A woman contemplates the damage in Devecser, about 150 km south-west of Budapest.

Experts from the EU were brought to Hungary to tackle the toxic sludge spill that claimed seven lives and devastated large areas. Hungary says it will take more than a year and cost tens of millions of dollars to clear up the damage.

Army Medevac helicopter crew members with Dustoff Task Force Shadow of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade help Marines carry a severely wounded Marine to a helicopter. The Marine later died of his injuries.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates says the US will start reducing the number of its soldiers in Afghanistan next July. The commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, Gen David Petraeus, said that he might advise President Obama to delay the exit.

An athlete competes in the men's marathon at Vijay Chowk during day 11 of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games on October 14, 2010 in Delhi, India.

The Commonwealth Games got under way in Delhi, as organisers sought to shake off suggestions that preparations were incomplete. About 80,000 police were reinforced by 17,000 paramilitary troops to counter the danger of an attack by extremists.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Il, right, and his son Kim Jong-Un attend a massive military parade to mark the 65th anniversary of the communist nation's ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang.

North Korea revealed its past and future to the outside world with a rare invitation to the world's media to come to Pyongyang to see a major military parade. Kim Jong-il also appeared with his son Kim Jong-un, who is expected to be country's next leader.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (C) greets crowds of well-wishers at the gate of her house following her release from house arrest, on November 13, 2010 in Yangon, Burma

World leaders and human rights groups reacted with joy at the release from house arrest of Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. She walked from her Rangoon house at the end of her sentence having been detained for most of the past two decades.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (C) raises the hand of Dilma Rousseff

Dilma Rousseff was elected president of Brazil to succeed Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Ms Rousseff, 62, who has never before held elected office, becomes the country's first female president.

Stitches are seen in President Barack Obama's lower lip as he delivers a statement to members of the media in the Old Executive Office Building, on the White House campus in Washington.

Republicans took control of the US House of Representatives and diminished the Democratic majority in the Senate. President Obama, pictured with stitches on his lip from a basketball injury, faces a new and more complicated relationship with Congress.

Cambodian police officials examine hundreds of shoes and other belongings on a bridge in Phnom Penh.

At least 350 people were killed in a stampede during festival celebrations in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. Hundreds more people were injured in the crush. Huge crowds had gathered on a small island for the final day of the Water Festival.

Freezing weather disrupted travel across Europe during late December. Icy and snowy roads caused traffic problems across large parts of western and northern Europe and dozens of people are reported to have died from exposure.

World

Pictures of the year 2010

Share this page

Services

About BBC News