Fireworks, family reunions and hazmat suits – how China is celebrating the Lunar New Year
The Lunar New Year holiday has been described as the largest migration of people on the planet.
This year, many families will be reunited after nearly three years of strict zero-COVID curbs on travel.
At Beijing station many came laden with gifts, others were still taking extreme precautions, we saw one family dressed in full white hazmat suits.
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Official statistics say 110 million people have travelled by train in the two weeks leading up to the New Year holiday, but the station wasn’t quite as busy as might be expected – perhaps an indication that COVID is still rife here.
Indeed, this country has been hit by a huge wave of infections after rules were abruptly dropped in December.
The chief epidemiologist at China Center for Disease Control has said 80% of the population has already caught the virus.
For those who’ve recovered, reunions are relished.
Luna Li and her toddler Annie were travelling to see their family for the first time in a year.
“I think to see the family is more important than getting worried about being sick again.” she said.
Luna Li and her toddler Annie
“It’s been three years, it’s really a long time, we want to get our life normal again.”
‘The peak won’t come again’
We travelled with her and others by train to Shandong province, which is home to the highest number of elderly people in the country.
There is still fear about the virus being transported to places like this, even President Xi has said in the last few days he is worried about further rural spread.
And it’s villages like Da Gu on the line. Small rural places with small rudimentary facilities.
It’s a picturesque place, surrounded by hills with quiet streets and traditional homes, but one tiny clinic is the only medical resource.
The doctor told us she wasn’t worried though.
“The epidemic has already passed. The peak will not come again,” she said.
“Most people have recovered. Only those with underlying diseases are not very good.”
More than 12,000 dead in a week
As dusk fell, people bought out boxes of paper money to burn in the street – a traditional practice on New Year’s Eve to honour the dead.
COVID means there are more to remember this year. More than 12,000 people died of the disease just last week, according to authorities.
The total number is unclear, but some modelling suggests this wave could claim more than a million lives.
However, for many families, it’s just a joy to be able to be together again.
Three generations of the Yin family gathered to eat traditional food, honour their ancestors and celebrate with fireworks.
Over dinner, the head of the family Yin Hexin reflected on how the worst is now behind them.
“Some elderly died, those with issues already, heart disease or something else. Others are fine,” he said.
“We don’t care much, normalisation or not, it feels like a cold.”
It’s unclear if the holiday will spark something bigger, or if the peak of this wave has truly passed.
But for many, for now, it just feels like a much longed for release.
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former “thug” and “pit bull”, has been accused of lying about a phone call he says he made to the former US president about payments to ex porn star Stormy Daniels.
Cohen, a lawyer who worked for the Trump Organisation from 2006 to 2017, has been giving evidence in the case about hush money payments to Ms Daniels – in an attempt to cover up an alleged sexual encounter in 2006.
Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, called into question an important detail – a phone call made by Cohen to Trump’s assistant, Keith Schiller, on 24 October 2016.
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Cohen, 57, has maintained that during that call he spoke to Trump (who was either given the phone by Mr Schiller or placed on loudspeaker – we don’t know which) and told him he had paid Ms Daniels $130,000 in hush money on his behalf.
But Mr Blanche called this into doubt – showing the jury a number of interactions suggesting Cohen was in contact with Mr Schiller about a different issue at the same time, namely that he was receiving harassing phone calls and texts from a 14-year-old child.
“That was a lie – you did not talk to President Trump on that night, you talked to Keith Schiller about what we just went through,” Mr Blanche said.
Cohen said that, based on his records, he believes he spoke to Trump about the Stormy Daniels matter.
“We are not asking for your belief,” Mr Blanche said. “This jury does not want to hear what you think happened.”
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Donald Trump in court on Thursday. Pic: Reuters
That exchange was part of several hours of questioning which apparently sought to paint a picture of Cohen as someone who is eager to see his former boss behind bars.
Mr Blanche played jurors audio clips of Cohen saying the case “fills me with delight” and that imagining Trump and his family in prison made him feel “giddy with hope and laughter”.
“Does the outcome of this trial affect you personally?” Mr Blanche asked.
“Yes,” Cohen replied. He is due to return to the witness stand on Monday.
Michael Cohen (right) was Donald Trump’s fixer. Pic: AP
Cohen worked as the former president’s fixer. He once described himself as Trump’s “spokesman, thug, pit bull and lawless lawyer”.
He once said he would take a bullet for his boss and admitted at the end of questioning on Tuesday that he “violated my moral compass” while working for Trump.
Hush money payouts are not illegal, but Trump is accused of falsifying business records to hide it – a claim he denies.
Cristiano Ronaldo has topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career.
Spanish golfer Jon Rahm took second place following his switch to Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Ronaldo became the world’s highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr and Forbes said the 39-year-old’s estimated total earnings were around $260m (£205m) – an all-time high for a football player.
Jon Rahm came in second. Pic: Jeff Faughender/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
His on-field earnings amounted to $200m (£158m) while off-field he earned $60m (£47m) thanks to sponsorship deals where brands make use of his 629 million Instagram followers.
Rahm earned $218m (£172m) and joins Ronaldo as the only two athletes to earn over $200m.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi. Pic: David Kirouac/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
Third on the list is record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, who switched to Major League Soccer team Inter Miami, which helped the Argentine World Cup winner earn $135m (£107m).
The 36-year-old earned $65m (£51m) in on-field earnings but $70m (£55m) off it from deals with major sponsors such as Adidas and Apple.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James came in fourth at $128m (£101m), while fellow NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks made fifth with $111m (£88m).
France football captain Kylian Mbappe dropped down to sixth with $110m (£87m).
Neymar, who also moved to the Saudi Pro League to join Al-Hilal, is seventh with $108m (£85m), despite sitting out the majority of the season with a torn ACL.
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French striker Karim Benzema, who also moved to Saudi Arabia, is eighth on the list with $106m (£84m), followed by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry with $102m (£80m).
Lamar Jackson is the only NFL player on the list, in 10th place with $101m (£80m), thanks to the signing bonus negotiated into his new Baltimore Ravens contract last year.
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