Jan 27 (Reuters) - Every week, Reuters journalists produce scores of multimedia features and human-interest stories from around the world.
Below are some stories from this week selected by our editors, as well as explanatory context and background to help you understand world headlines. For a full schedule of news and events, please go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect https://www.reutersconnect.com/planning.
Gaza's first health food store offers sweet alternative for diabetics
GAZA - Diabetics and the calorie-conscious can enjoy a richer diet at Gaza's first health food store, where cookies, sweets and other foods are prepared with a sugar substitute. (HEALTH-PALESTINIANS/GAZA (TV, PIX), 300 words)
Visitors to Colombian house find world turned upside down after pandemic
GUATAVITA, Colombia - An upside down house built in Colombia's Guatavita, a short distance from the capital of Bogota, is capturing the imagination of visitors looking for fun following coronavirus restrictions. (COLOMBIA-HOUSE/ (PIX, TV), 233 words)
Futuristic mushroom? All-glass House of Music blooms in Budapest park
BUDAPEST - With its serrated glass walls and perforated roof that allows natural light to permeate its halls, Budapest's futuristic new concert hall aims to create harmony between nature and music, giving visitors an uplifting experience. (HUNGARY-MUSIC/GLASSHOUSE (PIX, TV), 340 words)
Taiwan family helps keep hand-made 'joss paper' tradition alive
MIAOLI, Taiwan - Painstakingly, women of retirement age adorn sheet after sheet of yellow joss paper with gold and silver leaf and red paint to satisfy last orders for sacrificial cash offerings ahead of next month's Lunar New Year festival. (LUNAR-NEWYEAR/TAIWAN (TV, PIX), 337 words)
Vietnam artist marks Lunar New Year with hundreds of carved tigers
DUONG LAM, Vietnam - As Vietnam prepares to celebrate the Year of the Tiger next month, local artist Nguyen Tan Phat has been busy making hundreds of ornately carved sculptures of tigers to mark the upcoming Lunar New Year. (LUNAR-NEWYEAR/VIETNAM-TIGER CARVINGS (TV, PIX), 266 words)
Bolivians trade dreams of riches for good health in indigenous miniature festival
LA PAZ - Like many Bolivian artisans, Joselyn Quispe was used to selling tiny houses, cars and dollar bills in January during the local Aymara Festival of Alasita, where people buy miniatures related to their personal wishes for the year. But this year, Bolivians are not as focused on material things. (BOLIVIA-TRADITION/MINIATURE FAIR (PIX, TV), 324 words)
Crunch time: Japan's 'miracle' snack gets first price hike after decades
TOKYO - The maker of Japan's Umaibo corn puff is raising prices for the first time, in a shock for fans of the "miracle" snack beloved for decades for its crunch and 10-yen price tag. (JAPAN-ECONOMY/INFLATION-SNACKS (PIX, TV), 447 words)
London exhibition explores animal instincts of Francis Bacon
LONDON - A new exhibition opening in London explores how Francis Bacon drew on photographs of animals, such as the scream of a chimpanzee, for his sometimes unsettling depictions of people. (ART-FRANCIS BACON/ (PIX, TV), 239 words)
Imagine no possessions: Beatles memorabilia (virtually) up for auction
LONDON - John Lennon's son Julian is auctioning off pieces of memorabilia relating to the Beatles, including three guitars given to him by his father and handwritten notes about the 1968 song "Hey Jude" - but not physically. (FINTECH-NFT/BEATLES (UPDATE 1, PIX, TV), 562 words)
A metaverse with Chinese characteristics is a clean and compliant metaverse
BEIJING - How will China's metaverse evolve? Look to the letter "c". Clean, censored, compliant and crypto-less is the view from experts. (CHINA-METAVERSE/ (ANALYSIS, PIX), 920 words)
EXPLANATORY CONTENT
Global vaccination tracker https://tmsnrt.rs/39xWS94
Global COVID-19 cases and deaths https://tmsnrt.rs/32CyMHu
U.S. COVID-19 cases and deaths https://tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR
FACTBOX-Historic firsts on the diversifying U.S. Supreme Court
NEWSMAKER-U.S. Justice Breyer fortified abortion rights, doubted death penalty
FACTBOX-What sanctioning Putin might mean in practice
EXPLAINER-How Western sanctions might target Russia
EXPLAINER-Why is Russia's Putin drawing "red lines" over Ukraine?
EXPLAINER-Weakest link? Why Russian gas puts Europe in a bind over Ukraine
FACTBOX-Where NATO forces are deployed
TIMELINE-Lockdown party allegations facing UK PM Johnson
EXPLAINER-Minds behind the missiles: N.Korea's secretive weapons developers
FACTBOX-Recent coups in West and Central Africa
TIMELINE-Myanmar's year of turmoil since the military took power in a coup
(Compiled by Mark Porter and Patrick Enright)
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