Florence (Italy) (AFP) – Using gentle, circular motions, an art restorer gently cleans the painting of a half-nude woman that was censored more than 300 years ago by a prudish descendant of Michelangelo. The piece by Artemisia Gentileschi, the Italian Baroque’s trailblazing woman artist, is undergoing a months-long restoration to rediscover her original vision, hidden for centuries under a thick layer of strategically placed paint.
Gangasagar (India) (AFP) – Tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims and holy men gather at the confluence of the River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal during the Gangasagar Mela to take a ‘holy dip’ on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
Stepanakert (Azerbaijan) (AFP) – A blockade by Azerbaijanis of the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh has left supermarkets and pharmacies in the territory’s capital Stepanakert with bare shelves, further isolating the beleaguered majority-Armenian population. Residents describe daily power cuts, internet outages, and shortages of food, heat and medicine.
Lützerath (Germany) (AFP) – Police clash with anti-coal demonstrators in the village of Luetzerath, in western Germany, which is due to be destroyed to make space for an open-cast coal mine extension. Luetzerath — deserted for some time by its original inhabitants — is set to disappear to make way for the extension of the adjacent open-cast coal mine, one of the largest in Europe, operated by energy firm RWE.
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.
