Iran said on Wednesday it protested to France after the Cannes Film Festival selected a film about a serial killer who targets sex workers in the Islamic republic. Holy Spider, directed by Danish-Iranian Ali Abbasi, was nominated in Cannes’ main In Com…
Expulsion of Palestinians a ‘war crime’, Dem lawmakers say
Fifteen Democratic US lawmakers signed a letter on Tuesday saying that the forcible expusion of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta by Israeli forces would be a “war crime,” according to Haaretz. The lawmakers urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to asser…
Bosnia region extends Gazprom gas deal until end of 2022
Bosnia’s major gas importer Energoinvest said on Wednesday that it has extended a deal on gas supplies with Russia’s Gazprom until the end of the year under unchanged conditions. Energoinvest said it signed an annex to its contract with Gazprom on Tues…
Sri Lanka in talks with IMF to borrow at least $3b: sources
Sri Lanka is in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to borrow at least $3 billion via the lender’s extended fund facility (EFF), sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The island state’s government expects another round of technica…
US envoy to UN visits Syria aid operation in Turkey
The US’s envoy to the UN visited southern Turkey on Wednesday to assess aid deliveries across the border into Syria as the Biden administration gears up for a likely showdown with Russia at the UN Security Council over the operation’s renewal. The coun…
African, Maghreb refugees bear the brunt of French apathy
“I am not an illegal immigrant. I’m an Algerian student with a residence permit in Ukraine. Now, the French government refuses to grant me asylum because I am not Ukrainian. My future is being wasted and my studies have been put on hold,” explains the …
Don’t expect Boris Johnson to help Alaa Abd El-Fattah
Over the course of three different Tory prime ministers, it seems not one has ever thought it worthy to bring up the well documented reign of terror that Abdel Fattah El-Sisi continues to unleash upon Egyptians since he came to power in 2013. On the co…
Myanmar: Military, coup opponents trade blame for bombing
Myanmar state media on Wednesday blamed “terrorists” opposed to junta rule for a deadly bomb blast at a bus stop in its biggest city of Yangon, an accusation denied by members of an exiled shadow government made up of lawmakers deposed during the count…
An ode to Riz Ahmed and the UK’s resurgent Asian Underground
No sooner than the crooked line of Partition had been drawn, a prophetic band of writers, poets and musicians emerged from the embers of a newly formed Subcontinent. Recounting untold courage, they wrote of stain-covered daybreaks, of night-bitten dawn…
Chad joins the Anti-France protests sweeping Africa
The recent demonstrations against France’s presence in Chad have once again highlighted the negative view that Africans have of their former colonial power. From its overt military presence, to its track record in supporting dictators that have ruled C…