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Africa: Happy Birthday Fespaco! Africa's Biggest Film Festival Celebrates 50 Years

[RFI] Africa's largest film festival, Fespaco, celebrates its 50th birthday on Saturday as the biennial event kicks off with an opening ceremony at Ouagadougou's municipal stadium. Some 160 films from across the continent are set to be screened over the next week with 20 movies competing for the prestigious l'Étalon d'or de Yennenga prize.

from AllAfrica News: Africa
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Former Indonesian president Yudhoyono says wife Ani getting better amid treatment in Singapore

Former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Friday (Feb 22) that the health condition of his wife Kristiani Herrawati, better known as Ani Yudhoyono, has been improving amid her intensive medical treatment.

The former first lady has been hospitalised at the National University Hospital (NUH) in Singapore since Feb 2 for leukaemia.

Dr Yudhoyono updated the public while welcoming vice-presidential candidate Sandiaga Uno, who was visiting the hospital. Mr Sandiaga was accompanied by his wife, Nur Asia Uno, and mother, Mien R. Uno.

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ANA flight delayed in Japan after pilot drank despite new rules

TOKYO - Japan's All Nippon Airways said Friday (Feb 22) it was forced to delay a domestic flight earlier this week after a co-pilot failed an alcohol breath test despite new rules.

The case came after Japan introduced fresh regulations to clamp down on alcohol consumption by pilots, after several incidents involving flight crew drinking hit the headlines.

On Tuesday, the ANA co-pilot was scheduled to fly a Boeing 777 with 322 passengers on board from Kobe in western Japan to Haneda airport in Tokyo.

from Asia
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Smashing away anger at Indonesia's 'Temper Clinic'

JAKARTA - Armed with crowbars and wearing protective gear, three women assembled at a Jakarta stress clinic survey the cluster of bottles they are about to smash to pieces.

"I feel relieved. It's like something I have been holding inside is finally released when I smashed those bottles," Ms Genta Kalbu Tanjung, a 20-year-old university student, told AFP as blaring rock music pulsated in the background.

from Asia
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Daily roundup: Chinese mother pleads with motorists to clear the road for injured son - and other top stories today

Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today.

1. Chinese mother forced to make desperate plea to motorists blocking ambulance with injured son

from Asia
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Myanmar's Suu Kyi woos investors to crisis-hit Rakhine, decries 'negative' focus

NGAPALI BEACH, MYANMAR - Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi called for investment in the crisis-hit western state of Rakhine on Friday (Feb 22), saying the world had "focused narrowly on negative aspects" in the state from which some 730,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled since 2017.

On a rare visit to Rakhine, Ms Suu Kyi emphasised responsible business practices as she addressed an investment fair sponsored by Japan in the coastal state's tourist hotspot of Ngapali beach.

from Asia
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Don't consume fish, mussels from Jakarta Bay because of toxic compounds in waters: Expert

JAKARTA - Eating fish and mussels from Jakarta Bay is dangerous because of toxic and hazardous compounds (B3) that damage fish organs and paralyse mussels, an expert has said.

A professor at Bogor Agricultural University's faculty of maritime affairs and fisheries, Prof Etty Riani, told reporters on Thursday (Feb 21) that the quality of fish depended on the quality of the environment.

"People who consume fish from Jakarta Bay are susceptible to cancer and degenerative diseases like kidney failure," she said.

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Philippines rescues Australian national: 4 Chinese kidnappers apprehended

MANILA, Philippines - Anti-kidnapping operatives rescued an Australian national and arrested his four kidnappers in Makati City on Wednesday.

Authorities identified the victim as 29-year-old Jianting Chen, an Australian who arrived in the Philippines last February 17.

The Anti-kidnapping group (AKG) of the Philippine National Police said Rachel Ball, a member of the Australian police, informed them that the victim's friend, Willian Choi, who is residing in Hong Kong, reported the kidnapping incident to the Australian embassy.

from Asia
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Strong quake hits Hokkaido

A strong earthquake hit a wide area in Hokkaido on Thursday night, registering lower six on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of seven in the town of Atsuma in the prefecture. No tsunami warning was issued.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the quake occurred at about 9:22 p.m. with the focus 30 kilometers below the central-eastern Iburi region of Hokkaido. It registered a preliminary magnitude of 5.7.

from Asia
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Korean coaches 'stole tens of thousands' from 'Garlic Girls' curlers

South Korea's "Garlic Girls" curling team were exploited by their coaches who stole tens of thousands of dollars of prize money from the Olympic medal-winners, the sports ministry said Thursday.

The curlers, who come from a town famous for garlic farming, were rank outsiders at South Korea's Pyeongchang Games last year, but became a media sensation as they swept their way to Olympic silver.

from Asia
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Indonesian 'MacGyver' creates landslide-warning device

An elementary school dropout from Klampok district in Banjarnegara, Central Java, has created a detection device to warn people of landslides.

Sudarsono, 45, who volunteers at the disaster mitigation agency (BPBD) of the regency that has suffered multiple landslides, built the device with a budget of less than Rp 5 million. He called it Elwasi after the Javanese words eling (remember), waspada (cautious) and siaga (prepared).

from Asia
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5-year-old Finnish boy mauled by dogs in Krabi recovering in hospital

A five-year-old Finnish boy is recovering at Krabi Nakharin International Hospital after being mauled by a pack of dogs at Ao Nang in Krabi.

The boy will remain under surveillance for another 2-3 days in case his wounds from Wednesday night's attack become infected, acting hospital director Dr Sunthorn Fongfung said yesterday.

from Asia
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Dhaka fire kills 70 as explosions rain fire on the streets

Fire and explosions that ripped through apartment buildings packed with illegal chemical stores killed at least 70 people in the Bangladeshi capital which was left stunned by its latest disaster.

The inferno started in a building where chemicals for deodorants and other household uses were stocked amid apartments. It spread at lightning speed to four nearby blocks, the fire service said.

from Asia
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Duterte signs into law longer maternity leave benefits

MANILA, Philippines - President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law the Expanded Maternity Leave Act that will provide longer maternity leave to all working mothers.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed this to reporters, adding that the law was signed Wednesday.

The law grants 105 days of paid maternity leave with option to extend for 30 days without pay. Solo mothers will also get additional 15 days of leave.

from Asia
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Taiwan unveils long-awaited gay marriage Bill

TAIPEI - Taiwan's ruling party unveiled its latest attempt to create Asia's first gay marriage law on Thursday (Feb 21), a Bill offering same sex-couples "permanent unions" as well as limited adoption rights, despite stiff opposition from conservatives.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has had a stuttering and troubled journey towards delivering on their 2016 election promise to grant same-sex couples equal marriage rights.

from Asia
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Thai princess was 'nominated for PM with her consent'

Thai raksa chart party submits defence to constitutional court.

Its latest bid to fight the possibility of dissolution, the embattled Thai Raksa Chart Party yesterday defended its nomination of Princess Ubolratana, saying it had been done at the wish and consent of the Princess.

The party's lawyer, Surachai Chinchai, explained that the nomination was done with innocent intent and the party had no special goals behind it.

from Asia
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'Kaesong is the answer': South Koreans pin hopes on shuttered complex

SEOUL - It has been three years since Park Yong-man's factory was shuttered amid weapons tests and soaring tensions, but next week's summit between the United States and North Korea may well signal the South Korean businessman's lucrative return to the North.

His textile company, which employed around 300 North Korean workers, was one of 125 southern firms operating in the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a highly symbolic cross-border business project that made hundreds of millions of dollars for Pyongyang.

from Asia
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One Filipino worker killed in knife fight aboard Taiwan fishing vessel

A violent knife fight that broke out aboard a Taiwanese fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean has left one worker dead and one critically injured, Taiwan's coastguard said on Wednesday.

A rescue operation was under way to search for people on board the Wen Peng, a vessel staffed with 21 Filipino and Indonesian workers, who were thrown overboard during the brawl.

"Many of the crew members were forced off the ship, but we don't know how many are in the waters," said the coastguard in a statement.

from Asia
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Daily roundup: Singapore Airlines denies snooping with in-flight entertainment cameras - and other top stories today

Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today.

1. Singapore Airlines denies snooping with in-flight entertainment cameras

from Asia
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Nervous Kim, rattled by defections, shuffles North Korea's nuke talks team

Veteran North Korean diplomats are being sidelined from nuclear talks ahead of a second summit with the United States as recent defections and allegations of spying undermine the trust of leader Kim Jong-un, South Korean officials and experts say.

Kim has purged and replaced many top diplomats and officials who served his father and grandfather with new, younger advisers as he gears up to meet US President Donald Trump in Vietnam next week.

from Asia
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Explosion at Jakarta mall injures 6 people, damages 40 food counters

An explosion at a food court in the Taman Anggrek Mall in West Jakarta has injured six people and damaged 40 food counters.

The victims were women and men between 29 and 44 years of age.

"The explosion that damaged the food court on the fourth floor of the Taman Anggrek Mall was caused by a gas pipe leak," Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said in a written statement on Wednesday.

A witness, Fauzi, 51, told police that he heard a hissing noise from above the Soto Betawi food counter at around 10.15 am.

from Asia
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Where to Watch ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ and Eight Other Great Stanley Donen Films

By SCOTT TOBIAS from NYT Movies https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/23/movies/stanley-donen-best-movies.html?partner=IFTTT
The film director worked often with Hollywood greats like Gene Kelly and Audrey Hepburn.

The Best Oscar Week Speeches You Didn’t See

By KYLE BUCHANAN from NYT Movies https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/23/movies/oscar-parties-essence.html?partner=IFTTT
Melissa McCarthy, Regina Hall and Glenn Close won over the crowds at the Women in Film and Essence awards parties.

Mary Coughlan review: Bandaging hurt with world-weariness

Mary Coughlan joins an exclusive club that includes Billie Holiday and Tom Waits.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Entertainment
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New doco looks at capitalism on the doorstep of WA's Kimberley region

A new documentary is looking at the future of the Kimberley as mining and farming come knocking on its door.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Entertainment
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Arctic Monkeys gives Perth the Star Treatment after five-year wait

“Star treatment for you Perth, it’s what you deserve,” Turner drawled. “It’s what you deserve, baby.”

from Sydney Morning Herald - Entertainment
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Joys aplenty among Werther's sorrows

This revival of Elijah Moshinsky’s 1989 production of Massenet’s Werther is carried by strong vocal performances of its leads, Michael Fabiano and Elena Maximova.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Entertainment
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Remembering Richard Gill: A moving celebration of a colossus of culture

A who's who of Victoria's classical music elite have gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of conductor, educator and artistic leader Richard Gill.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Entertainment
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Singer R. Kelly due in court on assault charges

Grammy-winning R&B singer R. Kelly, who for years has faced allegations that he abused women and underage girls, is due in court in Chicago to hear charges that he sexually assaulted four people, including three teenagers.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Entertainment
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