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"contents": "<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577895\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ED_545164-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1890\" /> Preparations Ahead Of SONA on February 05, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver his State of the Nation Address at Cape Town City Hall on February 6th. (Photo by Gallo Images/Ziyaad Douglas)</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577898\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ED_545170-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1694\" /> Members of the SANDF practice run ahead of SONA on February 05, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver his State of the Nation Address at Cape Town City Hall on February 6th. (Photo by Gallo Images/Ziyaad Douglas)</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577899\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ED_545174-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1601\" /> Military Band members participate in a practice run ahead of SONA on February 05, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver his State of the Nation Address at Cape Town City Hall on February 6th. (Photo by Gallo Images/Ziyaad Douglas)</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577892\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ED_545080.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2526\" height=\"1524\" /> A small group of people picket outside the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) during the Mining Indaba on February 05, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images/Brenton Geach)</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577893\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ED_545092-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1671\" /> The Stilfontein Solidarity Picket seeks to challenge exploitative mining practices and state-backed corporate greed. (Photo by Gallo Images/Brenton Geach)</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577890\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ED_544904-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1711\" /> Investigators comb the scene along the N2 Highway on February 04, 2025 in Durban, South Africa. It is reported that a cash-in-transit vehicle was allegedly forced off the road, and multiple suspects reportedly blew up the vehicle and stole the cash. (Photo by Gallo Images/Darren Stewart)</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577881\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12798397.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" /> Members of the Congolese Red Cross and volunteers carry victims of the recent conflict before burying them in a cemetery in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 04 February 2025. Over 900 people were killed and around 2,800 injured in the last two weeks in the eastern city of Goma of the DRC amid fighting between the M23 (March 23 Movement) rebel group and the government forces, the World Health Organization said on 03 February. The M23 (March 23 Movement) took control of Goma city, the capital of the North Kivu Province, days after claiming to have captured most of it after launching a large-scale offensive in the east of the DR Congo, which the DR Congo and the UN accuse Rwanda of backing. EPA-EFE/STRINGER</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577887\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12800853.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"668\" /> Citizens take part in a nationwide protest against the recent agenda of US President Donald Trump outside the Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 05 February 2025. EPA-EFE/CJ GUNTHER</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577888\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12800859.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" /> Citizens take part in a nationwide protest against the recent agenda of US President Donald Trump outside the Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 05 February 2025. EPA-EFE/CJ GUNTHER</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577880\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12797855.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" /> A damaged statue in Santorini island, Greece, 04 February 2025. The municipality Thera (Santorini) advised the emptying of water from swimming pools, banned all construction work and forbid access to the Athinio port, except when ships are docking, due to a wave of seismic activity. Two earthquakes of 4.8 and 4.7 magnitude on the Richter scale jolted the region on 04 February. EPA-EFE/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577889\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12800906.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" /> Folk dancers of the Dhangar community of Maan city, Satara district in the Maharashtra state, perform the traditional 'Gaji Dance', on the first day of the Mann Deshi Mahotsav 2025 festival in Mumbai, India, 05 February 2025. The Mann Deshi Mahotsav festival, organised by Mann Deshi Foundation, takes place from 05 to 09 February and showcases rural entrepreneurship, traditional crafts, and indigenous culture. EPA-EFE/DIVYAKANT SOLANKI</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577878\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12797301.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" /> Sri Lankan traditional dancers perform during the 77th Independence Day parade in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 04 February 2025. Sri Lanka celebrated the 77th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule on 04 February. EPA-EFE/CHAMILA KARUNARATHNE</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577886\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12800176.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"625\" /> People and activists participate in the One Billion Rising 2025 event in Kolkata, India, 05 February 2025. One Billion Rising 2025 is a global movement which aims to end gender-based violence and advocate for justice, equality, and human rights. The event was held under the theme 'Diversity and Inclusion'. EPA-EFE/PIYAL ADHIKARY</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577885\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12799595.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"713\" /> Foreign tourists visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha at the Grand Palace complex in Bangkok, Thailand, 05 February 2025. According to the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand has increased 21 percent, with a total of 3.97 million visitors, from the start of 2025, with the Chinese visitors topping the list with 710,687 visitors. The Thai government is aiming to attract 40 million foreign tourists in 2025. EPA-EFE/RUNGROJ YONGRIT</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577883\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12799318.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" /> US President Donald J. Trump (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 04 February 2025. President Trump, who is hosting his first in-person meeting with another world leader since returning to the White House, and Prime Minister Netanyahu are set to discuss the Israeli cease-fire with Hamas, Iran's nuclear program and future arms shipments, among other bilateral issues. EPA-EFE/SHAWN THEW</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2577884\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12799521.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"628\" /> Members of the People in Solidarity with Palestinians group hold placards featuring images of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald J. Trump with the words \"No to Trump's Gaza plan to take over\" and \"Free Palestine\" during a rally against Trump's Gaza policy in front of the US Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, 05 February 2025. 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EPA-EFE/ABIR SULTAN[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2577876\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1000\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2577876\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12796793-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" /> A protester holds a placard outside the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington, DC, USA, 03 February 2025. Staffers at USAID have been instructed via an email to stay away from the agency's Washington headquarters on 03 February 2025, following a weekend takeover by an announcement by US billionaire Elon Musk that President Trump had agreed with him to shut the agency down. EPA-EFE/WILL OLIVER[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2577879\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1000\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2577879\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12797636.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"639\" /> Waves hit Eduardo Chillida's sculptural work 'Comb of the Wind' in San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa province, Spain, 04 February 2025. EPA-EFE/JAVIER ETXEZARRETA[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2577877\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1000\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2577877\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12796974.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" /> An Aymara man walks in front of a mural in La Paz, Bolivia, 03 February 2025. EPA-EFE/LUIS GANDARILLAS. <em><strong>DM</strong></em>[/caption]",
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Preparations Ahead Of SONA on February 05, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver his State of the Nation Address at Cape Town City Hall on February 6th. (Photo by Gallo Images/Ziyaad Douglas)
Members of the SANDF practice run ahead of SONA on February 05, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver his State of the Nation Address at Cape Town City Hall on February 6th. (Photo by Gallo Images/Ziyaad Douglas)
Military Band members participate in a practice run ahead of SONA on February 05, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver his State of the Nation Address at Cape Town City Hall on February 6th. (Photo by Gallo Images/Ziyaad Douglas)
A small group of people picket outside the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) during the Mining Indaba on February 05, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images/Brenton Geach)
The Stilfontein Solidarity Picket seeks to challenge exploitative mining practices and state-backed corporate greed. (Photo by Gallo Images/Brenton Geach)
Investigators comb the scene along the N2 Highway on February 04, 2025 in Durban, South Africa. It is reported that a cash-in-transit vehicle was allegedly forced off the road, and multiple suspects reportedly blew up the vehicle and stole the cash. (Photo by Gallo Images/Darren Stewart)
Members of the Congolese Red Cross and volunteers carry victims of the recent conflict before burying them in a cemetery in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 04 February 2025. Over 900 people were killed and around 2,800 injured in the last two weeks in the eastern city of Goma of the DRC amid fighting between the M23 (March 23 Movement) rebel group and the government forces, the World Health Organization said on 03 February. The M23 (March 23 Movement) took control of Goma city, the capital of the North Kivu Province, days after claiming to have captured most of it after launching a large-scale offensive in the east of the DR Congo, which the DR Congo and the UN accuse Rwanda of backing. EPA-EFE/STRINGER
Citizens take part in a nationwide protest against the recent agenda of US President Donald Trump outside the Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 05 February 2025. EPA-EFE/CJ GUNTHER
Citizens take part in a nationwide protest against the recent agenda of US President Donald Trump outside the Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 05 February 2025. EPA-EFE/CJ GUNTHER
A damaged statue in Santorini island, Greece, 04 February 2025. The municipality Thera (Santorini) advised the emptying of water from swimming pools, banned all construction work and forbid access to the Athinio port, except when ships are docking, due to a wave of seismic activity. Two earthquakes of 4.8 and 4.7 magnitude on the Richter scale jolted the region on 04 February. EPA-EFE/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU
Folk dancers of the Dhangar community of Maan city, Satara district in the Maharashtra state, perform the traditional 'Gaji Dance', on the first day of the Mann Deshi Mahotsav 2025 festival in Mumbai, India, 05 February 2025. The Mann Deshi Mahotsav festival, organised by Mann Deshi Foundation, takes place from 05 to 09 February and showcases rural entrepreneurship, traditional crafts, and indigenous culture. EPA-EFE/DIVYAKANT SOLANKI
Sri Lankan traditional dancers perform during the 77th Independence Day parade in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 04 February 2025. Sri Lanka celebrated the 77th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule on 04 February. EPA-EFE/CHAMILA KARUNARATHNE
People and activists participate in the One Billion Rising 2025 event in Kolkata, India, 05 February 2025. One Billion Rising 2025 is a global movement which aims to end gender-based violence and advocate for justice, equality, and human rights. The event was held under the theme 'Diversity and Inclusion'. EPA-EFE/PIYAL ADHIKARY
Foreign tourists visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha at the Grand Palace complex in Bangkok, Thailand, 05 February 2025. According to the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand has increased 21 percent, with a total of 3.97 million visitors, from the start of 2025, with the Chinese visitors topping the list with 710,687 visitors. The Thai government is aiming to attract 40 million foreign tourists in 2025. EPA-EFE/RUNGROJ YONGRIT
US President Donald J. Trump (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 04 February 2025. President Trump, who is hosting his first in-person meeting with another world leader since returning to the White House, and Prime Minister Netanyahu are set to discuss the Israeli cease-fire with Hamas, Iran's nuclear program and future arms shipments, among other bilateral issues. EPA-EFE/SHAWN THEW
Members of the People in Solidarity with Palestinians group hold placards featuring images of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald J. Trump with the words "No to Trump's Gaza plan to take over" and "Free Palestine" during a rally against Trump's Gaza policy in front of the US Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, 05 February 2025. EPA-EFE/JEON HEON-KYUN
Protesters hold up portraits of Israeli hostages during a march from Dizengoff Square to the US embassy calling to complete the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, 04 February 2025, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington. According to the Israeli army, around 80 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza. EPA-EFE/ABIR SULTAN
A protester holds a placard outside the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington, DC, USA, 03 February 2025. Staffers at USAID have been instructed via an email to stay away from the agency's Washington headquarters on 03 February 2025, following a weekend takeover by an announcement by US billionaire Elon Musk that President Trump had agreed with him to shut the agency down. EPA-EFE/WILL OLIVER
Waves hit Eduardo Chillida's sculptural work 'Comb of the Wind' in San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa province, Spain, 04 February 2025. EPA-EFE/JAVIER ETXEZARRETA
An Aymara man walks in front of a mural in La Paz, Bolivia, 03 February 2025. EPA-EFE/LUIS GANDARILLAS. DM