A look at the best news photos from around the world.
December 18, 2015
1
A protester displays his painted hand as a sign of anger, during a demonstration calling for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from northern Iraq, in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq. Turkey has had troops near Mosul since last year but the arrival of additional troops last week sparked an uproar.
2
An elderly local woman stands on a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos, next to a pile of life vests, after the arrival of refugees and migrants from the Turkish coast. European Union leaders on Thursday set a six-month deadline for deciding whether to push ahead with plans for a border guard agency that could deploy to member states unable or unwilling to manage their borders as thousands of migrants continue to arrive in Europe daily.
3
Members of the Qatari armed forces take part in Qatar's National Day celebrations in Doha.
4
Miners leave after working the final shift at Kellingley Colliery on its last day of operation in north Yorkshire, England. Kellingley is the last deep coal mine to close in England, bringing to an end centuries of coal mining in Britain.