Jenjarom (Malaysia) (AFP) – A Buddhist temple in Malaysia is lighting up thousands of lamps and lanterns to greet the approaching Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan 22. As an annual event since 2004, the dazzling light show matches the upcoming “Year of the Rabbit” with scores of illuminated rabbit structures and festive decorations at the Dong Zen Temple in coastal Jenjarom town, central Selangor state.
Vienna (AFP) – Thousands attend the legendary Flower Ball in Austra’s neo-Gothic city hall, kicking off the city’s glamorous winter ball season after two years of cancellation due to covid restrictions. Known for being one of the most beautifully decorated winter balls among the approximately 450 hosted in the Austrian capital each season, the Flower Ball showcases mesmerising floral arrangements skillfully crafted out of 100,000 blossoms.
Washington (AFP) – The White House will not engage in “any negotiation over the debt ceiling” with Congress where Republicans now control the House of Representatives, says press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Washington (AFP) – President Joe Biden will deliver his annual State of the Union speech before Congress on February 7, the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tells reporters during a briefing.
Memphis (AFP) – Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of the late Elvis Presley, has died at the age of 54. She was rushed to hospital after being found in a state of cardiac arrest in her home in Calabasas, California, on Thursday. Presley was a singer-songwriter in her own right, releasing three albums before her death. She lived an eventful life in the shadow of her music legend father and was married four times, including to Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage.
Barcelona (AFP) – It might not top his 2022 World Cup triumph, but becoming Spain’s best-selling ‘caganer’ figurine can’t fall that far short for Argentinian football star Lionel Messi. ‘Caganers’ or ‘crappers’ are traditional Catalan statuettes that depict public figure bare-bottomed and often defecating, with Messi coming ahead of royalty, politicians and other more longstanding favourites to claim top spot.
Juba (AFP) – The head of the United Nation mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Nicholas Haysom voices his concern at “escalating violence” in South Sudan, which emerged in late December. Haysom says the situation makes the country one of “the most dangerous places in the world” for aid workers, with three killed already this year.
Ciudad Juárez (Mexico) (AFP) – A week after President Joe Biden announced a plan to expand the United States’ controversial Title 42 migration rule, border guards can be seen placing barbed wire along the US-Mexico border. Under the new plan, more migrants can be blocked from coming into the US if they arrive at the border without prior clearance, a move that the UN has warned could undermine basic human rights.
Yaoundé (AFP) – From funeral wakes to recording studios, the Mbolé music genre has become the sound of the streets in the working-class neighbourhoods of Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital. Emerging in the early 2000s and exploding in 2016, the genre’s upbeat rhythms have woven their way into the central African country’s cultural landscape by offering youth an outlet to dance and tell their stories.
Kharkiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Months of intense shelling has seriously damaged many residential buildings in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Without waiting for government assistance to arrive, residents of one building in the Saltivka district have mobilised to carry out the repair work themselves.
Brasília (AFP) – Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says that rioters who sacked the presidential palace over the weekend likely had inside help. “Many people in the military police were complicit,” said Lula.
Los Angeles (AFP) – Avatar director James Cameron and producer Jon Landau take part in a handprint ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard. “I’m seeing a pattern of the type of film that people will go to see in a movie theater”, says Cameron as ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ clings to top spot at the North American box office.
