Best photos of July 17: Swimming the Seine to Ashura in Baghdad

The National picks the most striking images from around the world

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo (C) swims in the Seine River, in Paris on July 17, 2024, to demonstrate that the river is clean enough to host the outdoor swimming events at the Paris Olympics later this month. Despite an investment of 1. 4 billion euros ($1. 5 billion) to prevent sewage leaks into the waterway, the Seine has been causing suspense in the run-up to the opening of the Paris Games on July 26 after repeatedly failing water quality tests. But since the beginning of July, with heavy rains finally giving way to sunnier weather, samples have shown the river to be ready for the open-water swimming and triathlon -- and for 65-year-old Hidalgo. (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP)

Oil washes up on the sand in Valencia, Spain, after a fuel spill, estimated to measure between 1.5km and 2km, which has forced the closure of L'Arbre del Gos and El Saler beaches. EPA

A Shiite Muslim girl takes part in a mourning procession to mark Ashura, in Istanbul, Turkey. Reuters

An attendee's outfit at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US. Reuters

A boat is decorated with a statue of the Virgen del Carmen ready for an ocean procession honouring the patron saint of fishermen and sailors in Taboga island, near Panama City. AFP

The core stage of the Artemis II rocket is transported out of the Nasa Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, en route to the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. AFP

US singer Patti Smith performs on stage at the Theatre Antique de Lyon Fourviere in France. AFP

Shiite Muslims re-enact the 7th century battle of Karbala during activities marking Ashura, in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, Iraq. AP