The Observer's 20 photographs of the week

Ahmed Jadallah is one of several photojournalists producing excellent and courageous work from Aleppo. Here, he captures a Free Syrian Army fighter as he watches rebels clash with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad Photograph: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters

A reveller is pelted with flour during the Enfarinats festival in Ibi, Spain Photograph: David Ramos/Getty

A group of schoolgirls watches a protest against the gang-rape and murder of a woman on a moving bus in Delhi. Authorities shut down roads in the heart of India's capital in an attempt to put an end to a week of marches and demonstrations Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP

The protests, however, continued throughout the week. Here, policemen walk back to their lines after chasing away demonstrators Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP

Some 200 monks and parishioners take part in the annual cleaning of the reclining Buddha at Nanzoin temple in Sasaguri, Japan Photograph: The Asahi Shimbun/Getty

A group of young environmentalists march in gas masks in Skopje, Macedonia, to draw attention to atmospheric pollution Photograph: Boris Grdanoski/AP

A mahout mounts his elephant as they head towards the Chitwan national park at Sauraha, Nepal, where they will take part in elephant races and a football match Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters

A rainbow forms as a downpour passes a technology park under construction in Valletta, Malta Photograph: Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters

Afghan refugee Ghulam Mohammed, 95, sits by the roadside on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. Ghulam took refuge in Pakistan after fleeing four months ago from the north-eastern Afghan city of Kunduz Photograph: Muhammed Muheisen/AP

Western lowland gorilla Kijivu holds her new-born baby at Prague zoo. It is the fourth time Kijivu has given birth in captivity Photograph: Isifa/Getty

Dancers from Russia's St Petersburg Ballet perform Swan Lake in Suining, China Photograph: Reuters

Edward Manley, an honorary firefighter with the Point Breeze Volunteer Fire Department, places a star on top of a Christmas tree in the Breezy Point neighbourhood of New York. Residents are still struggling to recover from a huge fire that destroyed more than 100 homes during Superstorm Sandy Photograph: Andrew Burton/Getty

Another photograph from Breezy Point, this one by Mario Tama, shows a beached finback whale washed up on the shoreline Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty

Members of the Serpentine swimming club take part in the annual Christmas Day race in London Photograph: Andrew Winning/Reuters

These guns have been handed in by their owners during a Los Angeles Police Department amnesty following the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary school. People receive $200 grocery vouchers for automatic weapons and $100 for shotguns, handguns and rifles Photograph: David McNew/Reuters

A woman mourns during the funeral of Lashkar-e-Toiba militant Imtiyaz Ahmed in Pulwama, Kashmir Photograph: Tauseef Mustafa/AFP

Spectators at the bullring in the Colombian city of Cali light candles in honour of the Virgin of La Macarena Photograph: Christian Escobar Mora/EPA

People cook at a Roma camp east of Paris. The French government has been breaking up illegal Roma camps and deporting their inhabitants back to eastern Europe Photograph: Yoan Valat/EPA

Reindeer herder Zac Brown feeds his animals in Aviemore, Scotland. Reindeer were introduced to the country in 1952 by the Swedish Sami reindeer herder Mikel Utsi Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty

Leon Neal photographs the Christmas carol service from the whispering gallery of St Paul's Cathedral Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP