CANADA
The Jane Austen Society of North America celebrated the English novelist’s 250th birthday with a party in Halifax. The Nova Scotian city threw teas, movie screenings, and a book event for the new novel, “The Austens,” which explores the city’s connection to the scribe, who died in 1817 at age 41. Austen’s younger brother was stationed in Halifax with the British Royal Army and his wife, Fanny, lived there between 1809 and 1811. “I’m excited to share this story that I’ve been working on for such a long time,” author Sarah Emsley, who spent 18 years working on the book, told the CBC.
INDIA
A new Bollywood movie is being criticized for misrepresenting history. The political spy thriller “Dhurandhar,” which was released earlier this month, is set against the backdrop of India-Pakistan tensions. Some critics are slamming the film for its misleading portrayal of Pakistan’s major city, Karachi, and Pakistan People’s Party has taken legal action, saying the film used unauthorized images of their late prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, and portrayed their leaders as supporters of terrorists.
Popular Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh plays an Indian undercover spy in “Dhurandhar.” Getty ImagesITALY
Visitors to Verona will now have to pay a fee to catch a glimpse of the 14th-century building serving as a shrine to the Shakespearean star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. The northern Italian city faced a recent surge in tourism, forcing it to ban guests from flooding the house’s courtyard free of charge and requiring them to purchase a $14 ticket to see Juliet’s House and Museum, effective until Jan. 6.
Juliet’s House in Verona, Italy, features a balcony and bronze statue of the doomed Shakespearean character. LightRocket via Getty ImagesAUSTRALIA
Australian cricketer Cameron Green now stands as the most expensive overseas signing in Indian Premier League history. The 26-year-old signed with the West Bengal-based Kolkata Knight Riders at the league’s 2026 auction for $2.8 million.
MEXICO
A new species of gecko native to Mexico has been officially confirmed after years of research. The nocturnal lizard — endemic to the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that spans Puebla and Oaxaca — was first documented in 2020. The creature, now named Phyllodactylus ngiwa and commonly known as the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley gecko, needed to be adequately studied for five years to confirm it was a different species than the Upper Balsas gecko.
With Wires
