In this gallery, IBTimes UK takes a look back at the cutest, funniest and most bizarre news, sports and animal photographs published in 2016.
A sloth holds on to the post of a traffic barrier on a highway, in this handout photo provided by Ecuador's Transit Commission in Quevedo on 22 January ReutersA giant panda cub falls from the stage while 23 giant pandas born in 2016 are seen on a display at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China on 29 September China Daily/ReutersA banded mongoose plays with a Halloween pumpkin at a zoo in Chongqing, China on 29 OctoberReutersA woman feeds her piglet, born with a deformed face, at home in Zhijin, Guizhou province, China on 6 DecemberReutersA biker rides with his 12-year-old cat Chiquinho, who always travels with him on his motorbike, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 19 JuneYasuyoshi Chiba/AFPA Komondor is seen in the judging ring, during day two of competition at the Westminster Kennel Club 140th Annual Dog Show in New York on 16 February Timothy A. Clary/AFPA special forces soldier waits to march in a military parade to celebrate the 206th anniversary of Colombia's independence in Bogota on 20 July John Vizcaino/ReutersA woman' s hair is blown across her face as she crosses the Millennium Bridge during strong winds in London on 8 FebruaryStefan Wermuth/ReutrrsA man carries a dog on his head during the Surf City Surf Dog competition in Huntington Beach, California on 25 SeptemberLucy Nicholson/ReutersPrince William is hugged by Chewbacca as British actor John Boyega smiles during a tour of the Star Wars sets at Pinewood studios in Iver Heath, west of London on 19 AprilReutersTwo-year-old Lewis Connet bursts into tears as he presents Queen Elizabeth II with flowers as she arrives with the Duke of Edinburgh to officially open Alderhey Children's Hospital during a visit to Liverpool on 22 JuneChris Jackson/Getty ImagesIs it Bill Murray? Is it Tom Hanks? This image, photo posted to the Facebook group Reasons My Son Is Crying, triggered heated debate. (Those who said it was Hanks were correct, by the way)FacebookUS President Barack Obama holds 10-month-old Brooks Breitwieser as he greets supporters after speaking to an overflow room during a Hillary for America campaign event for Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at the Capital University Field House in Columbus, Ohio on 1 November 2016Saul Loeb/AFPRamon Padua from Guam gives a thumbs up as he competes in a preliminary round at the 89th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee at National Harbor in Maryland on 25 May Kevin Lamarque/ReutersNigel Farage delivers his keynote address at the party's spring conference, in Llandudno on 27 FebruaryPhil Noble/ReutersScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks at the recommissioning of the works by Liberty Steel Group at the Dalzell steel plant in Motherwell on 28 SeptemberRussell Cheyne/ReutersRepublican US presidential candidate Donald Trump refers to former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who lost the 2012 presidential election, as a "choker" at a rally with supporters in Anaheim, California on 25 MayJonathan Ernst/ReutersEve Rydberg (L) and Megan Lee pose for a portrait with their sign as they take part in a protest against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, Illinois on 18 October Joshua Lott//ReutersRacegoers have fun during Ladies Day at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside on 8 AprilJason Cairnduff/ReutersCompetitors posing during a bodybuilding competition in Hangzhou, eastern China's Zhejiang province on 9 AprilAFP/Getty ImagesThe coach of Mongolian wrestler Mandakhnaran Ganzorig takes off his clothes as he protests after the match against Ikhtiyor Navruzov of Uzbekistan during the Men's Wrestling Freestyle 65 kg Bronze Final at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on 21 AugustToru Hanai/ReutersAri Skulason celebrates with his baby after Iceland beat Austria 2-1 in Paris on 22 JuneDarren Staples/ReutersMaryoly Gamez of Venezuela battles for the ball against Victoria Rios of Uruguay during the International Womens Rugby Sevens - Aquece Rio Test Event for the Rio 2016 Olympics at Deodoro Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 6 March Buda Mendes/Getty ImagesYeon Jae Son of Korea competes during the Women's Individual All-Around Rhythmic Gymnastics Final on Day 15 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on 20 AugustAlex Livesey/Getty ImagesJan Durica of Slovakia and Artem Dzyuba of Russia battle for possession during their Group B match in Lille on 15 JuneMike Hewitt/Getty ImagesSergey Semenov of Russia and Heiki Nabi of Estonia compete in the men's Greco-Roman 130kg bronze medal bout on 15 August Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesA recently arrived rare breed Valais Blacknose lamb explores its new home in a paddock at the Lost Gardens of Heligan near St Austell, Cornwall on 14 DecemberMatt Cardy/Getty ImagesChimpanzees are seen during feeding time at the Los Angeles Zoo in Los Angeles, California on 10 MayMark Ralston/AFPHorses look out a window of their stable near the village of Pontoiraklia, Greece on 27 May Marko Djurica/ ReutersA rat's head rests as it is constricted in an opening in the bottom of a garbage can in the Brooklyn borough of New York on 18 OctoberLucas Jackson/ ReutersA carp swims in the Chidorigafuchi moat covered with petals of cherry blossoms in Tokyo, Japan on 8 AprilToru Hanai/ReutersOstriches wear masks as they are transported by a truck for relocation in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, 8 AugustReutersPerformers dressed as Pikachu travel in an elevator during the Pikachu Outbreak event hosted by The Pokemon Company in Yokohama, Japan on 7 AugustTomohiro Ohsumi/ Getty ImagesA man lies on the ground as his head is stuck in a washing machine in Fuqing county of Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China on 29 MayReutersCardboard cut outs of the faces of three candidates for the Republican nomination for the 2016 US Presidential election (L-R) Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, are seen set up on urinals in a pub in London as part of an informal poll for customers to log which they dislike the most on 1 MarchJustin Tallis/AFPMayor of London Boris Johnson attempts a pull-up while inspecting a London bus at Wrightbus' Antrim factory watched by – among others – Northern Ireland secretary of state Theresa Villiers and Ian Paisley Jr on 29 FebruaryCharles McQuillan/Getty ImagesA man jumps into the water of the Freibad Kiebitzberge public open air swimming pool in Kleinmachnow near Potsdam, northeastern Germany on 9 May Ralf Hirschberger/AFPAn 'ear' is seen growing on the arm of a patient who lost his right ear in an accident, at the first affiliated hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China on 9 November China Daily/ReutersAn Indian Muslim devotee on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti for the festival of Urs, performs a stunt during a procession at Ajmer in the desert Indian state of Rajasthan 8 AprilHimanshu Sharma/ReutersBjorn, 6, poses for pictures with Owl butterflies during a photocall at the Natural History Museum in central London on 23 MarchLeon Neal/AFPFestival goers in cosplay attend Comic-Con International 2016 at San Diego Convention Centre in San Diego, California on 24 July Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesCharacters dressed as Elmo and Cookie Monster take a photo for a tourist (2nd R, black trousers) in Times Square in the Manhattan borough of New York City on 29 JanuaryRicky Rogers/ReutersA Guardsman faints during the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony at Horseguards Parade in London on 11 JuneDylan Martinez/ReutersA man rests on a bench in a busy street in Shanghai on 1 AprilJohannes Eisele/AFPPeople dressed as Groot (L) and Rocket Raccoon from Guardians of the Galaxy react during the World Rugby Sevens Series semi-final match England vs Tscotland in Cape Town, South Africa on 11 DecemberRodger Bosch/AFPA woman and her dogs stop and look at a store mannequin wearing a dog's head mask outside a fashion shop in Nice, France on 3 MayEric Gaillard/ReutersA competitor takes part in the 31st World Bog Snorkelling Championships, held annually at Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales on 28 AugustRebecca Naden/Reuters
