It’s never been easier to keep up with what’s going on in the world. The news is everywhere – in our Facebook feeds, on the morning commute, during that lazy half hour before you switch off the TV and go to bed. But the tide of global affairs is often more upsetting than uplifting and it can be tempting to bury our heads in the sand. As the saying goes: a picture is worth a thousand words, so to offer a different perspective we've rounded up some of the most memorable images of the week's events, captured by the best photojournalists on the planet.
A woman with tape on her mouth holds a banner during an anti-government and pro-abortion demonstration on 10th January 2018 outside parliament in Warsaw. Poland's abortion debate was back on the agenda, more than a year after tens of thousands of black-clad women successfully took to the streets in the Catholic country to stop the tightening of a law that is already one of the most restrictive in Europe. The Polish parliament, which is controlled by the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, is due to begin discussing two competing draft laws: one that aims to liberalise the law and another that seeks to ban abortion when the foetus is deformed.
Photo by WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP/Getty Images
An observation point at the base of Niagara Falls in Ontario is covered in ice as the falls are illuminated by coloured light on 9th January 2018. A giant winter 'bomb cyclone' walloped the US East Coast on 5th January 2018, with heavy snow and freezing cold that made for treacherous travel conditions and bone-chilling misery.
Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP/Getty Images
Craig Burns and Luke Sullivan celebrate during their wedding ceremony at Summergrove Estate on 9th January 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia. Couples across Australia wed in midnight ceremonies as the Australian Marriage Act legalising same-sex marriage took effect on 9th January.
Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images
An aerial picture taken with a drone on 9th January 2018 shows a flooded area in Cologne after the water level of the Rhine river rose following heavy rains.
Photo by HENNING KAISER/AFP/Getty
A person walks along a frozen section of Long Island Sound as temperatures continue to stay below freezing in much of the northeast United States on 7th January 2018 in Westport, Connecticut. Following a heavy snowfall last Thursday, much of New England is experiencing Arctic-like weather conditions, with temperatures plunging well below freezing. Some relief is expected on Monday as temperatures are expected to rise.
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Palestinian youths practise parkour by the beach at sunset in Gaza City on 7th January 2018.
Photo by Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
People take part in the annual 'No Trousers On The Tube Day' (No Pants Subway Ride) at Liverpool Street Station in London on 7th January 2018. Started in 2002 with only seven participants, the day is now marked in over 60 cities around the world. The idea behind 'No Pants' is that passengers board a subway car at separate stops in the middle of winter, without wearing trousers. The participants wear all of the usual winter clothing on their top half, such as hats, scarves and gloves, and do not acknowledge each other's similar state of undress.
Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images
A tourist swimming in Cleopatra's Pool in the ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pamukkale in Denizli, Turkey on 6th January 2018.
Photo by Cem Oksuz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
A man carries his harvest from his vegetable field as Mount Sinabung spews thick smoke, in Karo, North Sumatra on 6th January 2018. Mount Sinabung roared back to life in 2010 for the first time in 400 years; after another period of inactivity it erupted once more in 2013, and has remained highly active since.
Photo by IVAN DAMANIK/AFP/Getty Images
Men hold up the Bulgarian flag as they dance in the cold winter waters of the Tundzha River in the town of Kalofer, Bulgaria, on 6th January 2018, as part of the Epiphany Day celebrations. As a tradition, an Eastern Orthodox priest throws a cross in the river and it is believed that the one who retrieves it will be healthy through the year, as will all those who dance in the icy waters.
Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty ImagesLike what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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