We sorted through countless photographs taken around the world to come up with the top photos of 2019. Together these images tell the story of the year -- capturing moments of hope and heartbreak, triumph and tragedy.

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field

Gazing upon the prize-winning images of the Siena International Photo Awards 2019 is something of a roller coaster experience. The overall winner is a compelling picture of a boy trying to retrieve his ball behind an armed guard in Liberia, taken by British photographer Jonathan Banks. He was up against some extremely talented competition, as our selection shows.

Defending champions Andamlak Belihu and Tsehay Gemechu produced their personal best to retain the men's and women's titles respectively at the 15th Delhi Half Marathon.

Wheeling round, a look of utter shock on its face, a marmot jumps in fright after a young fox sneaks up behind it. The split-second encounter between prey and predator -- called the Moment -- has won the man who captured it the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year. He was chosen from a longlist of various category winners, all of whom managed to record the oddities, rivalries and beauty of the natural world. Scroll down for some of the winners.

According to the global report, just 9.6 per cent of all children between 6 and 23 months of age are fed a minimum acceptable diet.

This year's Laureates have shown how the problem of global poverty can be tackled by breaking it down into a number of smaller - but more precise - questions at individual or group levels, he Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

He has served in the military and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, before becoming the founder and director of the country's Information Network and Security Agency, which is responsible for cyber-security in a country where the government has always exercised tight control over the internet.

He was awarded the prize for his efforts to "achieve peace and international cooperation". Ethiopia reached a peace deal with Eritrea last year, ending a 20-year military stalemate following their 1998-2000 border war.

Rediff.com presents some memorable moments from the September 27 to October 6 meet. Take a look.

A round-up of results from the final day of the World Athletics Championships in Doha on Sunday

Images from Saturday's proceedings at the World Athletics Championships in Doha.

India's Avinash Sable qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the men's 3,000 metres steeplechase after shattering his own National record for the second time in three days though he finished 13th in the final at the World Athletics Championships, in Doha, on Friday.

Images from Friday's proceedings at the World Athletics Championships, in Doha.

India's Avinash Sable qualified for the final of the men's 3000m steeplechase under dramatic circumstances after he initially failed to make the cut despite bettering his own national record in an eventful race in the World Championships.

Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday.

The American won in a season's best time of 9.76 seconds with his compatriot Justin Gatlin second in 9.89 and Canadian Andre de Grasse third in 9.90.

It was an agonising and heartwarming end to the opening heat of the men's 5,000m

No one on that glittery occasion could possibly have imagined that the Chinese were conspiring to invade India, nor could anyone have predicted that the seemingly benign Dalai Lama was plotting to flee Tibet and seek asylum in India. A fascinating excerpt from Sukanya Rahman's must-read Dancing In The Family: The Extraordinary Story Of The First Family Of Indian Classical Dance.

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands broke the 23-year-old women's mile world record on Friday when she clocked four minutes 12.33 seconds in a race dedicated to former American runner Gabe Grunewald, who died from cancer last month at the age of 32.

India lifted 271 million people out of poverty between 2006 and 2016, recording the fastest reductions in the multi-dimensional poverty index values during the period with strong improvements in areas such as "assets, cooking fuel, sanitation and nutrition," a report by the United Nations said.

'The new order cometh, sweeping out the old,' notes Ambassador B S Prakash.

These pictures say more than words ever could.

Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday

Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.

Attacks against journalists by supporters of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party increased in the run-up to general elections in the spring of 2019, the analysis alleged.

It is most unlikely that the US would take kindly to Indian claims of having shot down an F-16. There is too much commercial interest involved, says Col Anil Athale (retd).

Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday

Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday

The watchdog has also asked the airlines to ensure various requirements are complied with by engineering and maintenance personnel with respect to 737 MAX planes.

With full-service carrier Jet Airways and budget airline SpiceJet operating 737 MAX planes, the DGCA has decided to seek information about the aircraft from Boeing as well as the two domestic carriers in view of the air crash in Ethiopia.

Shikha Garg was on her way to attend a United Nations Environment Programme meeting.

The Boeing 737 took off from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa at 8.38 am.

According to a new report from the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, an estimated 2,275 individuals drowned or went missing in the Mediterranean in 2018.

Indian companies feel it will be difficult to take on the competition from Bangladesh, Cambodia and others, with their made-in-India products. Ethiopia offers ready-to-use sheds, income tax breaks, training subsidies, and a tax-free gateway into the US, Europe and China. Moreover, labour is available for $60 per month compared to $130-$150 in India.

Cosmas Lagat of Kenya and Worknesh Alemu of Ethiopia surprised pre-race favourites to win the men's and women's crowns respectively in the US $405,000 Tata Mumbai Marathon, in Mumbai, on Sunday.

The Travel Photographer of The Year Awards winners have been chosen and they're a stunning selection celebrating the beauty of our planet and all its inhabitants. Photographers from 142 countries submitted over 20,000 jaw-dropping pictures that were shot on everything from high-end professional cameras to mobile phones, in categories including 'faces, people, cultures'; the natural world and the beauty of light. The winning images can be seen at the TPOTY exhibition, which is free, and will be on show at LondonBridgeCity next Spring. Rediff.com was kindly granted permission to publish 25 of the 150 winning and shortlisted images. Scroll down to see our picks of the bunch.

Mina Guli wants to complete 100 marathons across the world to raise awareness of water scarcity and save water.

A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday

IOC President Thomas Bach asked members of the Olympic body at its session in Buenos Aires to support the creation of a refugee team, along the lines of the one that competed at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. The members responded with applause.