Reuters : The Most Astonishing Pictures of 2013

1. Reuters : The Most Astonishing Pictures of 2013 Hand Play Bali New Year: A Balinese man kicks up fire during the Perang Api (Fire War) ritual ahead of Nyepi day, in Gianyar on the Indonesian island of Bali, March 11. Nyepi is a day of silence for self-reflection to celebrate new year

2. Love: Donald Smitherman, 98, kisses his wife Marlene at the end of a dance in Sun City, Arizona, January 5. Sun City was built in 1959 by entrepreneur Del Webb as America's first active retirement community for the over-55s

3. NYC subway: People watch as participants in the No Pants Subway Ride take the 6 train downtown in New York January 13, 2013. The event is an annual flash mob and occurs in different cities around the world

4. California fire: Fire-fighters spray water near a burning house in the Twin Pines Road area where the Silver Fire raged, near Banning, California August 7, 2013. The fire blackened more than 5,000 acres

5. Sandy Hook: Nelba Greene (R), husband Jimmy and her mother Elba Marquez (L), grieve over the loss of daughter Ana Grace at the launch of the Sandy Hook Promise in Newtown, Connecticut

6. Washington Ball: President Barack Obama bows to first lady Michelle Obama, as singer Jennifer Hudson (R) performs behind them, at the Inaugural Ball in Washington, January 21, 2013

7. Washington Ball: President Barack Obama bows to first lady Michelle Obama, as singer Jennifer Hudson (R) performs behind them, at the Inaugural Ball in Washington, January 21, 2013

8. Blast off! Sixth grade students from the Park Maitland School in Maitland, Florida, watch as Marine One carrying U.S. President Barack Obama to Las Vegas takes off from the South Lawn at the White House

9. Gun violence: Ronnie Chambers Jr. looks at his mother Tahitah Myles (obscured) as she collapses during the funeral for his father Ronnie Chambers, 33, a victim of gun violence, in Chicago February 4

10. Fly on the president: A fly lands between the eyes of Barack Obama while he speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, January 24

11. Mars: A mapping researcher of Crew 125 EuroMoonMars B mission collects geologic samples for study at the Mars Desert Research Station in Hanksville, Utah, March 2. The MDRS aims to investigate human exploration of Mars

12. Former U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords delivers her opening remarks next to her husband, former U.S. Navy Captain Mark Kelly, at a hearing held Jan 30 by the Senate Judiciary committee about guns and violence

13. Army: Lesleigh Coyer, 25, of Saginaw, Michigan, lies down in front of the grave of her brother, Ryan, who served with the U.S. Army in both Iraq and Afghanistan, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia March 11

14. Batter up! The barrel of New York Yankees Brennan Boesch's broken bat smacks his face during the first inning of a MLB spring training baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, Florida, March 17

15. Killer: TJ Lane takes off his shirt to show 'Killer' spelled out on his shirt at his sentencing hearing in Cleveland, Ohio, March 19. Lane was sentenced to life without parole for killing three students in a shooting rampage

16. Media summit: Olympic skeleton racer Noelle Pikus-Pace poses for a portrait during the 2013 U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit in Park City, Utah September 30

17. Colorado fire: A house sits undamaged in the aftermath of the Black Forest Fire in Black Forest, Colorado June 13. Hundreds of fire-fighters made a determined stand to stop the wildfire

18. Capitol Hill shooting: Rescue personnel stand around a smashed police car following a shooting near Capitol Hill in Washington, October 3. The Capitol was in lockdown after gunshots were fired outside the building

19. Myanmar clashes: A man stands in front of a mosque as it burns in Meikhtila March 21, 2013. The central Myanmar town declared a curfew after clashes killed 10 people, including a Buddhist monk, and injured at least 20

20. Kenya shopping mall: An injured woman cries for help after gunmen stormed the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi September 21

21. Westgate attack: A child runs to safety as armed police hunt gunmen who went on a shooting spree at Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi September 21

22. Banksy: A dog urinates on a new work by British graffiti artist Banksy on West 24th street in New York City, October 3, 2013

23. Sopranos death: People congregate at the bar of Satin Dolls, which stood in for the Bada Bing Club filmed in the television show The Sopranos, in Lodi, New Jersey, after actor James Gandolfini died

24. Plane crash: Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 plane after it crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport in California July 6, killing two people

25. Man's best friend: Dan McManus and his service dog Shadow hang glide together outside Salt Lake City, Utah, July 22. McManus suffers from anxiety and Shadow's presence and companionship help him to manage

26. Mayor race: New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner and his wife Huma Abedin at a news conference in New York, July 23

27. Olympic joy: Members of the Tokyo bid committee celebrate as Jacques Rogge President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announces Tokyo as the city to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games

28. Marriage: Palestinian groom Ahmed Soboh, 15 and his bride Tala, 14, stand inside Tala's house during their wedding party in the town of Beit Lahiya, near the border between Israeli and Gaza Strip September 24

29. Autumn time: A passenger aircraft, with the full Harvest Moon seen behind, makes its final approach to landing at Heathrow Airport in west London, September 19

30. Camping in China: Numerous tents are seen during the 2013 International I Camping Festival in Mount Wugongshan of Pingxiang, Jiangxi province, September 14

31. Mexico independence: Troops hold coloured cards during a military parade celebrating Independence Day at the Zocalo square in downtown Mexico City September 16

32. New developments: A female migrant construction worker walks into her dormitory near newly-built residential apartments in Shanghai, China, August 12

33. Miss America: Miss New York Nina Davuluri (L) reacts with 2013 Miss America Mallory Hagan after being chosen winner of the 2014 Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, September 15

34. Syria: A member of the 'Ansar Dimachk' Brigade, part of the 'Asood Allah' Brigade which operates under the Free Syrian Army, uses an iPad to fire a homemade mortar at one of the battlefronts in Damascus Sept 15

35. Row to safety: Evacuees displaced from their homes due to fighting between government soldiers and Muslim rebels are seen in boats during sunset at a wharf in Zamboanga city, southern Philippines September 14

36. Cruise ship disaster: The Costa Concordia lies on its side next to Giglio Island August 26, has lain partly submerged in shallow waters off the Tuscan island of Giglio since the accident in January 2012

37. 9/11: A man walks through the 9/11 Empty Sky memorial at sunrise across from New York's Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, September 11

38. San Diego Chargers Eddie Royal (11) is hit hard by Houston Texans cornerback Brice McCain (21) and defensive back Shiloh Keo (31) to force an incomplete pass during an NFL football game in San Diego, Sept 9

39. Morgan fire: Residents flee as winds whip flames from the Morgan fire along Morgan Territory Road near Clayton, California, September 9

40. Syrian weapons: Issa, 10, carries a mortar shell in a weapons factory of the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo, September 7

41. Rodman in N Korea: Former basketball star Dennis Rodman's arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport September 7. Rodman returned from his second visit to North Korea this year where he again met Kim Jong-un

42. Hunger games: Nuns sit at a fast food restaurant downtown of Guatemala City August 28

43. Climber: A man climbs outside a window with a knife, after holding his mother captive in the home, as his mother and a plain clothes policeman look on, in Anshan, Liaoning province, China, August 26

44. Sailing: The Team Emirates New Zealand sails before the third race of their Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series yacht race against Luna Rossa Challenge in San Francisco, California August 18

45. Fake wedding: A couple waits to participate in a staged mass wedding, organised as part of a matchmaking event to inspire singles to get married, in a suburban area of Shanghai May 18

46. Miley Cyrus twerks on stage with Robin Thicke as they perform Blurred Lines during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards in New York August 25

47. Greasy tradition: A man runs up the 'gostra', a pole covered in grease, during the religious feast of St Julian, patron of the town of St Julian's, outside Valletta, Malta, August 25

48. Raped journalist: The abandoned textile mill where a photo journalist was raped by five men in Mumbai, India, August 23

49. No hands: Angelica Murillo, 37, at her home in Tegucigalpa August 21. Angelica's husband attacked her in 2008, accusing her of having an affair, and cut off her two hands with a machete while trying to kill her

50. Soccer: France's Mathieu Valbuena (R) is challenged by Belgium's Marouane Fellaini (L) and Vincent Kompany (C) during their international friendly soccer match at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels August 14