Great global photos from 2024: These images delighted us, touched us, dazzled us

A picture, they say, is worth 1,000 words. So we will try to use as few words as possible in this introduction to a sampling of our favorite photo posts of 2024.

This year’s round up includes dramatic drone images of the world’s “foodscapes,” an intimate look at families striving to provide healthy meals for their kids and exuberant Bolivian women skateboarding in their traditional bowler hats.

Toyin feeds her 3-year-old daughter, Kudirat, while her husband, Saheed, tends to their other two children.
Toyin feeds her 3-year-old daughter, Kudirat, while her husband, Saheed, tends to their other two children. (Sope Adelaja for NPR)

How 9 families cope when they can’t afford 3 healthy meals a day for the kids

At a one-day workshop run by the Care School for Men in Bogotá, Colombia, male medical students at Sanitas University learn how to cradle a baby. This class of participants consists of medical students, but the usual enrollees are dads of all types.
At a one-day workshop run by the Care School for Men in Bogotá, Colombia, male medical students at Sanitas University learn how to cradle a baby. This class of participants consists of medical students, but the usual enrollees are dads of all types. (Ben de la Cruz/NPR)

Hey, guys, wanna know how to diaper a baby or make a ponytail? Try the School for Men

Bolivian skateboarders at the 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
Bolivian skateboarders at the 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. (Ben de la Cruz/NPR)

Indigenous pride. Bowler hats. Meet an all-female Bolivian skateboarding crew

Paramedic Papinki Lebelo waits for a police escort before responding to an emergency call-out a Cape Town neighborhood. Due to a rise in attacks on paramedics, ambulance crews in large parts of the city will only go out when they have a police escort.
Paramedic Papinki Lebelo waits for a police escort before responding to an emergency call-out a Cape Town neighborhood. Due to a rise in attacks on paramedics, ambulance crews in large parts of the city will only go out when they have a police escort. (Tommy Trenchard for NPR)

‘There is no respect anymore’ as ambulances come under attack in South Africa

The African nation of Mauritania was a land of pastoral nomads when it gained independence from France in 1960, but it has since become a nation of fishermen as well, with hundreds of pirogues lining the beach of the capital of Nouakchott.
The African nation of Mauritania was a land of pastoral nomads when it gained independence from France in 1960, but it has since become a nation of fishermen as well, with hundreds of pirogues lining the beach of the capital of Nouakchott. (George Steinmetz)

A drone’s eye view of ‘foodscapes,’ from cattle to soybeans to shrimp

An aerial photo shows horses foraging on a section of the now-demolished Agbogbloshie Scrapyard site in Accra, Ghana.
An aerial photo shows horses foraging on a section of the now-demolished Agbogbloshie Scrapyard site in Accra, Ghana. (Muntaka Chasant)

Stunning photos of a vast e-waste dumping ground — and those who make a living off it

 

Trump plans to name himself chair of Kennedy Center, fire board members

The president announced Friday that he would remove multiple board members, including the Chairman, who do not share his vision for a "Golden Age in Arts and Culture."

Musk’s team takes control of key systems at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is the latest target of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

Trump says he is revoking Biden’s security clearances

Former presidents are historically given intelligence briefings after leaving office. But Trump said he was following precedent set by Biden four years ago, when Biden revoked Trump's access.

What’s Trump’s beef with South Africa?

Trump has accused South Africa of "human rights violations" and a land grab. The South African government has hit back.

Trump administration pauses $3 billion marked for electric vehicle charging stations

The Federal Highway Administration said the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program is under review. It was part of the Biden administration's clean energy push.

Judge pauses Trump order to put USAID employees on administrative leave

The case, brought by the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees was intended to block the administration's efforts to dismantle USAID.

More Front Page Coverage