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1/19
Freeze the dog
An Orthodox Christian celebrates Epiphany by bathing in the Sea of Azov (a tributary of the Black Sea) near Mariupol, Ukraine, with a dog on a leash.
Photo: Alexander Ermochenko / REUTERS
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2/19
Do you spray it too?
Worshipers are sprinkled with holy water during the Ethiopian Orthodox Timkat festival in Addis Ababa. Looks like a baptism, but it's not. With this re-enactment, people celebrate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan every year.
See all the pictures of the week on our topic page.
Photo: Amanuel Sileshi / AFP
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3/19
Follow the lines
The dark lines between the white, snow-covered terraced fields in the Chinese administrative district of Congjiang are reminiscent of the deflections of a brain wave measurement. Almost as if you could look into nature's own thoughts.
Photo: AFP
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4/19
Too much snow for winter sports
South Korean soldiers are trying to remove fresh snow from the biathlon course so that the starters at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon have fair conditions. There's a crux of the matter with winter sports: sometimes there's too little snow, sometimes there's too much.
Photo: Jung Yeon-Je / AFP
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5/19
It's all a matter of practice
Older Chinese doing their daily sports exercises in a park in Beijing: The Chinese authorities have announced a package of measures to promote more projects to enable leisure activities for older people. The average age of the population is also increasing in China.
Photo: Mark R. Cristino / EPA
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6/19
Fringes for fashion
A model presents a so-called Mantón de Manila by designer Juan Foronda at the International Flamenco Fashion Week in Seville. This is a larger silk scarf with lots of fringes. Such a Mantón de Manila is often elaborately embroidered, for example with bird or flower motifs. It is a popular accessory for flamenco.
Photo: Cristina Quicler / AFP
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7/19
public viewing
Football as a hearth: Ivory Coast fans gather around a television to watch their team play against Equatorial Guinea in the Africa Cup of Nations. The fans will go home quite disappointed: their team lost 0-4.
Photo: Fadel Senna / AFP
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8/19
Wall against opinion
Russian police take action against demonstrators in Baymak who are outraged by the conviction of activist Fail Alsynov. Alysnow campaigned against gold mining in the Urals and for the protection of the Bashkir ethnic minority. A court has now sentenced him to four years in prison for “incitement to hatred.”
Photo: Anya Marchenkova / AFP
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9/19
Dog with attitude
For days, hundreds of thousands of people in Germany have been taking to the streets against fascism - including the group “Dachshunds against Nazis”. Here a four-legged representative of the group is protesting on Alexanderplatz in Berlin. The owner next to her informs about the dog's opinion regarding right-wing extremists.
Photo: Christian Mang / AFP
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10/19
Distant birthday
People in Tel Aviv release orange balloons to commemorate Kfir Bibas' first birthday. The infant, along with his parents and his four-year-old brother Ariel, are among those abducted who have been held hostage by Hamas since October 7th. He has to celebrate his first birthday in captivity. According to the Israeli military, 133 Israelis are still in the hands of the Islamists.
Photo: Abir Sultan / EPA
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11/19
Sea of clouds
What is water, what is sand – and where are the clouds reflected here? There is something mysterious about this shot from La Concha beach in San Sebastián. What was the mood like when this person walked by the sea on a winter day in northern Spain?
Photo: Alvaro Barrientos / AP
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12/19
Icy testimony
With Russia's attack on Ukraine, the Russian army is believed to have committed numerous massacres - and buried hundreds in mass graves. Here, Ukrainian soldiers dug a grave near the liberated town of Izyum. More than 440 bodies were discovered.
Photo: Roman Pilipey / AFP
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13/19
The giant wave
Nazare in Portugal is the Mecca of surfers: And this photo makes it impressively clear why that is. The mighty waves of Nazare are a master test for every surfer.
Photo: Carlos Barroso / EPA
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14/19
Milei and those who suffer
The right-wing populist Javier Milei won the election in Argentina, but many are dissatisfied with their new president. Now the country remains in a general strike - and is drawing a cross-section of society onto the streets. Here an artist, dressed in the Argentine flag, demonstrates with the slogan: "I am art and I am hungry." Next to him is an elderly woman with the slogan on her shirt: “There is no money. I am retired."
Photo: Rodrigo Abd / AP
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15/19
Masked
What this model is wearing on her face at Fashion Week in Paris looks a bit like a glamorous reinterpretation of a Venetian mask.
Photo: Thomas Samson / AFP
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16/19
In search of the ledge of life
Pigeons in front of the city skyline of Delhi. More than 16 million people live in the Indian metropolis. And, as you can see here, at least 15 pigeons. Probably more.
Photo: Anushree Fadnavis / REUTERS
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17/19
Instrument of the Year
The tuba player from the brass band Brass for Africa practices before a performance in Kampala. The project uses music to support disadvantaged people and people with disabilities in Uganda. Brass for Africa offers music lessons and performance opportunities to more than 800 children and young people. In Germany, the tuba was named instrument of the year 2024 by the state music councils.
Photo: Luis Tato / AFP
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18/19
Uprooted
Storm Jocelyn hit Great Britain at speeds of more than 150 kilometers per hour. It brought a lot of rain with it, which resulted in floods. This tree in Welshpool, Wales also fell victim to the storm.
Photo: Carl Recine / REUTERS
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19/19
A destination for a horse
Two powerful Clydesdale cold-blooded horses in a pasture at Grant's Farm in Missouri. The property was built by Civil War hero and later US President Ulysses S. Grant and later taken over by the Busch brewing dynasty. Today the country is an animal sanctuary and a popular excursion destination. Admission is free, parking costs $18 per car.
See all the pictures of the week on our topic page.
Photo: Robert Cohen / AP