Farhadi, Almodovar, Zvyagintsev to vie for top Cannes Festival prize

US President Donald Trump's Republicans on Thursday blocked an attempt by the opposition Democrats to curb his authority to wage war in Iran, amid mounting frustration in Congress over his handling of the Middle East conflict.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sought to pass a war powers resolution by "unanimous consent" -- a procedure that bypasses the need to hold a recorded vote, provided no one objects -- but was stopped, as expected, by the Republican majority's presiding officer.

The maneuver, staged during a short procedural session while lawmakers remain out of Washington, was largely symbolic but underscored growing Democratic anger over a conflict that has not been formally authorized by Congress.

Jeffries had urged colleagues to attend the session and press for immediate action, arguing a recently announced two-week ceasefire was "woefully insufficient" and calling for a permanent end to US involvement in the war.

Republicans, however, showed little appetite to challenge Trump's authority.

Some have backed the administration's handling of the conflict, while others -- though uneasy about the lack of congressional oversight -- have stopped short of supporting measures that could constrain military operations.

The failed push sets the stage for a more consequential showdown next week, when lawmakers return from a two-week recess and Democrats plan to force a recorded vote on the resolution.

Jeffries has said he believes only a small number of Republicans would need to break ranks for the measure to pass.

In the Senate, Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has signaled a parallel effort, with a vote expected in the coming days.

Similar measures have struggled to gain traction in the past, and Republican opposition remains strong despite signs of unease within the party.

Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, Congress is required to act within 60 days of the start of an unauthorized military conflict -- a deadline that could intensify pressure on lawmakers if the Iran war continues.

"The American people are with us," Jeffries told left-leaning cable news network MS NOW ahead of the vote.

"They don't want to see billions of dollars being spent dropping bombs in Iran from an administration that's not willing to spend a dime to actually make life more affordable for the American people."

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Thousands of Iranians rallied Thursday in a tribute to former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed on the first day of the war with the United States and Israel, expressing criticism of talks expected in Pakistan this week.

Holding portraits of their deceased leader and waving the national flags of the Islamic republic, supporters of Khamenei took part in rallies across the country after he died in the US-Israeli attack on February 28.

The 40-day mourning period following a death is an important rite of passage for Muslims.

"The killing of our beloved leader was truly cowardly," Maryam Esmaeili, a 33-year-old private-sector employee, told AFP, adding that the US and Israel "crossed our red line".

The most notable gatherings took place in the capital Tehran, where strikes have ceased since a fragile ceasefire came into effect on Tuesday night, as well as the northwest city of Urmia and northeast Gorgan.

Khamenei was 86 years old, having led the Islamic republic for more than 36 years. 

His son Mojtaba, who succeeded him in early March, was not present on Thursday. He was wounded in a strike, according to Iranian officials, and has yet to appear in public since his appointment.

President Masoud Pezeshkian participated in the tribute and posed for photos with attendees, according to images broadcast on state television.

The national tribute began at 9:40 am (0610 GMT), the same time that strikes killed Khamenei at his residence in Tehran along with dozens of high-ranking officers and officials.

- 'Victory' -

The attack marked the beginning of a conflict that subsequently engulfed the entire Middle East, with Iran retaliating with missile and drone attacks on Israel and Gulf nations it accuses of serving as launchpads for US strikes.

A state funeral for Khamenei was initially announced but could ultimately not be held because of the war.

"The leader is alive, he always prays for us and he is watching all of us now, and victory is definitely ours," said Nastaran Safaie, a 24-year-old university student.

Esmaeili said she has little hope for the negotiations expected to take place before the end of the week in Pakistan, accusing the Americans of acting in bad faith.

"What they say about the ceasefire and its violation is a repetition of history," she said. 

"It should be a lesson for the honourable people of Iran not to be fooled by the empty promises of hypocritical countries."

Others like Mahdi Mohaddes, a 41-year-old engineer, echoed her sentiment.

"I hope this (the talks) doesn't happen. If I were in the shoes of the officials, I would reconsider and not participate in these negotiations," he said.

Mohammad Hossein Bonakdar, a 44-year-old institute director, was thinking of Lebanon, where Israel killed more than 200 people on Wednesday in strikes unprecedented in its current war against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

"Everyone is very upset and sad and expects that appropriate action will be taken," he said. 

"But ultimately, any decision that the leadership of the revolution announces is obligatory and we will obey."

Mohaddes, surrounded by Hezbollah flags, said the movement allied with Tehran has given "its life and blood" to Iranians.

"Now it is our duty to act in response to this aggression," he said.

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(The Center Square) – New research shows California is the Not-So-Golden State when it comes to jobs.

Pacific Research Institute, a Pasadena-based, nonpartisan free market think tank, went as far back as March 2001 to examine past business cycles and how California’s employment market and overall economy stack up against other states. The results are in PRI's new report "California at a Crossroads: How Bad Policy Cost California Its Economic Edge – and How to Win It Back." Authors are Wayne Winegarden, a senior fellow in business and economics for PRI, and Kerry Jackson, a journalist, opinion writer and fellow at PRI's Center for California Reform.

Winegarden said California’s employment market was outpacing the country after the financial crisis of 2007. However, that has changed in recent years.

“What we're seeing now - since February 2020, the current cycle - the overall non-farm employment growth in California is less than half the growth of jobs that we've seen nationally,” Winegarden told The Center Square. “In fact, if you start breaking that down and look at the private sector, it's even slower relative to the nation.”

Outside of health care jobs, California’s private sector employment is shrinking, said Winegarden, who's also director of PRI's Center for Medical Economics and Innovation.

“This is relative to kind of our last peak,” said Winegarden. “Where you've seen growth nationally, you're seeing a decline in California.”

Pointing to fiscal and regulatory policies impacting things such as taxes and energy prices, Winegarden said the state is “basically disincentivizing growth and discouraging people from wanting to live in the state.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has stated on numerous occasions that his state is doing well in terms of job creation. During his 2026 State of the State address, Newsom said, “No state builds more ladders to success or sees around more corners.” The Democratic governor, who will be termed out in early January 2027 and is widely expected to run for president in 2028, also spoke highly of state sectors such as manufacturing and agriculture.

“The biggest manufacturing economy is constructed here, the most productive agricultural economy is grown here,” said Newsom in January 2026. “Eighteen percent of the world’s R&D: invested here. Half of our nation’s unicorns — $1 billion startups: headquartered here. The happiest cities in America: right here. Fremont, San Jose, Irvine, San Francisco and San Diego”

Newsom made similar comments in February while at a “Jobs Jobs Jobs” tour that included stops in Orange and Kern counties.

“We have no peers,” said Newsom around 20 minutes into the live-streamed event.

Winegarden had a word for this: "Spin."

In his report, Winegarden wrote that, at its peak in 2021, California accounted for 14.5% of the national economy. That is no longer the case, he said. In fact, Winegarden wrote California is not the country’s economic leader of the 2020s.

California’s dominance in technology jobs is lessening. There was a 0% change in tech jobs in 2023 compared to states such as Texas reporting 2.8% growth and Florida right behind with 2.7% growth. In 2024, California saw a 3.4% decline in tech jobs while the Lone Star and Sunshine states experienced slight upticks.

Winegarden also noted California has seen a “relative manufacturing decline that began in earnest in 2010.” For every 10,000 residents in the state, Winegarden found there are only 334 manufacturing jobs, which pales in comparison to the top five states – Wisconsin (789), Indiana (758), Iowa (698), Kansas (601) and Michigan (599).

“Less-regulated, lower-tax states such as Kentucky (575), Alabama (558), Arkansas (530), Nebraska (530), Tennessee (509), South Carolina (491), Mississippi (488), and South Dakota (487) all have better per capita factory jobs numbers,” wrote Winegarden in PRI’s report. 

These things also have negative impacts on small businesses built around big companies. Winegarden called this “disconcerting” because small businesses are the backbone of the economy and play an essential economic role.”

Meanwhile, businesses of all sizes need people, and Winegarden said people have been moving out of California for years.

“Californians are choosing to live elsewhere,” he said.

Among the metropolitan areas, Los Angeles County’s loss of 53,394 people between July 2024 and July 2025 was the largest in the country. Orange, San Diego and Ventura counties were also among the top 10 metro areas that lost the most people.

Winegarden added that “what’s really disconcerting” is that the artificial intelligence industry is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, yet technology jobs are growing less in this region.

“We have these assets, and yet while we have these really important assets, we're still not generating the jobs, and we're not generating the growth you would expect,” said Winegarden. “So the fact that AI is centered here, and yet our job performance is worse than the national average, and the organization overall, that is really, really an indictment of what's happening here.”

Americans living in other states may see a story about California and dismiss it thinking it does not impact them, but Winegarden said that would be a mistake. Connecticut, for example, needs California to be successful and growing just as California needs Connecticut to be successful and growing, he said.

“We are one national economy," Winegarden said, noting Americans do better when growth is solid across the country.

“When California doesn't do as well, that dampens growth across the country, and when California does better, other states do better, and it works in reverse too,” said Winegarden. “We're one economy, and we really need to be rooting for one another, not constantly tearing each other down.”

Winegarden said California’s problems can be remedied. He recommended lawmakers “rethink and reform” fiscal and regulatory policies.

For example, legislators should “aim to reduce the total per capita state tax collections closer to the national average of $4,329," Winegarden said.

At the same time, lawmakers should practice “greater fiscal discipline on the state’s spending," he said.

As for deregulation efforts, Winegarden said those should start with reforming the California Environmental Quality Act. According to the economist, “CEQA is preventing the construction of needed roads, bridges, rails, and water and telecom infrastructure,” while also obstructing the construction of schools and hospitals, and stalling efforts to do things like increasing wildfire resilience.

“Reforms should limit the ability of groups to use CEQA as a cudgel to obstruct any development and impose stringent transparency requirements on CEQA litigation funding,” wrote Winegarden. “To further alleviate the excessive cost of housing, restrictive state and local regulations need to be relaxed, including land-use and zoning regulations.”

Winegarden said eliminating rent controls will remove “a major disincentive that obstructs the construction and development of rental units.”

By removing disincentives to build more housing, Winegarden said, California will not only promote greater housing affordability, but it will also significantly upgrade the quality of housing for many Californians. 

Russian law enforcement agents on Thursday raided the offices of the Novaya Gazeta independent media outlet, the paper said, adding that a reporter was being questioned by the police. 

Novaya Gazeta was for years Russia's leading investigative independent outlet and was targeted heavily for its critical reporting and investigations into human rights abuses.

"At around 12.00 pm (0900 GMT), security officers in masks started carrying out investigative actions at the editorial office of Novaya Gazeta," the outlet said on social media.

"We don't know the reason. The outlet's lawyers are not being allowed into the office, where some staff members are also present."

Russian state news agencies reported, citing anonymous law enforcement sources, that the raid was related to one of the paper's top journalists Oleg Roldugin. 

Novaya Gazeta said that "after morning searches in his flat, he (Roldugin) was taken to Moscow's main investigative directorate of the ministry of internal affairs for questioning" without a lawyer. It said it could not confirm whether the raid on the outlet's office was linked to Roldugin. 

The investigative journalist reported on corruption in Russia's top brass, including former President Dmitry Medvedev and the influential head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. 

An AFP reporter in Moscow saw two vans of Russia's Investigative Committee parked in a yard outside the offices and staff stood inside the entrance foyer.

The paper's then editor-in-chief, Dmitry Muratov, jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for his "efforts to safeguard freedom of expression" at the helm of the paper.

Several Novaya Gazeta reporters have been murdered in killings widely seen as retribution.

They include Anna Politkovskaya, who spent years investigating allegations of abuses by Russia's military during its campaigns in Chechnya.

She was found dead in her apartment block on President Vladimir Putin's birthday in October 2006.

The paper, which used to be published several times a week, cut down production inside the country after Russia introduced military censorship at the start of its offensive on Ukraine in 2022.

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From bistro counters to luxury hotels, the humble Parisian ham sandwich or "jambon beurre" has undergone a dramatic luxury makeover. 

Once the no-frills lunch of hurried, cash-strapped workers, the humble ham and butter baguette has in recent years become a gourmet classic.

When he was a student in the 1970s and "completely broke", restaurateur Gilles Caussade's lunch would be a sandwich made "with day-old bread, butter spread and scraped straight off and a token slice of ham", eaten standing at a cafe counter. 

Forty years later when he took over one of those timeless Parisian bistros, Le Petit Vendome, in a chic street between the Louvre and the Opera, Caussade made a bold choice: change absolutely nothing -- especially not its stonking "jambon beurre" sandwich. 

From the Formica tables and the wine measured with a string, right down to the well-worn wooden board used to assemble the sandwiches, everything stayed.

Celebrities like Lady Gaga and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg to bankers, students and tourists have all come since for a sandwich -- at just 6.50 euros. 

Last year Time Out magazine crowned it the "best sandwich in the world".

Social media then sent demand soaring. Barriers now manage queues spilling onto the narrow pavement and a dedicated payment terminal keeps pace with the roughly 400 sandwiches sold daily from morning until midnight.

- Half a baguette -

Caussade said his jambon beurre rests on "five secrets that are no longer secret". 

"First, half a baguette with two crusty ends -- otherwise it's too dry. Then churned Normandy butter in a block, always unsalted. Salt on cured meat is salt on salt, it makes no sense," he said. 

"Top quality products, 99 percent from Auvergne" in rustically rural central France. "Then the fact it's made to order because a refrigerated sandwich just can't taste like this. The bread gets soggy, the butter hardens. 

"And finally, generosity," he added.

For a trio of American women in beige trenchcoats who waited 15 minutes to order, the experience lived up to the hype.

"My daughter saw it on TikTok and we had to come," said tourist Lauren Davies. "I get it, for Parisians this is what a hot dog is to New Yorkers." 

- Sophisticated -

The upward climb of the worker's sandwich shows no signs of slowing. In 2024, star pastry chef Cedric Grolet sparked an online uproar when he introduced a truffle "jambon beurre".

At the Ritz Paris, patissier Joris Theysset said he "fully embraces" the concept, offering what may be the city's most expensive jambon beurre at 15 euros.

"A traditional 'Parisien' is usually 60 percent bread and the rest filling. We decided to reverse that," he told AFP.

His version features a rich, flaky bread shaped like a horseshoe, filled with Prince de Paris ham -- made artisanally in the capital -- fine shavings of Comte cheese, mustard-infused butter and slender gherkins.  

"The idea is to elevate a symbol of French and Parisian cuisine using all the Ritz's expertise and premium products, while staying true to childhood memories," he said.

From Coco Chanel's little black dress to the jambon beurre, the French philosophy that true sophistication comes from simplicity still holds. 

We have come a long way "from the 1970s when, with industrial sandwiches and declining bakery quality, things weren't great," said Alain Roussel, known as Alain Miam Miam, another Parisian ham sandwich legend. 

From his popular stand at a bustling food spot on the edge of the Marais district, he sells 300 to 400 made-to-order sandwiches daily, overflowing with fresh ingredients in rustic bread.

"With organic bread, high quality but controlled costs," and a 13.50-euro price tag, the retiree has found his own recipe for success.

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England's final two World Cup warm-up friendlies will likely take place in sweltering Florida heat after the Three Lions' schedule was finalised on Thursday.

Thomas Tuchel's men will take on New Zealand on June 6 in Tampa Bay before facing Costa Rica four days later in Orlando.

Both games will kick off at 1600 local time (2000GMT) as England aim to acclimatise for punishing conditions once the competition gets underway.

Tuchel's squad will then head to Kansas City, where they will be based at the Soccer Swope Village for the duration of the tournament.

The Missouri city was the English Football Association's preferred location, despite two of their group games and several potential knockout matches being on the east coast of the United States.

England begin their quest for a first major tournament win since 1966 against Croatia in Dallas on June 17.

The side ranked fourth in the world then face Ghana in Boston and Panama in New Jersey.

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An animal welfare charity has revealed it rescued more than 250 dogs from one UK home, with a photo of the scene prompting "disbelief" and false claims that the image was generated by artificial intelligence.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) said the more than 250 poodle-cross breeds were found at the property in an undisclosed location earlier this year.

The world's oldest animal welfare organisation, the RSPCA took in 87 of the rescued canines, while the remainder went to another charity, the Dogs Trust.

The RSPCA said the "shocking" case was just the latest example of its staff discovering large numbers of pets needing rescuing from a single home.

It responded to 4,200 incidents last year across England and Wales that involved at least 10 animals at the same address -- a 70-percent rise since 2021.

Cases involving dozens and even hundreds of animals were "on the rise", and can be linked to mental health struggles, the cost-of-living crisis, or breeders operating with poor practices, the charity said.

The RSPCA said people had incorrectly suggested the image of the rescued poodle-cross dogs was fake, after it was posted on social media and caused "disbelief among the general public".

It showed dozens of the dogs, many in poor physical condition, crammed into the dilapidated living room of the home.

The charity has had to respond to dozens of comments from concerned people.

"This shocking image is the reality of many multi-animal cases and the situation our frontline officers seem to be confronting more and more," RSPCA Superintendent Jo Hirst said Wednesday after the photo went viral.

"We understand that people are so aghast they don't believe what they are seeing," she added in a statement. "But this photo is not AI -- it's real."

The RSPCA has not revealed further details about the case, including the location of the home, because the people involved were considered "extremely vulnerable", it said.

The numbers and living conditions of the dogs had rapidly grown out of control amid extenuating family circumstances, according to the charity.

Hirst said it was "the staggering reality of what can happen when even well-meaning owners become overwhelmed".

"Over-breeding can take over, and conditions can spiral out of control," she added.

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Defending champion Rory McIlroy saved par on the first hole to begin his opening round Thursday at the 90th Masters while rivals made hot starts at a firm and fast Augusta National.

The world number two, who completed a career Grand Slam by taking his first green jacket last year, is trying to join Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as the only back-to-back Masters winners.

McIlroy, a five-time major champion, sent his tee shot at the first hole under pine trees left of the fairway, then was short of the green but bounced onto the putting surface and sank a five-foot par putt.

McIlroy said before the start he relished "being free in my swing and in my thoughts" on the first tee before challenging the lightning-fast Augusta greens.

"It's going to be a tough test," McIlroy said. "The wind is going to be up. Greens are going to get firm. It's certainly not going to be a birdie-fest.

"It's going to require patience. It's going to require more of a mental grind maybe."

World number three Cameron Young, who won last month's Players Championship, opened with a bogey, playing alongside McIlroy.

Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, seized the early lead at three-under par.

The American sank a six-foot birdie putt at the first then holed out from off the green at the second for eagle.

A pack on two-under included Kurt Kitayama after birdies at the par-three sixth and par-four seventh.

Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal, the 1994 and 1999 Masters champion, birdied the par-five second and par-three third holes then parred his way through the front nine.

The 60-year-old Spaniard, among the first players on the course, sank a birdie putt on the second hole and curled in a 30-foot birdie putt at the third.

England's Tommy Fleetwood birdied the second and third holes.

Ireland's Shane Lowry, the 2019 British Open winner who sank the trophy-clinching putt for Europe in last year's Ryder Cup, began with back-to-back birdies but fell back with a double bogey at the par-three fourth.

Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 and 2024 US Open champion, made a bogey at the second.

The American won LIV Golf titles last month at Singapore and South Africa and pressed McIlroy in last year's Masters final Sunday group before sharing fifth.

Alongside DeChambeau were England's Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, and compatriot Xander Schauffele, the 2024 British Open and PGA Chamoionship winner.

World number one Scottie Scheffler, a four-time major champion, launches his quest for a third Masters crown in five seasons at 1:44 p.m. (1744 GMT) in the penultimate group alongside fellow American Gary Woodland, who two weeks ago won his first title since the 2019 US Open, and Scotsman Robert MacIntyre.

Spain's Jon Rahm, the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters winner, is also among the afternoon starters, going off alongside Sweden's Ludvig Aberg, a 2024 Masters runner-up in his major debut, and American Chris Gotterup at 1:08 p.m.

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The European Union will not be able to compete in the global artificial intelligence race by hurting companies in other countries, US envoy to the EU Andrew Puzder told AFP on Thursday.

The EU will next month unveil plans to boost Europe's tech sector and cut what it describes as an overreliance on foreign firms, especially US tech giants.

The measures will cover the cloud, AI and semiconductor sectors. Many European companies and governments rely on US cloud providers, dominated by Amazon, Microsoft and Google.

"Europe will not be able to pull itself into the AI economy by bringing other people down," Puzder said in an interview at the US mission to the EU in Brussels when asked about the plans.

A major buzzword in Europe today is competitivity and how the EU can better compete against Chinese and American rivals, but Puzder questioned whether the EU was focused more on boosting itself or on hampering foreign rivals.

"Is it making Europe more competitive or making other people less competitive? One is a good plan. The other is a bad plan," Puzder said.

He said the United States "would love Europe to partner with us as we face off against China in this AI race" but took aim at the EU's moves against US tech.

"To partner with us, they have to have access to the data centres and the hardware stack -- and you got to stop punishing the companies that are trying to bring those things to you," Puzder said.

The EU has fined US companies billions of euros for violations of digital competition and online content rules in recent years.

It has been one of the biggest points of contention between Brussels and Washington, but Puzder struck a conciliatory tone after last week's announcement of a "dialogue" between the EU and United States.

The EU last week said the two sides would tackle tensions over digital issues through talks, which Puzder echoed, though he said the process had not yet started.

"I would like us to stop talking at each other and start speaking with each other," he said.

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Donald Trump's ambassador to the EU denied in an AFP interview Thursday that the US leader or his vice president were "meddling" in Hungary's election by endorsing nationalist incumbent Viktor Orban.

Speaking two days after JD Vance travelled to Budapest to stump with Orban, US envoy Andrew Puzder noted that both Trump and his vice president had "been very vocal on their support" for the Hungarian prime minister.

Trump last month pledged his "complete and total" support for Orban's bid to secure a fifth term on Sunday.

But the ambassador pushed back at the charge that the visit by Vance -- who railed against Brussels "bureaucrats" he accused of pushing for Orban's ouster -- amounted to interference.

"I do not believe that what the vice president or the president did was meddling in the Hungarian election," Puzder said, adding of Vance: "I think he was careful not to be coercive, or make economic threats, or do the kinds of things that could be coercive."

The EU leader with the closest ties to both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Orban faces an unprecedented challenge to his 16-year rule in Sunday's vote.

His conservative rival Peter Magyar -- well ahead in the polls with three days to go -- warned ahead of Vance's visit against any US attempt to tip the scales, while also pushing back at the narrative casting him as the candidate of Brussels.

"No foreign country may interfere in Hungarian elections," he wrote on X Tuesday, adding: "Hungarian history is not written in Washington, Moscow, or Brussels."

- 'A good ally' -

Trump's administration has embraced as part of its national security strategy the promotion of hard-right forces in Europe -- casting migration and "woke" values as a "civilisational" threat to the Old Continent.

Pressed on why Washington has swung in so hard behind Orban when his conservative challenger Magyar espouses many of the same policy positions -- particularly on Ukraine -- Puzder suggested it came down to a tougher line on migration and "family values."

"I think on immigration, he's been very consistent that his position is much closer to the president's," he said of Orban.

Ultimately, Puzder said, Trump "feels that prime minister Orban is a good ally."

Orban's warm relationship with the United States -- whose top diplomat Marco Rubio also visited in February to boost his reelection bid -- stands in stark contrast to his fraught relations with EU partners.

Since coming to power, the Hungarian nationalist has increasingly locked horns with Brussels, which accuses him of quashing dissent and eroding the rule of law, and has frozen billions of euros in funding.

The closest ally in the bloc to Putin's Russia, Orban has defied consensus on Ukraine, stymying sanctions and blocking billions of euros in aid for Kyiv's war effort.

Raising the stakes in the run-up to Sunday's vote, the European Commission demanded an explanation from Hungary Thursday over media reports it had been feeding Moscow "direct-line" access to strategic EU information.

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