Russian attacks in Ukraine on New Year’s Eve, the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, heavy rain in California and Epiphany Day celebrations – the most striking images this week

  • Vatican City

    Cardinals attend the funeral ceremony of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Square

    Photograph: Fabio Frustaci/EPA/EFE

    Cardinals attend the funeral ceremony of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City

  • Kharkiv, Ukraine

    A woman sits in a boat crossing the Siverskyi Donets river and transporting the coffin containing her dead son, a soldier who was killed in fighting during the Russian invasion

    Photograph: Erik Marmor/AP

    A woman sits in a boat crossing the Siverskyi Donets River in Kharkiv, Ukraine and transporting the coffin containing her dead son, a soldier who was killed in fighting during ther Russian invasion

  • Kalofer, Bulgaria

    Bulgarian men perform the traditional ‘Horo’ dance in the winter waters of the Tundzha river in the town of Kalofer as part of Epiphany Day celebrations. As a tradition, an Eastern Orthodox priest throws a cross in the river and it is believed that the one who retrieves it will be healthy throughout the year as well as all those who dance in the icy waters

    Photograph: Nikolay Doychinov/AFP/Getty Images

    Bulgarian men perform the traditional ‘Horo’ dance in the winter waters of the Tundzha River in the town of Kalofer as part of Epiphany Day celebrations

  • Matamoros, Mexico

    A Venezuelan migrant holds a child up as he climbs a river bank onto US territory, after crossing the Rio Grande river from Matamoros in Mexico

    Photograph: Fernando Llano/AP

    A Venezuelan migrant holds a child up as he climbs a river bank onto US territory, after crossing the Rio Grande river from Matamoros in Mexico

  • Ramsau, Austria

    People ski on a cross-country slope in Ramsau. Sparse snowfall and unseasonably warm weather in much of Europe is allowing green grass to blanket many mountaintops across the region where snow might normally be

    Photograph: Matthias Schräder/AP

    People ski on a cross country slope in Ramsau, Austria

  • Bakhmut, Ukraine

    Emergency service workers extinguish a fire after shelling on the Bakhmut frontline in Ivanivske

    Photograph: Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

    Emergency service workers extinguish a fire after shelling on the Bakhmut frontline in Ivanivske, Ukraine

  • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    People enjoy the New Year celebrations at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro

    Photograph: Aline Massuca/Reuters

    People wade into the water to enjoy the New Year celebrations at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

  • Kherson, Ukraine

    A room in the regional children’s hospital after a Russian missile strike in Kherson. Ukrainian authorities reported on 1 January that four people had been killed and 50 injured in Russian strikes shortly before and just after New Year’s Eve, which Moscow said targeted drone manufacturing facilities

    Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images

    A room in the regional children’s hospital after a Russian missile strike in Kherson, Ukraine

  • Santa Juana, Chile

    A resident carries a dog as a wildfire burns rural areas around Santa Juana

    Photograph: Juan Gonzalez/Reuters

    A resident carries a dog as a wildfire burns rural areas around Santa Juana, Chile

  • Mykolayiv, Ukraine

    A woman walks her dog during a blackout after a Russian missile attack in the southern city of Mykolayiv on New Year’s Eve

    Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images

    A woman walks her dog during a blackout after a Russian missile attack in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv on New Year’s Eve

  • Nablus, West Bank

    A funeral ceremony held for Palestinian teenager Amer Abu Zaytoun who was killed by Israeli forces during a raid on the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus

    Photograph: Bruno Thevenin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

    A funeral ceremony held for Palestinian teenager Amer Abu Zaytoun who was killed by Israeli forces during a raid on the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus

  • Brasilia, Brazil

    Brazil’s new president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva waves at supporters as he arrives with his wife Rosângela ‘Janja’ da Silva, new vice-president Geraldo Alckmin and his wife Maria Lúcia Ribeiro Alckmin at Planalto Palace after their inauguration ceremony at the National Congress in Brasilia

    Photograph: Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images

    Brasilia, BrazilBrazil’s new president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva waves at supporters as he arrives with his wife Rosângela ‘Janja’ da Silva, new vice-president Geraldo Alckmin and his wife Maria Lúcia Ribeiro Alckmin at Planalto Palace after their inauguration ceremony at the National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil

  • Cusco, Peru

    A group of people carry out an indefinite strike and block the highways of the Panamericana Sur demanding the resignation of the president Dina Boluarte and the closure of Congress. Massive protests resumed calling on the resignation of the president, the release of former president Pedro Castillo, and early general elections

    Photograph: Aldair Mejia/EPA/EFE

    A group of people carry out an indefinite strike and block the highways of the Panamericana Sur in Cusco, Peru, demanding the resignation of the president Dina Boularte and the closure of Congress

  • Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

    Ukrainian servicemen fire with a 2A65 Msta-B howitzer towards Russian troops on a frontline in Zaporizhzhia

    Photograph: Reuters

    Ukrainian servicemen fire with a 2A65 Msta-B howitzer towards Russian troops on a frontline in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

  • Cali, Colombia

    People cook sancochos, tamales and barbecues as they enjoy the traditional new year’s pot trip at the Pance river in Cali on New Year’s Day

    Photograph: Joaquín Sarmiento/AFP/Getty Images

    People cook sancochos, tamales and barbecues as they enjoy the traditional new year’s pot trip at the Pance river in Cali, Colombia on New Year’s Day

  • Wilton, California, US

    Three vehicles are submerged on Dillard Road in south Sacramento County after heavy rains on New Year’s Eve produced levee breaks

    Photograph: Héctor Amezcua/AP

    Three vehicles are submerged on Dillard Road in south Sacramento County after heavy rains on New Year’s Eve produced levee breaks

  • Campeche, Mexico

    Bats fly out of a cave located in the Calakmul biosphere reserve near where section 7 of the new Mayan train route is being built. In the eyes of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the railway his government is building – known as the Tren Maya – will bring modern connectivity to areas for generations deprived of significant economic benefits. But pristine wilderness and ancient cave systems beneath the jungle floor are critically endangered by the railway and its hasty construction, droves of scientists and environmental activists say

    Photograph: José Luis González/Reuters

    Bats fly out of a cave located in the Calakmul biosphere reserve near where section 7 of the new Mayan train route is being built in Campeche, Mexico

  • Hyderabad, India

    Students with visual disabilities read books in braille at the Devnar school for the blind. World Braille Day was observed on 4 January this week, marking the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, the French inventor who devised a system used by the blind for reading and writing

    Photograph: Mahesh Kumar A/AP

    Students with visual disabilities read books in braille at the Devnar school for the blind in Hyderabad, India

  • Harbin, China

    Siberian tigers are fed by visitors from a bus at the Siberian tiger park

    Photograph: Héctor Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

    Siberian tigers are fed by visitors from a bus at the Siberian tiger park in Harbin, China

  • Izium, Ukraine

    A resident walks past damaged buildings in the city of Izium

    Photograph: Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP/Getty Images

    A resident walks past damaged buildings in the city of Izium