Norway, Germany give $394 million to help African region

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende says his country is giving 1.6 billion kroner over a three-year period to prevent a famine in the African countries around the Lake Chad Basin, while Germany on Friday added 120 million euros . Brende says there is “a serious humanitarian situation” in the region encompassing Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, adding there “is urgent need to stop the crisis unfolding in an area with 26 million people.”

Germany, Iran, Scandinavia, Australia get foreign Oscar nods

A father-daughter comedy from Germany, a psychological thriller from Iran, a Danish film about German prisoners of war, a dark Swedish comedy about a grumpy man, and an Australian film about tribal love on a remote South Pacific island are this year’s Oscar nominees for best foreign film. One of the best known of the nominees announced Tuesday is “Toni Erdmann,” a generational-divide comedy from German writer-director Maren Ade that was a sensation at Cannes in May. The film, almost three hours long, also touches on themes of political and social conflict.