Times Square statue of black woman sparks some negative reactions; and more from around the world

A new statue of a young black woman standing with her hands on her hips is displayed in Times Square on May 22, 2025 in New York City. The statue, called 'Grounded in the Stars" and made by the London-based sculptor Thomas Price, was made in partnership with Times Square Arts. The statue has set off arguments and discussions about race, feminism, and the role art plays in society. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Members of the Green Korea United perform during the International Day for Biological Diversity in Seoul, South Korea, 22 May 2025. Green Korea United members gathered to demand the rights of nature in Seoul. EPA-EFE/JEON HEON-KYUN

Artists perform an installation by Lygia Clark during a press preview of her retrospective exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Germany, 22 May 2025. The exhibition, featuring around 120 works, showcases her entire artistic oeuvre from the late 1940s to the 1980s, ranging from geometric-abstract paintings to participatory sculptures and performative works. Born in 1920, the Brazilian artist co-founded 'Neoconcretismo' in the 1950s, challenging strict Constructivism with a sensual and subjective approach to art. EPA-EFE/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE

People cool off in the Arabian Sea during a heatwave in Karachi, Pakistan, 22 May 2025. The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecasted a severe heatwave from 19 May, with temperatures in Sindh reaching 46–48°C and other regions seeing 4–8°C above-normal heat. Warm nights, dust storms, and windstorms are expected. Authorities urge precautions as climate change drives early, intense summer conditions. EPA-EFE/SHAHZAIB AKBER

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers perform during the Beating the Retreat, or flag-lowering ceremony, at the Indo-Pakistan Joint Check Post (JCP) at the Attari border, about 30 km from Amritsar, India, 21 May 2025. India resumes the iconic Beating the Retreat ceremony at the Attari border after a two-week suspension due to India-Pakistan tensions. EPA-EFE/MANU ARORA

An Iranian woman walks past an anti-US mural depicting Iran and the US at a negotiation table, near the former US embassy in Tehran, Iran, 22 May 2025. The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Iran and the US will hold a fifth round of talks in Rome, Italy, on Friday, 23 May 2025. EPA-EFE/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

US President Donald Trump (R) meets with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa (L) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 21 May 2025. Ramaphosa’s visit comes one week after Trump claimed there is an on-going genocide in South Africa and granted refugee status to 59 Afrikaners. EPA-EFE/JIM LO SCALZO

Demonstrators hold up mock crypto currency during the "America is Not for Sale" Rally Against Trump's Crypto Dealings at the Trump National Golf Club on May 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Public Citizen)

A Chagossian protester shows her British passport during a demonstration ahead of a hearing outside the High Court in London, Britain, 22 May 2025. The UK government has temporarily been blocked from concluding talks on the Chagos Islands deal by a last-minute injunction. The injunction, brought against the UK Foreign Office by Chagossian Bertrice Pompe, who was born in the Chagos archipelago, has taken legal action against the agreement. EPA-EFE/ANDY RAIN

People pray during a rally outside of the La Salle Detention Facility where former Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil has been detained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since his arrest earlier this year, in Jena, Louisiana, USA, 22 May 2025. Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the United States, was arrested in March by ICE as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, which, in part, is targeted at pro-Palestinian students and scholars. EPA-EFE/CHANSEY AUGUSTINE

Jacquen Appollis, Steveno Van Rhyn and Kelly Smith, during sentencing proceedings in the Joshlin Smith kidnapping case at Western Cape High Court on May 23, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. Kelly Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno Van Rhyn were convicted of kidnapping and trafficking 6-year-old Joshlin Smith. (Photo by Gallo Images/Brenton Geach)

A taxi driver wears a T-shirt reading 'Uber = death' as taxi drivers block a boulevard near the French Transports Ministry as they protest against proposed changes in how the state finances medical transport services and against private transporting car drivers (VTC) in Paris, France, 22 May 2025. EPA-EFE/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

Flooding is seen around Settlement Point Road in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia, 22 May 2025. A slow-moving trough is dumping rain along the east coast of Australia, leaving thousands of people stranded. EPA-EFE/Lindsay Moller

A Palestinian rides on an animal-drawn cart as smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike west of Gaza City, in Gaza Strip, 23 May 2025. More than 53,700 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, since Israel launched a military campaign in the strip in response to a cross-border attack led by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on 07 October 2023, in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 250 taken hostage. EPA-EFE/MOHAMMED SABER

Two fiery-throated hummingbirds (Panterpe insignis), in a wooded area of Cerro de la Muerte, in San Jose, Costa Rica, 17 May 2025 (Issued 22 May 2025). International Day for Biological Diversity is celebrated every 22 May around the world. EPA-EFE/JEFFREY ARGUEDAS

Chris Chops Taylor performs during a media preview of the Vivid Fire Kitchen as part of the Vivid Sydney annual festival, at Ultimo in Sydney, Australia, 22 May 2025. The famous food event, Vivid Fire Kitchen, taking place this year under the theme 'Fire and Spice', as part of the Vivid Sydney annual festival, will run from 23 May until 14 June 2025, and brings together some of the world's best chefs and BBQ legends. EPA-EFE/SITTHIXAY DITTHAVONG

Magda Swider attends the premiere of 'La Venue de L'avenir (Colours of Time)' during the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France, 22 May 2025. The film festival runs from 13 to 24 May 2025. EPA-EFE/MOHAMMED BADRA

Helen Mirren attends the premiere of 'La Venue de L'avenir (Colours of Time)' during the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France, 22 May 2025. The film festival runs from 13 to 24 May 2025. EPA-EFE/MOHAMMED BADRA

A model presents a creation by Colombian fashion studio La Petite Mort, during Bogota Fashion Week 2025, in Bogota, Colombia, 22 May 2025. EPA-EFE/MAURICIO DUENAS CASTANEDA. DM