Cheerleaders from the “All Japan Cheer Organization” perform in protective masks due to COVID-19, to cheer people up in front of Shimbashi Station, one day before the start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan on July 22, 2021. (Photo by Androniki Christodoulou/Reuters)

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)

An Egyptian Coptic Christian women holds onto a pew during the celebration of Christmas Nativity Liturgy, the start of Christmas, at the Coptic Orthodox Church of St. George on January 6, 2012 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Ribbonesia is a modern ribbon company created by Japanese artist Baku Maeda. The word “ribbon” and ‘modern’ is an understatement when describing Ribbonesia because these are more like life-size modern sculptures made with satin and silk. I wouldn’t be shocked if he starts creating apparel in the near future.

Pierce Thiot made this cool project with his wife, photographer Stacy Thiot. The project is called Will It Beard. It started with him storing his pen in his beard at work.

Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel is an animal novelty act, featuring a squirrel who skis around a heated pool. The act began in 1979 by Chuck and Lou Ann Best and started with an appearance on Real People. It has been featured on numerous television shows, newspaper articles, and websites.

A woman dressed as “The Milkmaid” (Het Melkmeisje), after a painting by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, picks up tulips at the National Tulip Day on the Dam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 16 January 2016. The event is the official start of the international tulip season which runs until the end of April. (Photo by Evert Elzinga/EPA)

A Muslim bride waits for the start of a mass marriage ceremony in Mumbai, India, January 27, 2016. A total of 12 Muslim couples took their wedding vows during the mass marriage ceremony organised by a Muslim voluntary organisation, organisers said. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)