Wrapping up 2021: Best images of the year gone by — the final months

Josh Montford rests his head in his hand while going through his flood damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, on 1 September, in Jean Lafitte. "I'm overwhelmed," said Montford as he searched for items to salvage. The storm left more than 1 million customers without power as it flooded homes, ripped off roofs and trapped residents in dangerous rising waters. It tied Hurricane Laura and the Last Island Hurricane of 1856 as the strongest storm to ever hit the state. AP

Luciana Benetti, 16, embraces her pet pig Chanchi at home in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Benetti found her plans for a big traditional 15th birthday party scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year. In its place, her parents gave her a pig, which turned out to be a loyal and loving companion. AP

The Taliban promised to be different but that wasn't the case, was it? Journalists from Afghanistan's Etilaatroz newspaper — video journalist Nemat Naqdi, left, and video editor Taqi Daryabi — undress to show wounds they sustained after Taliban fighters tortured and beat them while in custody. They had been arrested while reporting on a women's rights protest in Kabul. AFP

A firefighter places his hand on engraved names on the south memorial pool during a ceremony to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 11 September terrorist attacks at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York. AP.

A US Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop migrants on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas. Thousands of migrants, most of whom were Haitian, created a makeshift camp under the bridge, hoping to seek refuge in the United States. Chaotic scenes at the bridge, including the law enforcement officers on horseback using aggressive tactics, horrified local and federal officials. It was later decided that horses would no longer be used by Border Patrol officers in Del Rio. AFP

Laila poses for a photo on 27 September, as she plays in a poor neighbourhood in Kabul, Afghanistan, where hundreds of internally displaced people from the eastern part of the country have been living for years. AP

Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, escorted by police officials out of the Mumbai court and moved to Arthur Road prison. The son of the superstar was arrested on 3 October in connection with the Mumbai cruise drugs case. After several days of court arguments centred on the consumption and possession of drugs, the Bombay High Court granted Aryan Khan bail on 28 October. He finally walked out of jail once the paperwork was complete two days later. PTI

Former Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen arrives to testify during a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing entitled 'Protecting Kids Online: Testimony from a Facebook Whistleblower' on Capitol Hill, 5 October in Washington, DC. Haugen left Facebook in May and provided internal company documents about Facebook to journalists and others, alleging that Facebook consistently chooses profit over safety. Facebook aggressively pushed back against the reports, calling many of the claims “misleading” and arguing that its apps do more good than harm. AFP

A protester is removed by security during a Louis Vuitton fashion show at the Louvre in Paris. It was the last day of Paris Fashion Week, and Extinction Rebellion activists briefly crashed the show to denounce the fashion industry’s role in the climate crisis. AFP

First year students at the University of St Andrews participate in the annual Raisin Monday shaving foam fight on the Lower College Lawn in St Andrews, eastern Scotland. The Raisin Monday costumed foam fight is the culmination of a week of mentoring to welcome first year students into the 'academic families' as they start their studies at the University of St Andrews. AFP

US president Joe Biden gives Pope Francis a challenge coin during his trip to the Vatican. Between them is Italian translator Elisabetta Savigni Ullmann. Challenge coins originated in the military, and this one included the insignia of a Delaware Army National Guard unit that Biden’s son Beau served in. Biden said during his visit that coins are given to “warriors and leaders” and that the pope is “the most significant warrior for peace I’ve ever met.” Biden, a devout lifelong Catholic, met with the Pope for 90 minutes and said he discussed “a lot of personal things” with the pontiff. It was the fourth meeting between Francis and Biden, but their first since Biden became president. AFP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hails healthcare workers on the day the country achieved the major milestone of administering over 100 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses. On 21 October, hailing the vaccination milestone as a triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country has scripted history. Image Courtesy: @amitshah/Twitter

Ash from the Cumbre Vieja volcano covers a home on the Spanish island of La Palma on 30 October. The volcano started erupting in September. AP

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg takes part in a protest at Festival Park in Glasgow on the sidelines of the COP26 UN Climate Summit on 1 November 1. - More than 120 world leaders met in Glasgow in a "last, best hope" to tackle the climate crisis and avert a looming global disaster. AFP

Members of a Kurdish family from Dohuk in Iraq are seen in a forest near the Polish-Belarus border while waiting for the border guard patrol, near Narewka, Poland - The three-generation family of 16 members with seven minors, including the youngest who is 5 months old, spent about 20 days in the forest and was pushed back to Belarus eight times. They claim they were beaten and frightened with dogs by Belarusian soldiers. AFP

Supporters of pop star Britney Spears celebrate outside a Los Angeles courthouse after a judge terminated the conservatorship that had controlled her life for over a decade. Spears' father, Jamie, served as her conservator for 13 years, but he unexpectedly filed a petition in September to end the arrangement. AP

Couples and families are re-united as passengers arrive from the first British Airways flight to arrive since the US lifted pandemic travel restrictions on 8 November 2021 in New York City. International visitors will have to follow new rules, such as vaccination requirements. AFP

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist who in 2014 became the youngest-ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, marries Asser Malik, an operations manager for the Pakistan Cricket Board. Yousafzai gained international recognition for her activism against the Taliban's efforts to stop girls from attending school. When she was 15, she was shot in the head by a member of the Taliban and flown to England to receive treatment. Image Courtesy: @Malala/Twitter

Macaque monkeys climb onto a news photographer at the Phra Prang Sam Yod temple during the annual Monkey Buffet Festival in Lopburi province, north of Bangkok on 28 November 28. AFP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pays his tribute in front of the coffins containing the mortal remains of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and other 12 victims who lost their lives in a helicopter crash on 8 December, during a tribute ceremony at Palam Air Force station in New Delhi. AFP

Nobel Peace Prize laureates Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia are all smiles at the gala award ceremony for the Nobel Peace prize on 10 December in Oslo. Investigative journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia won the prestigious award in October for their work promoting freedom of expression at a time when liberty of the press is increasingly under threat. AFP

A couple embrace as they survey tornado damage on 12 December in Mayfield, Kentucky. Dozens of devastating tornadoes roared through five states, leaving more than 80 people dead in what President Joe Biden said was "one of the largest" storm outbreaks in US history. AFP

A Naga holds a placard during a rally protesting the killings of fourteen civilians by Indian army soldiers, in Kohima, capital of Nagaland. The protestors demanded the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, or AFSPA, emergency powers granted to Indian troops, that gives the military sweeping powers to search, seize and even shoot suspects on sight without fear of prosecution. Human rights groups have called the Act draconian and pleaded for its repeal for decades. AP

The Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center is lit. AFP

The lights of a small shop break through the gloom of dusk in the an old district of Beijing, China. AP