Latest news with #Academy
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Turkish envoy stresses cultural collaboration
Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye, Irfan Neziroglu, on Tuesday, expressed his appreciation for the strong literary, cultural, social, and political relations between Türkiye and Pakistan, emphasising the need to deepen these ties. He underscored the importance of renewed institutional partnerships, collaborative translation initiatives, and the organisation of joint literary and cultural events. Such efforts, he noted, won't only advance mutual literary interests and celebrate shared cultural heroes, but also strengthen people-to-people connections and mutual understanding between the two nations. The Turkish envoy uttered these words during a visit to the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) where he held a meeting with its Chairperson, Dr Najeeba Arif. Also present were Dr Halil Toker — celebrated Turkish writer, translator, and intellectual, and Director of the Yunus Emre Institute in Pakistan — as well as PAL's Director General, Sultan Muhammad Nawaz Nasir. The meeting focused on fostering literary and cultural ties between Pakistan and Türkiye. Dr Najeeba briefed the ambassador on the Academy's initiatives, including the promotion of literature in Pakistani languages, welfare programmes for writers, its publication efforts, and literary translation projects with international partners. She also referenced the earlier Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Istanbul University and the Academy, and highlighted key publications that reflect longstanding literary collaboration. Notably, in 1991, PAL published a book on the eminent Turkish poet Yunus Emre. In 2022, as part of its acclaimed series Pakistani Adab ke Me'maar, the Academy published Dr Halil Toker: Shakhsiyat aur Funn. That same year, it also published Jadeed Turki Afsana, a collection translated into Urdu by Dr Halil Toker and Samina Toker. Dr Najeeba further shared that the Academy regularly features translations of Turkish literary works in its quarterly journal Adabiyat. Over the years, several Turkish writers have visited Pakistan and participated in international conferences organized by the Academy. Dr Najeeba Arif also commended the contributions of Turkish scholars to Urdu literature, particularly acknowledging the efforts of Dr Halil Toker, Dr Asuman Belen Özcan, and Dr Dawood Shahbaz. The meeting also included discussions on launching joint literary projects between PAL and the Yunus Emre Institute in the coming months. At the end of the meeting, Dr Najeeba Arif presented a selection of the Academy's publications to His Excellency Mr Irfan Neziroglu and Dr Halil Toker.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Israeli public figures call for ‘crippling sanctions' on Israel over Gaza starvation
A group of high-profile Israeli public figures, including academics, artists and public intellectuals, has called for 'crippling sanctions' to be imposed by the international community on Israel, amid mounting horror over its starvation of Gaza. The 31 signatories of a letter to the Guardian include an Academy award recipient, Yuval Abraham; a former Israeli attorney general, Michael Ben-Yair; Avraham Burg, a former speaker of Israel's parliament and former head of the Jewish Agency; and a number of recipients of the prestigious Israel prize, Israel's highest cultural honour. The figures come from the worlds of poetry, science, journalism and academia, and the letter accuses Israel of 'starving the people of Gaza to death and contemplating the forced removal of millions of Palestinians from the strip'. It adds: 'The international community must impose crippling sanctions on Israel until it ends this brutal campaign and implements a permanent ceasefire.' The letter is significant both for its unvarnished criticism of Israel and for breaking the taboo of endorsing stringent international sanctions, in a country where politicians have promoted laws targeting those advocating such measures. Among other signatories are the painter Michal Na'aman; Ra'anan Alexandrowicz, an award-winning documentary filmmaker; Samuel Maoz, the director of the Golden Lion-winning film Lebanon; the poet Aharon Shabtai and the choreographer Inbal Pinto. The mounting international horror over the trajectory of Israel's war in Gaza is increasingly being reflected inside Israel itself – and within the wider global Jewish diaspora – amid images of emaciated Palestinian children and reports of the shooting by Israeli forces of hungry Palestinians at food distribution centres. The letter was published as it was announced that more than 60,000 Palestinians had been killed in the 21-month Israel-Gaza war, according to Gaza's health ministry. On Monday two well-known Israeli human rights groups, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, released reports assessing for the first time that Israel was conducting a 'genocidal' policy against Palestinians in Gaza, breaking another taboo. On Sunday the Reform movement, the largest Jewish denomination in the US, said the Israeli government was 'culpable' in Gaza's spreading famine. 'No one should be unaffected by the pervasive hunger experienced by thousands of Gazans. No one should spend the bulk of their time arguing technical definitions between starvation and pervasive hunger. 'The situation is dire, and it is deadly. Nor should we accept arguments that because Hamas is the primary reason many Gazans are either starving or on the verge of starving, that the Jewish state is not also culpable in this human disaster. The primary moral response must begin with anguished hearts in the face of such a large-scale human tragedy. 'Blocking food, water, medicine, and power – especially for children – is indefensible,' it said. 'Let us not allow our grief to harden into indifference, nor our love for Israel to blind us to the cries of the vulnerable. Let us rise to the moral challenge of this moment.' The latest interventions follow comments earlier this month by the former Israel prime minister Ehud Olmert, who told the Guardian that a 'humanitarian city' Israel's defence minister has proposed building on the ruins of Rafah would be a concentration camp, and forcing Palestinians inside would amount to ethnic cleansing. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, officials and rightwing NGOs have continued to deny the existence of famine in Gaza caused by Israel. That has occurred in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, including the UN's exacting and data-based food security monitor, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification mechanism, and Donald Trump's acknowledgment of 'real starvation' in the coastal strip. The Israeli government has been contacted for comment. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each.
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Israeli public figures call for ‘crippling sanctions' on Israel over Gaza starvation
A group of high-profile Israeli public figures, including academics, artists and public intellectuals, has called for 'crippling sanctions' to be imposed by the international community on Israel, amid mounting horror over its starvation of Gaza. The 31 signatories of a letter to the Guardian include an Academy award recipient, Yuval Abraham; a former Israeli attorney general, Michael Ben-Yair; Avraham Burg, a former speaker of Israel's parliament and former head of the Jewish Agency; and a number of recipients of the prestigious Israel prize, Israel's highest cultural honour. The figures come from the worlds of journalism, poetry, science, journalism and academia, and the letter accuses Israel of 'starving the people of Gaza to death and contemplating the forced removal of millions of Palestinians from the strip'. It adds: 'The international community must impose crippling sanctions on Israel until it ends this brutal campaign and implements a permanent ceasefire.' The letter is significant both for its unvarnished criticism of Israel and for breaking the taboo of endorsing stringent international sanctions, in a country where politicians have promoted laws targeting those advocating such measures. Among other signatories are the painter Michal Na'aman; Ra'anan Alexandrowicz, an award-winning documentary filmmaker; Samuel Maoz, the director of the Golden Lion-winning film Lebanon; the poet Aharon Shabtai and the choreographer Inbal Pinto. The mounting international horror over the trajectory of Israel's war in Gaza is increasingly being reflected inside Israel itself – and within the wider global Jewish diaspora – amid images of emaciated Palestinian children and reports of the shooting by Israeli forces of hungry Palestinians at food distribution centres. The letter was published as it was announced that more than 60,000 Palestinians had been killed in the 21-month Israel-Gaza war, according to Gaza's health ministry. On Monday two well-known Israeli human rights groups, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, released reports assessing for the first time that Israel was conducting a 'genocidal' policy against Palestinians in Gaza, breaking another taboo. On Sunday the Reform movement, the largest Jewish denomination in the US, said the Israeli government was 'culpable' in Gaza's spreading famine. 'No one should be unaffected by the pervasive hunger experienced by thousands of Gazans. No one should spend the bulk of their time arguing technical definitions between starvation and pervasive hunger. 'The situation is dire, and it is deadly. Nor should we accept arguments that because Hamas is the primary reason many Gazans are either starving or on the verge of starving, that the Jewish state is not also culpable in this human disaster. The primary moral response must begin with anguished hearts in the face of such a large-scale human tragedy. 'Blocking food, water, medicine, and power – especially for children – is indefensible,' it said. 'Let us not allow our grief to harden into indifference, nor our love for Israel to blind us to the cries of the vulnerable. Let us rise to the moral challenge of this moment.' The latest interventions follow comments earlier this month by the former Israel prime minister Ehud Olmert, who told the Guardian that a 'humanitarian city' Israel's defence minister has proposed building on the ruins of Rafah would be a concentration camp, and forcing Palestinians inside would amount to ethnic cleansing. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, officials and rightwing NGOs have continued to deny the existence of famine in Gaza caused by Israel. That has occurred in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, including the UN's exacting and data-based food security monitor, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification mechanism, and Donald Trump's acknowledgment of 'real starvation' in the coastal strip. The Israeli government has been contacted for comment.
India.com
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
Before Love & War, a look at 5 Sanjay Leela Bhansali films that took Indian cinema global
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is not just a filmmaker; he is one of Indian cinema's most visionary storytellers. A true master of storytelling, emotion, music, and visual grandeur, Bhansali has crafted films that feel timeless yet urgent, deeply personal yet universally resonant. His ability to transport audiences through eras, emotions, and cultures echoes the genius of legends like Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, and K. Asif. With every project, Bhansali elevates Indian cinema to a global stage, earning international acclaim while staying rooted in Indian aesthetics and soul. Now, as anticipation soars for his upcoming magnum opus Love & War a film being mounted on a scale even grander than his past ventures it's the perfect moment to look back at five Bhansali masterpieces that didn't just win hearts at home but made a significant impact across the world. Khamoshi: The Musical Bhansali's directorial debut, Khamoshi, starring Salman Khan and Manisha Koirala, was a deeply emotional tale that marked the arrival of a distinctive cinematic voice. The story of a hearing daughter in a deaf-mute family resonated universally, inspiring global adaptations like La Famille Bélier and the Oscar-winning CODA. This film established Bhansali's signature style deep emotion woven seamlessly with music and proved that Indian stories could touch hearts across borders. Black With Black, Bhansali delivered a cinematic marvel that pushed artistic boundaries. Inspired by the life of Helen Keller, this poignant tale of a deaf-blind girl and her teacher was universally lauded for its soul-stirring performances and masterful direction. Black was included in Time Magazine's list of the 10 Best Movies of the Year (2005) and received accolades globally, including praise from the Academy. It reaffirmed Bhansali's place among the world's finest directors capable of blending sensitivity with cinematic scale. Devdas Devdas was a cultural phenomenon a stunning retelling of a tragic love story wrapped in unmatched opulence. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Madhuri Dixit, the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002 and was India's official entry to the Oscars that year. With its lavish sets, haunting music, and visual poetry, Devdas became a symbol of Indian cinematic grandeur, winning hearts from Paris to Tokyo and influencing filmmakers around the world. Gangubai Kathiawadi A bold, feminist narrative told on an epic scale, Gangubai Kathiawadi showcased Bhansali's evolution as a storyteller. The film received a standing ovation at the Berlin Film Festival and dominated Netflix's global non-English film charts, becoming the most-watched Indian film worldwide on the platform. Alia Bhatt's unforgettable performance, combined with Bhansali's meticulous world-building, made Gangubai a landmark in global storytelling. Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar Bhansali's foray into OTT with Heeramandi marked a new chapter in his career and Indian content history. With grand palaces, ornate courtyards, regal costumes, and layered storytelling, Heeramandi captured the imagination of audiences across continents. It became the most-watched Indian web series in its debut week, garnering 4.5 million viewers and 33 million watch hours, and it trended in 43 countries, solidifying Bhansali's digital dominance and international appeal. On the workfront Sanjay Leela Bhansali were next be seen directing one of the biggest films ever Love and War starring Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal and Alia Bhatt
Time Out
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Brixton Calling
These days, Brixton Academy is an essential part of London's cultural landscape. But there was a time when it was just a derelict old cinema building. In Alex Urwin's play, inspired by the memoir Live at Brixton Academy by Simon Parkes, we watch as the space transforms into something sacred. This is Parkes's story: a thalidomide baby who bought the cinema for just £1 at the age of 23. It begins during his teenage years at Gordonstoun School in Scotland, where Parkes studied alongside Prince Andrew (he sweats 'like you wouldn't believe,' by the way). At first it seems like your standard coming-of-age tale. He bunks off regularly and takes the train to London, desperate to experience the grit and glamour of London's rock'n'roll underbelly. It's a world far removed from the polished corridors of his elite boarding school. But right from the start, it feels like this is where Parkes needs to be. A love of music is woven deep into his bones, and when he discovers the soon-to-be Academy, it's love at first sight. Over the next few years, Parkes and his eclectic team of locals build up the music venue from scratch. Soon, it's the go-to place to play for icons, including The Clash, Blondie, The Smiths and The Pogues. Directed by Bronagh Lagan, the experience is akin to watching a gig. With cables curling around the stage's exterior, graffiti decorating the walls, and a tapestry of old flyers lining the floor, the room buzzes with raw energy. Smoke fills the theatre, and the music, when it comes, beats through your chest just like you're standing among a crowd. Playing Parkes, Max Runham has the air of a frontman: he cheekily winks at the audience, dancing between narration and performance with effortless swagger. By his side is the brilliant Tendai Sitima, who takes on a range of supporting roles — most crucially, Parkes' trusted number two, Johnny Lawes. Together, they both show and tell us how the Academy's identity evolved over the years. Set against a backdrop of shifting politics and social change, it feels like a space born of, and for, its time. It becomes a home for progressive thinkers: anti-apartheid campaigners pass through the doors to have their say, Arthur Scargill makes speeches during the miners' strikes and drag performers dance the night away. Still, fitting years of history into 100 minutes is a tall order, and many of the major moments feel rushed. A love story with his eventual wife, Pippa, is hurried through, while Parkes himself is painted as almost saint-like: his imperfections are glossed over, and his decisions are never doubted. Exploring his flaws more would have added nuance and depth to the account. Brixton Calling is a powerful reminder of how places and people shape culture. And for many in the audience, the play is a joyful nod to years gone by: I see a group of men in band t-shirts with tears in their eyes. The venue's legacy is palpable and there's a beating heart of community that continues to echo long after the last encore.
