Photos: Lunar New Year celebrations welcome Year of the Fire Horse
From Beijing to Hong Kong to Moscow, people celebrate Lunar New Year with cultural events and vibrant displays.
![3 Shyam Kalpadia, from Koraput in Odisha, said he introduced many of his friends to Kerala's tea business [Amit Malaviya/Al Jazeera]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/3-Shyam-Kalpadia-from-Koraput-in-Odisha-said-he-introduced-many-of-his-friends-to-Keralas-tea-business-1-1771256421.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
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The chief adviser of Bangladesh's interim government, Muhammad Yunus, casts his ballot at a polling station during Bangladesh's general election in Dhaka. [Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Press Wing/AFP]
Voting is under way in Bangladesh in a crucial election seen as a key test of the country’s return to democracy after a student-led uprising toppled longtime leader Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. [Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP Photo]
The vote is a direct contest between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition of 11 parties, including the National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by youth activists instrumental in ousting Hasina. [Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP Photo]
The BNP’s Tarique Rahman and Jamaat’s Shafiqur Rahman cast their ballots in Dhaka as the election commission hailed a strong turnout. Nearly 127 million people are eligible to vote. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
Corruption, inflation, employment and economic development are the main issues deciding the election in the world’s eighth most populous nation. [Sajjad Hussain/AFP]
A Bangladeshi Christian nun casts her vote in a polling station during national parliamentary elections in Dhaka. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
Besides the parliamentary elections, the country is holding a referendum on the National Charter 2025 – a document drafted by the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, setting the foundation for future governance. [Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP Photo]
A person shows victory signs after casting his vote outside a polling centre during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka. [Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP Photo]
With more than 173 million citizens, Bangladesh is the eighth most populous country in the world. About 127 million people are eligible to vote, including five million first-time voters. [Sajjad Hussain/AFP]
The South Asian country has one of the world’s youngest populations, with approximately 44 percent of its population – 56 million – between the ages of 18 and 37. [Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP Photo]
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Riot police deploy water cannon against union members protesting outside the National Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on February 11, 2026. [Martin Cossarini/Reuters]
Protesters chant during a march against a labour reform bill proposed by President Javier Milei's government on February 11, 2026. [Gustavo Garello/AP Photo]
Police with crowd control weapons approach protesters during the demonstrations against the labour reforms. [Gustavo Garello/AP Photo]
Police carry a protester by his hands and feet after he was detained during a march led by trade unions. [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]
A Molotov cocktail bursts into flames in front of police in Buenos Aires, Argentina, amid protests over the labour reforms. [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]
A protester waves an Argentinian flag as police spray a water cannon to disperse demonstrators. [ Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]
A drone view shows union members marching in downtown Buenos Aires to show their outrage at austerity measures and efforts to restrict labour rights. [Martin Cossarini/Reuters]
A demonstrator, huddled behind a makeshift barrier, prepares to throw a Molotov cocktail towards police. [Cristina Sille/Reuters]
Women run through a cloud of tear gas deployed against pro-union protesters. [Cristina Sille/Reuters]
A demonstrator wearing a Guy Fawkes mask holds a sign that reads 'General strike now' outside Argentina's Congress. [Cristina Sille/Reuters]
Union members gather outside the National Congress as the Senate debates labour reforms that would curtail collective bargaining rights. [Martin Cossarini/Reuters]
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Women hold Iranian flags and a portrait of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in front of Tehran's Azadi Tower on the 47th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]
Some demonstrators shouted "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!" and burned US and Israeli flags. [AFP
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians attended demonstrations commemorating the anniversary of the 1979 revolution. [Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters]
Mass protests toppled Iran's last shah in 1979 and replaced the monarchy with the Islamic Republic of Iran with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini serving as its first supreme leader. [Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA]
Signs and chants at the demonstrations condemned Israel, which conducted a 12-day war against Iran in June, and the United States, which attacked three of Iran's key nuclear sites during the conflict and is threatening to attack again unless Tehran makes major concessions on its nuclear and missile programmes. [Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA]
President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed Iranians from Azadi Square in Tehran and said the government is willing to negotiate over its nuclear programme while calling for national unity in the face of external threats. [Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters]
US President Donald Trump has moved an aircraft carrier, other ships and planes to the Middle East and has suggested sending another carrier while the US and Iran hold mediated talks and leaders in the Middle East worry about a regional war breaking out. [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]
Addressing the crowds in Azadi Square, Pezeshkian called for solidarity among Iranians in the face of “conspiracies from imperial powers”. [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]
“We are standing together … in solidarity in the face of all conspiracies targeting our nation,” the president said, adding that the strength and unity of the Iranian people “gives rise to worry within our enemy”. [Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA]
Speaking to Al Jazeera from Tehran, Ali Akbar Dareini, a researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies, said Pezeshkian’s speech signalled Iran was “open to a fair and balanced deal with the United States”. [Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA]
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said the commemorations took place at a critical moment for Iran as the country faces external threats and significant internal divisions. [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]
Fireworks light up the sky next to Milad Tower in Tehran to mark the revolution's 47th anniversary. [Atta Kenare/AFP]
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A Kenyan Turkana girl fetches water for her herd of goats from a well dug on a dried-up water pan in the drought-hit village of Lopii, Turkana East, Kenya. [Daniel Irungu/EPA]
Locals share food rations distributed by World Vision Kenya as Nalemkais village in Turkana County endures severe drought. [Patrick Ngugi/AP Photo]
Elizabeth Lochaki, 54, a Kenyan Turkana woman, feeds her goats some prepared wild Doum palm fruit in drought-hit Kaaruko village, Turkana East. [Daniel Irungu/EPA]
A Kenyan Turkana man leads his herd of goats to a water point where locals have dug wells on a dried-up water pan in drought-hit Lopii village. [Daniel Irungu/EPA]
Locals queue to receive food aid during a severe drought in Lomekulu village, Turkana County, Kenya. [Patrick Ngugi/AP Photo]
The drought in Kenya, particularly across arid and semiarid counties, remains severe with prolonged below-average rainfall causing food shortages, water scarcity and livestock losses. [Daniel Irungu/EPA]
A Kenyan Turkana girl washes clothes after fetching water from a well dug on a dried-up water pan. [Daniel Irungu/EPA]
Nawaar Ekadeli, 60, a Kenyan Turkana woman, crushes a wild Doum palm fruit in drought-stricken Kaaruko village. [Daniel Irungu/EPA]
A man stands at a watering point with his camels in Turkana County, Kenya. [Patrick Ngugi/AP Photo]
Mandera County along Kenya's borders with Ethiopia and Somalia has seen no rain since May and is now on the point of a full-blown water emergency. [Daniel Irungu/EPA]
Abdi Nurrow Mohamed, 50, carries a weak calf that lost its mother to drought at his homestead in Banissa. [Tony Karumba/AFP]
A carrion bird perches on a pile of bones from livestock that have died from the drought in Banissa. In drought-hit northeastern Kenya, villagers have been forced to drag their dead livestock to distant fields for burning to keep the stench of death and scavenging hyenas away from their homes. [Tony Karumba/AFP]
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People in Melbourne protest against a four-day state visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Australia. [William West/AFP]
A protester in Sydney is helped after police used pepper spray to disperse demonstrators taking part in a pro-Palestinian rally against Herzog's visit to Australia. [Saeed Khan/AFP]
Thousands of people gathered across Australia on Monday to protest against Herzog's arrival. [Saeed Khan/AFP]
Police officers detain a protester at a demonstration at Sydney's Town Hall Square against the Israeli president's visit. [Jeremy Piper/Reuters]
Herzog is visiting Australia for four days this week after an invitation from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the aftermath of the December 14, 2025, shooting at a Hanukkah event at Sydney's Bondi Beach that killed 15 people. [William West/AFP]
The visit has attracted the ire of some people in Australia who accuse Herzog of being complicit in civilian deaths in Gaza. Pro-Palestine groups have organised protests in cities and towns across the country on February 9, 2026. [William West/AFP]
A demonstrator covers his eyes after police used riot control agents at Town Hall Square in Sydney during one of the protests. [Jeremy Piper/Reuters]
Police used pepper spray and tear gas to push back groups of people who were trying to breach their line. Several protesters were arrested. [Saeed Khan/AFP]
Authorities in Sydney declared Herzog's visit a major event and authorised the use of rarely invoked powers during the visit, including the ability to separate and move crowds, restrict their entry to certain areas, direct people to leave and search vehicles. [Joel Carrett/AAP Image/AP Photo]
A protester cleans out the eyes of another demonstrator after police used riot control agents at Town Hall Square. [Jeremy Piper/Reuters]
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Houthi supporters gather for a demonstration in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital, rallying against Israel and showing solidarity with Palestinians. [Ahmed Mohammed/AFP]
Thousands of mourners gathered in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday to bid farewell to victims of Friday's catastrophic suicide bombing at a Shia mosque. The community assembled for funeral prayers, arranging coffins as they mourned the attack that killed at least 32 worshippers and wounded 170 others. [Anjum Naveed/AP Photo]
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha. Addressing the 17th Al Jazeera Forum on February 7, 2026 — a three-day conference analysing Middle East geopolitical shifts — Araghchi criticised what he described as a "doctrine of domination" enabling Israel to enhance its military capacity while advocating for regional disarmament of other nations. His comments coincided with Iran's latest nuclear discussions with the United States, following the breakdown of earlier talks when Israel initiated an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran last June, leading to a 12-day conflict. [Handout/Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs via Reuters]
Tents housing displaced Palestinians stand amid destroyed and heavily damaged buildings in the Muqusi area of Gaza City. According to the Ministry of Health, Israeli forces have killed at least 576 Palestinians and wounded 1,543 in Gaza since the October 10 "ceasefire". The ministry reports that the total death toll during Israel's genocidal war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, has reached 72,027, with 171,651 people injured. [Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP]
Syrian government forces have entered the northeastern city of Qamishli, a key Kurdish-majority stronghold of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), following a ceasefire agreement. Military vehicles were seen driving along city roads as troops moved in. The deal ends weeks of escalating tensions and armed clashes with advancing government forces, establishing a framework for the SDF's integration into Syria's state institutions. [Bakr Alkasem/AFP]
Thousands gathered in the town of Bani Walid to mourn at the funeral of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the most prominent surviving son of Libya's former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, following his assassination on Tuesday. [Khaled Suleiman/Reuters]
A resident stands amid the charred remnants and destroyed homes in Woro, Kwara State, after an attack that killed nearly 200 people across Nigeria's Kwara and Katsina states. This marks the deadliest outbreak of violence the region has experienced in months. These attacks unfold against the backdrop of Nigeria's escalating security crisis, fuelled by armed rebellion activity and criminal gangs. [Light Oriye Tamunotonye/AFP]
Smoke billows from the aftermath of an Israeli air raid on a building in the southern Lebanese village of Ain Qana. On February 2, Israel's military conducted air raids across multiple locations in southern Lebanon after announcing planned attacks on Hezbollah targets and issuing evacuation warnings for buildings in two villages. Although a November 2024 truce aimed to halt more than a year of hostilities, including two months of full-scale war between Israel and the Iran-backed group, Israel has continued with regular strikes on Lebanon while maintaining troops in five areas it considers strategically important. [Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP]
A displaced Sudanese woman carries plastic water containers at the Abu al-Naga displacement camp in Gadarif state, approximately 420km east of the capital, Khartoum. On February 5, United Nations-backed experts warned that famine is spreading throughout Sudan's western Darfur region, as the ongoing war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has left millions hungry, displaced, and without access to humanitarian assistance. Since April 2023, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 11 million, and created what the UN describes as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. [AFP]
Amid plummeting temperatures, workers restore damaged sections of Kyiv's Darnytska combined heat and power plant following Russian air attacks. These recent attacks on Ukraine's power infrastructure have left millions without electricity, heat and water amid freezing temperatures, plunging the war-torn nation into a new humanitarian crisis. [Roman Pilipey/AFP]
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Palestinian women, coming from the Rafah crossing with Egypt, hug as they arrive at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. [Bashar Taleb / AFP]
Returnees are welcomed by relatives after they arrive at Nasser Hospital after a group of Palestinians was allowed into Gaza from Egypt following the long-awaited reopening of the Rafah border crossing in Khan Younis. [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]
Amani Abu Talha and her six children arrive in a bus at Nasser Hospital after a group of Palestinians was allowed into Gaza from Egypt. [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]
Palestinians long-separated from their loved ones shed tears of joy after the limited reopening of the Rafah crossing with Egypt allowed a handful to finally return to the war-shattered territory. [Bashar Taleb/AFP]
Some 50 Palestinians had been expected to enter the enclave on Monday, but by nightfall, only 12 – three women and nine children – had been allowed through the reopened crossing by Israeli authorities, Reuters said, citing Palestinian and Egyptian sources. [Bashar Taleb/AFP]
Amani Omran is welcomed by relatives as she arrives at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]
Rotana al-Regeb, who was allowed into Gaza from Egypt following the long-awaited reopening of the Rafah border crossing, reunites with her children in Khan Younis. [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]
On Tuesday, just 16 more Palestinian patients were allowed to cross into Egypt via Rafah, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said, reporting from Khan Younis. [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]
The numbers being allowed to cross at Rafah are far below the 50 Palestinians who Israeli officials said would be allowed to travel in each direction via the crossing every day, Khoudary said. [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]
Jubilant crowds filmed on their phones as they flocked around a bus carrying returnees to Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis late in the night. [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]
“There is no explanation as to why crossings are being delayed at Rafah,” Khoudary said. “The process is taking an extremely long time.” [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]
“There are about 20,000 people waiting [in Gaza] for urgent medical attention abroad,” Khoudary added. [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]
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People watch as smoke billows from a fire that broke out in Tehran’s Jannat Abad market. [Atta Kenare/AFP]
Firefighters battle the fire that broke out in Tehran. [Atta Kenare/AFP]
The fire erupted at a market in the Jannat Abad neighbourhood in the western part of the city. [Atta Kenare/AFP]
Firefighters work at the scene of the fire. [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]
State television said firefighters were dispatched to the site immediately to contain the blaze. [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]
Firefighters work to extinguish the fire at the market in western Tehran. [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]
The fire has 'so far resulted in no injuries', Tehran emergency services operations commander Mohammad Behnia said. [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]
Thick plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky, blanketing the surrounding area. [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]
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Syrian forces before entering Hasakah to implement an agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to stabilise a ceasefire, in Wadi al-Raml, eastern Syria. [Ghaith Alsayed/AP Photo]
Syrian army personnel stand at a checkpoint in the town of Sarin, where government forces were already present, as additional units move towards Hasakah. [Ghaith Alsayed/AP Photo]
SDF fighters stand along the road as vehicles carrying a contingent of Syria's Interior Ministry forces arrive in Hasakah. [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]
Government forces were also expected to enter the cities of Kobane and Qamishli. [Ghaith Alsayed/AP Photo]
The SDF reached a comprehensive agreement with the government on Friday to integrate with the army after Kurdish-led forces ceded territory to advancing government troops in recent weeks, following months of tensions and sporadic clashes. [Ghaith Alsayed/AP Photo]
SDF fighters, left and right, stand along the road as vehicles carrying a contingent of Interior Ministry forces arrive in Hasakah. [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]
A man rides his motorcycle past the wall of a US military base bearing graffiti in Arabic that reads, "Syria is more beautiful, no Assad, no SDF", and in yellow, "Al-Shaddadi without SDF terrorism", near Shaddadi village in Hasakah province. [Ghaith Alsayed/AP Photo]
Government forces are expected to be stationed in state buildings in Hasakah’s so-called “security zone”, a Syrian official and a Kurdish security source told Reuters before the deployment. [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]
Female fighters of the SDF look on as a contingent of Interior Ministry security forces arrives in Hasakah. [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]
Marwan al-Ali, head of internal security for the Syrian government, centre-left, and members of his team with members of internal security forces affiliated with the SDF in Hasakah. [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]
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A firefighter battles a forest fire raging through the mountainous terrain of Epuyen, a remote area in Chubut province in Argentina's Patagonia region. [Tomas Cuesta/AFP]
The largest fires are ravaging southern Chubut province, where at least 450sq km (175sq miles) of forest have been consumed by flames since mid-January. [Gonzalo Keogan/AFP]
Hundreds of firefighters are battling to contain the blazes before they reach populated areas. [Tomas Cuesta/AFP]
The wildfires are among the most severe to strike the drought-stricken Patagonia region in decades, compelling thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate. [Gonzalo Keogan/AFP]
The crisis, unfolding with the bulk of Argentina's fire season yet to come, has rekindled public outrage towards libertarian President Javier Milei. His severe austerity measures over the past two years have drastically reduced funding for programmes and agencies that combat fires, protect parks, and prevent blazes from igniting and spreading. [Tomas Cuesta/AFP]
"There has been a political decision to dismantle firefighting institutions," says Luis Schinelli, one of just 16 park rangers responsible for protecting the 2,590sq km (1,000sq miles) of Los Alerces National Park. "Teams are stretched beyond their limits." [Tomas Cuesta/AFP]
When lightning ignited a small fire near a lake in the remote northern reaches of Los Alerces in early December, firefighters faced significant challenges in their response. The isolated location severely hampered access while a shortage of aircraft prevented them from transporting crews and effectively extinguishing the hillside flames. [Tomas Cuesta/AFP]
A 2023 National Park Administration report recommended deploying at least 700 firefighters to adequately protect lands under its jurisdiction. Currently, the agency employs 391 firefighters, having lost 10 percent of its workforce through layoffs and resignations during Milei's two years in office. [Gonzalo Keogan/AFP]
Budget cuts to the National Fire Management Service have reduced both training capacity and available equipment, according to firefighters, forcing many to depend on secondhand protective suits and donated gear. [Gonzalo Keogan/AFP]
Officials at Los Alerces emphasised that funding constraints have been a persistent challenge regardless of which administration is in power though they firmly maintained that sufficient resources were available to combat the fire. [Tomas Cuesta/AFP]
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