Greek carnival conducts colorful "flour-fight"

Revellers celebrate Clean Monday by participating in a colorful "flour-war", a traditional activity marking the end of the carnival season, in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200km (125 miles) northwest of Athens Mach 2, 2009.

Samba parade in Rio de Janeiro

Satay: Grilling up world record

A world record-breaking event will be held on Monday to grill largest quantity of satay in a single occasion, the office of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam announced yesterday.

His Majesty's office said the event will be held to celebrate Brunei's 25 years of independence, which will take place at Tarindak Restaurant, the Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club at 1.30pm.

During the Singapore Food Festival in 2007, the Kopitiam Group of Companies broke the then world record with the grilling of a 140-metre satay line on 'Satay Street' next to the Lau Pa Sat food market, where an estimated 200 kg of chicken thigh, 280 kg of charcoal and 700 bamboo sticks were used to achieve the feat.

Satay is a signature dish in many Southeast Asian countries, usually consisting of diced or sliced chicken, goat, mutton or beef grilled or barbecued over wood or charcoal fire, and then served with various spicy seasonings.The event was born out of His Majesty's titah during the Hari Raya Aidil Fitri celebrations in 2001, which called for Bruneians to come forward and collectively lend a helping hand to the needy.

The Guiness World Records will assess the record claim on the day of the event, which will see the satay given away for free to fakir miskin (the group that forms the 'core' of the poor community), orphans, selected individuals, and Tarindak Restaurant customers.

Brunei Times

Obama celebrations around the Globe

The Kenyan and the US flags unite beneath a portrait of U.S. President Barack Obama in a souvenir sold on the dirt streets of Kogelo.

Home village of Obama's late father, Kogelo hosted a 5,000-strong inauguration celebration, slaughtering bulls and goats for food; erecting movie screens for live viewing of the inauguration in Washington, D.C.; and dancing in traditional garb to the beat of leather drums, the Associated Press reported.

In anticipation of Barack Obama's inauguration, Kenyans dance in Kogelo, home of the new President's step-grandmother. "Mama Sarah," as Obama calls her, however, was in Washington, D.C., where she shared the inaugural stage with him on January 20.

The dance was part of an Obama-centered cultural festival that began on January 16 and which locals hope to make an annual attraction, according to the Kenyan Daily Nation newspaper.

The Kogelo, Kenya, primary school served as the "Official Obama Office" during inauguration festivities in the new President's ancestral village.The school was the main inauguration gathering spot in Kogelo, but the institution may face stiff competition during future festivals. Kenya has allocated the equivalent of about a million U.S. dollars for an Obama cultural center in the village, according to Kenya's Daily Nation.

Kogelo residents slaughtered "two bulls, three rams, several goats, chickens and fish" to help feed the thousands of revelers at Obama-inauguration festivities.

Kenyan children celebrate at an inauguration party in Kisumu, the nearest city to Barack Obama's ancestral village of Kogelo.

An employee of Japan's Ogawa Rubber Inc paints an eye on a rubber mask of U.S President-elect Barack Obama at the company's factory in Saitama city, Tokyo. Ogawa Rubber said it has produced and sold more than 2,500 Obama face masks since December, and 1,000 more are being manufactured, making it their fastest selling product.

Pictured are the Sweet Sasha, left, and Marvelous Malia dolls made by Ty Inc., the creators of the Beanie Babies at Lamont's gift shop inside the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Chicago. The daughters of President Barack Obama are the inspiration for the latest in the TyGirlz Collection.