Jan. 6 Daily Brief: Epiphany celebrations, honoring a soccer legend, a new panda
Epiphany celebrators take to icy waters around the world, Portuguese soccer legend Eusébio is mourned, Dennis Rodman visits North Korea again, and more in today’s daily brief.
- Men perform a traditional dance in the icy winter waters of the Tundzha river in the town of Kalofer as part of the Epiphany Day celebrations on January 6, 2014. As a tradition, an Eastern Orthodox priest throws a cross in the river and it is believed that the one who retreives it will be healthy trough the year as well as all those who dance in the icy waters. (Nikolay Doychinov/AFP/Getty Images)
- A boy holds a wooden cross which was thrown by a priest as Bulgarian men dance in the icy waters of the Tundzha river during a celebration for Epiphany Day in the town of Kalofer, some 150 km (93 miles) east of Sofia January 6, 2014. It is believed that the ritual will bring health throughout the new year. (Stoyan Nenov/Reuters)
- Participants of an Epiphany winter swimming event make their way through the waters of the Vltava river near the Charles bridge in Prague on January 6, 2014. (Michal Cizek/AFP/Getty Images)
- A man dressed as one of the Three Magi sits on a camel during Epiphany celebrations in Warsaw’s Old Town on January 6, 2014. During Epiphany holiday, the visit of the Three Magi to the infant Jesus is commemorated. (Janek Skarzynski/AFP/Getty Images)
- Pope Francis walks with his pastoral staff as he leads the Epiphany mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican January 6, 2014. (Max Rossi/Reuters)
- Austria’s Thomas Diethart soars through the air during the first jump for the fourth jumping of the four-hills tournament in Bischofshofen January 6, 2014. (Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters)
- Yuan Zai , the first Taiwan-born baby panda, climbs inside its enclosure at the Taipei City Zoo on January 6, 2014. Yuan Zai, who weighed 180 grams (6.35 ounces) at birth, now weighs about 14 kilos (31 lbs) and make made her anticipated public debut as she turned six months old. (Mandy Cheng/AFP/Getty Images)
- An Indian Sikh Nihang, or warrior, performs Gatka martial arts skills during a procession at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on January 6, 2014, as part of birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh. The birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, is marked on January 6. (Narinder Nanu/AFP/Getty Images)
- Eusebio’s coffin arrives at the Luz stadium in Lisbon January 6, 2014. Portuguese great Eusebio, top scorer at the 1966 World Cup, died on Sunday from a heart attack at the age of 71 with the small Iberian nation mourning him as an “eternal symbol” of their football pride. The Portuguese government declared three days of national mourning and many fans paid homage by visiting an iconic statue of him erected next to Benfica’s Luz stadium, leaving flowers, scarves and other tributes. On Monday, he was honored at Luz stadium before his burial. (Rafael Marchante/Reuters)
- Former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman (C) is surrounded by journalists as he arrives at the Beijing Capital International Airport to leave for Pyongyang, in Beijing, January 6, 2014. Rodman was reportedly returning to North Korea for an exhibition match to be played to coincide with birthday celebrations of the secretive state’s leader, Kim Jong Un. Rodman will lead a team of former National Basketball Association (NBA) stars for the game. (Jason Lee/Reuters)
- An activist takes part during a demonstration against bullfighting outside La Mexico bullring in Mexico City January 5, 2014. (Edgard Garrido/Reuters)
- Indian soldiers take part in the rehearsal for the Republic Day parade amid fog on a cold winter morning in New Delhi January 6, 2014. India will celebrate its annual Republic Day on January 26. (Ahmad Masood/Reuters)
- A man rides a bicycle through a road amid dense fog on a cold winter night in New Delhi January 5, 2014. Delhi is experiencing a dense fog, severely disrupting air, road and rail traffic in the national capital as cold wave conditions continue across most parts of north India with temperatures at most places remaining below normal, local media reported. Picture taken January 5, 2014. (Adnan Abidi/Reuters)
- Large waves crash over the promenade at high tide in Aberystwyth, mid Wales January 6, 2014. (Rebecca Naden/Reuters)
- Trial lawyers demonstrate the Old Bailey courthouse in London January 6, 2014. British trial lawyers staged their first strike on Monday to protest against government cuts of up to 30 percent to taxpayer-funded legal fees which they said would drive away talent from the profession and endanger the criminal justice system. Trials across England and Wales were severely disrupted as hundreds of barristers in grey wigs, white bow ties and long black gowns, the attire they normally wear in court, instead congregated outside courthouses for noisy demonstrations. (Luke MacGregor/Reuters)
- Birds gather on the partially frozen Charles River in front of the Boston skyline during winter in Cambridge, Massachusetts January 6, 2014. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)