Another News Story takes a fresh view of the European refugee crisis. The film opens in 2015 Greece as refugees arrive on the idyllic island of Lesbos and follows refugees into Hungary and Croatia and across Europe to a hoped-for sanctuary. Since 2015 the current refugee crisis has flooded every news and media outlet across the globe. Another News Story takes a unique approach to capturing this narrative. While still giving a groundfloor perspective of migrants fleeing Syria and Turkey and their struggle to find a country where they are welcome, director Orban Wallace simultaneously turns the camera on the journalists and the role they play in representing the crisis to the world. Wallace’s gripping debut feature raises important questions about what happens behind the camera, and how the life cycle of a news story starts and grows.

Another News Story has had 17 international film festival selections including Karlovy Vary, IDFA, Zurich and Glasgow among others. The UK theatrical release for the film is at the end of April.

Run Time: 84 mins

Trailer: http://www.anothernewsstory.com/

Ethical Journalism Network

The Ethical Journalism Network is an alliance of reporters, editors and publishers aiming to strengthen journalism around the world, working to build trust in news media through training, education and research.

The EJN has developed migration-reporting guidelines, which are available as an infographic and as a video have been used for training around Europe and have been presented to the United Nations in New York and other international forums.

The migration and media studies that the EJN has published or contributed to are:

How do media on both sides of the Mediterranean report on migration – A 17-country study commissioned by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development to produce a study analysing how media cover migration in Europe, Middle East and North Africa.
Fatal Journeys – Improving Data on Missing Migrants – Published by the IOM in 2017.
Refugees Images: Ethics in the Picture – From the EJN’s 2017 Ethics in the News report.
Moving Stories – An international review of how media cover migration published by the EJN in 2015.
To find out how to support the EJN visit: http://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/support

“Wherever you go in the world, democracy has been corrupted by individuals with a lot of power”, said Anthony Baxter by way of an introduction to a screening of his latest film, A Dangerous Game, at the Frontline Club on Monday 12 January.

The documentary, which follows on from Baxter’s first international success You’ve Been Trumped, depicts the devastating impact of luxury golf resort developments on local communities around the world. The film travels to locations as diverse as the historic site of Dubrovnik, Croatia, and the Scottish seaside town of Balmedie, to explore how tycoons influence authorities to concede to their lucrative plans, despite opposition from the residents who are most affected.

“The spirit in that city [Dubrovnik, Croatia] against this development is huge, and that would not have happened if it had not been for these people doing that referendum, and there is no doubt that the project is stalled at the moment”, the director stated, on the subject of the activists leading the fight against powerful developers in Dubrovnik.

Baxter first started to investigate the consequences of large-scale resort developments after American tycoon Donald Trump began construction on a golf course in Aberdeenshire, North East Scotland, just 40 miles from the filmmaker’s home town. He commented, “I felt the story had not been covered in a way that represented the people on the ground, and also the environmental aspect”.

Baxter related to the audience the many difficulties he encountered while making the film, including his arrest whilst filming in Scotland. Despite obtaining access to relevant police documents under the Freedom of Information Act, the director remains in the dark regarding the reason for his arrest. He said, “the official line is that their officers were met by a challenging, difficult and unusual situation when they found this interviewer with a local resident in her property, and they felt the need to arrest us”.

In response to an audience question, Baxter said that this was not the only obstacle that he and his team had faced during the project, as Donald Trump’s lawyers had threatened to sue the BBC before they broadcast You’ve Been Trumped. Fortunately the BBC ignored threats of legal action, airing Baxter‘s previous film to a highly positive reception.

The role of former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond was also explored during the Q&A. Baxter highlighted that the golf resort under development by Trump was within Salmond’s constituency – “he drives past this site everyday” – and yet he had never visited the local community. Despite the success of You’ve Been Trumped, which highlighted the corrupt and greedy actions of Trump and fellow tycoons, Salmond is yet to demonstrate his support for this local Scottish community who have been irrevocably affected by the golf course development.

On the subject of the complicity of Scottish authorities, Baxter said: “We did not have any direct evidence of corruption of the Scottish government, but they were certainly, as David Milne, one of the local residents, says, blinded by the bling and by the promises”.

A Dangerous Game has screened at a number of film festivals worldwide, including Vancouver International Film Festival, Moscow International Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival. The film has already demonstrated its impact: shortly after its release, UNESCO demanded that the Croatian government put a halt to all construction work until further investigations into the potential impact on Dubrovnik’s World Heritage Site have been carried out.

For more information on A Dangerous Game, including upcoming UK screening dates, click here.

Following the success of You’ve Been Trumped, director Anthony Baxter goes on a journey to other global golfing hot spots where rapacious developers are building massive luxury resorts with little thought for the local environment or population.

From the historic site of Dubrovnik to the ancient sand dunes and rolling green hills of the seaside town of Balmedie, these tycoons bully local residents, influence governments, ignore local referendums and even meddle in national environmental policies to acquire their latest trophies.

Through in-depth interviews with different players involved and footage showing the damage caused, Baxter reveals just how devastating these golf courses can be to the surrounding countryside and water tables.

Directed by Anthony Baxter
Duration: 89′
Year: 2014

July

On 1 July, Canadian Mark Carney replaces Mervyn King as the head of the Bank of England. Carney has already caused quite the stir in the world of central banking by suggesting banks could have GDP – as opposed to inflationary – targets, so his arrival at The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street may inject some much needed pizzazz into the monthly policy briefings.

The same day, Croatia is scheduled to become the 28th member of the European Union. Despite the likely continued financial and economic challenges facing the region, expect much EU back-slapping as it welcomes its latest member into the fold.

The issue of whether to allow women to be ordained as bishops in the Church of England is set to be revisited at the church’s summer General Synod, which runs from 5-9 July. It was immensely embarrassing for the CoE that proposals were voted down in November 2012 and leaders are highly unlikely to allow a repeat.

Finally, at precisely 8am on 7 July, Spanish and international lunatics will once again willingly put themselves at risk of horrific injuries when the annual Pamplona bull run kicks off.

August

An extradition hearing is scheduled to open on 12 August in New Zealand in the case of the larger-than-life founder of Megaupload, Kim DotCom (née Schmitz). Since his arrest the German-born tycoon with a penchant for preposterous self-portraits has endeared himself to New Zealanders, becoming something of a celebrity, particularly after he earned a public apology from Prime Minster John Key after it emerged he had been surveilled illegally.

Meanwhile, in New York Abu Hamza is due to go on trial on 26 August, following his extradition from the UK in 2012. The Egyptian-born radical preacher faces allegations that he was involved in hostage taking in Yemen in 1998, attempting to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon from 1999-2000, and ‘facilitated’ violent jihad in Afghanistan. If found guilty on the first charge, he could face the death penalty.

Finally, 28 August marks the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

September

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosts G20 leaders, including his US counterpart Barack Obama, in St Petersburg from 5-6 September.

Two days later, on 7 September, the International Olympic Committee opens its 125th session, the highlight of which will be the announcement of which city will be hosting the Olympics in 2020. Contender cities are: Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo.

Germany’s Angela Merkel faces an election this month, with 22 September seen as a possible date (the election window runs from 8 September to 27 October). The leader of the Christian Democrats seems likely to remain leader of Eurpoe’s largest economy, however she is likely to replace her coalition partners the Free Democrats with the Social Democrats.

October

With the global economy, and more precisely its poor performance, still likely to be at the top of the agenda, the IMF and World Bank meetings take place from 11-13 October in Washington DC.

From 18-19 October, Panama will host leaders from the Iberian Peninsula and Latin American for the 23rd Ibero-American Summit.

Lastly this month, there are elections (on a date yet to be announced) in Azerbaijan, where current President Ilyam Aliyev hopes to be re-elected. The lack of meaningful opposition in the oil-rich nation means his wish is likely to become reality.

November

From 5-21 November, UNESCO will hold its biennial General Conference in Paris with the Palestinian Authority in attendance as a full member.

In Chile, elections take place on 17 November. President Sebastián Piñera’s popularity has plummeted since the remarkable events at the San Jose mine back in 2010; in particular he has faced vocal opposition from the country’s students. There are rumours that the country’s first female and highly popular president, Michelle Bachelet, may be tempted to return to Chilean politics to challenge Piñera.

A day later, on 18 November, NASA will launch its latest mission to Mars, the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) spacecraft from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It will not arrive at the Red Planet until Autumn 2014.

Finally, on 30 November, Hondurans will go the polls to elect a new president. The current leader Porfirio Lobo, who replaced Manuel Zelaya following a controversial ‘coup’ in 2009, has indicated he does not plan to run. In reality, both Lobo and Zelaya may well be candidates.

December

On December 10, the winner of the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize will pick up the accolade at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway.

In the United States, meanwhile, Newtown, Connecticut, will mark the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, in which 20 students and six teachers were killed by Adam Lanza. It remains to be seen whether the country’s gun laws will be meaningfully modified. Previous shooting-sprees have resulted in little or no action being taken.

Finally, British Prime Minister David Cameron has promised that by December 31, UK troop levels in Afghanistan will have been reduced to just over five thousand ahead of NATO’s withdrawal by the end of 2014. Despite claims by politicians of significant progress, many commentators are anticipating a total implosion once foreign troops leave the Graveyard of Empires.

Images courtesy of Mark III Photonics / Shutterstock.com

A documentary that looks at the 677 concentration camps, rape houses and prisons set up during the Bosnian war and their legacy today in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Three camp survivors and three teenagers born after the war share their memories and hopes for a better future.

Two decades after the war tension remains high and the threat of violence is still present. Can a younger generation of Bosnians, Serbs, Croats and Muslims overcome their past and find a way of living peacefully together?

Director Mirko Pincelli addresses the complexity of post conflict society, where everyday life exists somewhere between past and present.

Directed by: Mirko Pincelli

Produced by: Enrico Tessarin and Velma Saric

Year: 2011

Duration: 88’

By Nicole Hunt

IMF, European Central Bank and EU officials are scheduled to arrive in Athens on Monday to conduct a week-long assessment mission of Greece’s debt-reduction measures. Everyone will be hoping the troika visit goes better this time around than it did in September, when officials left Greece for nearly a month amid rumours of disagreements with their Greek counterparts.

Following controversial elections last year which were marred by allegations of electoral fraud,Liberian President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is inaugurated for her second term.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao are among speakers at the opening day of the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. Wen’s speech is part of a six-day Gulf tour to discuss energy interests, which began in Saudi Arabia and wraps up in Qatar.

On Tuesday, China’s National Bureau of Statistics holds its first economic press conference of 2012, discussing China’s growth in 2011 and releasing the country’s most recent GDP figures.

In Washington, President Barack Obama meets with King Abdullah II of Jordan. Discussions are expected to focus on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, as Jordan has recently played host to a renewed round of discussions.

Embattled Spanish Supreme Court Judge Baltasar Garzon, who was suspended from his Supreme Court post in May 2010 amid allegations that he had overstepped his authority by investigating Franco-era disappearances despite a 1977 amnesty, goes on trial for allegedly ordering illegal wiretaps in the 2009 Gürtel case.

Attention turns once again to the EU debt crisis on Wednesday, as President Nicolas Sarkozy hosts a jobs summit in Paris, where it is rumoured that he will announce the end of the 35-hour work week. In London, Prime Ministers David Cameron and Mario Monti meet for the first time since Monti took over from Silvio Berlusconi last year.

The US Department of Defense has until Wednesday to comply with a request from the UK Government to transfer Yunus Rahmatullah to British custody so that he can be tried or released. Rahmatullah was captured by British forces in Iraq in 2004 and handed over to US forces before being rendered to Bagram Prison in Afghanistan where he has since been held without charge. The Government’s request was made in response to a writ of habeas corpus issued by the Court of Appeal.

The Arab League’s monitoring mission to Syria is expected to conclude its work on Thursday and issue a report into the situation in the country. In response to the report, the Arab League is expected to decide whether a strengthened mission must return to the country, or whether other action needs to be taken against President Bashar al Assad’s regime.

Mexico hosts the first G20 event of its presidency as Deputy Finance Ministers gather in Mexico City for a two-day meeting. The Deputies will lay the groundwork for a Finance Ministers’ meeting at the end of February.

As European banks face a deadline to submit their plans to raise some €115bn in capital on Friday, President Nicolas Sarkozy, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Mario Monti meet to discuss the new EU fiscal stability treaty ahead of an EU summit at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, the troika review missions in Greece and Ireland are expected to finish, with the troika likely to issue its assessment of Ireland. The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Bata, Equatorial Guinea on Saturday. The first match sees Equatorial Guinea face off against Libya; the final is held in Libreville, Gabon on 12 February.

The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Bata, Equatorial Guinea on Saturday. The first match sees Equatorial Guinea face off against Libya; the final is held in Libreville, Gabon on 12 February.

Republican candidate hopeful Mitt Romney is hoping to follow up success in the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire primary with a win in the South Carolina primary. The South Carolina vote is an open primary, which allows Democrats and Independents to participate in the vote. Since 1980, the winner of the South Carolina primary has always gone on to win the Republican nomination.

The week closes with two European elections. Croatia holds a long-awaited referendum on EU accession following the signing of an accession treaty on 9 December. If accession is approved in the vote, Croatia will officially join the European Union on 1 July.

Finland holds the first round of its presidential election, with a potential second round scheduled for 5 February if necessary. Incumbent Tarja Halonen isn’t eligible for a third term, and her Social Democrat Party’s candidate Paavo Lipponen has been dwarfed in recent polls by the National Coalition Party’s Sauli Niinisto.

When the Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic was ousted from power it brought to an end a 13-year rule that had seen the country torn apart by bloody conflict, with thousands of people killed. 

The man who had been feted by world leaders at the height of his powers as Serbian President in 1995 was forced out of office amid street protests and a general strike after losing the September 2000 election and later faced trial in the Hague for war crimes in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Kosovo. 

Ten years after the October 5th revolution we will be bringing together journalists, fillmmakers and experts who were there to discuss these remarkable events and their impact. What was the legacy of the former President who died in his cell in 2006?

Chaired by Bill Neely, International Editor for ITV News.

With:

Steve Crawshaw, international advocacy director, Amnesty International and co-author of Small Acts of Resistance How courage, tenacity and ingenuity can change the world;

Norma Percy, co-executive producer (with Brian Lapping) of the BBC series, The Fall of Milosevic;

Allan Little, BBC News special correspondent and programme presenter;

Maggie O’Kane, editorial director of GuardianFilms and former foreign correspondent with the newspaper, she has covered most of the world’s major conflicts over the last decade.

“The threats against Drago Hedl are a clear attempt to discourage him and other journalists who have been playing a crucial role in exposing human rights violations from making their findings public,” says Nicola Duckworth, Director of Amnesty International’s Europe team. “The Croatian authorities need to lead by example and investigate these threats and bring the perpetrators to justice.” link

Above is a video from the International Center for Journalists about the work of Drago Hedl.

Ivo Pukanić, the editor of the Nacional Magazine, and the publication’s marketing executive Niko Franić, were killed when a car bomb exploded in the coutyard of the magazine’s offices on Palmoticeva Street in central Zagreb yesterday evening,

“I heard a terrible explosion and shaking, at first I thought it was an earthquake, I have not heard anything like it since 1995, when a bomb fell in front of my jewellery shop. Me and my friend immediately came outside and literally after a few minutes the police started to arrive. After that I saw the news and I can only say that I feel sorry for Pukanic, and I also park my car near where the bomb exploded” said the owner of the jewellery shop MM that is in Draskoviceva Street. link via Headlinenews

In April there was an attempt to assassinate Pukanić. The Police protection which followed was cancelled at the beginning of August.
Picture taken from The Times. There’s more on Croatian TV (in Croatian).