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Mickey Rourke Fresh-Faced on Set After Tough Times Published March 26, 2026 4:41 PM PDT Mickey Rourke is finally back to work ... returning to the big screen after his recent eviction and financial struggles
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Another batch of domestic violence allegations against Taylor Frankie Paul has made it to a district attorney's desk ... and they're weighing their options. Draper Police Chief Rich Ferguson tells TMZ ... the City Prosecutor
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Play video content Fox News President Donald Trump somehow turned a conversation about the war in Iran into an opportunity to claim he's a hit with the gay community in the U.S. During a phone
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Roman Reigns I'll Crush CM Punk At Mania ... As Long As My Emotions Don't Take Over Published March 26, 2026 3:24 PM PDT Play video content Adam Glyn Roman Reigns is training 'round the
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Taylor Lautner & Wife Taylor Expecting Their First Child!!! See The Sweet Snaps Published March 26, 2026 2:38 PM PDT Big news for Taylor Lautner! On Thursday he announced he and his wife -- whose
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People rush to refuel their vehicles at a fuel station in Amritsar yesterday. (AFP) India has slashed excise duties on petrol and diesel to protect consumers and curb a potential spike in inflation, while imposing windfall taxes on aviation fuel and diesel exports, amid volatile global oil markets due to the Iran war.Global oil prices have surged past $100 per barrel after the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which serves as a conduit for 40% of India's crude oil imports, since the US and Israel first struck Iran on February 28.In a government order late Thursday, India's finance ministry reduced the special excise duty on petrol to 3 rupees ($0.0318) per litre from 13 rupees. It also cut the duty on diesel to zero from 10 rupees per litre.The move comes ahead of elections next month in four Indian states and one federal territory, with voters very sensitive to higher prices.India will lose 70bn rupees ($739mn) a fortnight from the excise cuts, although it will recover part of this — 15bn rupees — through separate export taxes on some fuel products, Vivek Chaturvedi, chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, told a press briefing.The net hit to government finances will be 55bn rupees per fortnight.The yield on 10-year government bonds rose 7 basis points to 6.95%, its highest level in 20 months on concerns that the government may struggle to meet its fiscal deficit target of 4.3% of GDP for the financial year beginning April.The tax cuts also ease the burden for oil marketing companies. While fuel prices in India are technically deregulated, state-run oil companies, which control 90% of the retail network, do not always raise prices when crude climbs.As a result, consumers are shielded from volatility, with either the government or the companies absorbing the increases."Government has taken a huge hit on its taxation revenues to ensure very high losses of oil companies, approximately 24 rupees a litre for petrol and 30 rupees a litre for diesel, at this time of sky high international prices, are reduced," Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in a post on X.The government said that at current crude rates, the combined daily under-recoveries being absorbed by oil firms stand at 24bn rupees.Shares of oil marketing companies such as Bharat Petroleum Corp and HPCL reversed early gains to close slightly higher.The diesel export tax was set at 21.5 rupees a litre, along with a 29.5 rupees a litre tax on aviation fuel exports, the order said.Between April 2025 and January 2026, India exported 14mn metric tonnes of gasoline and 23.6mn tonnes of gasoil. Most refiners have stopped exporting fuels. Reliance Industries is the country's biggest fuel exporter.Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government will ensure there is no shortage of petrol, diesel and jet fuel.It will support oil marketing companies so that citizens are spared price hikes and ensure that jet fuel prices do not rise, she told news agency ANI.India, the world's third-biggest oil importer and consumer, relies heavily on overseas supplies.In a letter dated Thursday, the petroleum ministry said it will raise the allocation of liquefied petroleum gas to commercial and industrial users by 20%, taking total supply to 70% of pre-crisis levels.The increase builds on an existing 50% allocation, with priority to sectors such as steel, automobiles, textiles and other essential industries. India had cut gas allocation for non-cooking purposes after the start of the Iran war.India consumed 33.15mn tonnes of cooking gas last year, with imports covering about 60% of demand. About 90% of those imports came from the Middle East.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have stressed adequate arrangements are in place, including for fertiliser supplies for the summer sowing season and coal to meet rising electricity demand.The government, in a separate statement, assured the public that retail petrol and diesel prices will not change.
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* Meloni weighs risky paths to stay in control* New vote law or even early elections now in play* Weak economy and Iran war add to political pressure Giorgia Meloni's defeat in a justice reform referendum has thrust the Italian leader into the toughest phase of her premiership, with her authority weakened, her reform programme in tatters and no easy way to regain the initiative.The prime minister's right-wing coalition suffered a resounding loss in the March 22-23 vote, puncturing the aura of political invincibility she has cultivated since taking office in 2022.As the result came in, Meloni made clear she had no plans to resign, but none of her options looks attractive, political analysts say.Governing as if nothing has changed risks leaving her a lame-duck prime minister, with the anaemic economy under growing strain and her closeness to US President Donald Trump seen by pollsters as an increasing liability.Alternatively, she could seek to reshape the electoral law to try to boost her chances of winning the next general election, due in 2027, but would open herself to charges of upending the rules to suit her political interests.A third option could be to gamble on forcing an early ballot this spring before the full impact of the Iran war hits Italy's already fragile economy, hoping to catch the fragmented centre-left opposition unprepared. "It's clear that what's at stake is the end of the legislature. Even the date of the next election is uncertain," said Nicola Lupo, director of the Centre for Parliamentary Studies at Rome's Luiss University.OPPOSITION BLOC REMAINS FRAGMENTEDFor all the damage, the referendum did not amount to a blanket rejection of Meloni, with 37% of those who voted "No" telling Youtrend pollsters she should remain in office. "This wasn't an opposition victory so much as a victory for the judiciary," said Massimiliano Panarari, a political analyst at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.The centre-left opposition hailed Monday's result as evidence the political cycle was turning its way, but its two main components, the Democratic Party and 5-Star Movement, remain deeply divided over key issues, including foreign policy. These splits could tempt Meloni to resign shortly and force a snap election, Luiss' Lupo said, adding that the government had pushed for a swift referendum in March to have the eventual option of holding a pre-summer vote."Meloni knows the next budget won't allow for generous spending, so she might say it would be better to go to elections now and not give the opposition time to organise," he said. While none of her allies are openly suggesting this, some of her partners -- including Maurizio Lupi, head of the small "Us Moderates" party -- are urging a change to the electoral law to introduce a system based solely on proportional representation.Latest polls show the conservative bloc, including Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, the League and Forza Italia, in the lead, but vulnerable to defeat in a future ballot because of the way seats are distributed under the current system. Studies have suggested a pure PR system could give the ruling coalition a comfortable majority.Although government parties presented a draft bill on this last month, some of Meloni's allies urged caution after the referendum, saying voters would not approve. "It would be stupid," Stefano Candiani, a League lawmaker in the lower chamber, told Reuters. "There are so many problems facing Italians, including the Iran war and (high) cost of living, that anyone who wants to tie up parliament with this electoral law is crazy."TRUMP TIES, WEAK ECONOMY DRAG ON MELONIPollsters confirmed an unexpectedly high turnout in the justice referendum was driven by voters motivated by broader political and economic concerns rather than the technical details of the complex judicial reform. "In the last 10 days, the number of people saying they would vote grew by 10 percentage points. We had never seen such a surge," said pollster Antonio Noto.The referendum's timing proved challenging for Meloni, with the US-Israeli war on Iran turning a spotlight on her friendship with Trump and costing her votes, analysts said. "Even if she has tried to put a bit of distance between herself and him in recent days, the shift hasn't been very noticeable," said political analyst Panarari.Meloni risks treading water for the next 12 months, with her reform agenda in shreds and little time left to enact meaningful change. "From this day forward, she is a lame duck," said centrist leader Matteo Renzi, who quit as prime minister in 2016 after losing a referendum on his own constitutional reform agenda.He told La7 news channel that opposition parties would draw strength from Monday's result, saying the Meloni-backed "Yes" camp had until recently enjoyed a big lead. "If beating Meloni in the referendum wasn't easy, it will be far easier to beat her on issues like inflation, fuel taxes, the cost of living, and public safety in major cities," he said.
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Ministers pose for a family photo on the second day of the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vaux-de-Cernay Abbey in Cernay-la-Ville near Paris, yesterday. (Reuters) G7 allies were yesterday pressing US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for clarity on American plans for Iran almost one month into the war in the Middle East, with concern also intensifying over the extent of co-operation between Russia and the Islamic republic.Having skipped the first day of the meeting at the historic monastery turned luxury hotel complex outside Paris, Rubio arrived at the Vaux-de-Cernay Abbey for a full day of talks with counterparts from leading industrialised democracies.German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the international community needed to collaborate even more closely now it was dealing with two wars — including the conflict sparked by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine — in which Russia and Iran were co-operating."We need to strengthen our unity. Given that Iran and Russia are working together in the closest way, we must stand even closer together," Wadephul told reporters.He told German radio earlier ahead of the talks that allies needed to know "how the US will proceed" in Iran. Rubio, he said, would "perhaps explain this more precisely".In contrast to usual protocol, and in a sign of the distance between the US and its allies, there is to be no joint communique at the end of the meeting.Instead, the G7 presidency, which France holds this year, will issue a statement, said a diplomatic source who asked not to be named.The UK's foreign minister Yvette Cooper urged a "swift resolution to this conflict that restores regional stability".She echoed concerns over the ongoing de facto blockade by Iran of the key Strait of Hormuz, which has driven up global oil prices and left vessels queueing up to enter the energy bottleneck."Frankly, Iran cannot be able to just hold the global economy hostage as a result of a Strait which is about international shipping routes and the freedom of navigation," she said.It is Rubio's first trip abroad since the US and Israel launched the war with the air strikes on February 28 that killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei.Before leaving for France, Rubio said Thursday that it was in the "interest" of all G7 nations to push for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.Defending the war, he said: "The president is not just doing a favour to the US and to our people. This is for the world."With Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in attendance, European ministers are keen to emphasise support for Kyiv must not be forgotten over four years after Russia's full-scale invasion."Putin is cynically hoping that the escalation in the Middle East will divert our attention from his crimes in Ukraine," Wadephul said."This calculation must not succeed," he said, warning that any compromising on Ukraine's defence capabilities would "play into Putin's hands".Writing on X, in his first comment on the meeting, Rubio said he had reiterated at the G7 "that President Trump is committed to reaching a ceasefire and negotiated settlement to the Russia-Ukraine war as soon as possible".France is eager to broaden the scope of the elite G7 club — whose origins go back to the first G6 summit held in the nearby Chateau de Rambouillet in 1975 — and which now comprises Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, UK and US.It has invited foreign ministers from key emerging markets Brazil and India, as well as Saudi Arabia and South Korea.The event is leading up to a G7 summit in the French Alpine lakeside resort of Evian in June to be chaired by President Emmanuel Macron.The South African presidency Thursday alleged Washington had urged Paris to disinvite President Cyril Ramaphosa from that summit. But French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Kenya — rather than South Africa — had been invited. "We did not give in to any pressure," he said.
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Chancellor Friedrich Merz said yesterday that if the energy crisis sparked by the Middle East war dragged on, Germany might have to keep running coal-fired power plants longer than planned.Germany has committed as part of its climate plans to gradually shutting down plants fired by anthracite and lignite and complete the coal phase-out by 2038 at the latest.'If the energy crisis continues and a shortage actually occurs, we may even have to keep existing coal-fired power plants online for longer,' Merz told a forum in Frankfurt organised by the FAZ newspaper.'We have to supply this country with electricity. I am not prepared to jeopardise the core of our industry just because we have decided on phase-out plans that have become unrealistic.'Europe's biggest economy has for decades pushed an energy transition away from fossil fuels and nuclear energy by building up wind, solar and other clean and renewable energy sources.While the Merz government has pledged to stick to national climate targets, it has prioritised boosting the stagnating economy and scrapped some green energy initiatives.Under Merz, Germany has lobbied for the EU to weaken the phase-out of combustion engine car sales, proposed ending subsidies for rooftop solar panels and reversed a law mandating green heating for buildings.His Economy and Energy Minister, Katherina Reiche, speaking at an oil and gas conference in Houston, Texas this week, called for more 'flexibility' in EU plans to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, sparking protests at home and abroad.Yesterday, Merz said he was committed to the further expansion of renewable energies, but said they must be supplemented by new gas-fired power plants.Under ex-chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany moved to shut down nuclear power in the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima disaster.Merz said yesterday the decommissioned reactors would have to stay shut for technical reasons.But he also said that he envisions Germany participating in research on small modular nuclear reactors, and, ultimately, building nuclear fusion reactors.
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Recent jury verdicts in California and New Mexico involving Meta Platforms and Alphabet’s Google are sharpening scrutiny of social media companies as plaintiffs advance legal theories aimed at holding platforms liable for harm to children. Here’s a look at how the cases could be an early test of how courts may handle similar claims going forward. The jury ordered Meta and Google on Wednesday to pay a combined $6mn in damages to plaintiff Kaley GM, a 20-year-old who said she suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts after becoming addicted to the companies’ platforms at a young age because of their attention-grabbing design. The jury found that both Meta and Google were negligent in designing their platforms and failed to warn consumers about their risks. Separately, a jury in New Mexico on Tuesday ordered Meta to pay $375mn after finding the company misled users about the safety of Facebook and Instagram while enabling child sexual exploitation on those platforms in a lawsuit brought by the state’s attorney general. The trials were the first to test whether Big Tech can be held liable for the design of apps blamed for harming young people’s well-being. Meta, Snapchat and parent Snap Inc, Google’s YouTube, and TikTok and parent ByteDance are facing thousands of lawsuits in federal and state courts over claims they knowingly designed their platforms with features that addict children and teens, fueling a mental health crisis. The Los Angeles trial is meant to serve as a bellwether, or test case, for the thousands of similar lawsuits consolidated in California state courts. Verdicts in bellwethers are often used by judges and attorneys to assess the potential value of remaining claims and guide settlement negotiations. Typically, multiple bellwethers will be tried before a broader settlement or resolution is reached. Beyond the California state court cases, more than 2,400 lawsuits against Meta and other social media companies that make similar claims have been centralized in the California federal court. The federal litigation also includes lawsuits brought by state attorneys general alleging harm to their states, as well as cases by school districts that say social media addiction has caused costly disruptions and problems. While there can be some coordination between state and federal courts overseeing similar claims, verdicts in state court do not typically have a direct impact on the federal litigation. Both the New Mexico and the California cases highlighted a central legal dispute that is likely to shape future cases: how much federal law shields social media companies from liability. Meta, Google and other social media companies have argued such lawsuits are barred by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which generally protects platforms from liability over user-generated content. Plaintiffs counter that their claims target the sites’ design features that cause harm rather than the content itself. The judges in Los Angeles and Santa Fe rejected that argument when they allowed the cases to go to trial. The verdicts could form the basis of appeals that would give higher courts a chance to weigh in on the key question of whether Section 230 applies to claims focused on platform design rather than content. In May, the judge in New Mexico will oversee a second phase of that trial where the state attorney general will ask for a court order directing Meta to make changes to its platforms and for additional monetary damages. Meta said it will appeal both verdicts. Google said it will appeal in the Los Angeles case. In addition to the Section 230 question, the companies could also base appeals on events surrounding the trial, including the judge’s decision-making on evidence, or jury or attorney conduct. Yes, in both state and federal courts. A trial is scheduled for June in federal court in a lawsuit brought by a school district in Breathitt County, Kentucky, against Meta, ByteDance, Snap and Google, according to court records. In California state court, another trial is slated to begin in July involving claims against Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat.
