Chris Hipkins sworn in as New Zealand PM

Hipkins was unanimously endorsed by the ruling Labor party to succeed Jacinda Ardern. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Chris Hipkins sworn in as New Zealand PM [Chris Hipkins is sworn in as New Zealand's next prime minister by Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro at Government House in Wellington, Jan. 25, 2023.] Credit: Mark Mitchell/New Zealand Herald via AP New Zealand Chris Hipkins has been sworn in as [New Zealand's 41st prime minister]( at an inauguration ceremony in the capital Wellington. He replaces Jacinda Ardern, who stepped down abruptly last week citing burnout. Hipkins was [unanimously endorsed]( on Sunday by the ruling Labor party to succeed Ardern, and has pledged to focus on the economy. He will face general elections in October. Hipkins was first elected to parliament in 2008 and spearheaded the nation’s COVID-19 policies in 2020. Germany German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced that his country will [provide Leopard 2 battle tanks]( to Ukraine, after repeated requests from Kyiv, and approve requests by other countries to do the same. The US plans to contribute Abrams tanks. Scholz's decision comes after weeks of hesitation by the German government to supply them. Dozens of countries have given [military equipment to Ukraine]( since Russia's invasion began a year ago. Antarctica A giant 600-square-mile ice shelf has broken off from Antarctica. It’s the second major calving in two years, and scientists have long predicted it to happen. According to the British Antarctic Survey, this break-off from the Brunt Ice Shelf "is [not linked to climate change](." Cracks had been naturally developing across the entire ice shelf for a decade, which [satellite imagery]( was able to capture. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Taiwan and China celebrate Lunar New Year amid vastly different COVID levels]( [Many Taipei residents visit the city's historic Dihua Street to buy goods for the Lunar New Year.]( Credit: Ashish Valentine/The World Taiwan has [reopened to international travel](, and has lifted some other restrictions, as people celebrate Lunar New Year with family and friends. Tawain saw a relatively low number of COVID-19 cases. [Chinese musician works to revive the gehu instrument]( [Yuxin Wu plays the Chinese gehu string instrument.]( Credit: Courtesy of Yuxin Wu Yuxin Wu, a second-generation gehu player at the Berklee College of Music, is on a mission to revive the Chinese string instrument with its [unique vibrational sound](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot The National Portrait Gallery in London will be displaying a trove of previously unseen photos taken by Paul McCartney as The Beatles rose to fame. The exhibition, called [“Eyes of the Storm,”]( will mark the gallery's reopening in June after a three-year refurbishment. Director Nicholas Cullinan said McCartney approached the gallery in 2020 saying he found a batch of photos from the 1960s that he had thought were lost. 📸 [Screenshot of billboard tweet]( Credit: Twitter In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.