24 hours in pictures, 23 July 2025
Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world.
Rope access workers clean the windows of the Anglo American De Beers Group building in Rosebank, 18 July 2025. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
A girl paints in front of the Kremlin's Spasskaya tower and St. Basil's cathedral in downtown Moscow on July 23, 2025. Russian and Ukrainian officials are due to meet in Istanbul on Wednesday for a third round of peace talks, their first meeting in more than seven weeks amid US pressure to reach a ceasefire. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP) A woman poses for a selfie while wading with others through a flooded street in Manila on July 22, 2025, after heavy rains caused floodings enhanced by monsoon. Floodwaters driven by torrential rains ground life in the Philippines capital to a halt on July 22 with thousands evacuated from their homes and at least two believed missing. (Photo by Jam STA ROSA / AFP) US actress Pamela Anderson poses on the red carpet upon arrival for the UK Premier of 'Naked Gun' in Leicester Square, central London, on July 22, 2025. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) Silver-painted street performers are seen in Rosebank. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen A student receives a health checkup at an Islamic elementary school in Banda Aceh on July 23, 2025. (Photo by CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP) New Indonesian police officers perform during a commissioning ceremony for around 2,000 graduates from military and police academies at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on July 23, 2025. (Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA / AFP) Smoke from a forest fire fills the sky near Nafplion, Corinth, Peloponnese, Greece, 22 July 2025. According to the fire brigade, the fire is burning in a mountainous and inaccessible area on the border between Arcadia and Corinth, which complicates the efforts of the firefighting teams. Picture: EPA/VAGELIS BOUGIOTIS This aerial photograph shows beach-goers gathering on a beach alongside the Atlantic Ocean in Carcans, south-western France on July 22, 2025. (Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP) A man has his face scanned at Scan Engine, a 3D scanning studio located within the Unit Image studios in Paris on July 22, 2025. Scan Engine, a subsidiary of Unit Image, is one of France's leading providers of 3D scans. Its system of 190 digital cameras arranged in a spherical setup allows for highly detailed facial reproductions, used in film, video games, and other applications. (Photo by Thibaud MORITZ / AFP) This aerial photograph shows surfers swimming past waves on their surf boards alongside the Atlantic Ocean in Carcans, south-western France on July 22, 2025. (Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP)
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eNCA
13 hours ago
- eNCA
Godzilla fans fete the monster as it turns 70
Godzilla has morphed over the years, but one constant is the devotion of its fans, who celebrated the Japanese monster's 70th anniversary at the pop culture convention Comic-Con. The Japanese studio Toho, which created Godzilla, maintains a calendar of events to celebrate the beast often called the king of monsters, and Comic-Con is on the agenda. Godzilla was born on November 3, 1954 with the launch of the first movie about it, directed by Ishiro Honda. "I am a very big fan of Godzilla," said Angela Hill, a teacher who traveled from Arizona to take part in Comic-Con, which this year featured events and displays celebrating Godzilla. One of the world's largest celebrations of pop culture, Comic-Con brings together 130,000 people, many of whom come dressed as wizards, princesses or characters from movies, games or TV series. As the story of Godzilla goes, a prehistoric amphibious beast is awakened and mutated by nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific. It emerges from the sea and attacks Japan in a rage, symbolizing the deadly power of nukes. "I think because he came from such a historic event -- like, a lot of other monsters are just interesting creatures, but they don't hold the grief of a nation," Hill said, referring to the US nuclear bomb attacks against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. AFP | Chris DELMAS At the pop culture watering hole in San Diego, people lined up to shoot pictures and video with an image of Godzilla, which was also the theme of a panel discussion on Friday that featured Shinji Higuchi, who co-directed a reboot in 2016 called "Shin Godzilla." The movie franchise includes nearly 40 films and has spawned hundreds of animated productions about the monster as well as TV series and graphic work. - 'Rooting for him' - On Saturday the writers Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle signed autographs of their book "Godzilla: The First 70 Years," which sold out at Comic-Con. "It's a rich history," Ryfle told AFP. "This is the longest running feature film franchise in cinematic history that's focused on a single, continuous character. It's been around longer than James Bond." He said the key to its longevity is that Godzilla has evolved over time but stayed faithful to its origins. "Godzilla has been serious, it's been scary, it's been heroic, it's been funny. But at the same time this is a movie character that's rooted in something that's very real," Ryfle said. "And that's the trauma that Japan experienced, both during World War II, and also the trauma of the aftermath of World War II, the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki," he added. AFP | Chris DELMAS He said Honda, who directed the first Godzilla movie, was a veteran who used the film to send a message against war and in particular against nuclear weapons. Michelle Pena, a Godzilla fan who waited in line to get the autograph of the two writers, said part of the monster's charm is how it has changed over the years. "Good, bad, hero, anti-hero, you know. And I like that," she said. "He's not, like, lovable," she added. "He's a big dinosaur-looking thing, you know. He's scary. But, like, you really, really find yourself rooting for him."
The Citizen
2 days ago
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Got R14m to spare? Get this home cinema and forget the sports car
This is more than just your average television, soundbar and woofer from appliance brands. Journalists were seated on seats from Moovia, the German masters of cinema comfort. Picture: The Citizen As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, home automation, entertainment and cinema have taken a giant leap into the future. Unlike mobile phones and computers which are launched and upgraded every year, home cinema is modular and can be enhanced as the need arises. But it does come at a price, to be precise, starting from about R1 million to R14 million and more. Not just a cinema room Warren Husband, solutions architect and client liaison at Homemation invited The Citizen to tour its home cinema offering in several rooms which he compared to high-end sports cars, depending on what marque you want. This is more than just your average television, soundbar and woofer from appliance brands but rather aimed at people who have wads of cash to create an entertainment hub in their home. Wellness Husband said the rooms are also being used for health and wellness in the privacy of your home. 'They are being used for working out. The moms or wives who like to do yoga or whatever. What I want to do is create a point of view, forest kind of thing and have all the speakers in the world to create the spaces that are far more than just skop, skiet and donder.' During the visit, journalists were shown a cinematic masterpiece – the largest and most advanced home theatre experience in Africa. As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, home automation, entertainment, and cinema have taken a giant leap into the future. Warren Husband explains… #Homemation @TheCitizen_News — 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) July 26, 2025 ALSO READ: Samsung's new TV's allow you to take care of your pets [VIDEO] Crazy setup To accommodate 3m² of subwoofer cone area and 60 000 watts of amplification, the room was precision-built to eliminate vibrations and deliver bass performance which reverberated when a trailer of the movie Prey was shown. A 28-channel Ascendo audio system in an 11.11.6 Dolby Atmos configuration surrounds the audience. Six 21 inch subwoofers behind the screen, four more at the rear, and a 32 inch infrasonic subwoofer deliver earth-shaking bass, all calibrated using Trinnov's WaveForming technology A 177 inch Stewart Filmscreen with Harmony acoustically transparent fabric ensures perfect audio alignment paired with the Barco Hodr cinemascope projector, boasting over 7 500 lumens. Journalists were seated on seats from Moovia, the German masters of cinema comfort, which offer motorised adjustments and RGB-lit cupholders. A lot of moola However, all this comes at a price and if you have an extra R14 million to spare and are willing to sacrifice that sports car you were saving for, go for it. At least you will have a quiet room to cower in, to watch a movie, the latest F1 race or the Springboks taking on the All Blacks. Last year, The Citizen also visited Cinema Architects in Sandton which also offers a custom integration providing the design and installation of sophisticated electronic systems for premium and smart homes for residential environments. NOW READ: Digital gossip: When WhatsApp groups become serious cyber-risk zones
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2 days ago
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WATCH: Makhadzi takes it back to where it all began 15 years ago
The highly anticipated event is set to take place over two days later this year. Makhadzi performing at the launch of her 2025 One Woman Show in Venda. Picture Supplied Award-winning singer Makhadzi returned to where it all began 15 years ago, a shopping centre in Thohoyandou Town, Venda — to officially launch her upcoming One Woman Show. The highly anticipated event is set to take place in December. The launch event was held on Friday, 25 July, where the Sakha hitmaker unveiled the first phase of her line-up, featuring DJ Zinhle, Shebe Shxt, and Kharishma, among others. Makhadzi's supporters gathered at Thohoyandou Town for her 2025 One Woman Show. Picture Supplied 'Charity begins at home,' Makhadzi said, explaining why she chose Thohoyandou Town as the location for the launch. She told The Citizen that the shopping centre holds huge significance for her. 'That's where I started performing with just a speaker 15 years ago. I also used to sell my CDs there until I got a breakthrough and started getting booked on bigger stages.' Now an established name in the South African music industry, Makhadzi is using her success to uplift others in her hometown. Over the years, she has supported students and families in need by covering university registration fees, donating food parcels, and providing school shoes to learners. READ MORE: '5 000 applications in less than 24 hours': Makhadzi assists students with university registration fees 'Earlier this year, I went to two different universities where I paid registration fees. I spent a lot of money on that,' she said. 'I also buy food parcels, and every year I make sure I go to schools to give them school shoes. Many of the things I do are private — I don't post them on social media.' 'I make sure I support anyone who needs help because I know the pain of poverty and sleeping without food. I'm always willing to help,' she added. Makhadzi's One Woman Show: a two-day celebration of unity and talent This year's One Woman Show will be a two-day event, hosted at Makhuvha Stadium and Rabali Stadium on 20 and 21 December. She said that this year she prioritised Limpopo artists, who make up 90% of the line-up. 'The spirit of my show is for us to unite so that we can show that unity is power, and together we can make it. I have invited everyone that I did songs with,' she added. NOW READ: 340ml to headline another festival after returning to stage in 2025
