Week in pictures: 17-23 January

1 of 12 Islamic protest: Veiled Iraqi women in Baghdad take part in widespread demonstrations against a French bill forbidding "conspicuous religious signs" in schools across France.

2 of 12 Residents of the Russian capital entered the icy cold water of the Moskva River to celebrate Epiphany - one of the biggest events in Orthodox Christianity.

3 of 12 The overturned wreck of the freighter Rocknes leaks oil and fuel into Bergen's dock.

4 of 12 A suicide attack outside the HQ of the US authorities leaves dozens dead and injured, most of them Iraqis.

5 of 12 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has praised his ambassador to Sweden after he vandalised an art exhibit featuring a Palestinian suicide bomber.

6 of 12 Race for the Whitehouse: John Kerry wins in Iowa, the first of a series of US votes to choose a candidate to challenge President Bush in November.

7 of 12 Leonid Lebedenko poses with a giant copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa he painted on the asphalt near his apartment in the Black sea town of Soch.

8 of 12 Bastille Square, Paris, where Greenpeace protesters denounce attacks against freedom of speech.

9 of 12 Palestinians walk alongside the Israeli security wall near the West Bank village of Nazlat Issa.

10 of 12 Year of the monkey: Painted monkeys sit on a tree at the Forest Safari Park in Shenyang, China.

11 of 12 Ruff yoga: Every month a small group of dog owners enjoy Yoga with their dogs in Miami Beach, USA.

12 of 12 Haute Couture Week is in full swing in Paris where the world's latest fashions are unveiled.