Sometimes you don’t want a formal meal; you just want an assortment of nibbles, a big tray of delicacies and delights that are just a bit out of the ordinary and amusing by themselves. Writer-director Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is that plate of morsels in movie form, a breezy caper that mostly sustains its novelty, even if it stumbles a bit in the last third. Mostly, the picture feels both lavish and light: This follow-up to the distinctly pleasurable 2019 Knives Out once again stars Daniel Craig as the bourbon-smooth crime-solver Benoit Blanc, only this time he’s been invited to a glamorous Greek island by arrogant media mogul Miles Bron, played by Edward Norton. Bron’s plan is to stage a murder for his circle of eccentric friends to solve. The victim? Himself.

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That’s the sleight-of-hand premise Johnson begins with, anyway. By the end of Glass Onion, the story has negotiated so many twists that you may barely be able to recall how it began. Basically, this is an assembly of cartoonishly colorful characters, each of whom is in some way delightfully untrustworthy: Kate Hudson is bubble-headed model and fashion entrepreneur Birdie Jay, who’s always getting into trouble with her mindless pronouncements (like going on Oprah and comparing herself to Harriet Tubman). Kathryn Hahn is Claire Debella, a harried, disorganized straight-shooter who has somehow worked her way up to the governorship of Connecticut. Leslie Odom Jr. is Lionel Toussaint, an ambitious scientist who works for Miles but harbors suspicions about his motives. And Dave Bautista is wanna-be social-media influencer and heapin’ hunk of brawn Duke Cody, who shows up with his brainy babe of a girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline) in tow.

Courtesy of Netflix Edward Norton as tech billionaire Miles Bron

Read more: Inside the Creation of Knives Out, One of the Most Unexpectedly Subversive Films of the Year

All of these invited guests, save Blanc, are longtime pals of Bron’s, friends who in the old days used to gather at a cozy bar, now defunct, called the Glass Onion. Bron clings to the memory of those days—it’s why he’s built this lavish Greek estate, topped with a crystal dome in the shape of his favorite Allium. But even though he calls his old friends “disruptors,” people whom he admires, supposedly, for breaking the rules and shaking up the status quo, he’s the richest of them all, and the only one who’s truly a success. That’s where the most enigmatic figure in this whole charade comes in: Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe, always marvelous to watch) is Bron’s old business partner, though he not long ago kicked her out of the operation, leaving her without a penny. Yet here she is, showing up for his weekend escapade, the coolest of them all in an assortment of willowy pantsuits and ethereal goddess gowns. The rest of the group is stunned when she arrives. What is she doing there? Even Bron, who invited her, seems surprised to see her.

John Wilson/NetflixJessica Henwick, Kate Hudson, and Janelle Monáe

Meanwhile, Blanc—decked out in Southern-gent linens and dashing silk neckerchiefs—surveys this crew with his characteristically cool gaze. First he pretends to have no idea what Bron’s intent might be, stammering out suppositions in his delightful Foghorn Leghorn drawl. Then you realize he knows exactly what’s happening—and after that, the story begins to unfold in spiraling swirls that swerve forward only to double back on one another.

The pleasures of Glass Onion don’t go much beneath the surface, but at least that surface is a delectably shiny one: Bron’s mansion features a massive common room filled with delicate crystal sculptures just begging to be shattered. Hudson’s Birdie shows up with suitcases full of rich-hippie clothes, including a mesmerizing polychrome swirl of a dress that nearly hypnotizes the other guests into a stupor. And there are some great gags, including a robot recording that chastises Blanc every time he tries to sneak off for a smoke. Clean living, it seems, will be the death of us all.

There are a few downsides to Glass Onion, things it doesn’t have that its predecessor did: No Christopher Plummer as a cantankerous patriarch. No Chris Evans in a chunky sweater. And sometimes the characters’ endless clever quips run in exhausting circles. Glass Onion at times works overly hard to remind us how much fun we’re supposed to be having. It also loses some steam in the wrap-up: in building the story, Johnson introduces so many loose ends that tying them up takes some doing, and the labor shows. But following along is still enjoyable enough, right down to Benoit Blanc’s last sardonic squint. Glass Onion‘s motives are transparent—it seeks only to entertain. But then, that’s what we came for, no matter how you slice it.

Ukrainians braced for a winter with little or no power in several areas including Kyiv where temperatures have already dropped below freezing as relentless Russian strikes crippled half of the country’s energy capacity. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged residents of Kyiv and several other areas to limit electricity use.

LIFE IN UKRAINE
* Ukrainians are most likely to live with blackouts at least until the end of March, the head of a major energy provider said.

* Zelenskiy said half of the country’s power capacity had been knocked out by Russian rockets.
* As they head into a cold winter, residents of a bombed-out Ukrainian village say they appreciate a warm bath in a mural painted by graffiti artist Banksy. The mural shows a man scrubbing his back in a bathtub.
CONFLICT

* There are no immediate nuclear safety or security concerns at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine despite shelling at the weekend that caused widespread damage, the U.N. atomic watchdog said after its experts toured the site.

* Zelenskiy urged NATO members on Monday to guarantee the protection of Ukraine’s nuclear plants from Russian sabotage.

* “Stock up on warm clothes, blankets, think about options that will help you wait a long outage,” said Sergey Kovalenko, the head of YASNO, which provides energy for Kyiv.
* Moscow and Kyiv both blamed the other for the shelling of the facility.
* Russia’s leading war hawks rallied behind the decision for Moscow’s forces to retreat from the Ukrainian city of Kherson this month, but the commander who argued in favour of the move is now under growing pressure to prove it was worth it.

* The Kremlin said it was not discussing calling up more Russian soldiers to fight in Ukraine through a second round of mobilisation.

WAR CRIMES ACCUSATIONS
* Ukrainian police and prosecutors have identified four places in Kherson where they suspect Russian forces tortured people before abandoning the city, the prosecutor general’s office said.
* The United States is monitoring allegations that Ukrainian forces summarily executed Russian troops. Russia’s defence ministry on Friday cited videos circulating on social media that allegedly showed Ukrainian soldiers executing Russian prisoners of war. The Kremlin said it would bring to justice those responsible.

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Kosovo has postponed plans to fine drivers refusing to give up old car licence plates issued by Serbia for another 48 hours, after a United States request for a delay to a move Washington and the European Union fears may trigger ethnic violence.

The dispute over licence plates has stoked tensions for almost two years between Serbia and its former breakaway province, which declared independence in 2008 and is home to a Serb minority in the north that is backed by Belgrade.

Around 50,000 ethnic Serbs who live there refuse to recognise Pristina’s authority, and still consider themselves a part of Serbia. Belgrade has said it will never recognise the independence of Kosovo.

Hundreds of police officers, judges, prosecutors and other state workers from the Serb minority quit their jobs earlier this month Pristina ruled that local Serbs must finally replace car plates issued by Kosovo Serb municipal authorities, loyal to Belgrade, with Kosovo state ones.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti signalled the delay in a post on his Twitter account in the early hours of Tuesday. “I accept his (the American ambassador’s) request for a 48-hour postponement … I am happy to work with the U.S. and the EU to find a solution during the next two days.”

Kosovo police had said earlier that fines were supposed to be issued from 08:00 local time (0700 GMT) on Tuesday, and would affect around 10,000 drivers.

Pristina and Belgrade failed to reach a deal on Monday after emergency talks mediated by the EU were held, with Brussels warning of an “escalation of violence” if the plan was to go ahead.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who chaired the talks, blamed mainly Kosovo for rejecting an EU proposal on how to resolve the car plates dispute.

Opposition in Pristina has also blamed Kurti of jeopardising relations with the United States as Kosovo’s biggest ally.

Kurti has said he is more interested in reaching a final accord with Serbia where both countries will recognise each other as independent state.

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic said late on Monday that his country would stop issuing and renewing car number plates for the northern part of Kosovo, but warned of growing tensions.

“We received the latest intelligence a little while ago, the situation is very difficult and it is on the verge of conflict,” Vucic told reporters.

NATO, which has around 3,700 peacekeepers on the ground in Kosovo, said it is ready to intervene should the security situation be threatened.

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The post Vereshchuk calls on residents of Kherson to evacuate for winter appeared first on Ukraine Intelligence.

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Authorities in the Solomon Islands said no tsunami warning would be issued after two earthquakes on Tuesday afternoon, including one with a magnitude of 7.0 just off the southwest coast.

The first quake hit at a depth of 15 km (9 miles), about 16 km (10 miles) southwest of the area of Malango, said the United States Geological Survey, which had initially put its magnitude at 7.3.

A second quake, with a magnitude of 6.0, struck nearby 30 minutes later.

The Solomon Islands Meteorological Service said there is no tsunami threat to the country, but warned about unusual sea currents in coastal areas.

“People are also advised to be vigilant as aftershocks are expected to continue,” an employee said on social media.

Widespread power outages are being reported across the island and the Solomon Islands Broadcasting said in a statement on Facebook that all radio services were off air.

The National Disaster Management Office said it has received reports that people felt the quake but are waiting for reports of damage.

“People in Honiara moved up to higher ground in the minutes after the earthquake but some have now moved down,” an official told Reuters by phone.

Seismology Fiji said the quake did not pose an immediate tsunami threat to the archipelago nation roughly 2,000 km to the southeast.

The Chinese and U.S. defence ministers met for their second face-to-face talks this year on Tuesday, a U.S. official said, in a meeting that was not expected to lead to major breakthroughs but could touch on the importance of crisis communication and their opposing views on Taiwan.

While U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met Chinese Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe in Singapore in June, this is their first meeting since a visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August enraged China, which regards the island as its territory. The meeting is taking place on the sidelines of an ASEAN defence ministers’ gathering in Siem Reap, Cambodia. read more

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the meeting between the two started at 10am local time (0300 GMT).

Tuesday’s meeting follows a three-hour meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping last week on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia, aimed at preventing strained ties from spilling into a new Cold War. read more

Despite tensions between the United States and China, U.S. military officials have long sought to maintain open lines of communication with their Chinese counterparts to mitigate the risk of potential flare-ups or deal with any accidents.

After Austin and Wei’s meeting in June, the Pentagon chief said his talks with his Chinese counterpart were an important step in efforts to develop those means of communication.

Relations between China and the United States have been tense, with friction between the world’s two largest economies over everything from Taiwan and China’s human rights record to its military activity in the South China Sea.

Pelosi’s Taiwan trip in early August infuriated China, which saw it as a U.S. attempt to interfere in its internal affairs. China subsequently launched military drills near the island.

The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

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Ukrainians braced for a winter with little or no power in several areas including Kyiv where temperatures have already dropped below freezing as relentless Russian strikes crippled half of the country’s energy capacity.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged people to conserve power, particularly in hard-hit areas such as Kyiv, Vinnytsia in the southwest, Sumy in the north and Odesa on the Black Sea.

Moscow’s response to military setbacks in recent weeks has included a barrage of missile strikes against power facilities, and Zelenskiy said that half of the country’s power capacity had been knocked out by Russian rockets.

“The systematic damage to our energy system from strikes by the Russian terrorists is so considerable that all our people and businesses should be mindful and redistribute their consumption throughout the day,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. “Try to limit your personal consumption of electricity.”

Millions of Ukrainians are most likely to live with blackouts – a daily occurrence across the country – at least until the end of March, the head of a major energy provider said on Monday.

Sergey Kovalenko, the head of YASNO, which provides energy for Kyiv, said workers are rushing to complete repairs before the winter cold arrives.

“Stock up on warm clothes, blankets, think about options that will help you wait a long outage,” Kovalenko said. “It’s better to do it now than to be miserable.”

Citizens in the recently liberated southern city of Kherson, where Kyiv says Russian troops destroyed critical infrastructure before leaving earlier this month, can apply to be relocated to areas where security and heating issues are less acute.

In a Telegram message for Kherson residents – especially the elderly, women with children and those who are ill or disabled – Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk posted a number of ways residents can express interest in leaving.

“You can be evacuated for the winter period to safer regions of the country,” she wrote, citing both security and infrastructure problems.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the blackouts and Russia’s strikes on energy infrastructure are the consequences of Kyiv being unwilling to negotiate, the state TASS news agency reported late last week.

On Monday evening, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Russia was bombarding Kherson from across the Dnipro River, now that its troops had fled.

“There is no military logic: they just want to take revenge on the locals,” he tweeted.

Moscow denies intentionally targeting civilians in what it calls a “special military operation” to rid Ukraine of nationalists and protect Russian-speaking communities.

Kyiv and the West describe Russia’s actions as an unprovoked war of aggression.

Battles continued to rage in the east following Russian troop movements into the industrial Donbas region from around Kherson in the south.

Ukraine’s military said late on Monday that Russian forces had tried to make advances around Bakhmut and Avdiivka in Donetsk, and bombarded nearby towns.

Moscow has been reinforcing the areas it still holds and pressing an offensive of its own along a stretch of front line west of the city of Donetsk held by its proxies since 2014.

Russia and Ukraine on Monday traded blame for at least a dozen explosions at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which has been under Russian control since soon after it invaded the country on Feb. 24 but is across the Dnipro River from areas controlled by Kyiv.

Ukraine narrowly escaped disaster during fighting at the weekend that rocked the plant, Europe’s largest, with a barrage of shells. Some fell near reactors and damaged a radioactive waste storage building, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said.

Zelenskiy urged NATO members to guarantee protection from “Russian sabotage” at nuclear facilities.

IAEA experts toured the site on Monday, and the agency said they found widespread damage but nothing that compromised the plant’s essential systems.

The reactors are shut down but there is a risk that nuclear fuel could overheat if the power driving the cooling systems is cut. Shelling has repeatedly cut power lines.

Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine fired at power lines supplying the plant.

Ukraine’s nuclear energy firm Energoatom said Russia’s military shelled the site, accusing it of nuclear blackmail and actions that were “endangering the whole world”.

Reuters could not immediately verify which side was responsible.

Repeated shelling of the plant during the war has raised concern about a grave disaster in the country that suffered the world’s worst nuclear accident, the 1986 Chornobyl meltdown.

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New York issues first licenses for legal pot dispensaries fbireform.com/2022/11/21/hea…

People are advised to move to higher ground immediately, said a spokesperson for the Solomon Islands’ prime minister after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the region near the islands.

“People are advised to move to higher ground now,” said the spokesman from Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s office.”