• That's more like it! Much-mocked pope statue gets a makeover

    Gregorio Borgia / AP

    This combined picture shows Italian sculptor Oliviero Rainaldi's statue of Pope John Paul II before its restoration, left, on Sept. 23, 2011, and at its inauguration after the restoration, in Rome on Nov. 19, 2012.

    The Associated Press reports — The city of Rome has inaugurated a revamped statue of Pope John Paul II after the first one was pilloried by the public and the Vatican.

    Pope or Mussolini? Statue sparks uproar

    Artist Oliviero Rainaldi says he's pleased with the final product, saying it matches his original vision. He blamed foundry workers for a botched assemblage the first time around.

    The statue was restored after Rainaldi was pilloried by the Vatican for creating a sculpture of Pope John Paul II that some mockingly said looked more like Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini than the beloved late pontiff. Even the Vatican's own art critic wrote that it looked like a "bomb" had landed. 

    Gregorio Borgia / AP

    A woman stops to look at the newly unveiled Pope John Paul II statue in Rome on Nov. 19, 2012.

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  • Indian election officials order cover-up of statues ahead of poll

    Tsering Topgyal / AP

    Workers prepare to cover a statue of Mayawati, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, at Ambedkar Park in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, on Jan. 10, 2012.

    Manan Vatsyayana / AFP - Getty Images

    Workers wrap elephant statues at the Ambedkar Park in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, on Jan. 10, 2012. Statues of a firebrand Indian politician, Mayawati, and her party symbol of an elephant were wrapped in cloth, under laws to prevent them being used as unfair election publicity.

    The Associated Press reports from LUCKNOW, India:

    Workmen using truckloads of cloth raced Monday to comply with election officials who ordered a flamboyant Indian state leader to cover up a dozen large statues she erected of herself.

    The Election Commission said the statues of Mayawati, who is a hero to India's lowest castes, were built using public money and their display violates rules for next month's election in her Uttar Pradesh state.

    The Election Commission also said that nearly 200 statues of elephants, her party's symbol, must be covered. Read the full story.