Week in pictures: 14 - 20 December 2019 - BBC News

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PETER PARKS / AFP

A helicopter drops fire retardant to protect a property in Balmoral, 93 miles (150km) south-west of Sydney, Australia. Fires are raging across the country amid a heatwave, which has produced the nation's two hottest days on record. Two volunteer firefighters and a civilian have died in the fires.

JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS

US Speaker Nancy Pelosi wields the gavel as she presides over the House of Representatives. The House voted on two charges - that President Donald Trump had abused his power and that he had obstructed Congress - approving two counts of impeachment against the president. A trial in the Senate will decide whether he remains in office.

ALY SONG / REUTERS

A boat sits on the dried lake bed of Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province. Water in the Poyang routinely declines in winter. With little rain since July, the lake is now at its lowest in 60 years.

HANNAH MCKAY / AFP

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn walk through the Peers Lobby on their way to listen to the Queen's Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in London. Mr Johnson claimed his programme for government is the "most radical Queen's Speech in a generation".

ARMEND NIMANI / AFP

Face masks are placed on the statue of Saint Teresa in Pristina, Kosovo. A number of cities in the country have experienced high levels of air pollution.

LOIC VENANCE / AFP

People take cover as riot police fire tear gas canisters during a demonstration in Nantes, France. Protesters took to the streets to demonstrate against the French government's plans to overhaul the country's pensions system.

CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP

A photographer takes pictures of baby twins during a photoshoot at a studio in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARES / REUTERS

A woman takes cover behind a tree during clashes between riot police officers and demonstrators at a protest against Chile's government in Santiago. The UN has accused the Chilean police and armed forces of committing serious human rights violations in their response to the mass demonstrations, saying they have verified four cases of unlawful deaths involving state agents.

ALY SONG / REUTERS

Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe of Great Britain compete in the women's duet free preliminary event at the 18th Fina World Swimming Championships at Yeomju Gymnasium in Gwangju, South Korea.

NAVESH CHITRAKAR / REUTERS

A swan flaps its wings during a sunset on a pond at the Central Zoo in Lalitpur, Nepal.