Trump says ordering '100% tariff' on all movies produced abroad

US President Donald Trump said Sunday he was ordering new tariffs on all films made outside the United States, claiming Hollywood was being "devastated" by a trend of US filmmakers and studios working abroad. The announcement comes as the White House is coming under mounting criticism over its aggressive trade policies that have seen Trump impose sweeping tariffs on countries around the globe. "I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediatel

May 5, 2025

Russia's revived Soviet music contest to take place in September

MOSCOW (AFP) — Russia will hold its "Intervision" music competition in September, organizers announced on Wednesday, after authorities revived the Soviet-era competition that was meant to rival Eurovision. Moscow has been banned from taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest over its Ukraine offensive and President Vladimir Putin earlier this year ordered for the USSR-version of the contest to be held in Russia this year. The Intervision Song Contest — mainly made up of the Soviet Union and Eas

May 1, 2025

Pro wrestling icon Hulk Hogan to be commissioner of Real American Freestyle

After watching the NCAA Division I wrestling championships, he was absolutely certain. Hogan is one of the most popular professional wrestlers of all time, and he stayed in that lane until his teenage stepson pulled him into watching freestyle and folkstyle wrestling. After becoming more familiar, Hogan started to believe those traditional wrestling styles could become more popular and profitable with the right promotion. Then, it happened. Last month, Oklahoma State's Wyatt Hendrickson stunned

May 1, 2025

King Charles III says his cancer journey brought the best of humanity into focus

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III described Wednesday how a cancer diagnosis can be a "daunting and at times frightening" experience for sufferers and their loved ones as he hosted an event to laud the "extraordinary work" of cancer charities. In a message written in a booklet for guests at a Buckingham Palace reception to celebrate organizations helping people with the disease, Charles poignantly reflected on his experience of cancer. As one of the 1,000 or so people in the UK who receive a cancer

May 1, 2025

Israel strikes Syria, saying it hit group that attacked Druze

Israel said it carried out a strike in Syria against "an extremist group" that attacked members of the Druze community, following through on a promise to defend the minority group as deadly sectarian violence spread near Damascus on Wednesday. A Syrian Foreign Ministry statement rejected "all forms of foreign intervention" in Syria's internal affairs, without mentioning Israel, and declared Syria's commitment to protecting all Syrian groups "including the noble Druze sect." It marks the first ti

May 1, 2025

Despite war's end, Afghanistan remains deep in crisis: UN relief chief

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (AFP) -- Climate change, women's rights, displacement, poverty: Afghanistan remains a priority as it faces overlapping crises, the United Nations' relief chief Tom Fletcher told Agence France-Presse Wednesday, deploring "brutal" aid budget cuts. "We've identified 17 crises across the world where our engagement is most urgent, most vital. Afghanistan is high on that list," said the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs in an interview with AFP during

May 1, 2025

Palestinian student at Columbia freed after arrest at citizenship interview

BURLINGTON, Vermont (AP) — A judge on Wednesday released a Palestinian student at Columbia University who led protests against Israel's war in Gaza and was arrested by immigration officials during an interview about finalizing his United States citizenship. Immigration authorities have arrested and detained college students from around the country since the first days of the Trump administration, many of whom participated in campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war, which has killed more than 5

May 1, 2025

Bosnia says Interpol refused 'red notice' appeal for wanted leader Dodik

Interpol has confirmed its refusal to issue a notice to detain Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who is wanted by Bosnia's federal authorities on secession charges, a court said on Wednesday. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina said Interpol "has not accepted a request to revise its decision about the issue of an arrest warrant" against Dodik, president of the Bosnian Serb statelet of Republika Srpska, and RS parliament speaker Nenad Stevandic. Interpol declined a request to comment. Since the

May 1, 2025

Burkina junta rallies supporters after claimed coup plot

Several thousand people rallied in support of Burkina Faso's junta Wednesday, days after the military rulers said they had uncovered a "plot" to overthrow the government. Demonstrators carried giant posters of junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traore and Burkinabe and Russian flags in one of the biggest rallies since Traore seized power in a coup in September 2022. With placards bearing slogans such as: "Down with imperialism and its local lackeys" and "Full support for President Ibrahim Traore and t

May 1, 2025

Rebels in Colombia are recruiting youth on social media

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Rebel groups in Colombia are using apps like Facebook and Tik Tok to recruit children and young adults, and social media companies must do more to moderate content, the United Nations says. The UN's top human rights official in Colombia, Scott Campbell, in an interview with The Associated Press said more investment is needed in both automated tools and human moderators to take down videos posted by gangs and rebel groups that are targeting youth from marginalized communit

May 1, 2025

2 dead as slow-moving storms flood roads across Oklahoma and Texas

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A least two people drowned when their vehicles were caught in floodwaters in Oklahoma on Wednesday as slow-moving thunderstorms inundated roads across parts of that state and Texas, authorities said, while Pennsylvania residents picked up from a powerful storm that left three people dead. Heavy rains and severe thunderstorms will mean a heightened risk of flash flooding across the south-central United States through early Thursday, the National Weather Service said. The stor

May 1, 2025

Kuwait frees 10 more Americans in the second release in as many months

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kuwait has released an additional 10 American detainees, bringing to nearly two dozen the total number freed by the country in the past two months, United States officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Taken together, Kuwait’s pardons of 23 Americans since March — done as a goodwill gesture by the US ally — amounted to the largest release of US citizens by a single foreign country in years. The prisoners, both men and women, include military contractors and veterans h

May 1, 2025

US and Ukraine sign minerals deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Ukraine on Wednesday signed off on a deal that will give Washington access to Ukraine's vast critical minerals and natural resources, finalizing an agreement weeks in the making to compensate the US for its help in repelling Russia’s invasion. The two sides offered only barebone details about the structure of the deal, which they called the US-Ukraine Reinvestment Fund. But it is expected to give the US access to Ukraine’s valuable rare earth minerals whil

May 1, 2025

[Graphic News] Trump ranks lowest in Q1 approval among modern presidents

US president Donald Trump is closing out the first quarter of his second term with an average 45 percent job approval rating, according to a new Gallup report. The report notes that while this marks an improvement from the 41 percent average he received during the first quarter of his initial term, it remains significantly lower than that of all other US presidents elected since World War II. Gallup reports that the average first-quarter job approval rating for presidents from 1952 through 2020

May 1, 2025

Filipino street kid now in college recalls encounter with Pope Francis

MANILA, Philippines (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) — Jun Chura, a second-year college student at the University of Santo Tomas, was enjoying the last day of the Holy Week break before classes resumed. He was doomscrolling that day when he read the news of Pope Francis' death. The 23-year-old did not believe the news at first, although he had been following developments regarding the Holy Father's health — from the time he was hospitalized on Feb. 14 to his discharge more than a month later unti

May 1, 2025