Isis: John Kerry says Daesh has committed genocide

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday declared that violence by Islamic State (Isis) against religious minorities was genocide, saying the United States would do everything it could to hold the militant group accountable. Mar 17, 2016

Dystopian Hong Kong film Ten Years touches nerve with Beijing

Ten Years, a film which portrays a dystopian future Hong Kong under tight Chinese Communist Party control, has been a hit in Hong Kong and abroad, selling out cinemas, sparking discussions and being screened at international film festivals. But Chinese state media has criticised the film and that has aroused new concern about mainland influence over Hong Kong despite a one country, two systems formula meant to preserve the citys autonomy. Mar 17, 2016

SeaWorld to end orca whale breeding programme

Bowing to years of pressure from animal rights activists, US theme park operator SeaWorld said on 17 March it would stop breeding orca whales and that those currently at its parks would be the last. Orlando-based SeaWorld has faced sagging attendance along with criticism about its treatment of the captive marine mammals, and some activists had called for the end of public exhibition of orcas altogether. Mar 17, 2016