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☆ Henry Olonga: Exiled for standing up to a ‘vicious dictator,’ former cricketer finds solace in singing career
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Henry Olonga was at the peak of his career as a professional cricketer when he took a stance that would ultimately force him to leave Zimbabwe. Alexander Joe/AFP via Getty ImagesThese days, Olonga is more concerned with pursuing his career as a singer. The emotions, though, are still raw: after the World Cup protest, Olonga explains how he was “vilified” as a “rebel” and “controversial figure” in Zimbabwe. Flower (left) and Olonga were both exiled from Zimbabwe following their Cricket World Cup protest. “Now, I’m creating new memories in a new sphere and a new world, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it … I’ve found peace here.”

Persons: Henry Olonga, Robert Mugabe’s, Olonga, ” Olonga, Zimbabwe’s, Andy Flower, ”, Mugabe, “, I’m, “ It’s, Alexander Joe, David Coltart –, I’d, Max Nash, –, Flower, ” Mugabe, Howard Burditt, – Olonga, didn’t, he’s, I’ve Organizations: CNN, CNN Sport, Namibia, Getty, Voice Australia, India, Cricket World, Reuters, England, Zimbabwe Locations: Zimbabwe, England, Adelaide, Australia, AFP, …, Africa, Rhodesia, Pakistan, India, South Africa, London, Australian

PARIS (AP) — Paris Men’s Fashion Week, ending Sunday, has witnessed a striking dichotomy of styles. Here are some highlights of fall-winter 2024 men's shows:SACAI’S BOLD WARRIOR CHICAs the sun set on Paris Menswear Week, Sacai, Japan’s commercial juggernaut in the fashion world, delivered imaginatively. This season’s Paris Men’s Fashion Week traveled from the elegantly understated to the boldly expressive. In contrast with this muted luxury, Balmain made a striking comeback to men’s fashion with a lineup that screamed opulence. Menswear week showcased the dual nature of men’s luxury fashion, oscillating between the quietly sophisticated and the unapologetically extravagant.

Persons: Chitose Abe, Abe’s, WOOYOUNGMI’S, Naomi Campbell, Rick Owens, Owens, Jamie Dornan, Zayn Malik gracing, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Yohji, Wim Wenders, Norman Reedus, Zinédine Zidane Organizations: PARIS, Paris, AMI, Balmain Locations: Paris, Paris Seoul, PARIS

PARIS (AP) — Dior's menswear maestro Kim Jones transformed a sunny afternoon in Paris into a starlit evening of balletic grandeur at Paris Fashion Week, in a display of fashion theatrics. Inspired by the legendary ballet icons Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev, Jones delivered an exuberant spectacle at the Ecole Militaire annex on Friday. Amid the haunting melodies of Sergei Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet,” the collection intertwined Dior’s fine tailoring with a joyful explosion of theatrical glamour. JUNYA WATANABE’S THRIFT-SHOP CHICJunya Watanabe unveiled a collection that was a masterful blend of eerie mood-setting and aggressive urban fashion. The clothes featured a mix of traditional tailoring and streetwear elements, a nod to his 2001 debut when he first merged high fashion with everyday wear.

Persons: Kim Jones, Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev, Jones, Sergei Prokofiev’s “ Romeo, Juliet, Lewis Hamilton, Bill Nighy, Kate Moss, Nicholas Hoult, Rita Ora, Princess Eugenie, Pharrell Williams, Nureyev, Junya Watanabe Organizations: PARIS, Fashion, Ecole, grays, of Dior Locations: Paris

PELLA, Iowa (AP) — Voters in a small Iowa city narrowly decided not to support giving their City Council more power over their local library. Just over half the voters in Pella rejected an advisory vote on whether the City Council should have more power over how the library spends its money and whether it pulls certain books from shelves, the Des Moines Register reported Wednesday. Opponents of the Pella measure persuaded voters that it's better to keep the library somewhat insulated from politics. Like in many Iowa communities, the City Council-appointed library board has control over spending, who to hire as director and whether to remove books that are challenged. A group of residents asked the library board in late 2021 to either remove “Gender Queer” or put it behind the checkout counter where kids can't get it.

Persons: Maia Kobabe’s, Donald Trump, ”, Anne McCullough Kelly, “ It’s, equitably Organizations: — Voters, Council, Des Moines Register, American Library Association, City Council Locations: PELLA , Iowa, Iowa, Pella, City

CNN has contacted the Unification Church for an official comment but has not yet heard back. Previous controversiesThis is not the first time the Unification Church has been at the center of a controversy. The Sapporo District Court made a landmark ruling in favor of 20 former Unification Church members who had sued the group as part of the case. However, he also notes that some of its members felt happy and at peace after making donations to the Unification Church. Some critics of the Unification Church say the government’s actions don’t go far enough as it could still operate as a non-religious group.

Persons: Japan CNN —, Shinzo Abe, Tetsuya Yamagami, Abe, Yamagami, Reverend Sun Myung, Abe’s, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Sakurai Yoshihid, Naomi Honma, ”, Nobutaka Inoue, What’s, don’t, Sakurai, ” Sakurai, Kimiaki, Nishida, Toshiyuki, – Organizations: Japan CNN, Unification, Family Federation, World Peace, Court, NHK, Unification Church, Reverend, CNN, Reuters, Japan’s Ministry, Cultural Affairs, Hokkaido University . CNN, National Lawyers Network, Kokugakuin University, Japan’s Ministry of Education, Japan Society for Cult Prevention, Osaka University Locations: Tokyo, Japan, South Korea, Sapporo

Mugabe’s successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, had promised sweeping political, economic and social reforms. Several opposition activists, journalists and human rights activists have been arrested over the last year, including Job Sikhala, a Parliament member and senior official with the CCC. Obey Shava, a prominent Zimbabwean human rights lawyer who has represented various opposition party supporters facing questionable charges, was violently attacked earlier this month. Human rights group Amnesty International called it a “brutal assault on civic space.”At the same time, government corruption remains a problem in Zimbabwe. Mnangagwa has blamed Western sanctions for the current economic crisis in Zimbabwe, where the annual inflation rate reached 175% in June.

Persons: Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s, Mugabe’s, Emmerson Mnangagwa, “, ”, Joe Biden, ” Biden, Nelson Chamisa, Job Sikhala, Obey, Bill –, Bill, Al Jazee, Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai, Mnangagwa, Macky Sall, Felix Tshisekedi, Stephen Chan, ” Chan, Ruben Mbofana, –, Mbofana, Leonard Koni, Kudakwashe Regimond Tagwirei, Emmerson Mnangagwa Jr, ” Koni Organizations: U.S . Congress, “, ZANU, Citizens Coalition, Amnesty, Movement, Democratic, Mugabe, U.S, Congress, Zimbabwe Democracy, ., U.S . Treasury, Union, Reuters, SOAS University of London Locations: MUTARE, Zimbabwe, Mutare, Rhodesia, U.S, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Senegal

☆ Women’s World Cup: Hosts New Zealand and Australia kick off 2023’s summer of football
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The 2023 Women’s World Cup finally gets underway on Thursday with the two host nations kicking off the tournament and the summer of footballing festivities. “What this World Cup stands for, and these milestones are even more important and bigger than me and any of my goals on the soccer field. John Cowpland/APAda Hegerberg’s World Cup comebackNorway comes into the game against their hosts as heavy favorites and with star quality all over the pitch. McCabe has overcome a late injury scare to make the World Cup and embodies her national team’s courageous and battling style of play. Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile/Getty ImagesHow to watchNew Zealand vs Norway kicks off at 03:00 AM ET with Australia vs Republic of Ireland starting at 08:00 AM ET.

Persons: Ada Hegerberg, Sam Kerr, “, Ali Riley, CNN’s Amanda Davies, ” Riley, John Cowpland, Ada, Ballon d’Or Féminin, Hegerberg, Harriet Lander, Kerr, Michael Regan, Katie McCabe, McCabe, Stephen McCarthy Organizations: CNN, Norway, New, New Zealand, Zealand, Football Ferns, football’s, Hegerberg, Norwegian Football Federation, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, Getty, Australia, Republic, Chelsea, Brazil, USA, Italy, Women's Super League, Republic of Ireland, Colombia, Football Association of Ireland, FAI, Arsenal Locations: New Zealand, Norway, Australia, Republic of Ireland, New, Zealand, Ireland, Republic of, The Republic, Swiss, Brisbane

☆ Review: A Lack of Passion Keeps This ‘Orpheus Descending’ Earthbound
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Elisabeth Vincentelli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

That mythical figure is Val (Pico Alexander), and it’s easy to see why he fascinates Lady (Siff). For most of the play, Jabe is heard rather than seen, making his presence felt by imperiously knocking on the floor of the couple’s quarters, which are above the store. Like Val, Lady is different, which also puts her at odds in the community. Williams writes that Lady “verges on hysteria under a strain,” but Siff (best known for the Showtime series “Billions”) evokes neither. Here it is a hindrance, as she can’t quite give in to the forces pressing down on Lady.

Persons: Pico Alexander, Jabe, Michael Cullen, imperiously, Val, Williams, Siff, “, ” Alexander, ”, Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, Uncle Pleasant, Schmidt, Mac Beth, Cyrano ”, Peter Dinklage, Carol Cutrere, Julia McDermott Organizations: Eastern Europe —, Ku Klux, Showtime Locations: Eastern Europe, runny eyeliner

☆ FTX’s Rise and Fall in Washington Shows You Just How Lost D.C. Is Without Trump - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Ben Terris | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Before everything fell apart, Gabe Bankman-Fried believed he had a superpower that could help him deal with Washington’s many blowhards and suck-ups. “I spent a lot of the last year staring into the eyes of politicians,” he told me in October 2022. And thanks to Gabe’s brother, Sam Bankman-Fried, the then-billionaire and head of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange, GAP had plenty of that. Sam Bankman-Fried dropped $27 million into Protect Our Future, a super PAC with similar stated goals. This kind of money made Gabe a big deal in Washington.

Persons: Gabe Bankman, Fried, “, ”, Sam Bankman, Gabe Organizations: GAP, Washington Locations: Washington

☆ Opinion: How to respond to anti-LGBTQ hate this Pride month
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Opinion Allison Hope | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

I promise there are some simple and immensely helpful ways in which LGBTQ people and allies can take action in June and every month. Don Arnold/Getty ImagesIf you don’t know where to begin with lobbying, look to an LGBTQ or civil rights group doing the hard work on the ground. Commit to learning and teaching: Even members and strong allies of the LGBTQ community can benefit from fresh learning. After all, the LGBTQ community is anything but a monolith — there are so many diverse forms of representation and a landscape that is quickly evolving. It’s also not a bad time to support brands that are supportive of the LGBTQ community.

Persons: Allison Hope, Read, Allison, ”, isn’t, ” Melanie Willingham, “, they’re, Octavio Jones, allyship, —, Don Arnold, Virginia Woolf’s, Orlando ”, Dorian Gray ”, Oscar Wilde, Janet Mock’s, ” Young, Maia Kobabe’s, Juno Dawson, Jessica Love, Wilhelmina ”, Joseph Belisle, It’s, Ron DeSantis, intersectionality, let’s Organizations: New Yorker, The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Slate, Allison Hope, Tampa Pride, Getty, Progress, Florida Capitol, Sydney Opera House, Volunteer, Reading, Florida Gov, Twitter, Facebook Locations: New, Florida, Tampa, Tallahassee, Australia, Virginia, Paisley, America

☆ Trump is weaponizing the Russia report he demanded -- even though it lacks bombshells
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Another Trump ally, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, argued the report showed the “rule of law in America is subservient to political outcomes. In another politically sensitive part of his report, Durham found that the FBI did not pursue allegations against Clinton with the same vigor with which they acted against Trump. He pointed out that the Trump investigation was launched at a time when Russia was attacking Democratic National Committee servers and had used stolen information to attack Clinton. The investigation was only launched after the bureau received evidence from a friendly foreign government that the Trump campaign had been offered help by the Russians. But all Trump needed from the report was a headline and a general narrative of suspicion against the FBI.

☆ Rice into low-carbon plastic: bringing hope to a struggling Fukushima town
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Last November, Tokyo-based firm Biomass Resin opened a factory in Namie to turn locally-grown rice into pellets. "Even now, we can't sell it as Fukushima rice. The same wave slammed into the nuclear plant, setting off meltdowns and explosions. "Namie was hit by four disasters - the quake, the tsunami, the reactor accident and then rumours about radiation danger," said Takemitsu Imazu, president of Biomass Resin Fukushima. The plastic isn't biodegradable, Imazu said, but using rice cuts the petroleum products involved - and growing more rice in Namie reduces overall atmospheric CO2.

☆ Premarket stocks: Why the Fed is increasingly flying blind on the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But lately, some economists have begun to worry that the data on which Fed officials rely is becoming increasingly inaccurate. That causes more volatility in the incoming data and hence more volatility in markets, economists say. To what extent are declining response rates to surveys actually impacting the data we use? It is absolutely critical for the Fed and markets that the incoming data is as reliable as possible. Those earnings reached what Buffett called a “record” — $30.8 billion in 2022, topping the $27.5 billion in the prior year.

☆ NABE economists still expect a recession this year. The question is when
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Nearly 60% of survey respondents said they believe the US had a more than 50% shot of entering a recession in the next 12 months. When such a recession would start was another matter: 28% said first quarter, 33% said second quarter, and 21% said third quarter. Creating some uncertainty among economists, however, is what the Fed might do during that time as well as the potential effect from external factors. NABE economists said they expect unemployment to increase, but the majority doubt it’ll exceed 5%. A mere 2% of respondents said that a “housing market bust” was the greatest downside risk to the US economy in 2023.

☆ Japan’s next central bank chief may rue promotion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Pete Sweeney | Thomson Reuters | Asia Economics Editor Pete Sweeney Joined Reuters Breakingviews In Hong Kong In September Previously He Served As Reuters' Chief Correspondent For China Economy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

In fact, it has spent an average of 1.3 trillion yen per trading day since the band widened: nearly 50 trillion yen in total, per Refinitiv data, and still counting. The central bank already owns over half of Japan’s sovereign bonds and is sure to suffer large losses when their prices fall, which they eventually must. The central bank chief must also work to put the country’s vast stack of inert money back to work. Kuroda effectively put the central bank at the service of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s “Abenomics” stimulus programme. Fumio Kishida, the current leader, is having popularity problems and will want the central bank to support his aggressive agenda, which includes hiking defence spending, promoting innovative startups and redistributing wealth.

☆ Toshiba buyout heralds a big step back for Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

MUMBAI, Jan 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The end of a long battle to wring some value from Toshiba (6502.T) is finally within reach. Such an outcome won’t encourage private equity firms, and big policy shifts underway may stifle the industry just as it hits a new high. Instead, after an accounting scandal in 2015, Toshiba came to epitomise Japan Inc’s pervasive value destruction. Japan typically outperforms private equity deals in other developed markets, partly because existing incentive structures for company bosses are so poor. The country’s private equity industry is only just finding its feet.

☆ North Dakota weighs ban of 'sexually explicit' library books
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Books containing “sexually explicit” content — including depictions of sexual or gender identity — would be banned from North Dakota public libraries under legislation that state lawmakers began considering Tuesday. Though supporters of North Dakota’s bill repeatedly called the sexual content “obscene,” opponents said the material in question is not actually considered legally obscene. Library Director Christine Kujawa at Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library said the library has a book with two little hamsters on the cover. Bills to restrict mature content in school libraries became laws last year in Tennessee, Utah, Missouri, Florida and Oklahoma. The investigation followed a complaint by the ACLU and appeared to be the first based on a nationwide movement to ban school library books dealing with sexuality and gender.

☆ Suspect in Shinzo Abe assassination to face murder charge, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

TOKYO — Japanese prosecutors are expected to formally charge the suspect in the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with murder on Friday, his lawyer said. Later that month, Yamagami was sent to an Osaka detention center and given a five-month mental evaluation, which ended Tuesday. One of his lawyers, Masaaki Furukawa, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he expects prosecutors to charge Yamagami with murder and gun control law violations. Police say Yamagami told them that he killed Abe, one of Japan’s most influential and divisive politicians, because of Abe’s apparent links to a religious group that he hated. Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s popularity has plunged over his handling of the church controversy and for insisting on holding a rare, controversial state funeral for Abe.

☆ Japanese prime minister orders investigation of Unification Church
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered an investigation Monday into the Unification Church in an apparent move to calm the public outrage over his governing party’s cozy ties with the controversial group, which were revealed in the wake of Shinzo Abe’s assassination. Former Prime Minister Abe was shot to death during an outdoor campaign speech in July. The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, told police he killed Abe because of his apparent link to a religious group he hated. An LDP survey in September found nearly half of its lawmakers had ties to the church, including Cabinet ministers. Nagaoka, the culture minister, said she will set up a panel of legal and religious experts next week to discuss a rare investigation into a religious group.

TOKYO — Even as world leaders gathered in Tokyo for the funeral of assassinated former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday, there were protests against the lavish proceedings. But the state funeral for Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, who was shot and killed while campaigning in Nara on July 8, takes place in a country deeply divided over the former leader’s legacy. In that sense, I would like to once again offer my sincere condolences to former Prime Minister Abe, who was killed by a bullet,” its leader Kenta Izumi said Tuesday. The decision on whether to hold a state funeral is usually subject to parliamentary deliberation, which was not the case for Abe's service. Around 800 people protested the state funeral at a major train station on Monday evening, according to broadcaster NTV.

☆ Shinzo Abe State Funeral Brings World Leaders to Japan
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Alastair Gale | Miho Inada | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A temporary altar was set up for the public to pay respects outside the Nippon Budokan, site of Shinzo Abe’s funeral. TOKYO—World leaders gathered Tuesday for the state funeral of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe , who was killed by an assassin’s bullet in July. Vice President Kamala Harris leads the U.S. delegation, which includes three former ambassadors to Japan and the current ambassador, Rahm Emanuel .

☆ Unification Church pledges reforms after Shinzo Abe’s killing
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

On Wednesday, a man set himself on fire near the prime minister’s office in Tokyo in an apparent protest against the state funeral. Media reports said he had a note expressing his opposition to the state funeral. Critics say the plan for a state funeral was decided undemocratically, has no legal basis, and is an inappropriate and costly use of taxpayers’ money. Political analysts say Kishida decided to hold a state funeral to please Abe’s party faction and buttress his own power. “Prime Minister Kishida should have made a decision more carefully.”

☆ Bank of Japan’s stubbornness keeps yen volatile
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Men look at an electric monitor displaying the Japanese yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and Nikkei share average in Tokyo, Japan September 14, 2022. read more That’s understandable, but it will make it harder to moderate an increasingly volatile exchange rate. The yen , currently trading around 144 per dollar, is at its weakest since 1998, but more important is the rate of change. A see-sawing foreign exchange rate, though, makes executives nervous. Exporters including carmakers Nissan Motor (7201.T) and Toyota Motor (7203.T), and drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical (4502.T), which reported nice forex tailwinds in its last quarterly report, are benefitting from unexpected exchange rate gains on paper.

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