Hard Numbers: Oscars go global, Congress does its job, Peru revives the Senate, Mauritania gets migration money

March 07, 2024

Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel appears on a billboard in Hollywood as preparations continue for the 96th Academy Awards Awards Los Angeles, California U.S., March 6, 2024.

REUTERS/Mike Blake

10,500: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the folks behind the Oscars this weekend) has expanded its member rolls to over 10,500 individuals in over 75 countries, which may help account for the rise in international nominees. However, they still have a long way to go to diversify the Academy’s membership as just 34% of members are women and 18% are from underrepresented ethnic and racial communities.

460,000,000,000: The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a $460 billion spending bill, which is expected to clear the Senate in time to avoid a partial government shutdown this weekend. The bill keeps about a quarter of the government running through September, and legislators will now turn to the lion’s share of federal spending, which must be passed by March 23.

60: Peru will elect 60 new Senators after legislators passed a bill reviving the institution some 30 years after President Alberto Fujimori dissolved it and rewrote the constitution. Half the body will be elected by individual districts, while half will run nationwide races in elections scheduled for 2026.

210,000,000: The European Union has signed a €210 million ($229 million) deal with Mauritania that includes funds to prevent irregular migration from the Saharan nation into Europe. The money will help Mauritania patrol its waters for vessels carrying migrants to Spain’s Canary Islands and is part of a larger EU effort to work with African countries in tackling migration.

Georgia’s government is ramming through “Russian law”

Demonstrators hold a rally to protest against a bill on "foreign agents" in Tbilisi, Georgia, May 13, 2024.

REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze

Police in Tbilisiviolently arrested at least 20 people on Monday at peaceful protests outside parliament, where the inflammatory “foreign agents” law was being rushed through committee. Having passed its third reading, the bill will go to a final vote Tuesday. It now seems all but inevitable to become law, opening questions about how far the ruling Georgian Dream party will go to cement its control.

Israel-Gaza situation has Biden facing bipartisan criticism

Israel-Gaza situation has Biden facing bipartisan criticism | Ian Bremmer | Quick Take

youtu.be

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: When the war started, the US was not aligned on Israel policy with all of its allies out there. Increasingly today it is, with the entirety of the G7 and with allies in the Gulf, in the Middle East. And a US policy—like its policy on Ukraine—where the US is leading but is coordinating security policy with everyone, is a much stronger policy than one where the Americans are by themselves. Biden is now in a position where he's increasingly by himself internationally, and he's also increasingly by himself at home.

Court ruling: “Germany can spy on the AfD”

Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, chairs of the AfD parliamentary group, comment in the German Bundestag on the ruling of the North Rhine-Westphalian Higher Administrative Court on the classification of the AfD as a suspected right-wing extremist organization.

DPA / Picture Alliance via Reuters

A German court ruled Monday that the country’s domestic intelligence agency, BfV, was correct to designate the Alternative for Germany, aka AfD, one of the country’s most popular political parties, as a suspected extremist group, making state surveillance of its activities legal.

How high school explains Putin’s reshuffle

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, and Chief of the Russian Land Forces Oleg Salyukov attend a military parade on Victory Day, in Moscow, on May 9, 2024.

Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS

One way to look at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to replace long-serving Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with career economist Andrey Belousov is this: Since the invasion of Ukraine, Putin’s nerds have performed better than his jocks.

Hard Numbers: Oscars go global, Congress does its job, Peru revives the Senate, Mauritania gets migration money

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Hard Numbers: Oscars go global, Congress does its job, Peru revives the Senate, Mauritania gets migration money

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Disgraced attorney Michael Cohen testified for over four hours on Monday about his role in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to control negative stories about him during the 2016 election, including paying off former adult actresses Trump allegedly slept with.

What's the outcome and the likely result of the North Macedonia parliamentary election? What was the result of Xi Jinping's much celebrated tour of Europe? Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, shares his perspective on European politics from Stockholm, Sweden.

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Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

GZERO writer and Barnard senior Riley Callanan shares her experience reporting on the pro-Palestine student protests that engulfed Columbia University ahead of graduation.

A German court ruled Monday that the country’s domestic intelligence agency, BfV, was correct to designate the Alternative for Germany, aka AfD, one of the country’s most popular political parties, as a suspected extremist group, making state surveillance of its activities legal.

One way to look at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to replace long-serving Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with career economist Andrey Belousov is this: Since the invasion of Ukraine, Putin’s nerds have performed better than his jocks.