The week in 41 photos
6 min read

Cars catch fire after a crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 14. None of the drivers was seriously hurt. James Gilbert/Getty Images
A butterfly lands on tennis star Naomi Osaka during a match at the Australian Open on Friday, February 12. Paul Crock/AFP/Getty Images
Kurdish animal-rights activists release a Syrian brown bear in Dohuk, Iraq, on Thursday, February 11. It’s the third time in four years that a local nonprofit has released Syrian brown bears into the mountainous areas of Iraqi Kurdistan. Ari Jalal/Reuters
This aerial photo shows heavy snowfall on the Acropolis and other parts of Athens, Greece, on Wednesday, February 17. Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
Paul Donnelly places an ash cross on the forehead of Lucero Bernal during an Ash Wednesday service February 17 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Mt. Morris Township, Michigan. Jake May/The Flint Journal/AP
Fans attend a Six60 concert in Wellington, New Zealand, on Saturday, February 13. The band’s concert series in New Zealand has hosted tens of thousands of fans in recent weeks. New Zealand has been largely successful in containing Covid-19, recording fewer than 2,000 cases since the pandemic started. Mark Tantrum/Getty Images
A man watches freediver David Vencl swim under the Czech Republic’s Barbora Lake on Saturday, February 13. Vencl is training to break the Guinness World Record for the longest swim under ice. Michal Cizek/AFP/Getty Images
A rocket blasts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, February 15. The rocket was carrying cargo to the International Space Station. Roscosmos/TASS/ZUMA Press
Novak Djokovic, the world’s top-ranked tennis player, changes his shirt after a quarterfinal win at the Australian Open on Tuesday, February 16. Brandon Malone/AFP/Getty Images
Blue jays feed in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Wednesday, February 17. Francis Gardler/Lincoln Journal Star/AP
Couples ride elephants during a mass wedding in Pattaya, Thailand, on Sunday, February 14. Valentine’s Day is considered an auspicious day to get married in Thailand, and having the ceremony atop an elephant’s back is believed to bring prosperity to the couples’ lives. Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
A dog with blue fur sits inside a cage at a veterinary hospital in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, on Tuesday, February 16. A pack of stray dogs with blue fur was found earlier this month near an abandoned chemical plant in the city of Dzerzhinsk. Anastasia Makarycheva/Reuters
A skiing coach stands in a ray of light while inspecting a trail in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Saturday, February 13. It was prior to the women’s downhill event at the World Ski Championships. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, watch a performance marking the birthday of Kim’s father, the late Kim Jong Il, on Tuesday, February 16. It was the first time in over a year that Ri had appeared in North Korea’s state media. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP
Vegas’ Jonathan Marchessault, left, scores a goal during an NHL game in San Jose, California, on Saturday, February 13. Brandon Magnus/NHLI/Getty Images
A health worker administers a Covid-19 vaccine to Maria Tereza near Santarem, Brazil, on Saturday, February 13. Tarso Sarraf/AFP/Getty Images
A tiger cools off at the Byculla zoo in Mumbai, India, on Monday, February 15. The zoo had just reopened to the general public. Ashish Vaishnav/SOPA Images/Sipa USA
Karla Perez and Esperanza Gonzalez warm up by a barbecue grill after their power was knocked out in Houston on Tuesday, February 16. Go Nakamura/Getty Images
Katharina Liensberger, left, and Marta Bassino compete in a parallel giant-slalom race at the World Ski Championships on Tuesday, February 16. Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images
Members of NASA mission control celebrate after receiving confirmation that the Perseverance rover successfully touched down on Mars on Thursday, February 18. Bill Ingalls/NASA
A YMCA staff member assists a child taking online classes at a learning hub in Los Angeles on Wednesday, February 17. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images