Washington derailment, Soyuz lifts off, Stalin remembered — in pictures

Against the law Police officers gather in Sarajevo, Bosnia’s capital, to oppose legislation that will cut their pension benefits by 30 per cent

Winter dip A swimmer dives into an icy river at a park in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China

Silent treatment Romanians in Bucharest, their eyes and mouths covered with black cloth, accuse the government of failing to tackle corruption

Off to work The Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft carrying Norishige Kanai of Japan, Anton Shkaplerov of Russia and Scott Tingle of the US blasts off to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan

Derailed Three people were killed when an Amtrak passenger train left the rails on a bridge in DuPont, Washington, on Monday

Costume drama A Palestinian hurls stones at Israeli troops during a protest near the West Bank city of Ramallah against Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel

Firm footing Rescuers make their way through a sea of mud after heavy rains caused a landslide that claimed 12 lives near Chaiten in southern Chile

Animal rescue Villagers from Villa Santa Lucia near Chaiten tend to a distressed cow after the emergency in which more than 11.4cm of rain fell in 24 hours

Taking cover Argentine riot police clash with demonstrators protesting against proposed pension reforms in Buenos Aires, the capital

Team effort Bangladeshi construction workers carry a steel beam to a building site in Dhaka, the capital

Ice breakers Blocks cut from the frozen surface of Xiuhu lake float away in Shenyang, Liaoning province, north-eastern China

Security staff A Swiss guard is framed by Christmas tree lights as Pope Francis holds his weekly general audience in the Vatican

Melbourne crash More than 19 people were hurt in central Melbourne after being hit by a sport utility vehicle driven by a man with mental health problems, according to Australian police

Birthday greetings Russians mark the 131st anniversary of the birth of Joseph Stalin at a monument to the late dictator in Moscow’s Red Square

Shape shifters A murmuration of starlings over farmland near the Israeli city of Beit Shean in the Jordan Valley

Catch of the day Villagers rake the sand for clams in Arcade, on Vigo bay in north-west Spain

Sisters embrace Rohingya refugees Nur Kaida, right, and Ruhana in their shelter at the Palongkhali refugee camp near Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Separatist joy Ciudadanos party supporters celebrate the results of the regional elections in Barcelona, Spain