FREEZING: A woman throws hot water into the air, which instantly condenses into ice crystals amid temperatures of minus 27 degrees, in Shenyang, China. Photograph: STR/AFP/China Out via Getty Images
COLD DIP: Swimmers (from left) Jim Curran, Liam Walsh and Lorcan Byrne brave the cold conditions at a snow-covered beach at Bray seafront. Photograph: Naoise Culhane
LIGHTS ON: The Californian Redwood tree on the grounds of St Mary's Cathedral, Killarney, will continue to shine for the month of January. The bulbs will stay lit until the end of the month, offering a sense of hope and bright days to follow amid the ongoing pandemic. Killarney parish administrator Fr Kieran O'Brien got together with Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce members and president Niall Kelleher and the decision was made not to switch off the lights at the close of the Christmas season and rename it the Tree of Hope. Photograph: Valerie O'Sullivan
YOUNG SCIENTIST: Greg Tarr, a Leaving Cert student at Bandon Grammar School in Co Cork, is the overall winner of the 2021 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE). He devised an advanced computer programme using artificial intelligence to detect “deepfake” videos, which have caused havoc on social media channels. It is quicker and more accurate than many of the state-of-the-art detection systems, the judges found. Photograph: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography
QUIET STREETS: Dublin's O'Connell Bridge during the Covid-19 pandemic in a very quiet city centre. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
SLEEPING ROUGH: There is a growing number of tents belonging to rough sleepers outside the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin on Friday. Photograph: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie
BREATHTAKING VIEW: Nepalese youths take pictures of range of Ganesh himal during a clear weather in Kathmandu, Nepal on January 8th. Photograph: Narendra Shrestha/EPA
BREXIT: Lorries arrive at the Port of Dover in Kent one week on from the introduction of post-Brexit regulations. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
COFFIN PROTEST: Members of the Shi'ite Hazara community gather around coffins of victims as they refuse to bury them for the last five consecutive days, during a protest on the outskirts of Quetta, Balochistan province, Pakistan. At least 11 coal miners were killed in the Mach area of Balochistan on January 3rd, after armed militants kidnapped them and took them to a nearby area before opening fire at close range. Photograph: Jamal Taraqai/EPA
SINKHOLE: An aerial view of a sinkhole in the Ospedale del Mare hospital car park, where people come for Covid-19 testing, on the outskirts of the city of Naples, which destroyed some vehicles. Photograph: Ciro Fusco/ANSA/AFP/Italy Out Getty Images
ANGEL IN SNOW: Sledgers have fun in the snow surrounding the Angel of the North near Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire
BODY BUILDING: This picture taken on December 11th, 2020 shows bodybuilder Gui Yuna (centre) on stage during the International Weightlifting Federation Beijing 2020 competition in Beijing. Gui, who competed in long jump at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, is new to bodybuilding but won the first time she competed in October 2020. (Photograph: Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images
