From oil spills, wildfires, and floods to Victory Day and the World Cup, these photos tell the stories that defined 2010.
2010: The Year In Photos
47
A Muslim pilgrim prays at the top of Mount Al-Noor during the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on November 9. The hajj is one of the world's biggest displays of mass religious devotion and a duty for Muslims who are able to perform it.
Photo by Mohammed Salem for Reuters
Photo by Mohammed Salem for Reuters
48
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka addresses delegates during the fourth All-Belarusian national assembly in Minsk on December 6. Lukashenka, who has ruled the former Soviet republic since 1994, looks set to dominate the December 19 presidential vote.
Photo by Maxim Guchek for AFP
Photo by Maxim Guchek for AFP
49
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning, cries during an interview with Iran's English-language Press TV in an image released on December 9. The stoning sentence against Ashtiani, who is charged with adultery and murdering her husband, has raised an outcry from human rights defenders.
Photo by Reuters/Press TV
Photo by Reuters/Press TV
50
Supporters of Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci celebrate election victory in Pristina on December 12. The parliamentary elections were the first since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008.
Photo by Armend Nimani for AFP
Photo by Armend Nimani for AFP