From house breaking in Johannesburg to hippos on the loose in Tbilisi to rioters attacking a policewoman in Burundi, Reuters photographers tell the story behind some of the most iconic pictures of the year. Here: Protesters drag a female police officer accused of shooting a protester in the Buterere neighbourhood of Bujumbura, Burundi, May 12, 2015. Goran Tomasevic: Protesters started throwing stones at a group of police, who then started to run away. The policewoman in the photo, Medikintos Inabeza, 33, got left behind and then some protesters started to push her, saying that she had shot a female protestor in the stomach with an AK47 rifle. I didn't see anything of that. There were 5 or 10 protesters pushing the policewoman at first, then others came and joined in. Up to 20 or 30 protesters were surrounding her at one point. The protesters kicked and beat her very badly; I also saw a couple of knives. I thought they were going to kill her... (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

Belgian-British teenager Zara Rutherford closes the canopy of her Shark Ultralight airplane as she prepares to take off at the Kortrijk-Wevelgem airfield in Wevelgem, Belgium, Wednesday, August 18, 2021. A Belgian-British teenager took to the skies Wednesday in her quest to become the youngest woman to fly around the world solo. Nineteen-year-old Zara Rutherford took off from an airstrip in Wevelgem, Belgium, in an ultralight plane looking to break the record set by American aviator Shaesta Waiz, who set the world benchmark at age 30 in 2017. (Photo by Virginia Mayo/AP Photo)

The Wuppertal Suspension Railways is one a kind elevated railway located in Wuppertak, Germany. It is the oldest elevated railway in the world, though it doesn’t look like it. It is kept in great condition by the government and provides for a great attraction for the tourists. It provides a great overview, as it runs above a number of city streets and a small river. Moreover, since it is powered by electricity, it proves an ecologically clean method of travel for the residents of the city.

Fumie Takino, 89, founder of a senior cheer squad called Japan Pom Pom, and other members pose for commemorative photos before filming a dance routine for an online performance in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2021. “It's dancing; moving your body is nice”, Takino said. “And the costumes are unbelievably showy. Some people join just so they can wear them”. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

A Japanese woman and her daughter leave Daikichi kimono rental shop Wednesday, June 22, 2022, in Tokyo's Asakusa area famous for sightseeing, before attending their family friend's wedding. Japan is bracing for a return of tourists from abroad, as border controls to curb the spread of coronavirus infections are gradually loosened. Yusuke Otomo, who owns the kimono rental shop, can barely contain his excitement. (Photo by Hiro Komae/AP Photo)

A dog walks on the street as it snows in Kyoto on January 25, 2024. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)

Japan Agricultural Cooperation Kagawa employees arrange cubic watermelons to be shipped within the country, in Zentsuji city, Kagawa prefecture, western Japan, Wednesday, June 24, 2020. The about 18x18x18-centimeter (7x7x7-inch) square watermelons, grown in transparent square containers, will be sold for about 10,000 yen ($94) each. (Photo ny Maiko Hirai/Kyodo News via AP Photo)

France's Typhaine Solde competes in the women's long jump - T64 finals of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 28, 2021. (Photo by Kim Price/CSM/Rex Features/Shutterstock)