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The SAVE America Act, a sweeping voting law championed by US President Donald Trump, has become a contentious issue in the country's electoral landscape. The bill, which has garnered near-total support from Republicans, aims to enhance election security by imposing stricter documentation standards for proving citizenship when registering to vote and casting a ballot.At its core, the legislation seeks to require voters to provide proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when registering to vote. It also proposes implementing stricter voter identification requirements for individuals casting ballots, whether by mail or in person. The bill's passage is considered a top priority by Trump ahead of the midterm elections in November, which will determine which party controls the Senate and the US House of Representatives.However, critics argue that the bill will lead to widespread voter disenfranchisement, particularly among marginalized communities. They point out that about 11% of eligible voters lack access to birth certificates, while 52% do not have valid passports. This could potentially affect around 21.3 million people, according to a recent study by election-monitoring groups.The legislation has also raised concerns about its impact on women and individuals who have changed their names after marriage or for other reasons. An estimated 69 million women in the US lack easy access to documentation linking their current legal names to those at birth, according to the League of Women Voters, a leading opponent of the bill.The bill's fate remains uncertain, with Republicans needing to change the Senate's longstanding rules to pass the legislation, which currently requires 60 votes. Trump has urged Republican leaders to scrap the filibuster rule, writing on Truth Social in March that they need to 'Kill the Filibuster.' As debate continues in the Senate, major shifts in support appear unlikely, and it remains to be seen whether the bill will ultimately pass.

When fighting erupted in Sudan’s streets in April 2023, families fled their homes, cities and even the country itself. Three years on, the exodus continues, with millions still on the move.The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) surveyed 1,293 displaced households in Sudan, Chad and South Sudan, exposing a grim cycle of loss. Each forced relocation strips survivors of the last remnants of their former lives.According to the findings, about 90 % of respondents have lost their homes and nearly three‑quarters report having no income. Food scarcity has become critical: more than 80 % of households in Sudan and virtually all in South Sudan regularly skip meals.Within Sudan alone, over nine million people remain displaced, while an estimated 28.9 million face acute hunger. The cumulative trauma is evident—by the fourth displacement, almost two‑thirds of individuals feel completely exhausted and depleted of resources, and roughly 65 % have been separated from family members.Despite these hardships, a remarkable degree of solidarity persists. In Sudan and Chad, one in three aid recipients continue to share their limited supplies with neighbors, strangers and newly arrived families.“In Sudan now, you are always running,” says Amina, who escaped Khartoum with four children and only the clothes on her back after her husband vanished in the early days of the fighting. “Running from war. Running for food.”Education has collapsed: only 45 % of displaced children across the three nations attend school regularly, while 18 % of households have been forced to send children to work.The NRC’s conclusion is stark. While resilience and generosity have kept the humanitarian response afloat, communities are signaling that they can no longer bear the burden alone. The mutual support that has acted as an “invisible backbone” is now stretched to its breaking point.This photo essay is provided by the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, calling for closer and stronger strategic coordination between Beijing and Moscow. The meeting took place in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where Xi emphasized the need to firmly defend their legitimate interests and safeguard the unity of Global South countries.Xi described the stability and certainty of China-Russia relations as particularly precious in an international landscape marked by change and chaos. This comes as the world faces growing fears over the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, which could trigger a global food crisis as critical fertiliser and fuel exports are blocked.Lavrov told a news conference after meeting Xi that Moscow could compensate for China’s energy shortages as shipping through the strait remains choked. China and Russia are not formal military allies but maintain extremely close economic and political ties, with Xi signing a 'no limits' strategic partnership with President Vladimir Putin in 2022.The visit by Lavrov to Beijing this week also included meetings with other leaders, such as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Vietnamese leader To Lam. In talks with Sanchez, Xi warned that the world was facing 'chaos and turmoil' and 'a contest between justice and force', urging closer cooperation.

For the first time in decades, Israel and Lebanon have held direct talks, signaling a potential new era in their diplomatic relations. The negotiations, which took place recently, are seen as a crucial step towards resolving longstanding conflicts and fostering cooperation between the two nations.The talks come as both countries seek to address shared concerns and navigate the complex Middle East geopolitical landscape. While details of the discussions remain scarce, the fact that they are occurring directly is being hailed as a significant diplomatic breakthrough.Observers note that this development could have far-reaching implications for regional stability and peace efforts. As Israel and Lebanon continue to engage in dialogue, the international community watches closely, hopeful that these talks will pave the way for lasting peace and cooperation in the region.

The comedy film 'Balls Up' has landed on Prime Video, and it's a ribald delight that's sure to entertain football fans looking for an escape from the doom and gloom of the host nation's World Cup. Directed by Peter Farrelly, the film stars Mark Wahlberg as Brad, a hotshot salesman who closes a deal with the Brazilian travel ministry, only to blow it by seducing a cabinet minister.The film's R-rated humor is on full display from the start, with Paul Walter Hauser playing Elijah, a sheepish product designer exec behind a revolutionary male prophylactic. The chemistry between Wahlberg and Hauser is undeniable, recalling Wahlberg's best work alongside Will Ferrell in 'The Other Guys'. The supporting cast, including Molly Shannon, Benjamin Bratt, and Sacha Baron Cohen, add to the film's humor and charm.The article praises the film's layered humor, spicy dialogue, and compounding stakes, making it a juvenile entertainment handled by professionals. The film's composer, Dave Palmer, is also commended for adding vintage samba and bossa nova sounds to the film. Overall, 'Balls Up' is a comedy that's sure to appeal to fans of raunchy humor and buddy comedies.

Just a decade ago, cord‑cutters imagined a utopia where any game could be streamed on any device for a single, affordable price. Today, that vision has morphed into a bewildering web of platforms, blackouts and fees that strain even the most devoted fans. Major League Baseball illustrates the chaos. The Yankees’ local market now requires fans to juggle seven different providers, from traditional broadcasters to Apple TV and niche apps. A season‑long Gotham Sports App pass costs $119.99, while Amazon’s Prime Video charges $14.99 per month (or $139 annually) for exclusive rights to 21 Wednesday games. Netflix, at $19.99 per month, aired the opening‑night matchup between the Yankees and Giants. Adding these together, a die‑hard fan could face a bill of roughly $800 to watch every Yankees game this year, according to a calculation by The Athletic. Even Apple’s own streaming chief, Eddy Cue, admitted the market has regressed: “You used to buy one subscription, your cable subscription, and you got pretty much everything they had. Now, there’s so many different subscriptions, so I think that needs to be fixed.” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred proposes centralising local rights by 2028, hoping to curb the splintered landscape. Yet legacy broadcasters and tech giants continue to chase lucrative deals. The NBA’s recent 11‑year, $76 billion media contract with Disney/ESPN, Amazon and NBC underscores how high the stakes have become. Rights fees are increasingly volatile. ESPN reportedly paid $550 million annually for Sunday Night Baseball, only to see MLB strike a $10 million per‑year deal with Roku for the same slot. Netflix is said to spend $50 million per season for three years to air marquee events such as Opening Night and the Home Run Derby. The NFL, the most valuable league, embraces fragmentation as a revenue strategy, distributing games across CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN/ABC, Prime Video, the NFL Network, YouTube and Netflix. By packaging boutique game bundles for streamers, the league extracts “significantly more money” beyond its core media rights. Beyond cost, the viewer experience is eroding. In‑game advertising now blankets pitches and ice rinks, while “hydration breaks” at the World Cup will feature mandatory ad slots. Streamers counter with ad‑free premium tiers, but those come at a premium comparable to airline baggage fees. Financial pressures are evident. Peacock added 44 million paying subscribers in Q4 2025, yet reported a staggering $552 million loss, largely due to expensive NBA and NFL rights. Dazn, another global sports streamer, has accumulated billions in operating losses since launch. Industry analysts warn that over‑commercialisation could alienate casual viewers, especially younger audiences with shrinking attention spans who prefer short‑form clips on platforms like TikTok. As Anthony Palomba of the University of Virginia notes, “The prospect of watching a three‑hour game versus getting bite‑sized highlights on TikTok is difficult.” Data‑driven, AI‑powered programmatic ads promise higher monetisation, turning moments—like Steph Curry’s game‑winning three‑pointer—into instant shopping opportunities. Amazon, for example, leverages its ecosystem to track the full consumer journey from view to purchase. One potential remedy is a consolidated “one‑stop‑shop” that bundles multiple sports feeds, aiming to reverse the so‑called “enshittification” of streaming services—a term coined by Cory Doctorow to describe platforms that sacrifice quality for profit. While nostalgia for the era of a single cable package persists, experts caution against romanticising the past. As former NBA commentator Jon Lewis observes, “The old days were complicated in their own ways; today’s challenge is to balance revenue with a sustainable, fan‑friendly experience.”

Negotiations between Washington and Tehran are expected to resume in Islamabad within days, placing President Donald Trump under intense pressure to deliver an Iran accord that can be credibly billed as superior to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) brokered by former President Barack Obama. Two tests dominate the diplomatic calculus: the deal must demonstrably exceed the Obama agreement, and it must ensure that Iran derives no lasting strategic advantage, particularly over the vital Strait of Hormuz. While direct comparisons with the 159‑page JCPOA are imperfect—given the evolution of Iran’s nuclear program and the emergence of non‑nuclear concerns—the Trump team is framing its objectives around four pivotal issues. 1. Enrichment suspension: In Geneva on 26 February, the U.S. demanded a 10‑year freeze on all domestic uranium enrichment, a figure Iran’s foreign minister deemed unrealistic beyond three years. In Islamabad, the U.S. escalated the ask to a 20‑year suspension, yet Trump publicly dismissed even that, insisting on a permanent ban. The practical timeline for Iran to restart enrichment after the damage to its facilities remains uncertain. 2. Highly enriched uranium (HEU) stockpile: The original JCPOA capped uranium enrichment at 3.65% and limited the stockpile to 300 kg. Iran now holds 440.9 kg of 60%‑enriched uranium—a material that can be rapidly converted to weapons‑grade (90%)—mostly stored as UF₆ gas in scuba‑tank‑sized canisters. Tehran offered to down‑blend this stockpile to 3.67% in an irreversible process, mirroring the 2015 deal’s provisions. The U.S., however, is pressing for the entire stockpile to be removed from Iran under American supervision, a stance that raises questions about the relative merits of in‑country down‑blending versus export. 3. Sanctions relief: The JCPOA promised the release of roughly $100 billion in frozen Iranian assets and the lifting of oil trade restrictions, while retaining sanctions on terrorism, human rights, and missile proliferation. In the Geneva framework, over 80% of sanctions would be lifted, leaving only human‑rights‑related measures. Trump’s administration, wary of political backlash, seeks to attach conditions on how Iran can spend the relief, a demand Tehran rejects, insisting on a permanent, irreversible lifting of sanctions. 4. Non‑nuclear issues: Trump has repeatedly criticized the JCPOA for isolating Iran’s nuclear program from its broader regional behavior. The current negotiations must grapple with Iran’s ballistic‑missile program, support for proxy forces, and the strategic future of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials are divided: one camp favors leveraging the strait for immediate revenue and national pride, while another views it as a diplomatic lever to secure a lasting ceasefire and security guarantees. The confluence of these challenges creates a “marshmallow test” for both sides—whether they can forgo short‑term temptations in favor of a durable, long‑term settlement. As the Trump presidency approaches its final year, the ability to craft a deal that convincingly outperforms the Obama era while addressing the expanded nuclear and geopolitical landscape will determine the legacy of U.S. policy on Iran and its impact on regional stability.

The Leeds Song Festival, a top-tier celebration of the vocal arts, continues to push the envelope with its innovative performances. Director Joseph Middleton's determination to think outside the box while honoring the festival's roots in traditional recitals is evident in two vastly different concerts.The first, 'Haiku', premiered last year in Minnesota and features eight poems taken from a collection of haiku written by Japanese Americans interned during World War II. Baritone Roderick Williams and pianist Iain Burnside brought these distilled musical morsels to life, exploring themes of exile, detention, and deportation.Williams, a master storyteller, breathed life into the songs with his warm vocal embrace and expressive physicality, bringing pain and pathos, wit and wisdom to a kaleidoscopic array of songs. Burnside was his equal, providing a generous and supportive piano accompaniment.The program included highlights such as Gerald Finzi's setting of Thomas Hardy, 'Waiting Both', and Joan Trimble's 'My Grief on the Sea', a delicate Irish love song. The evening ended with Maria Grever's rumba-inflected 'What a Diff'rence a Day Made', a perfect laid-back note.The second concert, 'Dunwich', a festival commission, stretched the idea of a traditional recital to the limit. This haunting soundscape combined field recordings made at the site of Dunwich's last remaining gravestone with Martin Iddon's shape-shifting writing for piano. The piece featured slyly sinister accounts of local ghost stories, delivered by speaker Gillian Jane Lees, and eerie black-and-white videos by Adam York Gregory.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a 15-year-old Indian cricketer, has been making waves in the cricket world with his impressive batting skills. During a recent Indian Premier League match, Sooryavanshi faced off against Jasprit Bumrah, widely regarded as one of the world's top bowlers. Sooryavanshi hit Bumrah's first ball over wide long-on and his third over deep-backward square, outperforming the world's best batters by nearly 1,900%.Sooryavanshi's talent has sparked debate about whether he could be cricket's next superstar. However, David Court, head of player identification at the England and Wales Cricket Board, cautions that it's too early to tell. Court emphasizes that mental toughness and adaptability are crucial for a player's success, and that Sooryavanshi still has a long way to go.Sooryavanshi's impressive performance in the Under-19 World Cup, where he scored 439 runs with a strike-rate of 169.49, has drawn praise from coaches. Paul Adams, a former South African wrist-spinner turned coach, notes that Sooryavanshi's unique style and ability to hit big shots will be tested as top bowlers start to figure him out.The article highlights the challenges young players like Sooryavanshi face in today's cricket landscape, where social media fame and pressure to perform can be overwhelming. With 3.8 million followers on Instagram, Sooryavanshi's fame has outpaced his cricket achievements, and he will need to navigate these challenges to reach his full potential.