Underground goes overground Last Wednesday, we ran an interview with author Colson Whitehead about his brilliant novel The Underground Railroad – and that night he was up for America’s National Book Award for Fiction. When we spoke to him, he said he was excited to be nominated but noted that the NBA does not quite have the clout of the Booker Prize. Nonetheless, he won, so it […]
The film had been pilloried by conservative Christians for a dream sequence in which Christ has sex with Mary Magdalene. In depicting Christ’s life as a doubt-ridden struggle between his human and divine natures, Scorsese had intended to make a film that was at once an act of doubt and an act of faith. In the novel he was reading, the priest was shown profaning an image […]
Photo A view of Aleppo from rebel-held territory. Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations special envoy to Syria, said he feared that the eastern part of the city could be razed before Donald J. Trump is inaugurated. Credit Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters BEIRUT, Lebanon — The United Nations special envoy to Syria offered unsolicited advice on Monday to President-elect Donald J. Trump: Pay attention to what happens between now […]
RIYADH: The 48-hour cease-fire in Yemen, which ended on Monday, will not be extended because of repeated violations by the Houthi militias and their supporters, said the spokesman of the Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting terrorism.“The conditions and requirements to extend the truce were not met, and cease-fire rules were repeatedly violated by the Houthi militias and their allies, therefore it was called off,” Maj. Gen. Ahmed Al-Asiri […]
The stars will to be out in full force for Abu Dhabi’s Grand Prix, not least because this year’s race is a championship decider. Which celebrities can we expect to see painting the town Ferrari-red this weekend? newslide Paris Hilton – and Nicole Richie? Not only is Richie’s dad Lionel Richie singing at Yas Arena on Saturday night, but her old ‘bestie’ Paris Hilton is DJing in […]
Dr. Omar, the last neurosurgeon in eastern Aleppo, who declined to provide his full name out of fear for his safety, sounded desperate when reached at the height of the bombing on Friday. Continue reading the main story “We no longer have hospitals to operate in,” he said. “You can’t imagine what it’s like living in Aleppo right now. It feels like we are living in hell. […]
Ending the kinds of offshore abuses revealed by the Panama Papers scandal requires a global solution led by the United States and Europe, a report released today by Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and Swiss anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth says. The 25-page report, “Overcoming the Shadow Economy,” argues that, as “economic leaders,” the U.S. and the European Union “have an obligation to force financial centers to comply […]
JEDDAH: Sporadic fighting shook parts of Yemen on Sunday as the Saudi-led Arab coalition battling Iran-backed Houthis warned that a fragile US-brokered cease-fire would not be extended unless violations ended. The 48-hour cease-fire, which began on Saturday, came at President Hadi’s request. An AFP correspondent in Sanaa said there had been no coalition airstrikes in the Houthi-occupied capital since the truce took effect.Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Ahmad […]
November 21, 2016 by: Shawn Donnan and Andres Schipani in Lima US President Barack Obama wrapped up his final official trip abroad with a call for his successor Donald Trump to live up to America’s responsibility as an “indispensable nation” in the world, and to bolster the international order it had helped create. Amid fears that Mr Trump’s election victory on the back of a populist anti-internationalist […]
By Mitra Taj and Jeff Mason | LIMA LIMA Pacific rim leaders said on Sunday that they were committed to fighting “all forms of protectionism,” and encouraged signatories of the TPP trade pact to continue supporting it despite fears it may not have a future in its current form. “We reaffirm our commitment to keep our markets open and to fight against all forms of protectionism,” the […]
The political comeback of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy ended abruptly on Sunday when he conceded he would not be reaching the run-off of the centre right primaries to fight the presidential campaign next year. A late surge of support for François Fillon caused a major upset, as about 4m voters headed to the polls in the first step of a process expected to give France its […]
A protest rally in Malaysia against the government of Najib Razak — who is fighting allegations of grand corruption linked to a troubled state investment fund — brought thousands onto the streets of Kuala Lumpur but also spurred a widening official crackdown. Although Saturday’s rally passed off peacefully, 15 activists and opposition politicians have been arrested on charges which human rights campaigners described as “manufactured”. The charges […]
Photo Andre Ward, left, improved to 31-0 and dealt Sergey Kovalev his first defeat in 32 fights as a professional. Credit Al Bello/Getty Images LAS VEGAS — A few days before Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev stepped into a boxing ring here to battle it out for light heavyweight supremacy, Kovalev’s promoter said that this would be the super fight that everyone wanted between Floyd Mayweather Jr. […]
A Saudi-led military coalition will start a 48 hour ceasefire in Yemen’s war at 1pm (0900 GMT) on Saturday, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The truce will be extended if Yemen’s Houthi movement shows commitment to it and if the group allows humanitarian aid into areas under siege, the news agency reported. The coalition has been fighting Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president […]
In late October, when it was still conventional wisdom that Hillary was “guaranteed” to win the presidency, the WaPo explained that among the neo-con, foreign policy “elites” of the Pentagon, a feeling of calm content had spread: after all, it was just a matter of time before the “pacifist” Obama was out, replaced by the more hawkish Hillary. As the WaPo reported, “there is one corner of […]
ABU DHABI // The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has praised the UAE’s pledge to take in 15,000 Syrian refugees, calling it an example for other countries to follow. “It is something I was very happy to hear in New York,” said Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner who was in Abu Dhabi on Saturday for the Sir Bani Yas Forum, at which the Middle East’s greatest […]
RIYADH: A 48-hour cease-fire announced by the Saudi-led Arab coalition on Saturday was violated many times by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias. Maj. Gen. Ahmed Al-Asiri, spokesman for the Arab coalition forces, told Arab News that the Houthis had violated the truce inside Yemen as well as along the border with Saudi Arabia. “Yes, they violated the truce by firing inside Yemen and on the border with Saudi […]
New Line’s upcoming Mortal Kombat film reboot has found its director in Simon McQuoid. According to Variety, the Australian filmmaker and acclaimed commercial director is in talks to helm the movie, with James Wan on board as producer and Greg Russo having written the latest draft of the script. In addition to being an incredibly popular video game franchise, Mortal Kombat was adapted into two live-action film adaptations in the 90s, as […]
The US State Department has notified Congress of the possible sale of F-15QA aircraft to Qatar for $21.1 billion and F/A-18E/F aircraft to Kuwait for $10.1 billion, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement. Qatar asked to purchase 72 of the fighter aircraft with weapons and related support, the statement said. Kuwait has requested to buy 40 F/A-18E and F/A-18F aircraft and related equipment, […]
1979: A threatening revolution Saudi Arabia, a young country pieced together only in the 1930s, has built its legitimacy on religion. By promoting its stewardship of the holy sites at Mecca and Medina, it could justify its royal family’s grip on power. Continue reading the main story Iran’s revolution, in 1979, threatened that legitimacy. Iranians toppled their authoritarian government, installing Islamists who claimed to represent “a revolution […]
While relations between Russia and the US may finally be on the mend following a phone call between Putin and Trump, in which the Russian leader expressed hope for a reset and renormalization of the current “unsatisfactory” bilateral relations between the two countries, treatment of Russia in Europe remains on the downswing. The latest example of this took place on Friday when military aircraft with Swiss fighter […]
Deadpool 2 has reportedly found its new director in David Leitch. According to Variety, the John Wick director, who was said to be Fox’s top choice to fill the void left by Tim Miller’s departure, has closed a deal to direct the upcoming sequel. Miller, who directed the first Deadpool, stepped away from the sequel just a few weeks ago over creative differences with Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds. The director […]
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Activision PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC Three stars Sticking with tradition despite a planet-hopping sci-fi setting, the latest Call of Duty is a rather conservative addition to the annual first-person shooter franchise, offering safe, market-tested upgrades, including a wisecracking robot, spaceship dogfights, ray guns – and a scarred Kit Harington. While Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare includes moments of gaming grandeur, it […]
Video Russia Begins New Offensive in Aleppo Russia’s defense secretary, Sergei K. Shoigu, revealed some details of the renewed military strikes on Syria after a relatively calm few weeks. By THE NEW YORK TIMES on Publish Date November 15, 2016. Photo by Abd Doumany/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images. Watch in Times Video » BEIRUT, Lebanon — Warplanes resumed airstrikes on the besieged rebel-held sections of Aleppo, Syria, […]
