Author: Ewang Johnson

World Exclusive In Conversation Ebrahim Rasool, former South African ambassador to the US Now that the dust has settled following the astonishing decision in March by the Donald Trump administration to effectively expel the South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool over a speech he made, we are privileged to interview the former ambassador. He discusses with Mushtak Parker the state of relations between South Africa and the United States, the implications for Sub-Saharan Africa and the shifting shape of the global power order. For a man who sports ‘the badge of honour’ of being the first and hitherto only senior diplomat…

In this edition of arts24, we explore a major retrospective in Paris dedicated to legendary French photographer Robert Doisneau, best known for his iconic image “Le Baiser de l’Hôtel de Ville” (“The Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville”). The exhibition celebrates his poetic vision and timeless moments captured on film. Source link

Serenity Strull/ BBCFrom Tina Fey’s new relationship comedy to an action drama from the creator of Lost, and the return of Sarah Jessica Parker and co in the third season of the Sex and the City sequel.Netflix1. The Four SeasonsTine Fey stars in and co-created this comedy about three couples, long-time friends with enough disposable income to vacation together four times a year through different seasons. As in the 1981 film it is based on, everyone is rattled when one pair heads for divorce. Fey and Will Forte play one of the couples. Colman Domingo and Marco Calvani are another,…

The United Nations has warned that Sudan is sliding deeper into catastrophe, with growing famine and surging violence – particularly in North Darfur – driving mass displacement and an alarming rise in civilian deaths. In a statement issued by his Spokesperson on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “appalled” by the deteriorating situation in North Darfur, where the regional capital, El Fasher, is under intense and sustained attack. The onslaught comes just two weeks after deadly assaults on the nearby Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps, where hundreds of civilians, including humanitarian workers, were reportedly killed. Mass displacement More than 400,000 people have…

Michel Leclerc has never shied away from delicate social topics and the French director has now managed to inject humour into the issue of sexual assault in “Not all men, but…”. Critic Perrine Quennesson tells us why his gamble has paid off and why entertaining performances from Léa Drucker and Benjamin Lavernhe bring levity to a heavy subject. We also hear about Régis Wargnier’s long-awaited feature “La Réparation”, a family mystery set between France and Taiwan which unites a stellar cast. Meanwhile, filmmaker Lawrence Valin marks himself out as a rising talent with “Little Jaffna”, a thriller set in Paris’s…

AlamyA new Apple TV+ series explores the life of the so-called “King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings” – shown as a wild enfant terrible in post-Revolutionary France who blazed a trail for future generations of cooks.It’s described as “the story of the first celebrity chef”. The French language series Carême is a dramatisation of the life of Antonin Carême, who was born into poverty in pre-Revolutionary Paris around 1784. His talent would make him chef for the French diplomat Charles Talleyrand, the Emperor Napoleon, the future George IV of Britain, Tsar Alexander of Russia and the Baron de…

The Beginnings Fund aims to prevent over 300,000 avoidable deaths by expanding access to quality care for mothers and babies in sub-Saharan Africa, in partnership with Ministries of Health.   The Fund is supported by anchor donors the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, The ELMA Foundation, Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Delta Philanthropies, and others.   The launch took place in Kanad Hospital in Abu Dhabi, attended by Ministers of Health from Malawi, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Zanzibar.  A coalition of global philanthropies today announced the launch of the Beginnings Fund, a new philanthropic initiative committed to accelerating maternal and newborn…

Some leadership moments do not require shared faith to recognize their truth. Pope Francis’s relationship with Africa was one of them. Across twelve years, he traveled to Africa not to manage perception, but to bear witness. Five journeys. Ten countries. Millions of lives are often spoken about but rarely spoken with. While others addressed Africa through the language of crisis, Francis treated Africa as essential — to the future of the Church and to the conscience of the world. In Nairobi’s Kangemi slum, he called out the “dreadful injustice of exclusion.” He stood where others might have issued statements from…

TV critic Dheepthika Laurent speaks to presenter Eve Jackson about this month’s new series including “Dying for Sex” – a bold new series about female sexuality and terminal cancer, starring Michelle Williams. They also look at the new seasons of “The Last of Us”, “Black Mirror”, “The Handmaid’s Tale” and the new French-American ballet drama, “Étoile”. Source link

DisneyThe latest in the superhero franchise “is scrappy, scruffy-looking, down-to-earth fun”, with a “charismatic” Florence Pugh at its centre, writes Nicholas Barber.Ever since Avengers: Endgame came out in 2019, the subtitle has felt a lot more appropriate than the studio might have liked. It’s not that Marvel hasn’t had any hits in the 2020s, but it is no longer releasing an unbroken chain of talked-about blockbusters, nor is it keeping audiences invested in a story that threads through all of them. That particular game has come to an end.The Marvel films that have worked best since Endgame are the ones…