Nigeria’s Oscar Disqualification Sparks Push for Films in Native Languages
ABUJA, NIGERIA - Nigeria's Oscar Committee is urging the country's filmmakers to use more native languages in their productions. This, after the U.S. Academy Awards disqualified a Nigerian entry in the International Feature Film category because the movie used...
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Greece Marks 1973 Student Uprising Anniversary; 28 Arrested
ATHENS, GREECE - Heavy police presence in Athens appeared to have prevented serious clashes Sunday with anarchists and other extreme leftists on the 46th anniversary of a student uprising against the then-ruling Greek military dictatorship. Over 20,000 people made the...
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US Defense Secretary Esper’s Second Asia Trip Puts Alliances in Focus
Advertisement U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper’s second trip to Asia comes at a particularly turbulent time, even by the standards of the Trump era. Alliance burden-sharing doldrums, an increasingly recalcitrant North Korea, and the pending expiration of a South...
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Measles Spread Prompts Samoa to Declare State of Emergency
MELBOURNE - Samoa declared a state of emergency this weekend, closing all schools and cracking down on public gatherings, after several deaths linked to a measles outbreak that has spread across the Pacific islands. The island state of about 200,000, south of the...
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The Rajapaksa brothers are back in Sri Lanka
A convincing win for Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the presidential election divides the electorate on communal lines Nov 17th 2019FOR NEARLY ten years the Rajapaksa family ran Sri Lanka. Now, after a five-year hiatus and a bit of a reshuffle, they are back. On November 16th...
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Iraqi Protesters Seize Ground in Central Baghdad
Protesters pushed closer Saturday to a protected area in central Baghdad that houses parliament and several foreign embassies, officials said. Iraqi security and medical officials said protesters seized control of the strategic Khilani Square and part...
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Hong Kong May Be Considering Emergency Measures to End Unrest
The Hong Kong government is probably considering measures to strengthen its crackdown on anti-government protesters after Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a direct warning, urging the city to “end violence and restore order,” analysts say. Stepping up the...
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Why no one can afford to call off peace talks in Afghanistan
IT HAD LOOKED like a complete rupture. In early September President Donald Trump tweeted that he had not only cancelled a summit with negotiators from the Taliban, but also “called off peace negotiations”. The hopes that had been swelling that America and the Taliban...
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Unprecedented Australian bushfires stoke a debate about climate change
EVEN FOR A country accustomed to bushfires, the scenes look apocalyptic. Swathes of eastern Australia have burned. As The Economist went to press, more than 129 fires were raging in the states of New South Wales and Queensland. Together they have swallowed more than...
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Japan’s electoral map favours the ruling party
THE ELECTION in July for the upper house of Japan’s parliament was “remarkably unfair”, Kazuhiko Tomita, a judge on the northerly island of Hokkaido, ruled in October. Worse, it was held in a “state of unconstitutionality”. He was referring to Japan’s severe...
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United Delays Planned Return of Grounded Boeing 737 Max
CHICAGO - United Airlines is removing the grounded Boeing 737 Max from its schedule until March 4, two months longer than previously planned. The change follows...
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Myanmar’s Rohingya Crisis: International Court Judges Authorize Investigation
Advertisement International Criminal Court judges on Thursday approved a request from prosecutors to open an investigation into crimes committed against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority.A prominent rights group said the decision will give fresh hope to victims that...
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