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Robert Francis Prevost became the first pope from the United States on Thursday, picking the papal name Leo XIV after cardinals from around the world elected him leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.Tens of thousands of people packed in St Peter’s Square cheered as Prevost appeared on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, waving with both hands, smiling and bowing.”Peace by with you,” he told the crowds.White smoke from the Sistine Chapel had billowed into the sky on the cardinals’ second day of voting to announce his election in a secret conclave, while the bells of St Peter’s Basilica and churches across Rome rang out.Crowds of people rushed towards the square to watch the balcony of the basilica, which has been fitted out with red curtains for the first address to the world by the 267th pope.The new pontiff, who succeeds Argentine reformer Pope Francis, was introduced in Latin with his chosen papal name.”It’s an amazing feeling,” said an elated Joseph Brian, a 39-year-old chef from Belfast in Northern Ireland, who came with his mother to Rome for the spectacle. “I’m not an overly religious person but, being here with all these people just blew me away,” he told AFP as people around him jumped up and down in excitement.There were euphoric scenes as one priest sat on someone’s shoulders waving a Brazilian flag and another lifted a heavy crucifix into the air in jubilation.- ‘Habemus Papam’ -“Habemus papam, woooo!” howled Bruna Hodara, 41, from Brazil, echoing the words to be spoken on the balcony as the new pope is introduced.She, like others, recorded the historic moment on her phone, as others waved flags and cried out “Viva Il Papa!” — “Long live the pope!” in Italian.”It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to be here to see the pope. It’s really special… I’m excited!” said Florian Fried, a 15-year-old from Munich, in Germany.Pope Francis died last month aged 88 after a 12-year papacy during which he sought to forge a more compassionate Church — but drew anger from many conservatives with his progressive approach.The new pope now faces a momentous task: as well as asserting his moral voice on a conflict-torn global stage, he must try to unite a divided Church and tackle burning issues such as the the continued fall-out from the sexual abuse scandal.Some 133 “Princes of the Church” from five continents — the largest and most international conclave ever — began voting on Wednesday afternoon.Sworn to secrecy, on pain of excommunication, their only means of communicating their progress to the outside world was by sending up smoke through the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.On Wednesday evening and then again on Thursday lunchtime, the smoke was black, eliciting disappointed sighs from the tens of thousands watching.But on Thursday afternoon just after 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) the smoke emitted was white, confirming that the Catholic Church has a new spiritual leader.It was unknown how many ballots it took to elect the new pope, but it followed recent history in wrapping up in less than two days.In 2005, Benedict XVI, a German theologian, was elected in four ballots and Francis, in 2013, was elected in five ballots.While the details of the election will forever remain secret, the new pope had to secure at least two-thirds of votes to be elected.By tradition, he now enters the Room of Tears — where freshly-elected popes give free rein to their emotions — to don a papal cassock for the first time, before returning to the Sistine Chapel so the cardinals can pledge their obedience.He will then appear on the balcony along with a senior cardinal, who will announce to the waiting crowds “Habemus Papam” (“We have a pope”).The pope will then give a short speech and impart his first “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”) blessing.- Pastor or diplomat -The election has come at a time of great geopolitical uncertainty, which was seen as a key voting issue, along with the rifts within the Church.Francis was a compassionate reformer who prioritised migrants and the environment, but he angered traditionalists who wanted a defender of doctrine rather than a headline-maker.Some 80 percent of the cardinal electors were appointed by Francis. Hailing from 70 countries around the world, it was the most international conclave ever.That was no guarantee, however, that the cardinals would pick someone in his vein.The question was whether to choose a pastor or diplomat, a liberal or conservative, someone versed in the Curia — the Church’s governing body — or a relative outsider from areas of the world where Catholic faith is thriving.Before the cardinals were locked into the Sistine Chapel Wednesday, their dean Giovanni Battista Re urged them to choose someone able to protect the Church’s unity.The next pope must also be able to lead “at this difficult and complex turning point in history”, amid raging conflicts around the world and the rise of ultra-nationalist parties.The Church has also had difficulty in adapting to the modern world, with declining priest numbers and increasingly empty pews in the West.The papal inauguration usually takes place less than a week after the election with a mass celebrated before political and religious leaders from around the world.The new pope will likely do a tour of St Peter’s Square in his popemobile for the first time, before delivering a homily outlining his priorities.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates announced Thursday an accelerated timeframe for giving away his fortune as he touted artificial intelligence as a game-changer to boost public health and save lives globally.Under a new timetable, the Gates Foundation will spend more than $200 billion over the next 20 years, shutting down in 2045. The organization had originally planned to close 20 years after Gates’ death.The announcement came as Gates took aim at another billionaire tech titan, Elon Musk.The Tesla CEO pushed through draconian cuts to the US Agency for International Development because Musk “didn’t go to a party that weekend,” Gates told the New York Times in an apparent dig at Musk’s lifestyle.Gates is listed as the 13th on the Forbes “real-time” billionaire list, with a net worth of $112.6 billion. Musk is first with $383.2 billion.Gates, 69, published a chart showing his net worth plummeting 99 percent over the next 20 years in a blog post announcing the shift, describing a doubling of the pace of giving.”People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of them,” Gates wrote.The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation launched in 2000, the same year Bill Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft. In 2024, Melinda French Gates exited the foundation three years after the couple’s divorce.The organization, which had more than $71 billion in assets at the end of 2023, has been credited with helping to reshape the world of global public health.It lists five offices throughout Africa, in addition to locations in the United States, Europe, China, India and the Middle East.Gates cited progress in health efforts including campaigns to eradicate polio and the creation of a new vaccine for rotavirus that has helped reduce the number of children who die from diarrhea each year by 75 percent.Separate from the Gates Foundation, the Microsoft founder said he plans to continue to provide funding for initiatives to expand access to affordable energy and for breakthrough research into Alzheimer’s disease.- Not a ‘forever’ foundation -In the blog post, Gates credited the writings of 19th-century US steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, whose foundation is still around.But Gates told the New York Times he had no designs on creating a “forever” foundation out of “some weird legacy thing,” preferring to pump out billions more to take advantage of emerging technologies.”The tools are so phenomenal,” he said of the potential for AI in global health.”All the intelligence will be in the AI, and so you will have a personal doctor that’s as good as somebody who has a full-time dedicated doctor — that’s actually better than even what rich countries have,” Gates told the New York Times.While private foundations can do a lot, Gates described the government role as essential, ruing deep budget cuts by the United States, Britain, France and other countries.”It’s unclear whether the world’s richest countries will continue to stand up for its poorest people. But the one thing we can guarantee is that, in all of our work, the Gates Foundation will support efforts to help people and countries pull themselves out of poverty,” he wrote. The moves have included the assault on USAID by Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” in Donald Trump’s presidential administration. Gates called the cuts “stunning,” far more severe than expected.Musk is “the one who cut the USAID budget,” Gates told the New York Times. “He put it in the wood chipper.”In an interview with the Financial Times, Gates ridiculed Musk’s apparent confusion of Gaza Province in Mozambique with Gaza in the Middle East as the Trump administration targeted programs.”The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” Gates said of Musk in an interview with the Financial Times.

US President Donald Trump unveiled a “breakthrough” trade agreement with Britain on Thursday, celebrating the first deal in a tariff war that has rattled the world.Speaking by telephone from the Oval Office to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump said the deal would be the first of many with other countries.The deal will reduce tariffs on British cars and steel, but a 10 percent baseline levy on British goods will remain. Britain will in return open up markets to US beef and farm products despite consumer concerns over their quality.”I’m thrilled to announce that we have reached a breakthrough trade deal with the United Kingdom,” Trump said at the White House.”The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture.” Starmer said it was a “really fantastic, historic day”, noting that it coincided with the 80th anniversary of “Victory Day” for allied forces — including Britain and the United States — over Nazi Germany in World War II.The trade deal slashes export tariffs for British cars from 27.5 percent to 10 percent, Britain said.”That is a huge and important reduction,” PM Starmer said during a visit to a Jaguar Land Rover factory in the central Midlands area of England.Both sides said there would be further negotiations on a fuller deal, but Trump denied overselling the agreement.”This is a maxed-out deal — not like you said it really incorrectly,” he added, answering a reporter’s question on whether he was overstating the breadth of the deal.The deal follows a charm offensive by Starmer, who came to the White House in February armed with an invitation from King Charles III for a historic second state visit for Trump.- ‘Further negotiations’A UK government official likened the deal to a “general terms document” which will set out agreements but also lay out a framework where further discussions are needed.The deal was focused on specific sectors rather than being a fully-fledged free trade agreement sought by the UK following its 2020 departure from the European Union, the official said on condition of anonymity.As well as dealing with steel and car tariffs, it would lay out positions for discussions over possible future tariffs in the key pharmaceuticals sector.”There will be further negotiations to come,” the source added.A US deal is a fresh win for Starmer after Britain this week struck a free-trade agreement with India, its biggest such deal since leaving the European Union.Trump described the British leader, who like the US president won power last year, as a tough negotiator following the latter’s visit to Washington in February.The president slapped 10 percent tariffs on imports from around the world in April, including Britain, but he temporarily froze higher duties on dozens of nations to allow for negotiations.The film industry — a main UK export for the services sector — is also in Trump’s sights.London, however, has not yet retaliated against Trump’s tariffs.London had been keen to achieve some type of accord with Washington ahead of an EU-UK summit on May 19 due to reset ties with the 27-nation bloc.The EU is struggling to reach its own trade deal with the United States.Brussels on Thursday proposed hitting US planes and cars with tariffs if talks fail.burs-dk/aha

US lawmakers voted Thursday to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” turning into federal law an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in his first week in office. The bill’s passage in the Republican-led House of Representatives is largely symbolic as other countries are under no obligation to use Trump’s new designation and the measure is unlikely to pass the Senate, where it requires Democratic votes.Upon taking office, Trump signed executive orders changing the name of the body of water and also reverting the name of Denali, America’s highest peak, to its former moniker Mt. McKinley.Trump’s renamings sparked criticism from Indigenous groups in Alaska and raised diplomatic concerns with Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested calling the United States “Mexican America.”The House bill directs federal agencies to update their documents and maps to reflect the name change. “Codifying the rightful renaming of the Gulf of America isn’t just a priority for me and President Trump. It’s a priority for the American people,” said far right Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who authored the bill.Republican moderate Don Bacon told CNN however the move “seems juvenile.” “We’re the United States of America. We’re not Kaiser Wilhelm’s Germany or Napoleon’s France… we’re better than this. It just sounds like a sophomore thing to do,” he said.The name change would cost the federal government less than $500,000 over five years to update documents and maps, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.But schools, libraries and other public organizations would bear the costs of updating their materials, and Democrats have called the effort a waste of money.”This bill does nothing to materially improve the lives of United States citizens — it is an unserious offering by the majority,” said a statement from the office of House Democratic whip Katherine Clark.Trump barred the Associated Press from the Oval Office and from traveling on Air Force One in February because of the global news agency’s decision to continue referring to the “Gulf of Mexico.”In its style guide, the AP notes that the Gulf of Mexico has “carried that name for more than 400 years” and the agency “will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.”A federal judge said in April the “viewpoint-based denial of the AP’s access” was a violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and of the press.The Trump administration is appealing the judge’s ruling ordering the White House to restore the AP’s access to official presidential events.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a “full and comprehensive” trade agreement with Britain, which would be the first such deal since he launched his global tariffs blitz.Trump provided no details about the scope of the deal but said there would be many more to come after he hit US trading partners with sweeping levies on his April 2 “Liberation Day.”But a more reserved tone from London suggested the deal might not be comprehensive as claimed by Trump, who has boasted for weeks that countries were lining up to strike deals with Washington.The 78-year-old Republican called it a “very big and exciting day” and was due to speak further about the agreement at a news conference in the White House scheduled for 10:00 am (1400 GMT). “The agreement with the United Kingdom is a full and comprehensive one that will cement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come,” the president posted on his Truth Social platform.”Because of our long time history and allegiance together, it is a great honor to have the United Kingdom as our FIRST announcement. Many other deals, which are in serious stages of negotiation, to follow!”Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was an “important step towards fair and reciprocal trade with our partners around the world.”- ‘National interest’ -The deal follows a charm offensive by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who came to the White House in February — armed with an invitation from King Charles III for a historic second state visit for Trump.Reports said the deal would lift Trump’s 25-percent tariffs on British steel and cars but his baseline 10 percent tariffs would remain. In return Britain could give relief from the UK’s digital services tax paid by US tech giants.Sky News reported that London has agreed concessions on food and agriculture imports with Washington.Starmer said he would speak about the trade agreement with the United States — UK’s single largest country trading partner — later on Thursday.”Talks with the US have been ongoing and you’ll hear more from me about that later today,” the PM told a London conference on defense.”But make no mistake, I will always act in our national interest.”A UK government official likened the deal to a “general terms document” which will set out agreements but also lay out a framework where further discussion are needed.The deal was focused on specific sectors rather than being a fully-fledged free trade agreement sought by the UK following its 2020 departure from the European Union, the official said on condition of anonymity.As well as dealing with steel and car tariffs, it would lay out positions for discussions over possible future tariffs in the key pharmaceuticals sector.”There will be further negotiations to come,” the source added.- Brexit Britain -A US deal would be a fresh win for Starmer after Britain this week struck a free-trade agreement with India, its biggest such deal since leaving the EU.Trump described the British leader, who like the US president won power last year, as a tough negotiator following the latter’s visit to Washington in February.The president slapped 10 percent tariffs on imports from around the world in April, including Britain, but he temporarily froze higher duties on dozens of nations to allow for negotiations.The film industry — a main UK export for the services sector — is also in Trump’s sights.London however has not yet retaliated against Trump’s tariffs.Reaching a post-Brexit agreement with the United States has been a priority for Britain.London had been keen to achieve some type of accord with Washington ahead of a EU-UK summit on May 19 due to reset ties with the 27-nation bloc.The EU is meanwhile struggling to reach its own trade deal with the United States.Brussels on Thursday proposed hitting US planes and cars with tariffs if talks fail.burs-dk/bgs

The Gates Foundation plans to spend more than $200 billion over the next 20 years, accelerating its public health mission and shutting down in 2045, the organization said Thursday.The new timetable means a change to the organization’s charter, which planned for the foundation to sunset 20 years after the death of Bill Gates. The shift is driven by “urgency and opportunity,” as artificial intelligence advances boost the potential for human wellbeing even as governments cut back on aid funding, the foundation said.”During the first 25 years of the Gates Foundation — powered in part by the generosity of Warren Buffett — we gave away more than $100 billion,” Gates, 69, said in a blog post, referring to the influential American investor.”Over the next two decades, we will double our giving,” Gates wrote.The blog post contained a chart showing Gates’s net worth plummeting 99 percent over the next 20 years. Gates is currently listed as the 13th on the Forbes “real-time” billionaire list, with a net worth of $112.6 billion.”People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of them,” Gates wrote. “There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people.”The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation launched in 2000, the same year Bill Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft. In 2024, Melinda French Gates exited the foundation three years after the couple’s divorce.Gates cited progress in launching global public health efforts including campaigns to eradicate polio and the creation of a new vaccine for rotavirus that has helped reduce the number of children who die from diarrhea each year by 75 percent.”By accelerating our giving, my hope is we can put the world on a path to ending preventable deaths of moms and babies and lifting millions of people out of poverty,” Gates said in the blog.Separate from the Gates Foundation, the Microsoft founder said he plans to continue to provide funding for initiatives to expand access to affordable energy and for breakthrough research into Alzheimer’s disease.

The United States and Britain were reportedly set to announce a trade agreement on Thursday that could have implications for President Donald Trump’s tariffs assault, but the scope of the deal could be limited.The New York Times and Politico reported that the agreement would be with the UK, citing multiple people familiar with the plans, while the Wall Street Journal said it would be a “framework” of a deal.It would be the first such trade agreement since Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on US trading partners on what he called “Liberation Day” on April 2.The president slapped 10 percent tariffs on imports from around the world, including Britain, but he temporarily froze higher duties on dozens of nations to give space for negotiations.Trump on Wednesday wrote that a “major trade deal” would be announced with a “big, and highly respected country”.However, media and analysts said it was unclear whether a US deal with Britain had been finalised or if the two countries would announce a framework for an agreement that would be subject to further negotiation.Trump is set to announce the “deal” at a 10:00 am (1400 GMT) news conference in the Oval Office at the White House, and touted it as the “first of many”.In London, Downing Street said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will give an “update” on trade talks with the United States on Thursday.”Talks on a deal between our countries have been continuing at pace and the prime minister will update later today,” a spokeswoman said.Starmer, who like Trump won power last year, had pushed for a trade deal before the president unleashed his tariffs blitz on Britain and countries worldwide.Reaching a post-Brexit agreement with the United States has been the Holy Grail for Britain since it exited the European Union at the start of the decade.London is keen to get some kind of accord with Washington, ahead of a EU-UK summit on May 19 due to reset ties with the 27-nation bloc.A US-UK deal could prove problematic for the EU which is struggling to reach an acceptable trade deal of its own with the United States.Britain this week struck a free-trade agreement with India, its biggest such deal since leaving the EU, after negotiations relaunched in February following US tariff threats.The EU remains Britain’s biggest trading partner, while the United States is the UK’s single largest country trading partner.- Details of deal? -Trump has for weeks claimed that countries were lining up to strike trade agreements with the United States.Reports have suggested that Washington may reduce certain tariffs on British products in exchange for relief from the UK’s digital services tax paid by US tech giants. London had not retaliated against the Trump’s 10-percent tariff imposed on UK imports, nor to the higher 25-percent levies for steel, aluminium and the automotive sector.”Any deal with the US is likely to be damage limitation rather than an economic boost,” Jonathan Portes, professor of economics at King’s College London, told AFP.”That is, it is likely to limit the Trump tariffs, but … exporters will probably still be facing higher tariffs overall than they were last year.”Deutsche Bank analyst Jim Reid said “given that full trade deals take years to negotiate, this will likely be a framework and it will be interesting to see whether the 10-percent baseline tariff stays as that will provide an important template for negotiations with other countries”.The Bank of England is widely expected to cut its key interest rate by a quarter point Thursday as Trump’s planned tariffs threaten to weaken global economic growth.- Affinity for Britain – Starmer visited Washington at the end of February in part to discuss tariffs and came away hopeful that a long-awaited accord could be reached. Trump at the time held out the prospect of a “great” deal, hailing Starmer as a tough negotiator.Starmer during his visit handed Trump an invitation to meet King Charles III for an unprecedented second state visit that London hopes will boost transatlantic ties. The 78-year-old Republican has long been a vocal fan of the British royal family. He also has a close affinity to the UK as his mother was born in Scotland, where he owns a golf course.

Faced with fresh flight safety problems at a major US airport, the Trump administration is set Thursday to unveil a modernized air traffic control system.US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is planning a news conference in Washington to announce an upgrade billed as a dramatic break from the “band-aid” fixes of past administrations.A massive overhaul of the US air traffic control system could cost tens of billions of dollars. Such a policy would need to win congressional approval at a time when Trump’s administration is also seeking deep spending cuts to finance tax cuts.The union for air traffic controllers has complained of obsolete buildings containing radar technology that is no longer manufactured and computers with floppy disks last seen in the 20th century.Duffy’s agency is facing scrutiny after an April 28 incident at Newark Liberty International Airport in which air traffic officials stationed in nearby Philadelphia were unable to connect with planes on radar and through radio for 90 seconds.The troubles at one of the busiest US airports follow a January 29 midair collision near Washington’s Reagan National Airport involving a passenger jet and a military helicopter, the first major US commercial crash since 2009.Duffy, who has blamed his predecessor in the Biden administration for recent problems, talked up the plan at an April 30 Cabinet meeting with Trump, who seemed to favor a lead contractor.”We’re going to have one, great big beautiful contractor, whether it’s maybe Raytheon, maybe IBM,” Trump said. “You put one in charge. They’re very big, very powerful monetarily, and they give you a guarantee, and they hook up everything. They do every single thing.”Duffy has so far not released details about the plan. A Department of Transportation advisory touted Thursday’s event as “ushering in a golden age of transportation.”- Newark in focus -On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it has been slowing arrivals and departures at Newark after the system outage.Other steps included adding more backup equipment and bolstering air traffic controller staffing, the FAA said.While Newark’s staffing issues are the norm across the network, the incident highlights unique problems at the airport, said Michael McCormick, a former FAA control tower manager who is now associate professor at Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University.McCormick said the telecommunications failures stem from the FAA’s 2024 relocation of Newark air traffic staff from Long Island to Philadelphia.Even with the loss of contact with air traffic staff, pilots would have still been able to safely fly during the outage because of on-board technology that tracks other planes, McCormick said.”There’s still backup,” McCormick said. “It’s not optimal.”

Donald Trump will announce a trade deal with the United Kingdom on Thursday, US media reported, after the president touted a “major” upcoming agreement on social media.The New York Times and Politico reported that Trump was set to agree to a deal with Britain, citing multiple people familiar with the plans.Trump wrote earlier on Wednesday the “major trade deal” would be announced with a “big, and highly respected country.”He said he would announce the deal at a 10:00 am (1400 GMT) news conference in the Oval Office at the White House, and touted it as the “first of many.”Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on US trading partners last month but temporarily froze most of them to allow for the negotiation of trade deals.He has been claiming for weeks that countries were lining up to strike trade agreements with the United States.The Times said it was not clear whether a US trade deal with Britain had been finalized or if the two countries would announce a framework for an agreement that would be subject to further negotiation.The Bank of England is widely expected to cut its key interest rate by a quarter point Thursday as Trump’s planned tariffs threaten to weaken global economic growth.- An affinity for Britain – Britain this week struck a free-trade agreement with India, its biggest such deal since leaving the European Union, after negotiations relaunched in February following US tariff threats.Britain has sought to bolster trade ties across the world since it left the EU at the start of the decade under Brexit, a need that became more pressing after Trump took power.Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Washington at the end of February in part to discuss tariffs and came away hopeful that a long-awaited accord could be reached. Trump at the time held out the prospect of a “great” deal, hailing Starmer as a tough negotiator.Starmer during his visit handed Trump an invitation to meet King Charles III in September for an unprecedented second state visit that London hopes will boost transatlantic ties. Trump will become the first political leader to receive a second state visit to Britain, after he traveled there in 2019 during his first term as president. The 78-year-old Republican has long been a vocal fan of the British royal family. He also has a close affinity to the UK due to the fact his mother was born in Scotland, where he owns a golf course.

Donald Trump’s proposal to put 100 percent tariffs on foreign movies left many filmmakers scratching their heads. But it did highlight a problem plaguing Hollywood: cinema is rapidly abandoning its long-time home.For decades almost every film that hit US theatres — as well as most of what was on TV — emanated from a handful of movie lots in the sun-soaked capital of America’s entertainment industry.Actors, stunt performers, costume designers, set builders, editors and special effects wizards flocked to Los Angeles, where they worked with hundreds of thousands of drivers, caterers, location managers, animal handlers and prop wranglers to produce thousands of hours of output every year.The city boomed from the 1920s onwards because it was an industry town with a virtual stranglehold.Not any more.”The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death,” Trump blared on his social media platform over the weekend.- All-time low -The number of shooting days in Los Angeles reached an all-time low last year — lower even than during the Covid-19 pandemic, when filming shut down completely.Less than one-in-five film or TV series broadcast in the United States was produced in California, according to FilmLA, an organization that tracks the movie industry.”On-location production in Greater Los Angeles declined by 22.4 percent from January through March 2025,” it said in a report, with film and TV production both down 30 percent year-on-year.Southern California’s high costs — including for labor — are a problem for studios, whose margins are small, especially as fewer people are prepared to shell out for pricey cinema tickets, preferring to watch titles at home.As revenue pressures mount, production houses are turning to filming opportunities abroad that offer them savings. And there is no shortage of countries courting them: Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Hungary, Thailand and others all offer tax incentives.The temptation to film abroad only increased during the Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strike in 2023, said entertainment lawyer Steve Weizenecker, who advises producers on financial incentives.”During the strikes, I had production that went to the UK, that went to France, Italy and Spain, because they couldn’t shoot here,” he told AFP.”And so the concern now is how do we bring that back?”Toronto, Vancouver, Britain, Central Europe and Australia now all rank above California as preferred filming locations for industry executives.Competition has never been more fierce: in 2024, 120 jurisdictions worldwide offered tax incentives for film and TV production, almost 40 percent more than seven years ago.- Canada first -Canada introduced a tax break for film and TV productions as early as 1995.”That was when the term ‘runaway production’ started being thrown about, because suddenly producers did not have to shoot in California or New York,” Weizenecker said.Canada’s success has since spawned competition between dozens of US states.Georgia, where many Marvel superhero films are shot, has offered a tax credit since 2005. New Mexico, the setting for drug drama “Breaking Bad,” has been doing the same since 2002. And Texas, which has offered tax breaks since 2007, wants to increase its budget allocated to such funding.”Much like Detroit lost its hold on the auto industry, California has lost its dominance, mostly due to the arrogance of not understanding there are always alternatives,” Bill Mechanic, a former Paramount and Disney executive, told Deadline.State officials, prompted by the cries of anguish from Hollywood have belatedly begun to take notice.Last year, California Governor Gavin Newsom called on lawmakers to double the money available to the state’s TV and film tax credit program.California currently offers a tax credit of up to 25 percent that can be used to offset expenses including the cost of hiring film crews or building sets.Two bills trundling through the legislature could increase it up to 35 percent of qualified expenditures, and would expand the kind of productions that would qualify.Newsom reacted to Trump’s tariff suggestion with a counter-proposal for a $7.5 billion federal tax credit that would apply nationwide.Whether or not the Republican would be keen to support an industry he views as hostile and overly liberal remains to be seen, but it would really help, according to George Huang, a UCLA professor of screenwriting.”Right now the industry is teetering,” Huang told the Los Angeles Times. “This would go a long way in helping right the ship and putting us back on course to being the capital of the entertainment world.”