In pictures: the best images from this week's biggest stories
Dramatic scenes from Australia where the fight against wildfires is far from over, and from France where unions took to the streets over pensions.
ADVERTISEMENTIran dominated an intense week of news with huge crowds following the coffin of general Qassem Soleimani, a missile attack on military bases used by the United States, the crash of a Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran and even an earthquake near the country's nuclear facilities.
The fierce battle against wildfires is far from over in Australia — and neither is the fight of the French unions against pension reform.
Here's a look at this week in pictures:
After a US drone strike killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, at least 56 people were been killed and more than 200 injured in a stampede during one of his nationwide funeral processions.
Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 crashed near Tehran just a few hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack against military bases housing US troops in Iraq.
Anti-government protesters in Iraq held a demonstration against the Iranian missile strike. They blocked streets, waved flags, set fires near Tahrir Square in Baghdad.
Many countries have committed to help Australia as it fights huge blazes that have raged around the country. Another wave of evacuations began in affected areas. Local authorities urged nearly one quarter of a million people to leave their homes and prepared military backup as soaring temperatures and erratic winds were expected to fan deadly wildfires across the east coast.
452,000 protesters hit the streets in France to continue their opposition to proposed pension reforms, according to the French Ministry of the Interior.
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó was blocked from entering the National Assembly building in Caracas on Sunday, in a session that saw a vote for the leader of the institution.
A 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Puerto Rico on Monday, 6 January, toppled some structures, caused power outages and small landslides — but did not result in any casualties, according to reports. More than 250,000 Puerto Ricans remained without water on Wednesday and another half a million without power, which also affected communications.
Harvey Weinstein was indicted on new sex crime charges in Los Angeles, just as his trial on separate rape and sexual assault charges began in New York.
Carlos Ghosn, the fugitive former chairman of Nissan, held a highly-anticipated news conference in Beirut, Lebanon, a week after his stunning escape from Tokyo where he is due to go on trial for financial misconduct.
In Romania, Orthodox Christians gathered on the Black Sea coast to celebrate Epiphany on January 6.
