At Iranian film's Berlin premiere, calls not to forget Iranian people

Bangladesh on Thursday signed a deal with US aircraft manufacturer Boeing to buy 14 planes for its national carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the two sides announced -- the airline's biggest-ever order, in a deal valued at $3.7 billion.

Dhaka's state-run BSS news agency called it the "biggest modern fleet expansion" for the national airline, under an agreement hammered out last year as part of a tariff deal with the United States.

The deal calls for the delivery over the next decade of eight 787-10 Dreamliners, two 787-9 Dreamliners and four single-aisle 737-8 MAX jets, the company's "largest-ever order", the two sides said in a joint statement.

The 787-10s will be used to serve destinations in the Middle East, while the 787-9s will be used for long-haul flights to Europe and North America.

"The new fuel-efficient, technologically advanced aircraft will modernise Biman's fleet, sharpen operational performance, and extend its international route network," Biman CEO Kaizer Sohel Ahmed was quoted as saying.

The contract was signed at a formal ceremony in Dhaka.

Bangladesh has a reported 19 aircraft in its current fleet, an estimated 14 of them from Boeing.

Biman currently serves 22 international destinations from Dhaka, with its longest flight linking the Bangladeshi capital to Toronto via Istanbul.

The purchase was agreed in August 2025 by the caretaker government which ran the South Asian nation of 170 million people after a 2024 revolution, until a new government was elected in February.

Bangladesh, the world's second-biggest garment manufacturer, struck a trade deal with the United States to scale back President Donald Trump's punishing tariffs. 

The United States represents 20 percent of Bangladesh's ready-made garments exports.

Dhaka proposed buying Boeing planes and boosting imports of US wheat, cotton and oil to help narrow its trade deficit, which Trump used as justification for imposing painful levies.

But an initial proposed 25 aircraft was slashed to 14.

The deal sparked frustration in Europe, which had been in discussion to sell Airbus planes to Bangladesh.

Trump threatened Bangladesh with 37 percent tariffs, more than double the then 16 percent on cotton products. That was scaled back to 20 percent after the deal.

Textile and garment production accounts for about 80 percent of exports in Bangladesh and the industry has been rebuilding after the deadly 2024 unrest that toppled the government.

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US President Donald Trump said Thursday he wasn't keen on wearing a bulletproof vest despite multiple alleged assassination attempts -- as he is worried it may make him look fat.

"I don't know if I can handle looking 20 pounds heavier," Trump told reporters when asked if there were discussions about him wearing a protective vest.

Reports in US media said it was under consideration following the latest alleged attempt to kill the 79-year-old president at a Washington gala on Saturday.

"I've been asked about that. I guess it's something you consider. In one way, you don't like to do it because you're giving in to a bad element. And so, I don't know. But I have been asked about it."

A man has been charged with trying to assassinate the Republican on Saturday night at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel. Secret Service agents tackled the alleged assailant before he was able to reach the ballroom where the gala was taking place.

It was the third alleged attempt on Trump's life in the space of two years.

The most serious was when the president was wounded in the ear by a gunman at an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024. One audience member was killed.

Former reality TV star Trump is notoriously sensitive about his appearance.

His weight has been a concern, although he is slimmer in his second term as president.

A self-confessed fast food fan, Trump weighed 224 pounds (101.6 kilograms) as of his last full annual medical in April 2025, down from 243 pounds in 2019.

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Elon Musk sparred with lawyers for a third day Thursday at his California trial against OpenAI, struggling to explain why his own for-profit AI empire differs from the one he is trying to take down.

"Few answers are going to be complete, especially when you cut me off all the time," the visibly irritated multibillionaire said as he resumed his duel Thursday morning with the defense attorney for OpenAI.

Federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who must decide whether OpenAI -- the creator of ChatGPT -- betrayed its original nonprofit mission, had to intervene several times to compel the world's richest man to answer questions.

After the judge accused him of playing lawyer by complaining that opposing counsel's questions were "leading," the tech mogul conceded: "I am not a lawyer."

"Well, technically I did take Law 101 in school," he added, drawing laughter from the courtroom.

A benefactor to OpenAI's co-founders -- to whom he gave $38 million during the project's early days from 2015 to 2017 -- Musk accuses CEO Sam Altman and his partner Greg Brockman of betraying the startup's charitable mission by transforming it into a commercial company valued at more than $850 billion and poised to go public.

He is seeking to have OpenAI -- which rivals Anthropic and Google at the top of the global AI race -- return to nonprofit status, in a trial whose outcome could reshape the question of who controls AI innovation in the United States.

OpenAI's attorney William Savitt sought to demonstrate that Musk is a mirror image of what he denounces: all of his companies -- Tesla, Neuralink, X and his own AI firm xAI, recently absorbed into SpaceX -- are for-profit, and the entrepreneur himself presents them as beneficial to humanity.

"There's nothing wrong with having a for-profit organization," Musk answered, repeating his mantra: "You just can't steal a charity" -- meaning OpenAI should simply have started as a normal company from the outset.

"The worst-case situation would be that AI kills us all, I suppose," Musk declared with a smile, seizing an opening from his own attorney to invoke the climactic scenario from the film "Terminator."

The judge had sought to bar such digressions, telling Musk's attorney at the start of the hearing: "I think it's ironic that your client, despite these risks, is creating a company that's in the exact same space."

Musk's testimony concluded Thursday, his third day on the stand, although he could be called back before mid-May.

Altman, his former protégé turned adversary, was present for Thursday's exchanges and left the courthouse shortly after Musk finished.

Altman's testimony is expected next week or the week after. OpenAI President Brockman, another early co-founder, will precede him on the witness stand. A ruling on the merits is expected in mid-May.

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A relaunched Miami-Caracas flight after seven years of a standstill is paving the way for Venezuela to reclaim its status as a bustling aviation hub.

The United States is home to 1.2 million Venezuelans out of a 7.9-million-strong diaspora, according to United Nations data.

But direct US flights to its South American neighbor abruptly halted in May 2019, when President Donald Trump refused to recognize Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's disputed election win and Caracas severed diplomatic ties.

Things have changed drastically, however, since US troops captured Maduro in a deadly raid on January 3.

Under Trump's watchful eye, interim leader Delcy Rodriguez has embarked on reforms, including opening Venezuela's oil and mining sectors to private companies.

Sweeping policy overhauls are transforming the historically important aviation sector too.

From Thursday, American Airlines subsidiary Envoy Air is operating a daily flight to Caracas from Miami, where around 250,000 Venezuelans reside.

Venezuela's Laser Airlines will operate the same route from May 1.

- Closed airspace -

The reopening follows Trump's declaration in November that Venezuelan airspace should be considered shuttered during a US military deployment which eventually culminated in Maduro's capture.

The statement, coupled with a US Federal Aviation Administration warning in December, led to mass flight cancellations and reduced connectivity by over two-thirds.

The upheaval fed into Venezuela's preexisting isolation, with most major international airlines having already halted connections to the country given the government's enormous unpaid debt.

In November, it was operating only 105 weekly international flights through 12 airlines -- a small number for such a strategically located country.

With 151 weekly international flights currently in operation, Venezuelan Airline Association (ALAV) president Marisela de Loaiza views increasing air traffic as crucial for normalization.

"The route between Venezuela and the United States is a natural connection, given the long-standing relations between both countries and Venezuelans' preference for traveling there," Loaiza said.

Copa Airlines operates the most flights, including 19 per week to Panama, and in March, Brazil's GOL launched four weekly flights from Sao Paulo.

When security conditions improved, "we had no choice but to come back -- very gladly," said GOL advisor Alberto Fajerman.

Long-haul flights to Europe are mostly handled by Turkish Airlines and Spanish carrier Iberia.

Venezuelan airlines Estelar, Laser and Plus Ultra also offer flights to the Spanish capital.

- Nostalgia, home visits -

ALAV's Loaiza is confident that reinstating connectivity  will encourage other US companies to relaunch strategic routes -- particularly from Houston, which is vital for the oil industry.

Some believe direct flights would incentivize investors to explore opportunities in Venezuela.

Loaiza is also hoping for a revival of "nostalgia tourism" for diaspora members.

"One of the first waves we're expecting is that of Venezuelans who are coming back to visit their families and to make it easier for their children, who don't know the country, to travel here," Loaiza said.

But she warned that reactivating consular services was essential, given the large number of Venezuelans who require a US visa.

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Missoula, Mont. — The University of Montana athletic department and Destination Missoula partnered to bring more visitors to the city and help local businesses.

The effort centered on fans who travel to Missoula for games and spend money across the community. University officials and business owners said that could make a noticeable difference for the local economy.

UM Athletic Director Kent Haslam said more than half of football season ticket holders traveled nearly three hours or more to get to Missoula. He explained that people drove in from around the region and across the state, making in-person attendance important for the program.

"We know that more than half of our football season ticket holders travel nearly three hours to get here or more. And so we're at drive people from all over this region and from all over the state. And so certainly staying competitive so that the people have the reason to want to come here and watch the game in person instead of just staying home and watching on TV," said Kent Haslam.

For local stores, the spending choices visitors make can shape business traffic during game weekends. That was part of the concern shared by one Missoula shop manager.

"It always depends on what people have for their budgets. So they're spending more money on gas and things like that. They're not as likely to come into our shops and spend money here," said Kristal Senne of Importance Store Management.

The partnership was expected to create new opportunities for the athletic program and for businesses in Missoula as both sides worked to draw more fans and visitors to the Garden City.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he may pull US troops from Italy and Spain due to their opposition to the Iran war, a day after proposing a similar reduction in Germany.

"Yeah, probably, I probably will. Why shouldn't I?" Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if he would consider reducing American troop numbers in Spain and Italy too.

"Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible."

Trump said on Wednesday that Washington was "studying and reviewing the possible reduction" of US troops in Germany, saying he would decide in a "short period of time."

As of December 31, 2025, there were 12,662 active-duty US troops in Italy and 3,814 in Spain. In Germany there were 36,436.

The US leader has been bitterly critical of NATO allies for failing to help with the US-Israeli operation against Iran or with keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for oil tanker traffic.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni lacks "courage" on Iran, Trump told Italian daily Corriere della Sera earlier this month, in a surprising attack on a formerly close right-wing ally.

Last week, a report said that the United States was considering trying to suspend Spain from NATO over its refusal to support military operations against Iran.

Trump has also lambasted Madrid for failing to increase defense spending.

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Brazil's Congress on Thursday overturned President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's veto of a law dramatically reducing the prison sentence of his arch-rival Jair Bolsonaro, the second major defeat for Lula in as many days.

Former president Bolsonaro, 71, was sentenced last year to 27 years behind bars for coup plotting over his attempt to cling to power after losing the 2022 elections to Lula.

The left-wing Lula had attempted to block a subsequent push by the conservative-majority Congress to reduce Bolsonaro's term to a little over two years. 

But lawmakers on Thursday overrode his veto of a law changing how prison sentences are calculated.

The opposition carried the vote by a large majority of 318 to 144 in the Chamber of Deputies and 49 to 24 in the Senate.

The vote represents another major setback for Lula, who is campaigning for a fourth term, after the Senate on Wednesday rejected his pick for Supreme Court justice, Jorge Messias.

It was the first time in decades that the president's candidate for a seat on the top court was rejected, underscoring the deep divisions in Brazil five months before presidential elections.

- Brasilia rioters to benefit -

Former army captain Bolsonaro served a single term as president from 2019 to 2022.

His coup trial was seen as a test of Brazilian democracy.

The law on his early release benefits not just the right-wing firebrand.

It also favors Bolsonaro's co-accused in the coup trial as well as dozens of people imprisoned over 2023 pro-Bolsonaro riots in Brasilia.

On January 8 that year, Bolsonaro supporters vandalized government buildings in scenes reminiscent of the January 2021 US Capitol riots by supporters of President Donald Trump.

Bolsonaro has denied all the charges against him.

He and his supporters, including Trump, have argued he is the victim of a left-wing judicial "witch hunt."

Last month, he was moved to house arrest to recuperate after being hospitalized with bronchopneumonia.

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino reiterated that Iran will play their World Cup games in the United States as scheduled as football's power-brokers met in Vancouver on Thursday.

Iran's participation at this year's World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States has been shrouded in uncertainty since the eruption of war in the Middle East in February following strikes by the United States and Israel.

Infantino, who has repeatedly stated that Iran will be at the World Cup, underscored that stance at the start of his address to delegates as FIFA's 76th Congress got under way in western Canada.

"Let me start by the outset, confirming straightaway that of course Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026," Infantino said. "And of course, Iran will play (in) the United States of America."

Infantino's remarks drew swift support from close ally US President Donald Trump, who told reporters in the Oval Office he was "OK" with Iran's participation.

"Well, if Gianni said it, I'm OK," Trump said. "I think let 'em play." 

Iranian officials had floated the idea of shifting their group games from the United States to Mexico, but that proposal had already been nixed by Infantino.

In a further twist last week, Italy-born US special envoy Paolo Zampolli was reported to have floated the idea of Italy taking Iran's World Cup place.

The US government later distanced themselves from that proposal, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Iran's footballers would be welcome.

But the tension surrounding Iran's World Cup participation rumbled into the build-up to Thursday's summit.

Iran's delegation was the only absentee from the 211-member congress as Thursday's meeting got under way after a clash with Canadian border officials earlier this week.

Officials from the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) abruptly left Canada after landing in Toronto, abandoning their onward trip to Vancouver.

Iranian media said FFIRI president Mehdi Taj -- a former member of Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) -- and two colleagues flew home after being "insulted" by Canadian immigration officers.

Canada, which designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in 2024, said Wednesday that individuals linked to the force were "inadmissible."

Iran, who are due to be based in Tucson, Arizona, during the World Cup, face New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G.

The Iranians open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.

- Infantino election boost -

FIFA supremo Infantino went into Thursday's summit with his organization under fire over skyrocketing ticket costs for the World Cup, which one supporters group has branded a "monumental betrayal" of fans.

Infantino brushed off those criticisms in his address, insisting that all revenues from the World Cup -- estimated between $11 and $13 billion -- would be pumped back into football development.

"There are expensive tickets, yes, (but) there are also affordable tickets," Infantino said. "And what is important is that all the revenues that we generate from the world go back to the entire world and finance football in all of your countries."

Infantino's close ties to US President Trump have also come under scrutiny. 

Advocacy group Fairsquare filed a formal complaint in December arguing that Infantino had breached FIFA rules concerning political neutrality by awarding Trump the inaugural "FIFA Peace Prize" during last year's World Cup draw.

However Infantino received a huge boost to his hopes of securing re-election as the head of world football on Thursday after receiving pledges of support from the African and Asian regional confederations.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have both said they will back Infantino if, as expected, he stands for a fourth term in 2027.

The African and Asian confederations account for 101 votes in FIFA's presidential election out of a total of 211.

Infantino has already secured support for re-election from South American football's ruling body CONMEBOL, which is worth a further 10 votes.

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The Iranian film crew behind "Roya", which recounts the torment and trauma of a political prisoner in Tehran's Evin prison, urged the Iranian people "not to be forgotten" at the film's German premiere.

Director Mahnaz Mohammadi, 51, likened the "existence of the Iranian people today" to the unbearable life endured by the film's imprisoned protagonist, Roya.

Mohammadi, in an interview with AFP on Wednesday at the screening at a Berlin cinema, said Iranian prisoners are being put to death every four to six hours in the country "without justice".

She said she had been forced to witness several hangings while imprisoned in Iran herself.

The film, which opens with a lengthy sequence of physical and psychological torture inflicted on Roya, was already presented at the prestigious Berlinale film festival in February.

It is set to be released in German theatres on May 7.

Most of "Roya" was shot primarily in Georgia, although some scenes were clandestinely filmed inside Iran.

It is based primarily on Mohammadi's own experience. The filmmaker and human rights activist was imprisoned "six or seven times" over the past two decades, including in Tehran's infamous Evin prison.

The film "is just a glimpse of what is happening in Iran at the moment", insisted the film's Iranian producer, Farzad Pak, at the premiere.

Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025 -- the highest figure since 1989 -- according to recent reports from the NGOs Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM), who warn that the trend could worsen if the Islamic Republic "survives the current crisis".

"Thousands of people are in prison, and they are in line for execution," Pak said. "Please do not forget about Iran."

"Just watching this film, especially now, is so important because so many people just going through this war and forgetting about what is happening there in the prisons," actress Maryam Palizban told AFP.

A total of 21 people have been executed and more than 4,000 arrested in Iran for political or what authorities describe as national security reasons since the start of the conflict, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday.

Mohammadi told AFP that the people still in Iran that she has heard from are "tired" but "the people are still hoping for the day after the Islamic Republic".

For them, Mohammadi said, the hope of one day seeing the end of the regime means "we can bear it, we can stand it".

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(The Center Square) – Camp Mystic owners have agreed to suspend camp operations this summer after being called to do so by state lawmakers and parents whose daughters were swept away from cabins and survived or died in them during last summer's Hill Country flood.  

The decision was announced Thursday, 48 hours after the second day of legislative hearings into the camp concluded in Austin. A bipartisan joint Texas Senate and House investigating committee overseeing a state legislative investigation heard evidence and testimony about multiple failures at Camp Mystic during and after the flood event. The all-girl’s camp in Hunt, Texas, licensed by the state at the time, is where 25 campers and two counselors died July 4. 

Multiple wrongful death lawsuits have been filed against the camp alleging gross negligence. A lawsuit filed against the Department of State Health Services is also ongoing, alleging it wrongfully granted the camp’s operating license last year despite the camp not being in compliance with state laws and regulations. Three state investigations into the camp are ongoing: one by the state legislature, one by DSHS and a criminal investigation by the Texas Rangers.  

On Monday and Tuesday, state lawmakers and parents called for DSHS to suspend Camp Mystic’s license and prohibit its owners, members of the Eastland family, from having anything to do with the care of children. 

By Thursday, the owners, members of the Eastland family, announced they had informed DSHS they were withdrawing their application for a summer 2026 camp license.

“No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July’s tragedy,” they said in an emailed statement. “We recognize that no statement and no decision can undo that loss or ease the burden carried each day by parents, siblings, loved ones, survivors, first responders and our beautiful Kerr County community.”

The family said it made the decision in order to “remove any doubt that Camp Mystic has heard the concerns expressed by grieving families, members of the Texas House and Senate investigating committees and citizens across our state. Respect for those voices requires that we step back now.

“Camp Mystic will continue to fully cooperate with all ongoing investigations, comply with every lawful requirement and continue supporting recovery and healing efforts. Today is not about camp operations. It is about respect for the families, accountability to the public and reverence for the memory of the lives lost.”

The reversal comes two days after the Eastlands remained defiant about continuing to operate despite the ongoing criminal investigation and their ongoing appeal with a court order demanding that they not destroy evidence and tear down cabins where campers died. 

On Tuesday, Britt Eastland was adamant that the camp would continue operating and that parents would thank them for doing so in five or 10 years, The Center Square reported. The Eastlands also maintained that they would appeal if DSHS denied their license, also saying they sought to gross $4 million this summer. 

They have also maintained they are in full compliance with the law, which state lawmakers openly rejected. State Sen. Charles Perty, R-Lubbock, and others pointed to 22 deficiencies in their current DSHS application, including not having an evacuation plan, The Center Square reported. State Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, asked them if they understood the trauma they were causing others by stating in their application that they planned to have swimming, snorkeling and canoeing in the river this summer where campers drowned.

State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, expressed exasperation with Mary Liz Eastland, the camp’s registered nurse and camp’s health officer, who as of Tuesday still had not reported the deaths of 27 girls as required by law. State law requires that state licensed facilities and state licensed medical professionals report deaths within 24 hours. 

A Camp Mystic mother and Austin surgeon whose daughter survived the flood pointed to multiple potential medical violations Eastland allegedly committed, both legally and ethically, according to medical duty of care standards, The Center Square reported. 

In response to the camp withdrawing its license application, Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement, "Camp Mystic will remain closed for 2026. The DSHS continues working with the Texas Rangers to investigate Camp Mystic. The results of that investigation will be made public as soon as possible."

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who'd been demanding DSHS pull the camp's license, said, "At the conclusion of heartbreaking testimony from the families of Heaven’s 27 two days ago, I was hopeful the Eastland family would consider withdrawing their 2026 Camp Mystic license application for this summer. I am thankful to hear that, today, the Eastland family withdrew their application. Given the tragic circumstances, this is the correct decision to protect Texas campers and to allow time for all investigations to be completed."