Comment on Hong Kong paper Apple Daily defiant after arrest

More than one billion people around the world have already voted in 2024—and there are many elections still to go in this history-making year. Polls for national office have been—or will be—held in more than 60 countries (as well as the European Union), home to nearly half the people on earth. [Click here for a previous version of this story that outlines 2024 elections by population and includes a “freedom and fairness score” for each country.] [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] And so far, a tsunami of change is sweeping ballot boxes worldwide. But the tides are turning in different directions: elections in Europe have seen far-right parties make serious gains; meanwhile, South Korea’s main liberal opposition to the ruling conservative government earned a landslide victory in parliamentary elections, and Senegal’s delayed presidential vote was hailed by observers as a win for democracy after it elevated a relative outsider and anti-corruption candidate, bringing a surprise end to the decades-long domination of the country’s ruling coalition. What’s clear is that people don’t want things to stay the same.

Will Smith’s shocking slap of comedian Chris Rock on the 2022 Oscars stage echoed around the world, but since then the 55-year-old actor has been focused on changing his tune with a return to music, debuting his first new song since 2017 in a performance at the BET Awards on Sunday night. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Smith, an Academy Award-winning actor and four-time Grammy Award-winning rapper, took the BET stage alongside collaborators Fridayy and the Sunday Service Choir to perform his new single, “You Can Make It,” which was released Friday. Surrounded by a ring of fire, before singing, Smith spoke: “I don’t know who needs to hear this right now, but whatever’s going on in your life, I’m here to tell you you can make it.” Will Smith debuted his new song at the BET Awards.

Netflix is premiering several original sports documentaries in July, perfect for anyone looking to pass the time before the Olympics. SPRINT, out July 2, tracks Olympic track stars, while Receiver, profiling NFL pass catchers, will touch down July 10. Also starting July 1, viewers can find all seasons of Lost and Timothée Chalamet fans can delight in his turn in Call Me By Your Name.

This article discusses plot points from the Season 2 finale of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire Look around at the pop-culture landscape of 2024, and you will see that the genre we call romance is ubiquitous. The self-aware love stories of Emily Henry and a romantasy boom that has filled best-seller lists with series by Rebecca Yarros and Sarah J.

This post contains spoilers for Episode 3 of House of the Dragon Season 2. After breaking the trust of his niece/wife/queen by secretly putting a plot in motion that resulted in Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) being blamed for the gruesome murder of a young child, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) chose to get the hell out of dodge rather than face further criticism of his actions in the second episode of House of the Dragon Season 2. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] This week, the season’s third installment saw the Rogue Prince arrive at Harrenhal on the back of his dragon, Caraxes, with grand plans of securing the seat of House Strong for Team Black by putting his talent for violence to good use.

Everyone remembers Game of Thrones‘ epic battle sequences—the Battle of Blackwater, the Battle at Hardhome, the Battle of the Bastards. But the one-on-one scenes between characters were often just as powerful. They explored characters’ motivations and intrapersonal conflicts before they headed into battle and allowed great actors like Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey to show off their skills.