Tragedy and triumph: Photographs that made 2012

THE SCOTSMAN has picked out some of the best images of the past 12 months - and there were plenty to choose from as we compiled the standout pictures.

From the Costa Concordia capsizing off the coast of Giglio, to Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour de France, via Tony Nicklinson losing his right-to-die battle with the High Court and Hurricane Sandy that battered the eastern seaboard of the United States.

And, of course, who could leave out rapper Psy, whose song ‘Gangnam Style’ racked up more than a billion hits on YouTube?

Pictures: Jane Barlow, Ian Rutherford, Getty Images, Reuters, AP and PA.