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Yakutsk (Russia) (AFP) – Russians brave the ice cold waters of the Lena river in Yakutsk, eastern Siberia, generally considered to be the world’s coldest city. The plunge is in celelbration of Orthodox Epiphany and has gone ahead despite local weather services warning that temperatures could sink as low as -62°C in some remote areas. “The feelings are always wonderful, it’s always a feeling of purity – wonderful sensations – of warmth, ” says pensioner, Irina Korsakova.

Bordeaux (AFP) – “It’s about having a nice end of life” says Philippe, a postman protesting in Bordeaux, south west France, as strikes rage across the country, triggered by deeply unpopular pension reform. The plans presented by President Emmanuel Macron’s government last week would raise the retirement age for most people from 62 to 64 and would also increaes the years of contributions required for a full pension.

Auckland (AFP) – People in Auckland share very mixed opinions of New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, as she announced her resignation. “I’m devastated that she’s resigning” is the reaction of one resident, while “this is the most wonderful day for New Zealand” is the feeling of another. Ardern, who has steered the country through natural disasters, the Covid pandemic and it’s worst ever terrorist attack, announced her shock decision to step down on Thursday, saying she no longer had “enough in the tank.”

Toyooka (Japan) (AFP) – Rare video captured by divers shows a 2.5-metre giant squid swimming in the waters off Japan’s west coast. Giant squid are known to live in the waters around the country and occasionally wash ashore, but seeing them alive in the wild remains relatively rare.

Taipei (AFP) – Shoppers in Taipei and Hong Kong crowd markets as the Lunar New Year approaches. Also known as the Spring Festival, lunar new year is a key date in the calendar for Chinese communities and in several southeast Asian countries, with citizens preparing to usher in the year of the rabbit.

Hanoi (AFP) – As China and several other Asian countries gear up to welcome the Year of the Rabbit, Lunar New Year looks slightly different in Vietnam — where the Year of the Cat is about to begin. Across the country, streets are decked out with statues of felines and shops stocked full with cat-themed decorations or gold-plated models of the animal, which are popular gifts during Vietnamese New Year, known as Tet.

Shanghai (AFP) – Passengers wait for trains at Shanghai’s Hongqiao railway station during the Lunar New Year travel rush, joining millions of people as they return to their hometowns.

Shanghai (AFP) – Passengers wait for their train at Hongqiao railway station in Shanghai during the Lunar New Year travel rush, joining millions of people as they return to their hometowns for celebrations. IMAGES

Bordeaux (AFP) – Passers-by in the centre of Bordeaux in South West France are greeted with a heavy snow.

Davos (Switzerland) (AFP) – Addressing the Davos World Economic Forum via videocall, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calls for speed in sending aid to his country, saying that “tyranny is outpacing democracy” and “the time the Free World uses to think is used by the terrorist state to kill.”

San Bartolome de Pinares (Spain) (AFP) – In the small Spanish village of San Bartolome de Pinares, west of Madrid, villagers put on an impressive show as they ride their horses through bonfires. The tradition meant “to purify them and get the saint to protect them for the whole year,” is part of a festival known as “Las Luminarias” held in honour of St. Anthony Abbot, the patron saint of animals.

Tokyo (AFP) – Tokyo’s High Court has decided to uphold the acquittal of three former executives from the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) operating the Fukushima nuclear power plant, clearing them once again of any professional negligence over the 2011 disaster. Activists supporting the prosecution of the men gather outside the court to protest their renewed acquittal in the only criminal trial to arise from the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.