The Observer's 20 photographs of the week

A polar bear plays in a pool in South Korea's largest amusement park Everland at Youngin in Gyeonggi-province Photograph: Jeon Heon-kyun/EPA

A Syrian man makes his way out of a destroyed building after it was targeted by a missile in the al-Mashhad neighbourhood in the city of Aleppo
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

A doll covered with mud lies on the floor after a flood from torrential rain hit the village of Bat Hefer, central Israel Photograph: Ariel Schalit/AP

A forensic technician takes pictures of a crime scene in a neighborhood in Monterrey, Mexico Photograph: Reuters

A man dressed as a Trapajon representing entities of nature, poses for a picture after taking part in the Vijanera Festival in Silio, northern Spain Photograph: Daniel Ochoa De Olza/AP

A person looks at waves of the Mediterranean sea in Tel Aviv, Israel Photograph: Ariel Schalit/AP

An Indian laborer washes himself at an outdoor tap on a cold winter morning in New Delhi, India Photograph: Kevin Frayer/AP

Classical dancers of the Latvian National Ballet perform during a dress rehearsal of 'Giselle' at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, Spain Photograph: Cristina Quicler/AFP/Getty Images

Citizen journalism at it's best. In this photo provided by the Holmes family, Tammy Holmes, second from left, and her grandchildren take refuge under a jetty as a wildfire rages nearby in the Tasmanian town of Dunalley, east of the state capital of Hobart, Australia. Read the story behind the photo here and assessment here Photograph: Tim Holmes/AP

A photographer takes pictures of the Costa Concordia cruise ship laying aground near the port on the Italian island of Giglio Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images

Children play on self-made swings on scaffolding at a construction site in Tongxiang, Zhejiang province, China Photograph: William Hong/Reuters

A Brazilian woman walks among the discarded carnival statues on the work yard behind the Samba school workshops in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Photograph: Jan Sochor/LatinContent/Getty Images

Palestinian children sit beside a fire in a garage on a winter day in Jabaliya refugee camp, Gaza Strip Photograph: Ali Ali/EPA

Snow falls as people walk in downtown Istanbul. Turkey Photograph: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images

Indian Border Security Force soldiers patrol along the border fence at an outpost along the India-Pakistan border in Suchit-Garh Photograph: Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images

Security officers walk away as a man mourns next to the bodies of his wife and daughter, who were gunned down outside their house as they attempted to escape when suspected Orma raiders attacked their village of Kibusu in Kenya Photograph: AP

Ktm's biker Pal Ullevalseter of Norway competes during the Stage 2 of the Dakar 2013 in Pisco, Peru Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images

A puppy that was caught near the site of four fatal maulings sits inside a cage at a city dog pound in Mexico City. Authorities have captured dozens of dogs near the scene of the attacks in the capital's poor Iztapalapa district, but rather than calm residents, photos of the forlorn dogs brought a wave of sympathy for the animals, doubts about their involvement in the killings and debate about government handling of the stray dog problem Photograph: Dario Lopez-Mills/AP

A model is seen backstage during the MAN show at the London Collections: MEN AW13 at The Old Sorting Office in London, England Photograph: Stuart Wilson/Getty Images

A Jewish man holding a snow-covered umbrella prays at the Western Wall in the old city of Jerusalem Photograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images