Oscars changes allow for double acting nominations while banning AI

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has also rewritten rules on international film eligibility

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a number of major changes for the Oscars on Friday, including a new policy allowing multiple nominations for a single actor in one category, as well as barring acting and writing awards for work done by AI.

According to new statutes decreed by the group’s board of governors, only performances “demonstrably performed” by humans with their consent will be eligible for acting Oscars, while only human-authored screenplays can be up for any writing awards.

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Trump tells Congress ceasefire means he does not need their approval for Iran war

The president writes that hostilities "have terminated" because of the ceasefire, arguing he does not need congressional authorisation.

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Florida prosecutors launch criminal investigation into deaths of 31 sloths

Sloths were set to be displayed at controversial new theme park but report revealed mammals died in warehouse

Prosecutors in Florida said Friday they have launched a criminal investigation into the deaths of dozens of sloths from South America that were set to be displayed at a controversial new theme park.

A Florida fish and wildlife commission (FWC) report revealed last week that 31 mammals taken from rainforests in Peru and Guyana by the owners of Sloth World, a forthcoming tourist attraction in Orlando, perished in an unheated warehouse between December 2024 and February 2025.

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US reinstates ‘gun show loophole’ amid rollback of firearms restrictions

DoJ announces changes including ‘loophole’ that allows people to buy guns at shows without background check

The US justice department has rolled back several significant restrictions on guns, including reinstating the so-called “gun show loophole”, which allowed people at such events to buy firearms without a background check.

The changes, announced by the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, amount to a shift in firearm policy advocated by supporters of the second amendment, who are prominent in Donald Trump’s supporter base.

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Black lawmakers decry supreme court voting decision: ‘We’re going backwards’

Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures are at risk of losing their seats in Alabama’s Black congressional districts after ruling

The lawmakers who represent Alabama’s two Black congressional districts, who are now at risk of losing their seats after the supreme court effectively decimated the Voting Rights Act, said the decision sends the US “backwards”.

The 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v Callais on Wednesday weakens a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, opening the door for Republicans to eliminate majority-minority congressional districts across the south, and representatives Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures stand in the crosshairs.

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US political violence generates a familiar cycle - this time it's in overdrive

In modern America, it seems violence of this kind has become an ever-present storm that can strike anywhere and at any moment.

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Canada's Carney launches a sovereign wealth fund. What is it?

The fund - which Canadians can invest in directly - will help pay for major infrastructure projects in the country, the prime minister says.

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Washington in shock after White House press dinner shooting: ‘an angry, polarized nation’

Questions raised about political violence, security and gun control after brazen attack at event attended by top officials

• White House press dinner shooting aftermath – latest updates

A stunned Washington faced searching questions about political violence and gun control on Sunday after shots were fired at a prestigious media gala attended by Donald Trump and senior White House officials.

A man targeted a Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint in the Washington Hilton hotel the previous night before being tackled and arrested. Trump and Melania Trump were rushed out of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner as guests dived for cover under tables.

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Did Trump save eight Iranian women from execution?

The US president says he saved eight Iranian women from execution, but Iran says otherwise.

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Seven dead in major Russian attack on Ukraine

The city of Dnipro was hardest hit, with officials saying four died in a strike on a residential building.

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