Brian Hioe

2 weeks ago | globalvoices.org | Arzu Geybullayeva |Nurbek Bekmurzaev |Brian Hioe |Zita Zage |Arzu Geybulla

This article was first published on OC Media. An edited version is republished here under a content partnership agreement. Georgia's political landscape remains in crisis as mass protests continue in the face of ongoing political turmoil, while the ruling Georgian Dream party presses on with its repressive agenda despite mounting opposition both at home and abroad.

3 weeks ago | globalvoices.org | Jean de Dieu SOVON |Vivian Wu |Nurbek Bekmurzaev |Brian Hioe

Following the discovery of significant oil reserves at the Agadem site in northeastern Niger, Niger and Benin agreed to build a pipeline to facilitate the transport of crude oil from the Agadem oil site to the port of Seme Kpodji in southern Benin in early 2020. By the end of 2023, the 1,980-kilometer pipeline, with nine reservoir stations along the route, was completed.

3 weeks ago | globalvoices.org | Arzu Geybullayeva |Nurbek Bekmurzaev |Brian Hioe |Oiwan Lam |Arzu Geybulla

The news of a young girl giving birth in the city of Aghjabedi in Azerbaijan is the most recent harrowing example of a lack of protection mechanisms for underage girls, and persisting negligence by authorities to address the issue of early marriages and underage birth. This time, at the heart of the story that has sent shockwaves across the society, is a 15-year-old girl whose “husband” got away with statutory rape when she was just 13.

2 months ago | cinemaescapist.com | Anthony Kao |Richard N. Yu |Brian Hioe

COVID-era lockdowns may be in the world’s rearview mirror now but—like the virus itself—debates over how to remember the pandemic linger. For example, the CIA announced last month that it now favors the “lab leak” theory of COVID’s origins; this comes amidst a broader revision of “official narratives” in the US around health, COVID, and beyond following Donald Trump’s second inauguration.

Jan 19, 2025 | cinemaescapist.com | Kieran Davey |Jamin Shih |Akshay Suggula |Brian Hioe

Known for the gentle poetry of his domestic dramas and the consistency of his filmmaking style, Yasujirō Ozu is one of the most acclaimed Japanese directors of all time. Having directed over fifty films throughout his four-decade long career, Ozu remained remarkably consistent in both themes and technique: his films are often quiet domestic dramas, examining the complex dynamics of Japanese middle class families through a strict aesthetic formalism.