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“Predator: Badlands,” the latest installment in the sci-fi horror franchise that started nearly 40 years ago, devoured the competition at the North American box office, debuting at $40 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.The 20th Century Studios film stars Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as an outcast Predator who is the hero this time, teaming up with an android (Elle Fanning) on an epic journey to prove himself.It is the ninth entry in the popular franchise launched in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger as its star.In second place was Paramount’s “Regretting You,” the latest film adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel, at $7.1 million for the Friday to Sunday period, Exhibitor Relations reported.Directed by Josh Boone, the romantic drama tells the story of a mother (Allison Williams) and teenage daughter (McKenna Grace) navigating life and love after tragedy strikes.Universal’s horror sequel “Black Phone 2,” once again starring Ethan Hawke as a devilish villain, came in third with $5.3 million in ticket sales in the United States and Canada.Debuting in fourth place was “Sarah’s Oil,” MGM’s faith-based drama drawn from history about a young Black girl in early 20th century Oklahoma who inherits land she believes is oil-rich. It earned $4.5 million.And in fifth place at $4.1 million was another new film, Sony’s “Nuremberg,” which retells the story of the postwar Nazi trials with a focus on Hitler’s right-hand man, Hermann Goering.Russell Crowe’s portrayal of the Luftwaffe commander is earning Oscars buzz.Rounding out the top 10 were:”Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” ($3.6 million)”Bugonia” ($3.5 million)”Die My Love” ($2.8 million)”Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” ($2.2 million)”Tron: Ares” ($1.8 million)

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in the United States on Saturday for a landmark official visit, his country’s state news agency reported, a day after Washington removed him from a terrorism blacklist.Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.It’s the first such visit by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946, according to analysts.The interim leader met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during the US president’s regional tour in May.Washington’s envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said earlier this month that Sharaa would “hopefully” sign an agreement to join the international US-led alliance against the Islamic State (IS) group.The United States plans to establish a military base near Damascus “to coordinate humanitarian aid and observe developments between Syria and Israel,” a diplomatic source in Syria told AFP.The State Department’s decision Friday to remove Sharaa from the blacklist was widely expected.State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Sharaa’s government had been meeting US demands including on working to find missing Americans and on eliminating any remaining chemical weapons.”These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime,” Pigott said.The spokesman added that the US delisting would promote “regional security and stability as well as an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process.” The Syrian interior ministry announced on Saturday that it had carried out 61 raids and made 71 arrests in a “proactive campaign to neutralise the threat” of IS, according to the official SANA news agency.It said the raids targeted locations where IS sleeper cells remain, including Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Homs, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa and Damascus.After his arrival, Sharaa met with representatives from Syrian organizations in Washington, according to his country’s official media.The Syrian foreign minister posted a social media video, filmed before Sharaa’s departure, of him playing basketball with CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper and Kevin Lambert, the head of the international anti-IS operation in Iraq, alongside the caption “work hard, play harder.”- Transformation -Sharaa’s Washington trip comes after his landmark visit to the United Nations in September — his first time on US soil — where the ex-jihadist became the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN General Assembly in New York.On Thursday, Washington led a vote by the Security Council to remove UN sanctions against him.Formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda, Sharaa’s group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was delisted as a terrorist group by Washington as recently as July.Since taking power, Syria’s new leaders have sought to break from their violent past and present a moderate image more tolerable to ordinary Syrians and foreign powers.The White House visit “is further testament to the US commitment to the new Syria and a hugely symbolic moment for the country’s new leader, who thus marks another step in his astonishing transformation from militant leader to global statesman,” International Crisis Group US program director Michael Hanna said.Sharaa is expected to seek funds for Syria, which faces significant challenges in rebuilding after 13 years of civil war.In October, the World Bank put a “conservative best estimate” of the cost of rebuilding Syria at $216 billion. 

Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, the White Stripes and Soundgarden were among this year’s inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, adding their names to the pantheon of music’s most esteemed and beloved acts.New Yorker Lauper, who burst onto the pop scene with colorful punk looks and infectious tunes like “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “True Colors” and “Time After Time,” was inducted by “Pink Pony Club” singer Chappell Roan.Praising her “four-octave range” and unapologetic style, Roan thanked Lauper for being an icon for any artist who may be called “too much, too loud, too eccentric or all of the above — their honesty becomes their greatest strength.”To induct Detroit rock band The White Stripes — known for sports arena favorite “Seven Nation Army” and “Fell in Love with a Girl,” among others — singer Iggy Pop gave an exuberant speech peppered with curse words and his own screeching impressions of the band’s raucous sound.”The White Stripes music was coming from a foundation of love, not revolution,” Pop said.Singer-guitarist Jack White accepted on behalf of himself and drummer Meg White, who did not attend. He named a long list of industry heavies and bands before adding: “To the homeless and the powerless and the forgotten, we always say thank you.” Other inducted American performers included Atlanta’s hip-hop duo Outkast, who topped charts with “Hey Ya,” “Ms. Jackson” and “The Way You Move,” and Seattle’s grunge band Soundgarden, who had hits with “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman.”English singer Joe Cocker, who died in 2014, was inducted posthumously to honor his bluesy music, including “You Are So Beautiful,” his cover of the Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends” and the Grammy-winning duet with Jennifer Warnes “Up Where We Belong.”Other inductees included arena rockers Bad Company, who sang “Can’t Get Enough,” and “The Twist” singer Chubby Checker.Groundbreaking New York hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa was honored with a Musical Influence Award for their hit songs “Let’s Talk About Sex,” “Push It” and “Shoop,” which celebrate women’s independence with playful sexuality in a male-dominated genre.”These three women are the bricklayers to the foundation that holds hip-hop together,” Grammy-winning singer Missy Elliott told the audience before introducing their performance. “They gave us their shoulders to stand on.”English session pianist Nicky Hopkins was honored with the Musical Excellence Award for his work with superstars including The Rolling Stones, The Who, David Bowie and The Beatles.”That song started off as a kind of slowish song, and then Nicky started playing this samba piano with this percussion, that’s like the hook of the song,” Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger said of Hopkins’s work on the song “Sympathy for the Devil.”Along with awards and heartfelt acceptance speeches, the event featured performances by Elton John; Bryan Adams; Olivia Rodrigo; Twenty One Pilots; Doja Cat; Tyler, the Creator; and many more.The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, now features an exhibit with artifacts and memorabilia from this year’s inductees.

Air travel in the United States could soon “slow to a trickle,” authorities warned Sunday as thousands more flights were cancelled or delayed and passengers faced chaos triggered by the federal government shutdown.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the number of flights being snarled or cut would multiply if the funding impasse between Democrats and Republicans continues while Americans gear up to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday later this month.”It’s only going to get worse,” Duffy said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” a Sunday news talk show.”The two weeks before Thanksgiving, you’re going to see air travel be reduced to a trickle.” On Sunday morning, more than 1,330 cancellations were recorded for flights within the United States and to and from the US, according to data from FlightAware, a flight tracking platform. Airports that were particularly hard hit included the three New York City area airports, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.Duffy warned that many Americans planning to travel for the November 27 holiday “are not going to be able to get on an airplane, because there are not going to be that many flights that fly if this thing doesn’t open back up.”- ‘Massive disruption’ -Sunday marked the 40th day of the record shutdown and the third day of flights being reduced at airports nationwide, after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers working without pay.”We’re going to see air traffic controllers, very few of them coming to work, which means you’ll have a few flights taking off and landing,” Duffy told Fox News Sunday.”You’re going to have massive disruption (and) a lot of angry Americans.”Duffy sought to blame Democrats for the high-stakes political standoff, but Senator Adam Schiff said Republicans were rejecting a “reasonable” compromise deal to end the shutdown.”And the result from the Senate Republicans was ‘no,’ from the House Republicans ‘we are staying on vacation,’ and from the president ‘I’m going out to play golf,’ and that’s where we are while people are hurting,” Schiff said.When asked whether Democrats would turn around and vote with Republicans, Schiff, a California Democrat, indicated that the issue of healthcare subsidies remained a sticking point in negotiations.”No, I certainly hope it isn’t going to happen if millions of people are going to retain their health coverage and not have to pay these exorbitant premium increases,” Schiff said on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.””We need to end this. We proposed something, I think very reasonable. It was a compromise. Certainly wasn’t everything I want, which is a permanent extension of the tax credits,” he said, urging Republicans to allow “more time to work on this and reopen the government.” 

The US civil aviation regulator ordered Saturday that all MD-11 cargo planes remain grounded for inspections, after one of them was involved in a deadly crash in Kentucky this week.A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft operated by UPS exploded into flames when it crashed shortly after departing Tuesday from the airport in Louisville, killing at least 14 people. A three-person crew was aboard.Freight carriers UPS and FedEx later grounded their MD-11 fleets, while Boeing, which owns McDonnell Douglas, said it had recommended that all operators suspend their use of the planes.On Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency directive that “prohibits further flight until the airplane is inspected and all applicable corrective actions are performed.”The directive applies to the MD-11 and MD-11F models and says it “was prompted by an accident where the left-hand engine and pylon detached from the airplane during takeoff.””The agency has determined the unsafe condition is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design,” it said.On Friday, UPS said it had decided to “temporarily ground” its MD-11s “out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of safety.” It said the model accounts for around nine percent of its fleet.FedEx said Saturday it, too, had grounded its 28 MD-11s out of a total fleet of around 700 aircraft as it conducts a safety review.Both carriers said they were acting on a recommendation from the plane’s manufacturer. McDonnell Douglas originally made the MD-11 but was acquired by Boeing in 1997.Boeing said it had “recommended to the three operators of the MD-11 Freighter that they suspend flight operations while additional engineering analysis is performed.”The only other carrier using the MD-11 is Western Global Airlines.Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said another crash victim had been located, bringing the total number to 14.”Please pray for these families, the Louisville community and everyone affected by this terrible event,” he said on X.- Trail of debris -The plane, filled with around 38,000 gallons (144,000 liters) of fuel for the long-haul flight to Hawaii, narrowly missed a major Ford vehicle assembly plant that employs about 3,000 people.Aerial footage of the crash site showed a long trail of debris as firefighters doused the flames, with smoke billowing from the area.Todd Inman, a member of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said this week that investigators had identified the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder — known as a plane’s black boxes — and would send them to Washington for analysis.The crash was reportedly the deadliest in UPS history. Its main hub, Worldport, is in Louisville, where it employs thousands of people.According to the NTSB, the plane was built in 1991 and was modified into a cargo aircraft.The crash comes amid the longest government shutdown in US history, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warning this week of “mass chaos” in the skies due to a lack of air traffic control staff.Inman said the NTSB was not aware of any staff shortages at Louisville’s airport at the time of the crash.

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in the United States on Saturday for a landmark official visit, his country’s state news agency reported, a day after Washington removed him from a terrorism blacklist.Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.It’s the first such visit by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946, according to analysts.The interim leader met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during the US president’s regional tour in May.US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said earlier this month that Sharaa would “hopefully” sign an agreement to join the international US-led alliance against the Islamic State (IS).The United States plans to establish a military base near Damascus “to coordinate humanitarian aid and observe developments between Syria and Israel”, a diplomatic source in Syria told AFP.The State Department’s decision Friday to remove Sharaa from the blacklist was widely expected.State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Sharaa’s government had been meeting US demands including on working to find missing Americans and on eliminating any remaining chemical weapons.”These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime,” Pigott said. The spokesman added that the US delisting would promote “regional security and stability as well as an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process.”- Transformation -Sharaa’s Washington trip comes after his landmark visit to the United Nations in September — his first time on US soil — where the ex-jihadist became the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN General Assembly in New York.On Thursday, Washington led a vote by the Security Council to remove UN sanctions against him.Formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda, Sharaa’s group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was delisted as a terrorist group by Washington as recently as July.Since taking power, Syria’s new leaders have sought to break from their violent past and present a moderate image more tolerable to ordinary Syrians and foreign powers.The White House visit “is further testament to the US commitment to the new Syria and a hugely symbolic moment for the country’s new leader, who thus marks another step in his astonishing transformation from militant leader to global statesman,” International Crisis Group US program director Michael Hanna said.Sharaa is expected to seek funds for Syria, which faces significant challenges in rebuilding after 13 years of brutal civil war.In October, the World Bank put a “conservative best estimate” of the cost of rebuilding Syria at $216 billion. 

Rodrigo Paz, a pro-business conservative, took office Saturday as Bolivia’s president, ending nearly 20 years of socialist rule and inheriting acute economic woes.Paz, the 58-year-old son of a former president, drew applause at the swearing-in ceremony at the Bolivian seat of congress as a torrential downpour fell outside.”God, family and country: yes, I take the oath of office,” said Paz, who won a run-off election last month.In his inauguration speech, he said Bolivia would now be different and open to the world after two decades of leftist rule that many here blame for the country’s economic ills. Under Evo Morales, in office from 2006 to 2019, Bolivia took a sharp turn to the left, nationalizing energy resources, breaking ties with Washington and making alliances with China, Russia and fellow leftists in Cuba, Venezuela and elsewhere in Latin America.In one of his first official acts, Paz restored ambassador-level diplomatic relations with the United States after a 17-year break — a rift that came after Morales accused the former US envoy of supporting a right-wing conspiracy.  “Never again an isolated Bolivia, bound by failed ideologies, or a Bolivia with its back turned to the world,” Paz said during a ceremony attended by delegations from more than 70 countries and local VIPs.  Paz will have to address Bolivia’s worst economic crisis in 40 years, with year-on-year inflation at more than 20 percent and a chronic shortage of fuel and dollars. Long queues for motorists seeking to fill their tanks have become a way of life.The outgoing government of Luis Arce exhausted almost all of Bolivia’s hard currency reserves to prop up gasoline and diesel subsidies.On the campaign trail, the Christian Democrat Paz promised a “capitalism for all” approach to economic reform, with decentralization, lower taxes and fiscal discipline mixed with continued social spending.He also promised to maintain social programs while stabilizing the economy, but economists have said the two things are not possible at the same time.

Freight carriers UPS and FedEx said they have grounded their fleets of MD-11 cargo planes, after one of them was involved in a deadly crash in Kentucky this week.A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft operated by UPS exploded into flames when it crashed shortly after departing on Tuesday from the airport in the US city of Louisville, killing at least 14 people. A three-person crew was aboard.Both carriers said they were acting on a recommendation from the plane’s manufacturer to halt use of these planes. McDonnell Douglas originally made the MD-11 but was acquired by Boeing in 1997.”Out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of safety, we have made the decision to temporarily ground our MD-11 fleet,” UPS said Friday.”The grounding is effective immediately. We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer,” the courier added.It said around nine percent of UPS’s fleet are MD-11s.FedEx said Saturday it, too, had grounded its 28 MD-11s out of a total fleet of around 700 aircraft as it conducts a safety review.”With safety as our top priority, we recommended to the three operators of the MD-11 Freighter that they suspend flight operations while additional engineering analysis is performed,” Boeing said in a statement.Besides UPS and FedEx, the only other carrier using the MD-11 is Western Global Airlines.Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said another crash victim had been located, bringing the total number to 14.”Please pray for these families, the Louisville community and everyone affected by this terrible event,” he said on X.- Trail of debris -The plane, filled with around 38,000 gallons (144,000 liters) of fuel for the long-haul flight to Hawaii, narrowly missed a major Ford vehicle assembly plant that employs about 3,000 people.Aerial footage of the crash site showed a long trail of debris as firefighters poured water on the flames, with smoke billowing from the area.Investigators have said the accident was caused by one of the engines catching fire and detaching during takeoff.Todd Inman, a member of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said this week that investigators had identified the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder — known as a plane’s black boxes — and would send them to Washington for analysis.The crash was reportedly the deadliest in UPS history. Its main hub, Worldport, is in Louisville, where it employs thousands of people.According to the NTSB, the plane was built in 1991 and was modified into a cargo aircraft. McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1997.The crash comes amid the longest government shutdown in US history, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warning this week of “mass chaos” in the skies due to a lack of air traffic control staff.Inman said the NTSB was not aware of any staff shortages at Louisville’s airport at the time of the crash.

UPS said Friday that it had grounded its fleet of MD-11 cargo planes, after one of them was involved in a deadly crash in Kentucky this week.A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft exploded into flames when it crashed shortly after departing on Tuesday, killing at least 14 people. A three-person crew was aboard.Delivery giant FedEx has also grounded its fleet of MD-11s while it conducts a safety review, according to US media reports. The company did not immediately reply to an AFP request for confirmation.”Out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of safety, we have made the decision to temporarily ground our MD-11 fleet,” UPS said.”The grounding is effective immediately. We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer,” the courier added.The company said it had contingency plans in place “to ensure we can continue to deliver reliable service.”Around nine percent of UPS’s fleet are MD-11s, according to the company.Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said earlier that another crash victim had been located, bringing the total number to 14.”Please pray for these families, the Louisville community and everyone affected by this terrible event,” he said on X.- Trail of debris -The plane, filled with some 38,000 gallons of fuel for the long-haul flight to Hawaii, narrowly missed a major Ford vehicle assembly plant that employs some 3,000 people.Aerial footage of the crash site showed a long trail of debris as firefighters blasted water on the flames, with smoke billowing from the area.Investigators have said the accident was caused by one of the engines catching fire and detaching during takeoff.Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said this week that investigators had identified the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder — known as a plane’s black boxes — and would send them to Washington for analysis.The crash was reportedly the deadliest in UPS history. Its main hub, Worldport, is in Louisville, where it employs thousands of people.According to the NTSB, the plane was built in 1991 and was modified into a cargo aircraft. McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1997. The crash comes amid the longest government shutdown in US history, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warning this week of “mass chaos” in the skies due to a lack of air traffic control staff.Inman said the NTSB was not aware of any staff shortages at Louisville’s airport at the time of the crash.

President Donald Trump said no US officials would attend the G20 summit in South Africa, reviving debunked claims of white Afrikaners being systematically “killed and slaughtered” in the country.Trump had announced in September that Vice President JD Vance would travel to the meeting later this month instead of him, but has now said that US representatives will skip it entirely.”It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.”No U.S. Government Official will attend as long as these Human Rights abuses continue.”Trump said that Afrikaners — descendants of the first European settlers of South Africa — “are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.”He added that he looked forward to hosting the 2026 G20 summit in the United States — which the billionaire US president will controversially hold at his own golf resort in Miami, Florida.The South African foreign ministry called Trump’s comments “regrettable” and said it was looking forward to hosting a “successful” summit set for November 22-23.”The characterisation of Afrikaners as an exclusively white group is ahistorical. Furthermore, the claim that this community faces persecution is not substantiated by fact,” it said in a statement. Pretoria chose “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability” as the theme for its G20 presidency but has faced some resistance, including from Washington.”South Africa’s focus remains on its positive global contributions,” the foreign ministry said.”Drawing on our own journey from racial and ethnic division to democracy, our nation is uniquely positioned to champion within the G20 a future of genuine solidarity.”- ‘White genocide’ -Trump has singled out South Africa for harsh treatment on a number of issues since he returned to the White House in January, most notably on his false claims of a “white genocide” in the country.He ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval office earlier this year, playing a video in which he alleged a campaign against white farmers by the post-apartheid government. South Africa’s government denies any such policy.Trump’s administration announced plans last week to drastically cut back the number of refugees to be accepted annually by the United States to a record low of 7,500 — and give priority to white South Africans.The two countries have also fallen out over issues including South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice, the UN’s top court.Trump has meanwhile slapped 30 percent tariffs on South Africa, the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.