☰
HomeLiving Beyond BordersGZERO WorldSignalIn 60 SecondsPuppet RegimeGZERO World PodcastContact UsAbout UsCareersPrivacy PolicyTerms

Spend Some Time With: Indonesian Assassins, Sudan’s songs, Victor Hugo

April 16, 2019
Alex Kliment

Readers, a new weekly segment where I'll recommend three good things to watch, listen to, and read. Usually it'll be longer stuff that merits tuning out the kaleidoscopic screaming mania of daily news. Let me know what you think here. -Alex

Watch:Act of Killing – A gripping documentary about the history of Indonesia's right-wing dictatorship, in which former government assassins stage plays to re-enact and repent for their killings. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 2014.

Listen: Afropop Worldwide: Music and History in the Two Sudans – A podcast on how the legacies of slavery, colonialism, independence, and war have left their mark on the enchanting popular music of Sudan and South Sudan. Next level.

Read: Notre Dame of Paris Book V Section II – Sandwiched into the novel, a wonderful essay called "This Will Destroy That" in which Victor Hugo identifies the one human invention that destroyed architecture's historic role as "the great book of the human race." Hint: it wasn't fire.

More from GZERO Media

Anatomy of a Scam

Screen grab of the first episode of Anatomy of a Scam

Mastercard

Behind every scam lies a story — and within every story, a critical lesson. Anatomy of a Scam, takes you inside the world of modern fraud — from investment schemes to impersonation and romance scams. You'll meet the investigators tracking down bad actors and learn about the innovative work being done across the payments ecosystem to protect consumers and businesses alike. Watch the first episode of Mastercard's five-part documentary, 'Anatomy of a Scam,' here.

How AI is transforming cybersecurity

- YouTube

youtu.be

"We are seeing adversaries act in increasingly sophisticated ways, at a speed and scale often fueled by AI in a way that I haven't seen before.” says Lisa Monaco, President of Global Affairs at Microsoft.

Trump hits oil states

US President Donald Trump has been piling the pressure on Russia and Venezuela in recent weeks. He placed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil firms and bolstered the country’s military presence around Venezuela – while continuing to bomb ships coming off Venezuela’s shores. But what exactly are Trump’s goals? And can he achieve them? And how are Russia and Venezuela, two of the largest oil producers in the world, responding? GZERO reporters Zac Weisz and Riley Callanan discuss.

Jacinda Ardern on AI's role in countering extremism online

- YouTube

youtu.be

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says AI can be both a force for good and a tool for harm. “AI has either the possibility of…providing interventions and disruption, or it has the ability to also further harms, increase radicalization, and exacerbate issues of terrorism and extremism online.”

Shutting down dissent: Tanzania’s election goes offline

Demonstrators carry the dead body of a man killed during a protest a day after a general election marred by violent demonstrations over the exclusion of two leading opposition candidates at the Namanga One-Post Border crossing point between Kenya and Tanzania, as seen from Namanga, Kenya October 30, 2025.
REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

Tanzania has been rocked by violence for three days now, following a national election earlier this week. Protestors are angry over the banning of candidates and detention of opposition leaders by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Hard Numbers: Trump administration lowers refugee limit, 6,7 enshrined in the dictionary, Jamaica’s preparedness paid off in Hurricane Melissa

Illegal immigrants from Ethiopia walk on a road near the town of Taojourah February 23, 2015. The area, described by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as one of the most inhospitable areas in the world, is on a transit route for thousands of immigrants every year from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia travelling via Yemen to Saudi Arabia in hope of work. Picture taken February 23.
REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

7,500: The Trump administration will cap the number of refugees that the US will admit over the next year to 7,500. The previous limit, set by former President Joe Biden, was 125,000. The new cap is a record low. White South Africans will have priority access.

About UsCareers PressContact Us Privacy PolicyTerms of Use
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.