Sarmad Khoosat was the darling of Pakistan’s entertainment industry until his new film, the haunting and elegiac Zindagi Tamasha, fell foul of fundamentalists – who called for him to be beheaded ... ( read original story ...)
Pakistan’s Sarmad Khoosat Defies Death Threats to Send ‘Circus of Life’ for Oscar Consideration
Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, director of “Zindagi Tamasha” (“Circus of Life”), has weathered an annus horribilis and is now gearing up for his film’s 2021 Oscars campaign. ( read original story ...)
Pakistan urges Biden to stick to Afghan troop withdrawal
Pakistan FM tells Al Jazeera the country has hopes for greater engagement with the new Biden administration. Karachi, Pakistan – Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said his country ... ( read original story ...)
Director of Amazon India Drama Cuts Scenes Amid Outcry From Hindu Nationalists
Faced with boycotts and criminal complaints, the director of “Tandav” made the edits this week. But that did not appear to satisfy some of the show’s critics, who called for him to be jailed. ( read original story ...)
How Beijing Turned China’s Covid-19 Tragedy to Its Advantage
The Communist Party’s success in reclaiming the narrative has proved to the world its ability to rally the people to its side, no matter how stumbling its actions might be. ( read original story ...)
Voices From China’s Covid Crisis: ‘If I Survive This, What Will I Do?’
One year after China locked down Wuhan, six people describe how they found courage in adversity, calm amid grief, and meaning in chaos. ( read original story ...)
Oil falls as China COVID-19 cases trigger clampdowns
Oil prices fell on Friday, retreating further from 11-month highs hit last week, weighed down by worries that new pandemic restrictions in China will curb fuel demand in the world's biggest oil ... ( read original story ...)
‘Touching fish’ craze see China’s youth find ways to laze amid ‘996’ work culture
An online movement is pushing back against the country’s ferocious work culture of long hours for seemingly little gain ... ( read original story ...)
How China Could Change the World By Taking Meat Off the Menu
It’s lunchtime in Shanghai’s leafy former French Concession, and every table is crammed at David Yeung’s new café and grocery, Green Common. Office workers and shoppers huddled against the January ... ( read original story ...)
‘A massive second-half recovery’: Biden, China and the global economy
Surging optimism about a boom in 2021 depends on heavy public spending and a rapid rollout of new Covid vaccines ... ( read original story ...)