Qatar shuffles cabinet, names new heads of wealth fund, state gas giant
Qatar named new heads to its giant state-run energy firm and deep-pocketed sovereign wealth fund on Sunday (Nov 4) while appointing the CEO of its largest bank as its new trade minister.
It was the first government shuffle in Qatar, the world's top liquefied natural gas producer, since early 2016, but diplomats and analysts said the changes did not represent a significant shift in power.
The wealthy country has been subject to a diplomatic and economic boycott by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt since June 2017. They accuse Qatar of backing terrorism and cosying up to Iran. Doha denies the charges and says the boycott aims to impinge on its sovereignty.
Sri Lanka to lift parliament suspension in 10 days
Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday (Nov 4) announced that he would lift the suspension of parliament in 10 days as international pressure mounted on him to open the legislature and resolve a leadership struggle.
Sirisena had on Friday (Nov 2) promised the parliamentary speaker that he would recall the assembly on Wednesday.
He shut parliament a day after sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Oct 26 and appointing former president Mahinda Rajapakse to the post.
Brazil's next president declares war on 'fake news' media
For Brazil's right-wing President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, attacking critical press outlets almost daily on social media is not enough. Once in office, he vows to hit their bottom line.
With half a billion dollars in public-sector marketing budgets coming under his discretion, the fiery former Army captain is threatening to slash ad buys with adversarial media groups, striking at the financial foundations of Brazil's free press.
After a campaign in which Bolsonaro dismissed investigative reporting as "fake news" invented by a corrupt establishment and his supporters went after individual journalists, the threats are sending a chill through the country's newsrooms.
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Bohemian Rhapsody rocks box offices, if not critics
Proving again that audiences matter more than critics, Fox's Freddy Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody rocked North American box offices this weekend with a solid US$50 million (S$69 million) take, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday (Nov 4).
The film's unexpectedly strong launch put it well ahead of Disney's new The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, at US$20 million, and Paramount's Nobody's Fool, with US$14 million in estimated ticket sales for the three-day weekend.
Rhapsody, with Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek starring as the charismatic Mercury, thus logged one of the best openings ever for a music biopic.
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Football: Sterling at the double as Man City hit Saints for six
Raheem Sterling scored twice fresh from agreeing a new five-year contract with Manchester City as the champions swept aside Southampton 6-1 on Sunday (Nov 4) to return to the top of the Premier League table.
Sergio Aguero, with his 150th league goal, David Silva and Leroy Sane were also on the mark as Pep Guardiola's side continued their unbeaten start to their title defence.
Southampton had the minor consolation of becoming the first team in 630 minutes to score against City but the leaders' form is ominous for the rest of the division.
