Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual press conference, Sydney hostage crisis, the birthday of Pope Francis and the Miss World 2014 ceremony – take a look at these and other events of this week in the following photo gallery.
The tenth major annual news conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the World Trade Center held on December 18, 2014.
A hostage runs toward a police officer outside Lindt cafe, where other hostages were being held, in Martin Place in central Sydney, Australia, December 15, 2014.
A man carries a student, who was injured during an attack by Taliban gunmen on the Army Public School, December 16, 2014.
Masked Spanish police officers lead a detained woman in Melilla, December 16, 2014.
Duchess of Cambridge Catherine helps a blindfolded boy, Fynley Gooch, to make a cupcake as she promotes disability awareness, while meeting with children at the newly established 23rd Poplar Beaver Scout Colony in east London, Britain, December 16, 2014.
A man dressed as 'Krampus' creature takes part in a parade at Munich's Christmas market, December 14, 2014.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) inspects the Korean People's Army (KPA) navy Unit 189 honoured with the title of "O Jung Hup-led 7th Regiment" in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang.
A man rides his bicycle near the wreckage of MH17, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane, at the site of the plane crash near the village of Hrabove in Donetsk region, Ukraine.
A member of the special police forces in a Santa Claus suit waves to staff as he descends from a roof of a pediatrics clinic in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Pope Francis blows out candles on a cake as he arrives to lead his general audience at Vatican on his birthday, December 17, 2014.
Miners sit near a fire during a break outside their illegal coal mine near the Bosnian town of Vitez, December 17, 2014.
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© AP Photo / Sergei Chuzavkov
Workers decorate a Christmas tree in front of the St. Sophia Cathedral in central Kiev, Ukraine, December 15, 2014.
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© Fotobank.ru/Getty Images
Flowers in memory of the people killed during a hostage crisis in Sydney, Australia, December 16, 2014
Kashmiri Muslim devotees raise their hands to receive pieces of meat at the shrine of Sufi Saint Sheikh Hamzah Makhdoomi during a festival in Srinagar, India, December 17, 2014.
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© AP Photo / Alastair Grant
Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss gestures after being crowned Miss World 2014 during the final of the competition at the ExCel centre in London, Britain.
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© Sputnik / Alexander Vilf
Anna Yanovskaya and Sergei Mozgov (Russia) perform ice dance free program during the Junior Grand Prix Final of figure skating in Barcelona, Spain.
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© Sputnik / Nikolay Shestakov
The Admiral Kasatonov frigate float out ceremony at the Severnaya Verf Shipyards, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims reach out to touch the tomb of Imam al-Abbas located inside the Imam al-Abbas shrine to mark Arbain in the holy city of Kerbala, southwest of Baghdad, Iraq.
Palestinian member of al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, displays a weapon during a military parade marking the 27th anniversary of Hamas' founding, Gaza.
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© Sputnik / Igor Russak
Taksi 6000000 taxi operator presents a new taxi, the BRDM amphibious armored scout car, St. Petersburg, Russia.
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© Fotobank.ru/Getty Images / ChinaFotoPress
Robots work as waiters at a restaurant in the city of Chengdu, China.
