References to George Orwell and Aldous Huxley are not exactly what one expects to hear in a pop song, least of all in the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan where the political scene has been dominated by one party for almost three decades. So when Ninety One, a popular local band, released a song and a music video titled "Taboo" in the final days of 2020, it was likely to attract attention from beyond their usual fanbase. Having garnered more than 3 million views on YouTube, the song appears to have struck a chord with Kazakhs fatigued by the pandemic, economic woes, corruption and a lack of meaningful political competition.
In the 80 years since Tom and Jerry made their cartoon debut, the duo have zonked, bonked and kerplonked one another too many times to count, and somehow the joke has never gotten old. Nor have the aggravated gray cat and his clever brown mouse rival, who remain forever young, and forever scrappy — a […]
A landslide 20 kilometres west of Nanda Devi, India's second-highest peak, resulted in a flash flood on Feb. 7 that left more than 200 dead, and swept away two state hydro-electric projects, according to satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters. Avalanches and flash flooding in the Himalayas are common during summer and monsoon months, as melting snow and heavy rains combine.
Barcelona-based film-TV studio Filmax has acquired international sales rights to Cesc Gay’s new comedy “Stories Not to Be Told,” which is currently shooting. Filmax will also handle Spanish distribution to the latest outing from Gay, whose 2021 Goya Awards contender “The People Upstairs,” has sold to major territories in Europe and North America. Written by […]
* Europe's medicines regulator issued new guidance for drug makers that modify their vaccines to protect against variants of the virus to speed up the approval process. * AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot said he hoped to meet the EU's expectations on the number of vaccines the company can deliver to the bloc in the second quarter.
A Thai court granted bail on Friday to three ministers stripped this week of cabinet posts after convictions for insurrection over anti-government protests that culminated in a 2014 military coup, their lawyer said. The three, and five prominent political figures, were among 26 leaders of a group, the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), who were convicted and jailed on Wednesday by Thailand's Criminal Court. Under the Thai constitution, the convictions cost Digital Minister Puttipong Punnakanta, Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan and Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam their posts in the cabinet of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who first came to power in the 2014 coup.
Hungary could consider tightening some lockdown restrictions as coronavirus infections are expected to rise "drastically" in the next two weeks, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday. Orban also said all the 2.5 million to 2.6 million Hungarians who have registered for COVID-19 vaccinations so far would receive at least one dose by Easter, in early April. Orban said he hoped to get vaccinated with a shot developed by China's Sinopharm early next week.
In a blow to Democrats, the Senate parliamentarian ruled the chamber cannot include President Joe Biden's proposed $15-an-hour minimum wage in a $1.9 trillion coronavirus bill the party aims to pass without Republican votes, lawmakers said on Thursday. Democrats and progressives had hoped to include the minimum wage increase in the legislation to help cushion the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic and better compensate low-wage workers who have spent months on the front lines of the health crisis as essential workers. Biden is "disappointed in the decision," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement, and "will work with leaders in Congress to determine the best path forward because no one in this country should work full time and live in poverty."
Facebook switched news back on for users in Australia on Friday, ending a one-week blackout.The day before, Australia's parliament passed a law forcing big tech to pay local media companies for using their content.Canada and other counties have said they're interested in similar reforms.That was after a standoff over the law between Facebook and the government over the past week and the company's drastic step to block news from being read and shared on its platform.Facebook as well as fellow tech giant Google both campaigned against the law, arguing it was unworkable.A number of concessions were struck to appease them the law now gives more time for tech firms to strike a deal with media before the government steps in - and forces them to pay up.Prime Minister Scott Morrison celebrated the law on Friday."Global tech giants, they are changing the world but we can't let them run the world." It makes Australia the first nation where a government can set the price Facebook and Google pay for news and other content, if private negotiations fail.Though some Australians, like architect Andrew Benn, weren't impressed with Facebook's tactics over the last week."My perception of them has really deteriorated, so I would be actively not seeking out using Facebook now I think, I found it that frustrating what they did."After news earlier this week Facebook had struck deals with major TV networks in Australia on Friday it said it had also signed agreements with three smaller publishers.Schwartz Media, Solstice Media and Private Media all own a mix of weekly newspapers and online magazines though Facebook didn't disclose any prices.The non-binding agreements ease some fears smaller publishers would be left out of profitable Facebook deals.
Yuki Kitazumi, who runs a media production company and used to be a journalist for the Japanese business daily, the Nikkei, according to his Facebook page and interviews with online media, was arrested on Friday morning. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a regular news conference Japan was still trying to confirm the facts.
Britain's 94-year-old Queen Elizabeth, who last month had her first COVID-19 vaccination dose, has encouraged the public to follow suit, saying it did not hurt and those who were wary should think of others. The monarch and her 99-year-old husband Prince Philip, who is currently in hospital with a non-COVID infection, received their shots from a household doctor at the queen’s Windsor Castle residence, with their age putting them in the priority group for England’s coronavirus vaccine rollout. "Once you've had a vaccine you have a feeling of you know, you're protected which I think is very important and as far as I could make out it was quite harmless," the queen said in a video call with health officials overseeing inoculations across the four nations of the United Kingdom.
A British man who snuck out of the hotel room where he was serving his Stay-Home Notice (SHN) twice last September to meet his then-fiancee was on Friday (26 February) jailed for two weeks and fined $1,000.
Romania's Orthodox Church will continue immersing infants in water during baptism ceremonies, it said on Thursday, rejecting calls across the country to change the ritual after a six-week-old baby died after being baptised earlier this month. Prosecutors are investigating the case, which has divided Church officials and believers, with tens of thousands of Romanians petitioning the Church to sprinkle water on the babies' heads instead. The majority of Romania's 20 million people are Orthodox Christians and the Church has considerable influence.
Kidnappers have abducted schoolchildren in northwest Nigeria's Zamfara state, a spokesman for the state governor said on Friday, but declined to say how many people were taken or provide further details. A police spokesman for the state did not immediately respond to calls and messages seeking comment. This is the second such kidnapping in a little over a week in Nigeria's north, where a surge in armed militancy in the northwest has led to a widespread and worsening breakdown of security.
A British citizen was sentenced to two weeks in jail and fined 1,000 Singapore dollars ($753) on Friday for breaking a coronavirus quarantine order in Singapore. Nigel Skea is the first Briton to be jailed for flouting coronavirus rules in the city-state. Skea left his room at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore on three occasions last September, according to charge sheets.
Asian shares skidded Friday, with Tokyo's benchmark dropping 4% after rising bond yields triggered a broad sell-off on Wall Street that handed the Nasdaq composite index its steepest one-day loss since October. Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney all fell 2% or more in early trading Friday. The tech-heavy Nasdaq shed 3.5% on Thursday while the S&P 500 dropped 2.4%, led lower by heavy selling in technology and communications companies.
Spinners claimed 28 of the 30 wickets that fell in five sessions in the shortest completed test match since 1935. Joe Root's decision to welcome back a fit-again Jofra Archer and a rested James Anderson in a four-pronged pace attack, while retaining Jack Leach as their only specialist spinner, backfired spectacularly.
India and China's foreign ministers have discussed further de-escalating tensions at a disputed border after a pullback of troops in response to a deadly clash last year, New Delhi and Beijing said Friday.
Hungary could consider tightening some lockdown restrictions as coronavirus infections are expected to rise "drastically" in the next two weeks, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday. Orban also said all the 2.5 million to 2.6 million Hungarians who have registered for COVID-19 vaccinations so far would receive at least one dose by Easter, in early April. Orban said he hoped to get vaccinated with a shot developed by China's Sinopharm early next week.
The Ministry of Health confirmed 13 new cases of COVID-19 in Singapore on Friday (26 February), taking the country's total case count to 59,913.
