Jan. 4 Daily Brief: A begging Santa, fishing for trout in ice, Cirque du Soleil shows
Artist Yves Decoste (bottom) balances Valentyna Sidenko on his shoulders during a dress rehearsal for Quidam, a show by Cirque du Soleil, fishing for trout through a hole in a frozen river, Serena Williams defeats Victoria Azarenka at Brisbane International.
- A view of Harbin surrounded by fog is seen over the frozen Songhua River in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province January 4, 2014. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon)
- Lleyton Hewitt of Australia kisses the court as he celebrates his win against Kei Nishikori of Japan during their men’s singles semi-final match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, January 4, 2014. (REUTERS/Jason Reed )
- Serena Williams of the U.S. holds up the Brisbane International women’s singles trophy after defeating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus (L) as she walks off the court in Brisbane, January 4, 2014. (REUTERS/Jason Reed)
- Leicester City’s Marcin Wasilewski (R) challenges Stoke City’s Kenwyne Jones during their English FA Cup third round soccer match at the Britannia stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, central England January 4, 2014. (REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth)
- A wind flag flutters in front of a competitor soaring through the air, during the first run of the third jumping of the four-hills tournament in Innsbruck, January 4, 2014. Finland’s Anssi Koivuranta won ahead of Switzerland’s Simon Ammann and Poland’s Kamil Stoch. The competition was cancelled on Saturday after only one round due to wind conditions. The prestigious four-hills tournament will end in Bischofshofen on January 6. (REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler)
- Russia’s Denis Kornilov crashes during the second run of the third jumping of the four-hills tournament in Innsbruck, January 4, 2014. Finland’s Anssi Koivuranta won ahead of Switzerland’s Simon Ammann and Poland’s Kamil Stoch. The competition was cancelled on Saturday after only one round due to wind conditions. The prestigious four-hills tournament will end in Bischofshofen on January 6. (REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler)
- People watch a Chinese street opera performance, organized as part of festivities in celebration of the upcoming Lunar New Year, in Kuala Lumpur January 4, 2014. (REUTERS/Samsul Said)
- A man reacts after catching a trout with his hands during an event promoting the Ice Festival on a frozen river in Hwacheon, about 20 km (12 miles) south of the demilitarized zone separating two Koreas, northeast of Seoul January 4, 2014. The annual ice festival, which is one of the most famous and biggest festivals in South Korea, expects to see more than 1,000,000 people attend. The festival lasts for three weeks from January 4 this year. (REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji)
- A woman fishes for trout through a hole in a frozen river in Hwacheon, about 20 km (12 miles) south of the demilitarized zone separating two Koreas, northeast of Seoul January 4, 2014. The annual ice festival, which is one of the most famous and biggest festivals in South Korea, expects to see more than 1,000,000 people attend. The festival lasts for three weeks from January 4 this year. (REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji)
- Dimmed lights are switched on in igloos on top of the mountain Nebelhorn, alpine upland, near the southern Bavarian town of Oberstdorf December 30, 2013. The Igloo village of 11 igloos which includes a bar igloo, a dining area igloo and an outside whirlpool with 40 degree hot water, is open during the winter months until April. One night costs 114 euros per person, with breakfast and cheese fondue inclusive. Picture taken December 30, 2013. (REUTERS/Michaela Rehle)
- A worker carves ice sculptures for the igloo village on top of the mountain Nebelhorn, alpine upland, near the southern Bavarian town of Oberstdorf December 30, 2013. The Igloo village of 11 igloos which includes a bar igloo, a dining area igloo and an outside whirlpool with 40 degree hot water, is open during the winter months until April. One night costs 114 euros per person, with breakfast and cheese fondue inclusive. Picture taken December 30, 2013. (REUTERS/Michaela Rehle)
- Locals play with foam during the “Carnavalito” parade of the Blacks and Whites Carnival in Pasto, Colombia, on January 3, 2014. The Blacks and Whites Carnival –declared by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage– is the most important holiday in southern Colombia, being held January 2 to 7 each year. (Luis Rabayo/AFP/Getty Images)
- Supporters of Mapuche Indians run away from a jet of water as they clash with riot policemen during a rally in Santiago city January 3, 2014. The rally was held to mark the death anniversary of Matias Catrileo, 22, a Mapuche Indian who died on January 3, 2008, after being shot during clashes with the police in a land dispute in southern Chile. (REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado)
- Artist Yves Decoste (bottom) balances Valentyna Sidenko on his shoulders during a dress rehearsal for Quidam, a show by Cirque du Soleil, at the Royal Albert Hall in London January 4, 2014. (REUTERS/Luke MacGregor)
- People run on the beach to go in the water as they take their first bath in the North Sea to celebrate the arrival of the new year, in Ostende January 4, 2014. About a thousand people took part in this annual tradition that takes place on the first Saturday of the new year, according to the participants. (REUTERS/Laurent Dubrule)
- People work in front of a garage as the rickshaws are parked due to a strike before the election in Dhaka January 4, 2014. Bangladesh was hit by renewed violence, with two more people killed, in the run-up to elections on Sunday where the ruling Awami League is expected to prevail in a walkover as the main opposition party boycotts the poll. (REUTERS/Andrew Biraj)
- An Afghan security personnel keeps watch near the site of an explosion in Kabul January 4, 2014. A military convoy belonging to the NATO-led ISAF coalition force was bombed outside its base in Kabul’s diplomatic quarter on Saturday, but no troops were hurt, security sources and ISAF said. (REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail)
- A Belarussian Orthodox priest helps an eldery woman carry water buckets in the village of Kasun, some 30 kilometres west of Minsk, on January 3, 2014. (Viktor Drachev/AFP/Getty Images)
- A man wearing a Santa Claus hat checks his collection tin as he begs for money in Hong Kong on January 4, 2014. There are 1.31 million people in the southern Chinese city living below the poverty line, a rate of 19.6 percent, according to the most recent government data available from 2012. The introduction of a benchmark to measure poverty, in September 2013, was hailed as a significant move to tackle the issue for a densely populated metropolis known for its sky-high rents and home to one of largest wealth gaps in the world. (Alex Ogle/AFP/Getty Images)
- A Bangladeshi resident of a depressed neighbourhood washes clothing in the waters of the Buriganga river in Dhaka on January 4, 2014. About a third of Dhaka’s 15 million residents live in poverty. (Roberto Schmidy//AFP/Getty Images)
- Birds fly over as a man climbs a pole to reach a flag in a popular game to mark Myanmar’s 66th Independence Day in Yangon on January 4, 2014. Myanmar gained independence from Britain on January 4, 1948. (Ye Aung Thu/AFP/Getty Images)