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Hump day recs 4/26/2023

Watch: “Battle Royale.” “Squid Game” upended the streaming world when it dropped on Netflix in late 2021. But you might not know that the South Korean dystopian survival series borrows a lot from this 2000 Japanese flick based on the manga comics by Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi, which also inspired the “Hunger Games” and “Fortnite.” The story: A totalitarian government forces high-school students to fight to the death. It's insane, often terrifying, and sometimes (very darkly) funny. Definitely worth a watch. — Carlos

Watch: “The Diplomat.” If you enjoyed Rufus Sewell’s swagger as Detective “Zen” (still bitter, BBC!), you’ll love him opposite Keri Russell in this geopolitical drama. They portray a married diplomatic duo, and while Russell plays her ambassador role with more than enough earnestness, Sewell is marvelously manipulative as the “behind-the-scenes” spouse. — Tracy

Listen: Harry Belafonte. This is Harry Belafonte’s voice. And this is Harry Belafonte’s voice. Willis

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U.S. President Donald Trump, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi and President of Rwanda Paul Kagame take part in a signing ceremony at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 4, 2025.

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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​German Chancellor Friedrich Merz holds the framed birth certificate of U.S. President Donald Trump's grandfather as Merz and Trump shake hands during a meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 5, 2025.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz holds the framed birth certificate of U.S. President Donald Trump's grandfather as Merz and Trump shake hands during a meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 5, 2025.

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​Fighters from the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an Iranian Kurdish opposition group, are pictured near the border with Iran in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, in the outskirts of Sulaimaniya, Iraq, June 21, 2025.

Fighters from the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an Iranian Kurdish opposition group, are pictured near the border with Iran in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, in the outskirts of Sulaimaniya, Iraq, June 21, 2025.

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Trump reportedly speaks to Kurdish leaders in the Iran conflictAs the Iran conflict shows no signs of slowing, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu appear to be seeking allies within the country. The US president reportedly spoke with Kurdish leaders in Iraq after the attacks on Tehran over the weekend. The Kurds – considered one of the world’s [...]
​FILE PHOTO: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands before posing for a photo during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, in Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025.

FILE PHOTO: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands before posing for a photo during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, in Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025.

REUTERS/Amber Bracken/File Photo
Canada-India relations continue to recoverIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney struck a series of deals during a meeting in New Delhi on Monday, including a 10-year nuclear energy deal under which Canada will provide India with uranium. The two sides also agreed to finalize a free trade deal by year’s end. [...]