Week in pictures: 17-23 February 2024

A selection of striking news photographs taken around the world this week.

Children play among hundreds of giant hat-shaped bamboo cones in a rice field in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh. 23 February 2024IMAGE SOURCE,JOY SAHA/ZUMA PRESS WIRE/SHUTTERSTOCK
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Children play among giant hat-shaped bamboo cones in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh. The cones protect freshly-collected rice from rain and fog, after the removal of moisture.
Firefighters work at the scene of a fire at an apartment building in Valencia, Spain. February 22, 2024.IMAGE SOURCE,EVA MANEZ/REUTERS
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Firefighters at the scene of a fire at an apartment building in Valencia, Spain. They were seen rescuing people from balconies, using cranes to reach those trapped on high floors.
A model presents a creation from the Emporio Armani Fall/Winter 2024/2025 collection during Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, February 22, 2024.IMAGE SOURCE,ALESSANDRO GAROFALO/REUTERS
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A model presents a creation from the Emporio Armani Fall/Winter 2024/2025 collection during Fashion Week in Milan, Italy.
US-French actor Timothee Chalamet meets fans during a red carpet event for the film Dune: Part Two, in Seoul on February 22, 2024.IMAGE SOURCE,JUNG YEON-JE/AFP
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American-French actor Timothee Chalamet meets fans during a red carpet event in Seoul, South Korea, for the film, Dune: Part Two.
Dominique Lynch views Daniel Arsham's Unearthed, Bronze Eroded Melpomene, on display at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.IMAGE SOURCE,DANNY LAWSON/PA MEDIA
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Daniel Arsham's Unearthed, Bronze Eroded Melpomene, went on display at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.
A view of scaffolding around a baroque sculpted bronze canopy by Gian Lorenzo Bernini over the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica in preparation for its restoration, at the Vatican, February 21, 2024.IMAGE SOURCE,YARA NARDI/REUTERS
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Scaffolding is erected around a baroque sculpted bronze canopy by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, over the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica, in preparation for its restoration at the Vatican in Rome.
Occupants remove their belongings from makeshift shelters which are on fire near the Green Point tennis courts in Cape Town, South Africa, February 22, 2024.IMAGE SOURCE,ESA ALEXANDER/REUTERS
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Squatters remove their belongings from makeshift shelters, after a fire broke out following their eviction from a piece of land known as Tent City, which they had been occupying in Cape Town, South Africa.
A board informs visitors that the Eiffel Tower, viewed in the background, is closed as staff go on strike. 19 February 2024IMAGE SOURCE,KIRAN RIDLEY/AFP
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The Eiffel Tower in Paris closed to the public because of a strike by staff. Employees are protesting about the way the Tower is being managed, France's powerful CGT union said.
Men carry lanterns as they walk to a river to cleanse their bodies during the Sominsai Festival at Kokuseki-ji Temple in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, on February 17, 2024.IMAGE SOURCE,PHILIP FONG/AFP
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Men carry lanterns as they walk to the Yamauchigawa river to cleanse their bodies in the cold water, and pray for a good harvest, during the Somin-sai Festival at Kokuseki-ji Temple in Oshu, Japan.
US President Joe Biden embraces Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Alexei Navalny in San Francisco, California, 22 February 2024.IMAGE SOURCE,THE WHITE HOUSE VIA REUTERS
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US President Joe Biden embraces Yulia Navalnaya. Mr Biden held a private meeting in California with the widow and daughter of Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died in an Arctic prison last week.