In Pictures

Gallery

The week in pictures

From forest fires in Tasmania to unrest in Iraq, Al Jazeera showcases this week in images.

On January 4, Malala Yousafzai left the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The Pakistani schoolgirl activist had been shot in the head by Taliban gunmen because of her advocacy of girls(***) education.
Published On 6 Jan 2013
Hopes that the conflict in the Central African Republic may be resolved through negotiation took a hit when rebels said on January 4 they had not been informed about plans for peace talks that have the support of the United States and the UN Security Council. Above, Central African soldiers patrol in the capital, Bangui.
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Iraqi Sunni protesters gathered on the main highway to Syria and Jordan near Ramadi in Anbar Province, during a demonstration against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The protesters called for the release of prisoners they allege were arrested on sectarian grounds by Iraq(***)s Shia-led authorities.
Fireworks explode over Kim Il Sung Square in celebration of the New Year in Pyongyang, North Korea. On January 1, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for improving the economy and living standards of his impoverished nation with the same urgency that scientists showed in successfully testing a long-range rocket recently.
Smoke from a bushfire billows over hills near Forcett, on the Australian island of Tasmania. Bushfires destroyed more than 80 homes as temperatures on the island peaked at record highs on Friday, local media reported.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians attended a rally in the Gaza Strip on January 4 organised by the Fatah party, in the first pro-Fatah rally in the enclave in more than six years. Above, Fatah supporters are silhouetted against the sun as they wave flags in central Gaza City.
Venezuelan lawmakers re-elected a staunch ally of Hugo Chavez to head the National Assembly on January 5, putting him in line to be caretaker president if the socialist leader does not recover from cancer surgery. By choosing the incumbent, Diosdado Cabello (right), the "Chavista"-dominated legislature cemented the combative ex-soldier(***)s position as one of the most-powerful figures in the government.
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Former US vice president Al Gore sold his cable channel Current TV to Qatar-based Al Jazeera for a reported $500m. Gore will net $100m for his 20-percent stake in the company.