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Japan’s Honda Motor on Tuesday forecast a 70 percent drop in net profit for the 2025-26 financial year as US trade tariffs weigh on the global auto industry.The announcement comes after rival Toyota, the world’s top-selling carmaker, predicted a 35 percent year-on-year drop in annual net profit because of the levies and other factors.Honda said …

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More than 380 figures from the cinema world including “Schindler’s List” actor Ralph Fiennes condemned “genocide” in Gaza in an open letter published on Tuesday ahead of the Cannes Festival opening.”We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” read the letter initiated by several pro-Palestinian activist groups and published in French newspaper Liberation and US magazine Variety. The signatories — which include Hollywood stars Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, as well as acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and former Cannes winner Ruben Ostlund — decried the death of Gazan photojournalist Fatima Hassouna.Hassouna, 25, is the subject of a documentary which will premiere in Cannes on Thursday by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi, titled “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk”.Hassouna was killed along with 10 relatives in an Israeli air strike on her family home in northern Gaza last month, the day after the documentary was announced as part of the ACID Cannes selection.Farsi welcomed the impact of her film but called on Cannes Festival organisers to denounce Israel’s ongoing bombardment of the devastated Palestinian territory. “There needs to be a real statement,” she told AFP. “Saying ‘the festival isn’t political’ makes no sense.”This year’s Cannes jury president Juliette Binoche was initially said by organisers to have signed the petition, but her spokeswoman told AFP that she had not endorsed it and her name was not published by Liberation.Other signatories include Jonathan Glazer, the British director of Jewish origin who won an Oscar for his 2023 Auschwitz drama “The Zone of Interest”, as well as US star Mark Ruffalo and Spanish actor Javier Bardem.- War programming -The Cannes Festival kicks off on Tuesday on the French Riviera, with an opening ceremony headlined by Robert De Niro and three films showing the devastation of Russia’s war on Ukraine.Two documentaries featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a third film shot on the brutal frontlines of Europe’s biggest war in 80 years are to be screened on a “Ukraine Day” of programming.It is “a reminder of the commitment of artists, authors and journalists to tell the story of this conflict in the heart of Europe”, the festival said.Nothing similar has been planned for the war in Gaza, but the film on Hassouna is set to “honour” her memory, organisers said previously.Gazan filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser are also set to showcase their fiction feature set in 2007 in the Palestinian territory in one of the secondary sections of the festival.The opening film on Tuesday evening is “Leave One Day” by French director Amelie Bonnin, a newcomer, before Hollywood heavyweight De Niro receives an honorary Palme d’Or. – Depardieu – De Niro is one of the most outspoken critics of US President Donald Trump in the American cinema world, with the “Taxi Driver” star often struggling to find words harsh enough for the US president. Trump has made himself one of the main talking points in Cannes after announcing on May 5 that he wanted 100-percent tariffs on movies “produced in foreign lands”.The idea sent shockwaves through the film world, although few insiders or experts understand how such a policy could be implemented. Cannes director Thierry Fremaux talked up the festival’s “rich” American film programme on Monday, with movies from Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Ari Aster and Kelly Reichardt in the main competition.”American cinema remains great cinema. The United States remains a great country of cinema,” he said.Off-screen news in France is also likely to overshadow the red-carpet action in Cannes on Tuesday, with French film icon Gerard Depardieu facing a verdict in a sexual harassment case in Paris.Depardieu, who has acted in more than 200 films and television series, is the highest-profile figure caught up in France’s response to the #MeToo movement against sexual violence.- Cruise in town – While independent cinema forms the core of the Cannes festival, organisers also hand over part of the programme to major Hollywood studios to promote their blockbusters.Tom Cruise is set to return to the Riviera for the premiere of the latest instalment of his “Mission: Impossible” franchise on Thursday, three years after he lit up the festival while promoting “Top Gun: Maverick”.The festival will also see a series of high-profile debut films from actors-turned-directors, including “Eleanor the Great” from Scarlett Johansson and “The Chronology of Water” by Kristen Stewart.Organisers on Monday denied reports that they had banned provocative near-nude dresses from the red carpet.However, “full nudity on the red carpet” has been formally outlawed, “in keeping with French law”.

Donald Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday on the first leg of a Gulf tour that will also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, eyeing business deals even as accords on the Middle East’s hotspots will likely be harder to reach.The trip marks the US president’s first major visit abroad of his second term, with the White House saying he looked forward to a “historic return” to the region.Eight years ago Trump also chose Saudi Arabia for his first overseas trip as president — when he memorably posed with a glowing orb and participated in a sword dance.His decision to once again bypass traditional Western allies to travel to the oil-rich Gulf states underscores their increasingly crucial geopolitical role — along with his own business relations in the region.Saudi fighter jets escorted Air Force One as Trump landed in the capital Riyadh. The Saudi royal family plans a lavish welcome for the 78-year-old billionaire, who will also address an investment forum.Trump will take part in a summit of Gulf Arab leaders Tuesday before heading to Qatar.In the days before the trip, the White House has played an instrumental part in hammering out a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the release of an American hostage in Gaza and holding another round of nuclear talks with Iran.Those initiatives came after a surprise announcement by Trump last week of agreeing to a truce with the Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen.- ‘Deals’ -But the focus during the tour of the Gulf will likely be locking down business agreements.”White House sources have indicated that the president will focus on ‘deals’,” wrote Daniel B. Shapiro, a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative.White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump will promote a vision where “extremism is defeated in place of commerce and cultural exchanges”.The Gulf states have positioned themselves as key diplomatic partners during Trump’s second term.Doha remains a major broker for negotiations between Hamas and Israel, while Saudi Arabia has facilitated talks on the war in Ukraine.Talk of returning to the kingdom has been circulating for months, with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman vowing to pour $600 billion into US trade and investments.”I’ll be asking the crown prince, who’s a fantastic guy, to round it out to around one trillion. I think they’ll do that because we’ve been very good to them,” Trump said in response to the offer.According to a Saudi official close to the defence ministry, Riyadh will push for securing the latest US F-35 fighter jets along with state-of-the-art air defence systems worth billions of dollars.”We will condition that the deliveries take place during Trump’s term,” the source told AFP.- Temporary ‘gift’ -On the ground in Saudi Arabia, residents expressed mixed feelings about what the trip would mean.”I expect that this visit will result in political decisions that will matter to the whole region,” Khalifa Oneizi, a 47-year-old Riyadh resident, told AFP.Others were less confident.”I am not optimistic about this visit or its results,” said Hamad Shahrani, a 62-year-old Saudi national.Efforts to push Saudi Arabia to recognise Israel are not likely to feature high on the agenda this trip, with Riyadh insisting a Palestinian state must be established before a deal can be brokered.Iran, meanwhile, is likely to feature prominently during the visit, following a fourth round of talks in Oman over the weekend.Controversy is also swirling over the president’s plans to accept a luxury Boeing jet from the Qatari royal family for use as Air Force One.Late Sunday, Trump went on the offensive amid a wave of criticism, saying the plane was a temporary “gift”.He later called the deal “a very public and transparent transaction”, and on Monday said before leaving Washington for his trip: “I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer.”

Donald Trump will arrive in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday on the first leg of a Gulf tour that will also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, eyeing business deals even as accords on the Middle East’s hotspots will likely be harder to reach.The trip marks the US president’s first major visit abroad of his second term, with the White House saying he looked forward to a “historic return” to the region.Eight years ago Trump also chose Saudi Arabia for his first overseas trip as president — when he memorably posed with a glowing orb and participated in a sword dance. His decision to once again bypass traditional Western allies to travel to the oil-rich Gulf states underscores their increasingly crucial geopolitical role — along with his own business relations in the region.In the days before the trip, the White House has played an instrumental part in hammering out a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the release of an American hostage in Gaza and holding another round of nuclear talks with Iran. Those initiatives came after a surprise announcement by Trump last week of agreeing to a truce with the Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen.- ‘Deals’ -But the focus during the tour of the Gulf will likely be locking down business agreements.”White House sources have indicated that the president will focus on ‘deals’,” wrote Daniel B. Shapiro, a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative.Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi are expected to roll out the red carpet with a lavish royal welcome for the 78-year-old billionaire.”The president looks forward to embarking on his historic return to the Middle East” to promote a vision where “extremism is defeated in place of commerce and cultural exchanges”, Trump’s spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said ahead of the trip.The Gulf states have positioned themselves as key diplomatic partners during Trump’s second term. Doha remains a major broker for negotiations between Hamas and Israel, while Saudi Arabia has facilitated talks on the war in Ukraine.Talk of returning to the kingdom has been circulating for months, with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman vowing to pour $600 billion into US trade and investments.”I’ll be asking the crown prince, who’s a fantastic guy, to round it out to around one trillion. I think they’ll do that because we’ve been very good to them,” Trump said in response to the offer.According to a Saudi official close to the defence ministry, Riyadh will push for securing the latest US F-35 fighter jets along with state-of-the-art air defence systems worth billions of dollars. “We will condition that the deliveries take place during Trump’s term,” the source told AFP.- Temporary ‘gift’ -On the ground in Saudi Arabia, residents expressed mixed feelings about what the trip would mean.”I expect that this visit will result in political decisions that will matter to the whole region,” Khalifa Oneizi, a 47-year-old Riyadh resident, told AFP. Others were less confident.”I am not optimistic about this visit or its results,” said Hamad Shahrani, a 62-year-old Saudi national.Efforts to push Saudi Arabia to recognise Israel are not likely to feature high on the agenda this trip, with Riyadh insisting a Palestinian state must be established before a deal can be brokered.Iran, meanwhile, is likely to feature prominently during the visit, following a fourth round of talks in Oman over the weekend.Controversy is also swirling over the president’s plans to accept a luxury Boeing jet from the Qatari royal family for use as Air Force One.Late Sunday, Trump went on the offensive amid a wave of criticism, saying the plane was a temporary “gift”.He later called the deal “a very public and transparent transaction”, and on Monday said before leaving Washington for his trip: “I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer.”