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Meta says working to thwart WhatsApp scammers

Meta on Tuesday said it shut nearly seven million WhatsApp accounts linked to scammers in the first half of this year and is ramping up safeguards against such schemes.

German club backs out of signing Israel striker after fan backlash

Bundesliga 2 side Fortuna Duesseldorf has pulled out of signing Israel striker Shon Weissman in response to fan anger about his social media posts on the Gaza war, German tabloid Bild reported Tuesday.

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Trump tariff plan brings Hollywood's struggles into focus

Donald Trump's proposal to put 100 percent tariffs on foreign movies left many filmmakers scratching their heads. But it did highlight a problem plaguing Hollywood: cinema is rapidly abandoning its long-time home.

New accuser testifies against Weinstein in New York retrial

A Polish model testified Wednesday against fallen film mogul Harvey Weinstein in his retrial on sex assault charges, the first time the woman claiming the former Miramax boss forced oral sex on her has been heard in criminal court.

Fear and loathing: Trump film threat shocks Latin America

President Donald Trump's threat to slap tariffs on foreign-made movies has left Latin America's burgeoning film industry baffled and fearful.

J-pop mega-group Arashi to disband after final tour

J-pop mega-group Arashi, wildly popular in Japan and elsewhere in Asia, said they would end their activities as a band following a final tour next year.

Hit by Trump cuts, journalists at Dubai-based US channel face uncertain future

Sara, a Dubai-based journalist, joined the US-funded Alhurra TV news channel hoping for job security. But after it abruptly stopped broadcasting and fired most staff, she's wondering how to make ends meet.

Trump's White House creates own media universe

From influencer-only briefings to memes of Donald Trump as the pope and a "Star Wars" Jedi master, the White House is creating its own alternate media reality.

Toronto festival head says Trump tariffs would hurt film quality

Hollywood has always been "an international industry," that would suffer creatively if cross-border work was curbed, the head of North America's largest film festival told AFP.

AP to continue crediting 'Napalm Girl' photo to Nick Ut after probe

The Associated Press news agency will continue to credit one of its most distinctive photos, "Napalm Girl" taken during the Vietnam War, to photographer Nick Ut despite questions about who took it, the wire said Tuesday.

US jury awards WhatsApp $168 mn in NSO Group cyberespionage suit

A US jury on Tuesday handed WhatsApp a major victory in its cyberespionage suit against NSO Group, ordering the Israel-based firm to pay some $168 million in damages.

Whole lotta legal argument: Led Zeppelin guitarist Page sued

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page is being sued in California by the composer of "Dazed and Confused," one of the British rock band's biggest hits.

'Aussiewood' courts Hollywood as Trump film tariffs loom

Australia still wants to make "great films" with the United States, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Tuesday, as new tariffs threaten the home of Hollywood hits like The Matrix, Elvis and Crocodile Dundee.

Wait for Vatican white smoke fires up social media

Hype has been building on social media around the Catholic Church's secretive, centuries-old tradition of conclaves to elect a new pope, animating users from the White House on down.

'Makes no sense': Hollywood shocked by Trump's film tariffs announcement

Hollywood reacted Monday with skepticism to US President Donald Trump's announcement of 100 percent tariffs on foreign films, with movie insiders calling it a policy made up on the fly by a president who fails to understand how the industry works.

First day of jury selection wraps in Sean Combs sex crimes trial

The first day of jury selection wrapped Monday in New York in the blockbuster federal sex trafficking trial of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, who stands accused of years of harrowing abuse.

Stars come out for Met Gala, showcasing Black dandyism

It's the first Monday in May, which means it's time for the Met Gala, the extravagant Manhattan charity ball that this year spotlights Black style through the lens of dandyism's subversive history.

Jury selection begins in Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex crimes trial

Jury selection began Monday in New York in the blockbuster federal sex trafficking trial of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, who stands accused of years of harrowing abuse.

Who are the Middle East's Druze religious community?

The Druze are a prominent religious community of more than a million people spread mainly across Syria, Lebanon and Israel, who for centuries have sought to preserve a distinct identity.

Traditional culture, fancy dress meet at Hong Kong's raucous bun festival

Kids dressed as real and fantasy heroes, drummers pounding a beat and sweet treats offered to powerful gods -- thousands of visitors poured onto a small island in Hong Kong for its annual Bun Festival on Monday.

Jury selection to begin in Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex crimes trial

Jury selection begins Monday in New York in the blockbuster federal sex trafficking trial of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, who stands accused of years of harrowing abuse.

Rufus Wainwright's 'Dream Requiem' explores catastrophe and redemption

The historic Mount Tambora volcanic eruption spewed so much ash and debris that it triggered a "year without summer" and the apocalypse seemed nigh -- an apt parallel to our own chaotic existence, says the eclectic musician Rufus Wainwright.

'Thunderbolts' strikes big, topping N.America box office

New Marvel superhero film "Thunderbolts" triumphed over the North American box office this weekend, raking in an estimated $76 million in a promising start to the summer movie season, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

'We don't care': weddings go on in Pakistan's Kashmir border

Rabia Bibi, a glittering red dupatta pulled over her eyes, wasn't about to let the threat of war with India stop her wedding in a remote valley in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

'Two million' throng Lady Gaga concert at Rio's Copacabana

Lady Gaga rocked Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on Saturday with a free mega-concert that the Brazilian city said drew about two million fans.

Maldives president holds record 15-hour press conference

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu addressed a press conference for nearly 15 hours, his office said on Sunday, claiming it broke a previous record held by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

India blocks Pakistani celebrities on social media

New Delhi widened tit-for-tat measures against Islamabad on Saturday, blocking access to the social media accounts of Pakistani actors and cricketers, as well as extending trade blocks and stopping postal services.

Berlin culture official quits after funding cut backlash

Berlin's top culture official resigned Friday amid controversy over arts funding cuts that critics had warned would do massive damage to the capital city's famed clubs, theatres and orchestras.

In show stretched over 50 years, Slovenian director shoots for space

In an innovative show directed by Slovenian artist and space enthusiast Dragan Zivadinov, a crew of actors is putting on the same play once a decade over 50 years.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs: the rap mogul facing life in prison

Once hip-hop's flashy impresario, Sean "Diddy" Combs now sports unruly, gray hair and only appears publicly in court, where he will be a regular starting Monday as his federal sex crimes trial gets underway in New York.

Apple expects $900 mn tariff hit, US iPhone supply shifts to India

Apple on Thursday reported first-quarter profit above expectations but warned that US tariffs could cost the company and was disrupting its supply chain.

Pope Francis saw clergy's lack of humility as a 'cancer': author

Pope Francis saw priests' embrace of the trappings of power as a "cancer" corroding the Roman Catholic Church, according to a best-selling Spanish author who travelled to Mongolia with the pontiff.

Weinstein accuser recounts alleged rape at assault retrial in NY

One of Harvey Weinstein's accusers on Wednesday again told a New York court that he had raped her, five years after she testified in the first sexual assault trial of the disgraced Hollywood producer.

Swedish reporter gets suspended term over Erdogan insult

A Turkish court on Wednesday handed a Swedish journalist an 11-month suspended sentence for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but remains behind bars awaiting trial on a second more serious charge.

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