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May 17 2026POLITICS

Hollywood’s Job Crisis Hits the Mayor’s Debate

Los Angeles city council member Nithya Raman walks through a silent film set, telling voters that the city’s once‑busy studios have shrunk since 2018. She says her own family ties to the industry make the issue personal, and she vows to keep Los Angeles as a global filming hub. The production slu

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May 17 2026POLITICS

Los Angeles in Crisis: A Personal View

He grew up here, so he knows the city well. For about eight or nine years, and especially in the last four, he says Los Angeles has fallen apart. He tells of a homeless woman who smashed his car with a rock, and he felt powerless to help. He wonders if arresting her would fix anything or ju

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May 17 2026ENTERTAINMENT

Life in the 80s: A Brother’s Gamble

A film set in 1986 follows the Pearl family from Queens. Irwin and his wife Hester live a modest life raising two boys, Ben and Scott. Scott is about to turn 18 and head off to college, a moment the family celebrates. Enter Gary, an ex‑police officer who has settled into retirement. He vis

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May 17 2026POLITICS

Taiwan’s Future: A Call for Self‑Determination

President Lai Ching‑te recently told a celebration in Taipei that the phrase “Taiwan independence” simply means the island is not part of China and that its people alone should decide what happens next. He repeated a stance his party has held since 1999: Taiwan is already a sovereign state called

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May 17 2026ENTERTAINMENT

Star Wars Comes Back to the Big Screen

A new movie called The Mandalorian and Grogu will open in theaters on May 22, 2026. It follows the adventures of Din Djarin and his child after three seasons on Disney+. This is the first new Star Wars film in theaters since 2019. The head of Lucasfilm, Dave Filoni, talked about how the fra

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May 17 2026HEALTH

Rapid Ebola Alert: WHO Speaks Fast to Stop Spread

The World Health Organization has quickly declared the Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern, only two days after it was first confirmed. This swift action is unusual; since 2005 the WHO has raised this alarm

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May 17 2026POLITICS

Israel Plans New Defence Base on Former UN Refugee Site

Israel’s cabinet has green‑lit a new military complex on the grounds that once housed the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in East Jerusalem. The plan follows last year’s removal of UNRWA buildings after the Israeli government seized the area, a move that drew international criticism for breac

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May 17 2026SCIENCE

Mind Tricks Behind Endless Scrolling

When people keep scrolling through feeds, their brains are doing more than just mindlessly looking. Studies from the University of Bristol and the University at Buffalo show that those with better working memory – the part of our brain that helps us focus – actually pay less attention to each post a

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May 17 2026POLITICS

Senator Dela Rosa Faces Court Battle Over ICC Arrest

The Philippine Supreme Court is now at the center of a heated debate as government lawyers argue against Senator Ronald dela Rosa’s request to block his arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Dela Rosa, a former police chief who led President Duterte’s controversial drug crackdown, seeks

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May 17 2026FINANCE

Paris G7 Meeting Tackles Rising Borrowing Costs and Middle East Tensions

The Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank governors will gather in Paris next week to discuss a surge in long‑term borrowing costs that has rattled global markets. The meeting comes as the conflict between Iran and its rivals continues to disrupt oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a

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