A man fishes near a temple beside a river on a heavy hazy day in Beijing’s Gaobeidian village, China. Beijing has temporarily shut down over a hundred heavily polluting factories to combat danger levels of air pollution. Photograph: Jason Lee/Reuters
Simultaneously beautiful and terrifying, when you think about it.
A derelict house sits alone in a once-thriving neighbourhood in east-side Detroit, Michigan. The story of the city’s decline has become a symbol of America’s recent economic troubles. Photograph: Rebecca Cook/Reuters
What really gets me about this photo isn’t the run-down house – That’s nothing new, sadly, and I feel like I’ve seen many such houses in San Francisco and Portland over the years – but the space surrounding it. Where are the other houses? It looks as if it’s dropped into an entirely abandoned cityblock, like something out of a magic realist film. Beware of that house, everyone: There’s danger and mystery in there.
US soldiers secure a French armored vehicle aboard a C17 aircraft at the Istres military airport prior to take off bound for Mali. French forces are continuing their advance northwards in Mali with over 2,000 troops assisting Malian forces fight islamic militants. Photograph: Gerard Julien/AFP/Getty Images
There’s something about this that feels as if it belongs in a science fiction movie to me; only the car looks like it belongs in the world I’m familiar with.
Little knitted caps are placed on top of fruit smoothies during the 2013 World Economic Forum annual meeting at the Swiss resort of Davos. The event is taking place from 23 to 27 January. Photograph: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
Knitted caps on top of smoothies. Sometimes, the world is a confusing, wonderful place.
A man rides a horse through a bonfire in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, in honour of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals. On the eve of Saint Anthony’s Day hundreds of people ride their horses through the narrow cobblestone streets of village during the Luminarias, a traditional festival meant to purify the animals with the smoke of the bonfires and protect them for the year to come. Photograph: Daniel Ochoa De Olza/AP
I feel like these people need to actually work on their “Let’s celebrate the patron saint of animals” activities. “Hey, we’re all about you today, horse! I’m gonna ride you through a bonfire. Yeah, you’re gonna get to run right through a bonfire. Doesn’t that sound great? Huh?”
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