A police officer pepper sprays a protester as another protester stands in front of the race director's car at the 218-km Stage 16 from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon of the Tour de France, July 24, 2018. Reuters photographer Stephane Mahe: "The Tour de France was in its final days. I was aboard a motorbike following a long 218-kilometre stage from Carcassonne in the deep southwest of France up to the Pyrenees. In the early part of the stage I got a little frustrated, unable to find a 'postcard' image or vantage point to shoot the race. After 25 kilometres, the motorbikes were told to gather three kilometres further along. Something was happening at last! I could see a flock of sheep with farmers and police. I jumped down and started to imagine a photo with sheep and the Tour peleton. As I got closer I quickly felt the tension: farmers were there with their livestock and tractors to demonstrate, not to watch the riders. I realised they intended to block the race. The Tour security asked me to leave but I decided to stay as something more than a sporting episode was unfolding. Just before the arrival of the peleton, I saw two young women rush onto the road, shouting and blocking an official Tour car as farmers cheered them on. The gendarmes immediately sprayed tear gas at the two protesters, who screamed and struggled. I took my picture. The two women were quickly removed from the road and the peleton arrived. The cyclists slowed and then stopped, troubled by the tear gas in the air. They struggled to breathe, wiped their eyes. One even asked me if someone had thrown acid in his face. It was chaos. The race was held up for 17 minutes - very unusual. I thought of the two protesters, I knew it was a striking image. That evening, after this stage of Tour was over, I discovered that the photo had gone viral. The protesters had an audience for their fight against the loss of local farming subsidies. But the Tour went on." REUTERS/Stephane Mahe SEARCH "POY STORY" FOR T
A migrant looks out from under a truck as a port police officer waits to detain him at the port of Patras, from where migrants try to smuggle themselves onto ferries to Italy, in Patras, Greece, March 8, 2018. Reuters photographer Alkis Konstantinidis: "I was in the port city of Patras covering the efforts of migrants to smuggle themselves onto ferries bound for Italy. It's a dangerous passage but became more appealing after the closure of the overland route to northern Europe through the Balkans. It was during the final hours of my two-day access in the port when an officer with the coast guard's special forces squad kneeled beside a truck lined up for embarkation control and pointed his torch towards the undercarriage. Suddenly, he yelled, "Get down! Get down from there!" at two eyes peering back at him. A young man crawled out, checking his surroundings. He looked lost, and I shot some frames as he emerged between the wheels. He got up in silence and was quickly detained and handcuffed. He was part of a group of a few hundred young, mostly Afghan or Pakistani migrants who had been squatting in abandoned factories opposite the port. Every day, they ran across the busy street into the fence, looking for trucks in which to stow away. Most were discovered by police dogs and X-ray machines and held overnight before being released. Nearly all would try their luck again and again." REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
Ethiopian Federal Police officers detain a woman suspected to be carrying explosives during the welcoming ceremony of Jawar Mohammed, U.S.-based Oromo activist and leader of the Oromo Protests, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia August 5, 2018. Reuters photographer Tiksa Negeri: "August 5 was a joyous day for thousands of young ethnic Oromo youths in Ethiopia as they celebrated the return of Jawar Mohammed, the exiled leader of their struggle who is a U.S.-based social media activist. The youths were dancing and chanting slogans in front of Addis Ababa's Bole International Airport as they waited for their hero to land there. Some youths were assigned as security guards to check people arriving for the celebration and accompanying concert. I was out on the street to shoot the event. The atmosphere was joyous, everybody enjoying themselves, holding up Jawar portraits. About 30 minutes later, however, I bumped into some angry youths beating a young woman who apparently had refused to be checked and was suspected of carrying explosives. I followed them as they hustled her towards police. I was glad she was finally handed to police custody in one piece and she was taken away for investigation. I never heard of reports about her after that. I felt like I was in the right place to get the handover of the young woman, with her regretful expression, and I immediately got on my knees and took this picture. Not long after she was taken away, the crowd got back into the mood of dancing and celebration." REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri
Randall Margraves (L) lunges at Larry Nassar (wearing orange) a former team USA Gymnastics doctor who pleaded guilty in November 2017 to sexual assault charges, during victim statements of his sentencing in the Eaton County Circuit Court in Charlotte, Michigan, U.S., February 2, 2018. Reuters photographer Rebecca Cook: "Larry Nassar sat at a table next to his attorney as 48 young women addressed the court, one by one, with painful stories of sexual abuse by the former Michigan State University sports doctor. I was in the courtroom, sitting near the juror's box, to cover the three-day event for Reuters. On the second day, it was the turn of two sisters to testify about what Nassar had done to them. As Lauren and Madison Margraves spoke, I focused on the suffering etched on the family's faces. Their father's face became increasingly distressed as his daughters spoke. When the testimony ended, he was granted permission to speak by the judge. "Your Honor, can you grant me five minutes in a locked room with this demon?" Randall Margraves asked. The judge obviously had to deny that request, and I felt tension soaring in the courtroom filled with the pain of friends and families of Nassar's victims. Suddenly, the Margraves sisters' father lunged across the courtroom at Nassar. With no time to think, I snapped photos as he reached the table where Nassar was seated, clad in an orange jumpsuit. In the photo, police officers leap to grab Margraves and tackle him to the floor. Nassar remained still as his attorney moved to shield him." REUTERS/Rebecca Cook
A Honduran migrant protects his child after fellow migrants, part of a caravan trying to reach the U.S., stormed a border checkpoint in Guatemala, in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, October 19, 2018. Reuters photographer Ueslei Marcelino: "The migrants had already broken through the first police barricade on the Guatemalan side of the bridge. After a while, they moved towards the second barricade on the Mexican side. The push by the migrants to enter Mexico had eased and suddenly women and children formed a line and started to walk towards the police. There was a bit of pushing and shoving, and then things started to get increasingly chaotic. It was a march that turned into a protest and ended up in confusion. Of course, it affected me. I'm also a father of a nine-year-old girl. It was impossible not to think about being that father caught up in that panicked situation. After taking the photo, I took others of families coming out of the restrictive cordon created by police. The confusion was brought under control after gas was used to disperse them, and the migrants were pushed back to the Guatemalan side." REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino
A crew member of NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue boat embraces Josepha from Cameroon in central Mediterranean Sea, July 17, 2018. Reuters photographer Juan Medina: "As our rescue boat sighted the wreck of a raft, we saw a woman making an effort to wave, so we knew at least there was life there. It soon became clear she was the only survivor. Face down amid a bunch of loose planks and deflated rubber lay the corpse of a woman in a striped T-shirt and trousers. She had been dead for some time. And there was a four-year-old boy who the boat's doctors said had died just hours before. The survivor was brought aboard in a state of deep shock and treated by doctors. She gave only her first name, Josepha, and said she was from Cameroon. She told doctors she had spent the previous night clinging to the wreckage, singing hymns and praying for deliverance. She would not tell us anything else about herself or the other passengers on the raft, nor did she say how it wrecked. The crew lifted the two dead bodies onto the deck, covered and put them on ice. There was general sadness and the feeling of powerlessness, but also joy at having found Josepha alive. Had we arrived a few hours later, she could have been dead. We've done two rescues during my 29 days on the flagship rescue boat of the Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms. The retired tugboat, built in 1973, patrolled the Mediterranean off Libya's coast to rescue migrants trying to cross to Europe." REUTERS/Juan
Afghan journalists are seen after a second blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, April 30, 2018. Reuters photographer Omar Sobhani: "I shot this photo 10 or 15 seconds after the suicide bomber detonated his explosives. I had been waiting with other journalists to cover an earlier blast. It was about 8:30 in the morning, there were security forces guarding the site of the first blast and quite a few people going to work and we were just waiting with other journalists. Then we heard a huge bang just behind me. I survived because I was standing in front of a concrete pillar that shielded me from the force of the explosion, but I saw my friends and colleagues on the ground and a lot of them were dead and a few injured - you can still see the smoke from the explosion in the pictures. I was slightly wounded, but was able to quickly capture some images of the scene before withdrawing to seek help. I was shocked but I could see there was nothing to be done and I shot some pictures immediately before leaving. I could feel some pain and there was some shrapnel in my shoulder, which was taken out at the hospital. Eight of the journalists were from Afghan outlets. The French news agency AFP's chief photographer in Afghanistan, Shah Marai, was also killed. For me and the other journalists at the scene, the dead were colleagues and friends. The people killed were all innocent people, people just going about their business or journalists just doing their job. They're showing the truth of what's happening. It's not politics. It's very important so that people can know what's happening. It's a challenging job. You see war and violence all the time but it's important to make sure people know. I was very shocked - these were colleagues of mine and one was a very good friend." REUTERS/Omar Sobhani
Croatia players celebrate next to an AFP photographer Yuri Cortez after Mario Mandzukic scores their second goal against England during the World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, July 11, 2018. Reuters photographer Carl Recine: "It was the 2018 World Cup semi-final - England and Croatia were facing off. I had secured a pretty good seat throughout the tournament and things had gone pretty well for me, with plenty of goals and celebrations coming my way. The teams were tied 1-1 in the second half of extra time, and the next goal would take whoever scored to the final. Croatia went on the offence and soon enough Mario Mandzukic scored the crucial goal. I had that photo in the bag and now Mandzukic was running right towards me. Suddenly he was right in front of me, filling the frame of my 70-200mm lens. I always try to keep a wider 16-35mm lens close by for moments like this, though they rarely happen. In fact, I had never found myself in a similar situation before. As his teammates stormed towards him to celebrate, I jumped off my seat to avoid being swept up by the whole Croatian team. But another photographer who was sitting next to me was accidentally knocked to the floor. I kept photographing the celebrations, which now engulfed my colleague. This made the photograph even more unusual. The Croatian players then picked the photographer up, made sure he was okay, found his glasses on the floor and placed them back on his head. It was a special and unique moment, and I was delighted to be part of it." REUTERS/Carl Recine
A wounded Palestinian demonstrator, Haitham Abu Sabla, 23, is hit in the face with a tear gas canister fired by Israeli troops during a protest marking al-Quds Day, (Jerusalem Day), at the Israel-Gaza border in the southern Gaza Strip June 8, 2018. Reuters photographer Ibraheem Abu Mustafa: "That day I was standing with a group of photographers east of Khan Younis ready to cover another day of what Gazans call the 'March of Return.' I saw a group of protesters advancing toward the fence. Israeli soldiers and vehicles were stationed a short distance behind it. Demonstrators began hurling stones at the soldiers, and one soldier got off a jeep and began firing tear gas bombs at the protesters. Usually protesters would begin fleeing because those canisters can be dangerous and hit people in the head. I was surprised to see a man with gas coming out of his face. I was the first to notice it, and at the beginning I thought he might have put it inside his mouth kind of for fun, or out of defiance. Then I realised the gas bomb had penetrated his face and lodged inside it. Everything was happening in seconds. I began taking images of him as he ran, as he fell to the ground and as medics rushed to help him. The gas stopped, but blood covered his face and clothes. They laid him on a stretcher and carried him away and I continued taking pictures of other protesters and other injured people. I felt sorry for him because he was in a critical condition, and because I was the first to have seen him and I couldn't do anything to help him. It was shocking and horrifying for me, but I felt I had a responsibility to cover the event while keeping myself together. Especially during such a surprising incident." REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
A police officer pepper sprays a protester as another protester stands in front of the race director's car at the 218-km Stage 16 from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon of the Tour de France, July 24, 2018. Reuters photographer Stephane Mahe: "The Tour de France was in its final days. I was aboard a motorbike following a long 218-kilometre stage from Carcassonne in the deep southwest of France up to the Pyrenees. In the early part of the stage I got a little frustrated, unable to find a 'postcard' image or vantage point to shoot the race. After 25 kilometres, the motorbikes were told to gather three kilometres further along. Something was happening at last! I could see a flock of sheep with farmers and police. I jumped down and started to imagine a photo with sheep and the Tour peleton. As I got closer I quickly felt the tension: farmers were there with their livestock and tractors to demonstrate, not to watch the riders. I realised they intended to block the race. The Tour security asked me to leave but I decided to stay as something more than a sporting episode was unfolding. Just before the arrival of the peleton, I saw two young women rush onto the road, shouting and blocking an official Tour car as farmers cheered them on. The gendarmes immediately sprayed tear gas at the two protesters, who screamed and struggled. I took my picture. The two women were quickly removed from the road and the peleton arrived. The cyclists slowed and then stopped, troubled by the tear gas in the air. They struggled to breathe, wiped their eyes. One even asked me if someone had thrown acid in his face. It was chaos. The race was held up for 17 minutes - very unusual. I thought of the two protesters, I knew it was a striking image. That evening, after this stage of Tour was over, I discovered that the photo had gone viral. The protesters had an audience for their fight against the loss of local farming subsidies. But the Tour went on." REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
A migrant family, part of a caravan of thousands traveling from Central America en route to the United States, run away from tear gas in front of the border wall between the U.S and Mexico in Tijuana, Mexico November 25, 2018. Reuters photographer Kim Kyung-Hoon: "After nearly two weeks of documenting the harrowing journey of a caravan of mostly Central American migrants headed towards the U.S.-Mexican border, I snapped a picture I will never forget. In the photo, Honduran mother Maria Meza grabs the thin arms of her two 5-year-old twin daughters Cheili and Saira as they frantically run from a tear gas canister next to the U.S-Mexico border barrier in Tijuana. Cheili is in diapers, Saira barefoot. Their mother is wearing a T-shirt from the Disney hit "Frozen," a movie I've seen many times with my own daughter. In the frantic moments after tear gas canisters hit the ground, the acrid smell engulfed the area. Children were crying, their eyes stung by the gas. The U.S. government said customs officers had used tear gas to stop a group of migrants who, they said, had violently attempted to cross the border. I did not see who fired the canister, but I heard the sound come from the direction of the border fence as I, too, broke into a run. It was one of the first of several tear gas canisters I saw being used by border agents. I did not witness migrants behaving violently, but we were in a large area and I could not see everything that was happening. It is not my place to say who is right and who is wrong. I just took a photo of what I saw happening in a given place and time." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Ayah, 37, a wearer of the niqab weeps as she is embraced by a police officer during a demonstration against the Danish face veil ban in Copenhagen, Denmark, August 1, 2018. Reuters photographer Andrew Kelly: "I travelled to Denmark in May to cover a new, controversial law that banned the wearing of face veils in public. As I followed a large demonstration in Copenhagen protesting against the ban, I came across a scene that was emblematic of the polarizing issue. I noticed a female police officer talking to some women in niqabs, the veil worn by some Muslim women. I wasn't sure whether the police officer was going to fine them, but I quickly realized she was being very friendly. She spoke with one of veiled women, Ayah, who was visibly emotional. The officer reassured her, and the two women hugged as Ayah wept. The photo was widely picked up and sparked a heated debate on the ban. People were divided: Many praised the officer, while others called for her suspension. It also created huge interest in Ayah. She gave interviews and was able to explain how the ban affected her life. "It's just absurd. I can't do the things I love to do any more," Ayah told Reuters. "I'm just going to be a prisoner in my home." But sudden notoriety also brought a lot of negative attention and Ayah has since retreated to a life away from the spotlight." REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker jokes with European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt ahead of a debate on the Future of Europe at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, February 6, 2018. Reuters photographer Vincent Kessler: "Covering sessions at the European Parliament involves attending a succession of debates with a succession of speakers producing a succession of similar pictures. European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker is always one of the first to arrive in the plenary room, so I usually come early myself to try to take pictures different from the ones we can expect in the official frame of the debate. At this time of the day, 15-30 minutes before the start of the debate at 9:00, the plenary room is quite empty, giving Juncker the opportunity to have a chat or joke with MEPs or even with photographers. Also in the plenary room was Guy Verhofstadt, president of one of the political groups in the European Parliament and the EP's chief negotiator on Brexit. He also ran against Juncker when the latter was elected president of the commission in 2014. The two know each other well, having also served as prime ministers of their neighbouring countries, partly at the same time. So an opportunity to take pictures of the two together is always interesting and this is why I decided to stand in front of Verhofstadt in the plenary room, waiting for Juncker to come over. Juncker is a character, always breaking the rules and ready to laugh and especially at himself. As Verhofstadt was reading some papers, Juncker discreetly snuck up behind him and ruffled his hair, giving us the opportunity of a nice and funny picture. Not the kind you usually expect in one of the hundreds of debates I have covered in Parliament!" REUTERS/Vincent Kessler
A man gets stuck under debris at a damaged site after an airstrike in the Saqba area, in the eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria, January 9, 2018. Reuters photographer Bassam Khabieh: "I was going to take daily-life photos in eastern Ghouta, which was besieged by Syrian government forces at the time, when a warplane dropped what looked like a large bomb that descended by parachute. I heard a massive explosion and headed for the targeted area. When I arrived, I saw enormous destruction and heard voices calling for help. Abu Abdullah was buried to his waist in rubble. I was struck by how calm he appeared as the White Helmet rescue workers tried to dig him out. Although he knew he had lost his son and was wounded himself, he did not scream. He even tried to help his rescuers. I heard him saying, 'We belong to God and to God we return', something people say when they believe they're going to die. One of the big concerns when covering the aftermath of an attack was the risk that the warplanes would hit the same place once the first responders arrived. I heard the sound of a warplane overhead while covering this attack, and I was worried it might strike. The area was crowded with rescue workers, medics and journalists, and I did my best to find a place to take photos without causing an obstruction." REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh
upporters of the National Socialist Movement, a white nationalist political group, give Nazi salutes while taking part in a swastika burning at an undisclosed location in Georgia, U.S. on April 21, 2018. Reuters photographer Go Nakamura: "I never fathomed capturing this image. Earlier in the day, I had been covering a very uneventful white supremacy rally in Newnan, Georgia, run by a neo-Nazi group called National Socialist Movement, the same group involved in the infamous Charlottesville rally in 2017. A couple of colleagues told me that the group might hold some sort of secret ritual outside of town afterwards. Together, we approached the head of the movement who granted us permission to document the ritual. After waiting for several hours, we reached the backyard of a bar in the middle of nowhere where we saw a big wooden swastika and cross set up on the ground. Then, a group of some 15 neo-Nazis lit up their torches as they encircled the swastika and performed a Nazi salute. It was surreal. Adrenalin was rushing through my body, but I remained focused on capturing what was unfolding in front of my eyes. The ritual reached its climax when the group lined up in front of the burning swastika and began chanting and performing a final salute. We left immediately after it ended. As we drove away, I set about unravelling the tangle of emotions I experienced that day that led to this photo." REUTERS/Go Nakamura
Former President Manuel Zelaya is helped by aides while being overcome by tear gas during a protest against the re-election of Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez in Tegucigalpa, Honduras January 12, 2018. Reuters photographer Jorge Cabrera: "I was covering a protest against Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez in the capital Tegucigalpa when things turned violent. Some protesters vandalized the front of the Marriott Hotel, and police responded with tear gas and warning shots. Among the protesters was former president Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya tried to quell the clashes but got caught in the middle of the scuffle and his hat fell on the ground. As he tried to retrieve it, Zelaya was gassed and attacked by police. The photo I took captured his bodyguards as they tried to get him to safety while Zelaya catches his breath, holding a gas mask. What struck me the most was how the former president seemed to ignore the danger - the teargas and bullets - and he appeared solely focused on getting his hat back. But police soon charged again, and Zelaya never managed to retrieve it." REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera
Adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, puts her shoe back on after passing though a security screening, as she arrives at federal court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2018. Reuters photographer Shannon Stapleton: "The day started out in a scrum of 50 photographers penned in a police barricade outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan, waiting for adult film star Stormy Daniels. This kind of assignment is hectic and intensely competitive. While you do have an approximate arrival time, you rarely know when the subject will show up or if they will be where you are set up. After some time, I decided to follow a video crew who seemed to be more in the know about Daniels' movements. Before we knew it, a big black sports utility car pulled over and Daniels emerged from it. It was total chaos as everyone scrambled to get a picture of her. I ran to a window and tried to place myself by the metal detector that anyone entering the courthouse has to go through. I pinned my camera upon the glass, hoping Daniels would pass by me. She was wearing pastel pink and I knew that if I kept the focus on her, I would be able to get a clean shot. As Daniels made her way through the metal detector, I noticed she had to take off her high-heel shoes and sit down to put them back on. I knew in that moment that was the money shot: Daniels with her leg held up as she put her heels back on." REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
White House Communications Director Hope Hicks leaves after attending the House Intelligence Committee closed door meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., February 27, 2018. Reuters photographer Leah Millis: "This was one of my very first stakeouts after I joined Reuters as a staff photographer in Washington, D.C. After an earlier assignment at the Supreme Court on Feb. 27, I was asked to join colleague Kevin Lamarque at the Capitol, where White House Communications Director Hope Hicks had been testifying to the House Intelligence Committee. After about seven hours of waiting, Hicks suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway. I grabbed my backpack and broke into a sprint towards the northern exit with a videographer and no other photographers. We then backpedalled with Hicks for the long walk up the stairs that lead to First Street from the Capitol. I noticed the lit-up Capitol building behind her as we climbed the stairs and had the presence of mind to get it in the background of the photograph. When we reached the top of the steps, Hicks and her team hailed a taxi, got in and they were off. Seven hours of waiting had culminated in a few minutes-long feverish dash and climb up the stairs. Hicks and myself were the only women at the scene. One of the videographers made a comment about her looks as we were walking, and I felt the need to show that she held her own, never stumbled or looked like a victim in that situation. Moments like these transcend barriers. I'm a photojournalist and she was my subject in that situation. But, in that moment, I could relate to her from one woman to another." REUTERS/Leah Millis
Immigrant children are led by staff in single file between tents at a detention facility next to the Mexican border in Tornillo, Texas, U.S., June 18, 2018. Reuters photographer Mike Blake: "It was a lot of teamwork that made this picture happen, from finding the location to hunting down an aircraft for aerials while I flew into Texas on a commercial flight. The Trump administration?s new policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the border had begun, but no one really understood until these images were transmitted out to the world the scale and reality of what was going on. After factoring in flight time to the camp, I asked the pilot to wait on the ground for an hour, thinking there was more likely to be movement around dinner time, the light being better then as well. This image was shot with a 600mm lens from 1,000 feet out the window of a small plane as we circled near the little town of Tornillo, Texas on the U.S.-Mexican border. The flight was hot and bumpy and the turbulence made it extremely difficult to even frame the image in the viewfinder. Reuters was the first to show such aerial images of the camp and, in the next morning when both the New York Times and Washington Post fronted their print editions with what I had photographed, President Trump signed an order ending the separation policy." REUTERS/Mike Blake
A Picture and its Story 2018
The stories surrounding the images as Reuters photographers captured the human drama in the most compelling stories of 2018.