It has been a year of war; battles over bonuses, fights for the planet and ongoing conflict in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan. Yet it hasn't been all gloom. The New Statesman assembles the best photos of the year, and finds light in the darkness.
Click on the photos below to open them up full size
CONTRASTO/EYEVINE(G8); PETER MACDIARMID/GETTY IMAGES(BROWN), REX FEATURES(OBAMA), JASON REED/REUTERS(BUSH PORTRAIT)
