For Netflix documentaries, there’s no place like Sundance
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Filmmaker was in a “Sundance haze” when he took a meeting with Netflix following the premiere of “Strong Island” in 2017. The streamer was still somewhat new in the original documentary space at that point, but had made several big splashes with docs as different as “The Square,” about the Egyptian revolution, and “ ” Liz Garbus’ portrait of Nina Simone, both of which were nominated for Oscars.
“Strong Island” would go on to
More than 1,000 rally in Russian region in continuing protests over activist’s jailing
MOSCOW (AP) — More than 1,000 people rallied in the Russian region of Bashkortostan on Friday, continuing a series of protests triggered by the and handing a new challenge to the Kremlin.
People gathered in the main square of Ufa, the main city of Bashkortostan, a region spread between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains, dancing and singing folk songs. Police initially didn’t intervene, but later rounded up about 10 participants as the crowd thinned in freezing temperatures, according to the independent
Officials in Martinique rescue two boaters and search for three others after boat capsizes
SAN JUAN Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in the French Caribbean island of Martinique say two people have been rescued and they are searching for three others after their boat capsized.
The search is focused along Galleon Bay, off Martinique’s east coast, according to the Antilles-Guyana Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center.
Local media reported that the two were rescued Thursday by fishermen, and that one of them remains hospitalized. They have not been identified.
The Associated Press
At Davos, leaders talked big on rebuilding trust. Can the World Economic Forum make a difference?
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Business and political elites descended on the Swiss Alpine snows of Davos to suss out “rebuilding trust” in a splintering world. If there’s any takeaway from the — boldly touting that theme — it’s that we still have a long way to go.
From full-blown wars in Ukraine and to suspicions that corporate chiefs and tech whizzes are out to make a buck off of displacing workers with , trust is clearly in short supply.
The Davos gathering wrapped up Friday after
Statistics Canada reports retail sales down 0.2% to $66.6 billion in November
Canada’s holiday sales period got underway in November with a 0.2 per cent decline in retail sales led by falling purchases at food and beverage retailers.
The data released by Statistics Canada on Friday revealed November’s retail sales amounted to $66.6 billion, lower than many economists had expected.
Shelly Kaushik, an economist with BMO Capital Markets, declared the month a “Black Friday bust.”
“The headline drop in retail sales was disappointing,” she wrote in a note to clients.
Police in Jamaica detain former Parliament member in wife’s death
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A former member of Jamaica’s Parliament has been detained and was named a suspect in his wife’s death, police said.
Jolyan Silvera was taken into custody after an autopsy found that his wife, Melissa Silvera, did not die of natural causes in November but of possible gunshot wounds, police said late Thursday, calling the development a “major breakthrough.”
As a result, the investigation was upgraded to possible murder, officials said.
Melissa Silvera was found dead
Why this women’s hockey league is truly different
In today’s Big Story Podcast, there have been previous attempts to launch a professional league for the best women ice skaters in the world — the stars we’ve all watched at the Olympics, who have had to work second and third jobs to keep their careers going. Those attempts have all failed.
“When you’ve been in a position where you’re not getting paid well, you’re not getting treated well, your salary is cut in the middle of the night — it’s
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the Bridgeport, Connecticut, do-over mayoral primary
WASHINGTON (AP) — There may be a collective feeling of déjà vu among Democrats in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Tuesday, when they head back to the polls for a court-ordered do-over of a mayoral election they thought they had decided months ago.
Last November, a state judge threw out the results of the Sept. 12 Democratic mayoral primary in Bridgeport and to take its place. At issue was that supporters of Mayor Joe Ganim had stuffed multiple absentee ballots into outdoor ballot collection boxes
German parliament approves easing rules to get citizenship, dropping restrictions on dual passports
BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers on Friday approved legislation easing the rules on gaining citizenship and ending restrictions on holding dual citizenship. The government argues the plan will bolster the integration of immigrants and help attract skilled workers.
Parliament voted 382-234 put forward by center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s socially liberal coalition, with 23 lawmakers abstaining. The main center-right opposition bloc criticized the project vehemently, arguing that it would cheapen German citizenship.
The legislation will make people eligible for citizenship
Crisis-ridden Sri Lanka’s economic reforms are yielding results, but challenges remain, IMF says
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Debt-stricken Sri Lanka’s economic reform program is yielding the first signs of recovery, but the improvements still need to translate into improved living conditions for its people, the International Monetary Fund said Friday.
Sri Lanka has been struggling with an economic crisis since declaring bankruptcy in April 2022 with more than $83 billion in debt, more than half of it to foreign creditors.
The crisis caused severe shortages of food, fuel and other necessities. Strident public