Painting with bulbs, not brushes

On this week's Middle East Matters, we're joined by a singer whose voice has been compared to the legendary French singer-songwriter Edith Piaf. Barbara Pravi, whose mother is Iranian, hails from a family of musicians and artists. In May, she'll be flying the flag for France in the Eurovision Song Contest. She tells us more.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday⁣ ⁣

Fronted by 20-year-old Neola Pereira, the dancing flash mob swings into action, campaigning to save a threatened wildlife reserve -- part of a growing, youth-led environmental movement rattling Indian authorities.

Singer, Waje, call for enlightenment on malaria

In 2015, childhood friends Victor Solf and Simon Carpentier formed the neo-soul duo "Her". The band enjoyed a successful run on the French music scene but Carpentier tragically passed away in 2017, just before the release of the band's self-titled debut LP. After leading a tour for the record, Victor Solf decided to move on. He's just released his first solo album in his name, entitled "Still. There's Hope". He tells FRANCE 24's Florence Villeminot about his desire to celebrate life and why he decided to go solo.

Norwegian singer-songwriter Sigrid shot to fame in 2017 following the release of her debut EP "Don't Kill My Vibe". The 2019 release of her debut album "Sucker Punch" confirmed her place in pop stardom. She's been described as iconoclast, rewriting the rules of what it means to be a pop star – especially a female pop star.

The controversial minister Ricardo Salles held his post as Brazil pursued major cuts to environmental protections. President Jair Bolsonaro has already nominated a replacement.

Anime lover and artist Jinnipha Nivasabut has painted 50 portraits of her favourite dead anime characters to explore the impact of the death of fictional characters on the audience. The oil paintings caught the eye of a curator and fellow anime lover who commissioned Jinnipha's work and launched the '2D Afterlife' exhibition. Here, anime anime fans can pay respect to their beloved heroes and villains with a twist of Thai funeral rituals where sandalwood flowers and red Fanta are used as offerings to the dead.

As a teenager, she had to perform in the Auschwitz girls' orchestra. But Esther Bejarano never stopped loving music — or fighting against racism.

The front page may have gone digital these days, but photography has lost none of its power in telling the larger story when it comes to headline news. The Visa pour l'Image festival in Perpignan celebrates the very best of international photojournalism and, in doing so, shines a light on the human struggles and environmental challenges of our time.

One year after singer Akon laid the first stone of the $6 billion futuristic city he plans to build in his native Senegal, the site remains grassland. Construction of "Akon City," a project due to feature ultramodern twisting skyscrapers, was already meant to have begun near the Atlantic Ocean village of Mbodiene. But building work is yet to start, prompting residents who were hoping for jobs to wonder about its future.

Britney Spears fans celebrate outside a court in Los Angeles after a judge ordered the singer’s father be removed as her guardian. Spears’ father had controlled her life for the past 13 years, under a legal arrangement the 39-year-old singer has slammed as “abusive”.