World

Your Friday Briefing

Published

3 years ago

March 11, 2022

As talks falter, Russian forces encompass Ukrainian cities

The Russian and Ukrainian overseas ministers didn’t make any progress yesterday of their first face-to-face assembly for the reason that Russian invasion started two weeks in the past, whereas Russian bombardments unfold extra carnage, having induced an estimated $100 billion in injury to date. Comply with the most recent updates right here.

Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian overseas minister, met along with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Turkey. “The broad narrative he conveyed to me,” Kuleba stated afterward, “is that they are going to proceed their aggression till Ukraine meets their calls for, and the least of those calls for is give up.”

Russian forces have surrounded or almost surrounded quite a lot of Ukrainian cities and are destroying a lot of their vital infrastructure, making evacuations more and more troublesome, if not inconceivable. Greater than two million folks have fled, together with 80,000 previously two days.

Subsequent steps: Talking from Warsaw, Kamala Harris, the U.S. vp, stated that Russia needs to be investigated for doable struggle crimes in Ukraine. “I’ve no query the eyes of the world are on this struggle and what Russia has accomplished by way of the aggression and these atrocities,” she stated.

In footage: These photographs doc the mounting human toll of Russia’s invasion.

In different information from the struggle:

New satellite tv for pc pictures confirmed Russia’s navy convoy close to Kyiv has largely dispersed and redeployed, with some automobiles now close to the village of Lubyanka, about 30 miles northwest of the capital.
President Biden is predicted to name right now for the U.S. to affix the G7 and the European Union in suspending regular commerce relations with Russia.

Extra sanctions and isolation for Russia

Goldman Sachs grew to become the primary massive American financial institution to depart Russia after Western governments imposed a raft of sanctions meant to cripple the Russian economic system. The lodge chains Hyatt and Hilton suspended improvement work, and Hitachi stated it was suspending exports to Russia and pausing manufacturing.

The British authorities froze the property of seven Russian oligarchs, together with Roman Abramovich, the proprietor of the Chelsea soccer membership, and Oleg Deripaska, a billionaire aluminum magnate with ties to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. Chelsea, a Premier League membership, can proceed working, however it can not promote tickets or merchandise and is blocked from shopping for or promoting gamers’ contracts.

The music world’s strongest corporations — the three main document conglomerates and the touring big Stay Nation — are additionally reducing ties with Russia. Right here’s the record of different corporations pulling out.

Threats: Besieged by an onslaught of sanctions which have largely undone 30 years of financial integration with the West within the house of two weeks, Putin opened the door to nationalizing the property of Western corporations which have pulled out of Russia and exhorted senior officers to “act decisively” to protect jobs.

New findings on Covid-19 vaccines for younger youngsters

Many dad and mom within the U.S. have chosen to not vaccinate their youngsters in opposition to the coronavirus, partly due to incomplete information. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been discovered to be solely weakly protecting in opposition to an infection with the Omicron variant amongst youngsters ages 5 to 11 and to supply little protection in opposition to reasonable sickness amongst adolescents ages 12 to 17.

Specialists notice, nevertheless, that whereas Omicron should infect vaccinated folks, the vaccines nonetheless forestall extreme sickness and demise — and will achieve this for years. File numbers of youngsters below 5 within the U.S. have been hospitalized in the course of the Omicron surge, underscoring the necessity for vaccines for these youngsters.

Latest research counsel that the issue is just not a lot the vaccine because the dose. Within the Pfizer trials, youngsters ages 5 to 11 acquired 10 micrograms, and people 6 months to five years outdated acquired simply three micrograms. These doses might have been too low to awaken an sufficient and lasting response, although greater doses too typically provoked a fever.

By the numbers: Fewer than one in 4 youngsters ages 5 to 11 within the U.S. are vaccinated in opposition to the coronavirus. And although greater than half of these ages 12 to 17 are totally vaccinated, solely about 12 p.c have acquired a booster dose.

Forthcoming: Each Pfizer and Moderna plan to report outcomes from trials of their vaccines in younger youngsters. The outcomes, if optimistic, ought to result in a brand new spherical of regulatory assessment, maybe as early as April, that will nicely permit vaccinations for tens of thousands and thousands of youngsters.

Listed below are the most recent updates and maps of the pandemic.

In different developments:

THE LATEST NEWS

Across the World

“I really feel hopeless on a regular basis.” The bodily scars of our warming planet — together with rising sea waters, melting glaciers and charred forests — are in every single place. However local weather change can also be inflicting a rising psychological toll. The Instances spoke with Individuals concerning the stresses and strains of life on the entrance strains of a altering local weather.

ARTS AND IDEAS

Bringing Ukrainian books to the West

A wartime effort to shortly translate work by Ukrainian novelists, poets and historians is underway to offer worldwide readers a glimpse of what unusual Ukrainians are experiencing — and to counter the declare by Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, that Ukrainians and Russians “are one folks.” The challenge is as political as it’s cultural, authors and translators say.

By highlighting Ukraine’s vibrant literary and linguistic heritage, translators hope to emphasise the nation’s distinction from Russia, and to attract consideration to a wealthy cultural panorama that may very well be endangered below occupation by the forces of an more and more authoritarian chief, Alexandra Alter experiences for The Instances.

“We have to elevate Ukrainian voices proper now,” stated Kate Tsurkan, a translator in western Ukraine and the affiliate director on the Tompkins Company for Ukrainian Literature in Translation, or Tault.

This week alone, Tault’s “Operation Ukraine” challenge has yielded a number of new translations by well-known Ukrainian authors, together with an essay concerning the battle by Ostap Ukrainets, which was printed in The Los Angeles Assessment of Books; an essay in The New Statesman concerning the cathartic energy of foul language in wartime, by the poet and playwright Lyuba Yakimchuk; and a rage-filled dispatch from Kyiv by Olena Stiazhkina, translated by Ali Kinsella and printed in Guernica.

Learn extra concerning the challenge of rush-translating Ukrainian literature.

PLAY, WATCH, EAT

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World

China Box Office: ‘Octopus With Broken Arms’ Leads Quiet Start to 2025

Published

3 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

China Box Office: ‘Octopus With Broken Arms’ Leads Quiet Start to 2025

The Chinese box office opened 2025 with “Octopus with Broken Arms” leading the first weekend, earning $16.1 million (RMB117.5 million), according to data provided by consultancy firm Artisan Gateway.

The As One Production release climbed from its second-place debut last week to take the top spot. Directed by Jacky Gan, the crime thriller follows Zheng Bingrui (Xiao Yang), a wealthy businessman whose daughter is kidnapped during a holiday celebration. The film’s cumulative total now stands at $74.7 million.

Last week’s leader, Gengxi Pictures’ “Big World,” slipped to second place, adding $11.4 million in its second weekend. Directed by Yang Lina, the drama stars Jackson Yee as a young man with cerebral palsy preparing for college exams while assisting his grandmother (Diana Lin) with a stage play. The film’s cumulative total has now reached $77.8 million.

Newcomer “Honey Money Phony,” released by Maoyan Pictures on Dec. 31, debuted in third place with $7.5 million. Directed by Su Biao, the comedy follows Lin Qinglang (Jin Chen), a working woman who unexpectedly finds herself deeply in debt after a sweet promise turns sour. Her journey intertwines with Ouyang Hui (Sunny Sun), a scammer whose involvement brings unexpected changes to both their lives.

“Hot Pot Artist,” released by Chengdu Film Group on Jan. 3, entered the chart in fourth place with $1.8 million. Directed by Cui Zhijia, who also stars as Li Ruyi, the film tells the story of a young man from Northeast China pursuing his dream of becoming a director. When his career doesn’t go as planned, he returns home to inherit his father-in-law’s hot pot restaurant, leading to unexpected challenges and personal growth.

In fifth place, “Detective Conan: Crossroad in the Ancient Capital” – originally released in Japan in 2003 – fell two spots from last week’s third position. The anime titled grossed $1.5 million over the weekend, bringing its cumulative earnings to $13.8 million. Directed by Kodama Kenji, the film follows Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori as they solve a mystery involving a stolen Healing Buddha statue.

Meanwhile, “Paddington in Peru” debuted in sixth place and has collected $3.9 million over five days of release, per data from Ent Group. In eighth place, “Mufasa: The Lion King” has a $14 million cume after 17 days in release, according to Ent Group.

The weekend’s total box office reached $44.3 million, down from the $68.3 million grossed during the final weekend of 2024. Despite the quieter start, the cumulative gross for 2025 stands at $95.9 million, up 5.9% compared to the same period last year.

World

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to announce resignation as early as Monday: report

Published

3 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to announce resignation as early as Monday: report

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reportedly expected to resign from his position as early as Monday, according to Canadian media.

The news was first reported by the Globe and Mail on Sunday night, citing three sources. The outlet said that it is unclear when exactly the Liberal Party leader will step down, but a resignation is expected to come before a national caucus meeting on Wednesday.

The news comes as Trudeau’s popularity continues to dwindle in Canada, which has a national election planned for Oct. 20 of this year. The country continues to suffer from a housing crisis, a declining per-capita GDP and high inflation, among other issues.

According to Canadian pollster Angus Reid, Trudeau has a disapproval rate of around 68% as of Dec. 24, with a meager 28% of Canadians supporting him.

TRUMP SUGGESTS CANADA BECOME 51ST STATE AFTER TRUDEAU SAID TARIFF WOULD KILL ECONOMY: SOURCES

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could announce his resignation as early as Monday, Canadian media reports. (DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The potential resignation would also come after Trudeau, who became prime minister in 2015, braved a difficult few months in politics. In September, he faced a no confidence vote in parliament that later failed, despite efforts from the Conservative Party to remove him from office.

On Dec. 16, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that she was stepping down from Trudeau’s cabinet, dealing a significant blow to the prime minister. In her resignation letter, she claimed that the only “honest and viable path” was to leave the Cabinet.

“For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada,” Freeland, who was previously seen as a Trudeau loyalist, wrote.

“Our country is facing a grave challenge,” the letter added. “That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war.”

Later in December, one of Trudeau’s key allies, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, said that he planned to present a formal motion of no-confidence on Jan. 27.

CANADA’S TRUDEAU FACING REVOLT FROM WITHIN AS POPULAR CONSERVATIVE LEADER LOOKS TO CAPITALIZE

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been facing dwindling popularity in his country. (DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

“No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government’s time is up. We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons,” Singh said.

Trudeau’s personal choices have also invited backlash from his opponents. At the end of November, Trudeau faced international criticism after he was seen dancing at a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto while a destructive riot took place in his home city of Montreal.

Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.

“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” the Canadian politician wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”

“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” Stewart added. Trudeau later denounced the lawlessness, calling the riot “appalling.”

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will step down, according to the Globe and Mail. (DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has reached out to Trudeau’s office for comment.

Fox News’ Chris Massaro, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can send story tips to andrea.margolis@fox.com.

World

The Take: What lies ahead for world politics in 2025?

Published

4 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

The Take: What lies ahead for world politics in 2025?

Podcast, The Take

Al Jazeera’s correspondents look ahead to global politics in 2025.

As 2025 unfolds, the world faces significant shifts. From climate crises in West Africa to continuing wars in Gaza and Sudan, Al Jazeera correspondents share their insights on the key events and challenges shaping the year ahead.

In this episode:

Kimberly Halkett (@KimberlyHalkett), Al Jazeera White House correspondent
Dorsa Jabbari (@DorsaJabbari), Al Jazeera correspondent
John Holman (@Johnholman100), Al Jazeera Mexico and Latin America correspondent
Nicolas Haque (@NicolasHaque), Al Jazeera correspondent
Tony Cheng (@tlcbkk), Al Jazeera Asia correspondent
Maram Humaid (@maramgaza), Al Jazeera digital correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra and Chloe K Li with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline and Malika Bilal.

The Take production team is Marcos Bartolome, Sonia Bhagat, Spencer Cline, Sari el-Khalili, Tamara Khandaker, Phillip Lanos, Chloe K Li, Ashish Malhotra, Khaled Soltan, and Amy Walters. Our editorial intern is Hagir Saleh and the host is Malika Bilal. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Aya Elmileik is the lead of audience engagement.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan and Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem are our video editors. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. We’ll be back tomorrow.

Connect with us:

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