Entertainment

Spain's Pedro Sanchez, risk-taker with a flair for political gambles

Spain's Pedro Sanchez, who announced snap elections Monday after his ruling Socialists were routed in local polls, is a consummate risk-taker who's shown a flair for daring gambles during his rollercoaster political career.. The vote had been widely expected at the year's end, but after his Socialists and their allies suffered a major blow in Sunday's local polls, Sanchez took a risky gamble -- in what observers said has been a hallmark of his career. 

Mon, May 29, 2023 3 mins read

Entertainment

The jailed opponents of Erdogan's Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's re-election has dashed hopes for high-profile opposition figures who have been jailed during his rule, where a crackdown on dissent intensified following a failed 2016 coup.. More than a thousand university academics were also targeted in the purge of institutions that followed the 2016 coup attempt.

Mon, May 29, 2023 2 mins read

Entertainment

Nepal celebrates 70 years since first Everest summit

The sons of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa led celebrations in Nepal on Monday to mark the 70th anniversary of the historic first ascent of Everest.. Butter lamps were lit in front of a photograph of Hillary and Tenzing, and their sons, Peter Hillary and Jamling Norgay, cut a red ribbon to open the doors to the centre. 

Mon, May 29, 2023 2 mins read

Entertainment

Live-action 'Little Mermaid' debut makes box office waves

Disney's live-action version of "The Little Mermaid" netted the top spot at North American box offices on its opening weekend, over the United States' Memorial Day holiday, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.. The remake of the 1989 animated tale of an underwater princess who gives up her voice in pursuit of true love on land, starring pop singer Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, raked in $117.5 million in US and Canadian box offices and another $68 million internationally, Exhibitor Relations said.

Mon, May 29, 2023 1 mins read

Entertainment

Kanchha Sherpa: The last of the first on Everest

Nonagenarian Kanchha Sherpa is the last surviving member of the 1953 expedition that saw Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa become the first humans to summit the world's highest mountain.. Now 90, he was tired and not available to speak to AFP ahead of Monday's anniversary, but his grandson quoted him as saying: "The happiest part was when Tenzing and Hillary summited."

Mon, May 29, 2023 2 mins read

Entertainment

Erdogan: Turkey's undisputed titan enters third decade of rule

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has cemented his status as the most important figure in modern Turkish history, after victory in Sunday's presidential runoff extended his transformative two-decade rule to 2028.. - Rewriting the rules - Although the runoff provided his rule with a fresh mandate, the nation of 85 million is likely to remain sharply polarised.

Sun, May 28, 2023 4 mins read

Entertainment

Nigeria's departing President Buhari defends legacy

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari defended his political record on Sunday, the day before he steps down, saying he leaves the country in a better state than when he took power in 2015.. "I am confident that I am leaving office with Nigeria better in 2023 than in 2015," the 80-year-old Buhari said in a televised address.

Sun, May 28, 2023 2 mins read

Entertainment

Turkey voters divided in Erdogan's Istanbul birthplace

In a working-class Istanbul harbour where Recep Tayyip Erdogan grew up playing football, Hasan Karakaya had only one description for Turkey's president after voting on Sunday: "He's the best.". Ege, 65, grew up in the neighbourhood and remembers Erdogan as a "hard-working" and "intelligent" teenager, predicting he will win with 60 percent of the national vote.

Sun, May 28, 2023 3 mins read

Entertainment

Chinese comedy group punishment sends chills through arts sphere

China's recent punishment of a comedy studio has sent a chill through the country's cultural sphere -- a striking reminder of the increasingly limited public space for artistic expression under President Xi Jinping.. - Public nationalism - The new boundaries are an extension of the muscular, hardline nationalism Xi has personally promoted since coming to power. 

Sat, May 27, 2023 3 mins read

Entertainment

Crime thriller steals best pic at Bollywood awards in UAE

Crime thriller "Drishyam 2" was crowned best picture as Bollywood glossed over its recent struggles with a high-octane International Indian Film Academy Awards show in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.. The IIFA awards, intended to reach an international audience, were held for the second year running in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates where more than a third of the 10 million population is Indian.

Sat, May 27, 2023 2 mins read