Analysis: A definitive rebuttal to every racist ‘Little Mermaid’ argument

Ever since Disney released the first look for its 2023 live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” the internet has been sodden with wave after wave of racist critics complaining that Ariel, the completely fictional underwater fish woman, shouldn’t be Black. Hashtags like #notmyariel are bouncing around social media, and YouTube hid the dislike counter on the official video after it was bombarded with racist comments and more than 1.5 million “dislikes.” One group of critics went as far as to share a digitally altered version of the teaser that featured a White woman in place of the movie’s star Halle Bailey, who they called a “woke actress.”Continue Reading

Cleanup day comes to Philippine capital’s polluted bay

Waters along the Manila Bay, famous for its idyllic sunsets, are heavily polluted by oil, grease and trash from nearby residential areas and ports. The Philippines is rich in marine resources, with nearly 36,300km of coastline in the archipelago of more than 7,600 islands. But it is the world’s topContinue Reading

Japan braces for ‘very dangerous’ Typhoon Nanmadol

TOKYO: Japan’s weather agency on Saturday (Sep 17) warned of a “very dangerous” typhoon heading towards the country’s southern Kyushu island, urging residents to evacuate before powerful winds hit the area. Typhoon Nanmadol was carrying gusts up to 270km on Saturday near the remote Minami Daito island, 400km east of OkinawaContinue Reading

Three big takeaways from Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Ukrainian forces, aided by Western firepower, have upset traditional military logic once again. Advancing deep into Ukrainian territory seized by Moscow earlier in its invasion, a counteroffensive launched in September 2022, has forced back the invading Russian army. In the process, Kiev has recaptured over 2,000 square miles of land in the country’s northeast and […]

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