The week in pictures

January 9 — A Cameroon fan outside Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, where the Africa Cup of Nations kicked off on Sunday in front of about 45,000 fans. Cameroon came from behind to win the opener against Covid-weakened Burkina Faso 2-1.

January 9 — Participants bathe in ice-cold water during the annual new year Shinto ritual to purify the body and soul at Teppozu Inari Shinto Shrine in Tokyo, Japan. This year’s ceremony was scaled back and closed to the public as a precaution against Covid-19.

January 10 — Serbian tennis fans celebrate in Melbourne on Monday after world tennis number one Novak Djokovic was released from Australian immigration detention after winning a court challenge to remain in the country.

 January 10 — Rohingya refugees gather near their burnt shelters after a fire broke out at the Balukhali Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Authorities said more than 5,000 people lost their homes in the fire. 

January 11 —  Alleged arsonist Zandile Christmas Mafe appears in the Cape Town magistrate’s court on Tuesday in connection with the fire that ravaged parliament. The state has now added a charge of terrorism. 

January 10 — Firefighters fight forest fires in Surubi’y, Paraguay.  Emergency services battled the inferno that also raged through a small town, Villeta, causing extensive damage.

January 11 — Women rest inside a quarantine centre for Covid-19 patients in Navi Mumbai, India. The country began administering booster vaccine shots to front-line workers and the vulnerable. Health officials reported 179,723 new cases on Monday, driven by the Omicron variant. 

January 11 — A demonstrator reacts during an anti-Israel protest near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

January 12 — People gather in protest against the Conservative Party in London on Wednesday. The party led by Boris Johnson has faced criticism over a sleaze scandal, the awarding of contracts, tax hikes, a botched Brexit and attempts to pass harsh legislation.

January 11 — A rally competitor navigates the arid Wadi Ad Dawasir to Wadi Ad Dawasir stage of this year’s Dakar Rally, in Saudi Arabia.

January 12 — Zulu amabutho chant outside the Pietermaritzburg magistrate’s court. Queen Sibongile Dlamini-Zulu is challenging the late King Goodwill Zwelithini’s five other customary marriages in a legal succession bid. 

 January 12 — A man uses multiple devices to live stream as he participates in a rally against government measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, organised by the political party Vazrazhdane (Revival), in Sofia, Bulgaria.

January  13 — Supporters of “King Khoisan” protest outside the Pretoria magistrate’s court as he appeared on drug charges and  flouting Covid-19 mask-wearing rules. The case was postponed to March. He has been living outside the Union Buildings for more than three years demanding land ownership and had allegedly cultivated dagga.

January 13 — Coast guard officers throw flowers to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster that killed 32 people after it capsized and sank offshore, at Giglio Island, Italy.

January 13 — Chaos erupted at the first sitting for 2022 of the Johannesburg city council on Thursday. A bitter fight over the vote for the election of oversight committee chairs forced the meeting to adjourn several times and scuffles broke out between DA, EFF and ANC councillors. The meeting was adjourned to next Tuesday.

January 13 — Anwar Raslan, a former Syrian colonel of  President Bashar al-Assad’s intelligence agency, arrives at court in Koblenz, Germany. Raslan was sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity, including torture, murder and rape, committed during Syria’s brutal civil war.