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  • ‘Every single day’ we keep an eye on what’s happening between Pakistan and India: Rubio

    ‘Every single day’ we keep an eye on what’s happening between Pakistan and India: Rubio

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ahead of joint press conference by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 15, 2025.
    | Photo Credit: Reuters

    The U.S. keeps “an eye” on what’s happening between India and Pakistan “every single day” as ceasefires can fall apart very quickly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

    “…the only way to have a ceasefire is for both sides to agree to stop firing at one another. And the Russians just haven’t agreed to that. Beyond that, I would say that one of the complications about ceasefires is they have to be maintained, which is very difficult. I mean, every single day we keep an eye on what’s happening between Pakistan and India, what’s happening between Cambodia and Thailand,” Mr. Rubio said.

    “Ceasefires can fall apart very quickly, especially after a three-and-a-half-year war (in Ukraine) like what we’re facing now, but I don’t think anyone disagrees that the ideal here, what we’re aiming for is not some permanent ceasefire. What we’re aiming for here is a peace deal so there’s not a war now and there’s not a war in the future,” Mr. Rubio said in an interview to NBC News Meet The Press.

    In a separate interview with Fox Business, Mr. Rubio again mentioned the recent conflict between India and Pakistan that President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed he solved.

    “And I think we are very fortunate and blessed and should be thankful to have a President who has made peace and the achievement of peace a priority of his administration. We’ve seen it in Cambodia and Thailand. We’ve seen it in India-Pakistan. We’ve seen it in Rwanda and the DRC. And we’re going to continue to pursue any opportunities we can find to bring about peace in the world,” Mr. Rubio said.

    Since May 10, when Mr. Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim about 40 times that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan and that he told the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours that America will do a “lot of trade” with them if they stopped the conflict.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in Parliament that no leader of any country asked India to stop Operation Sindoor. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has categorically said there was no third-party intervention in bringing about a ceasefire with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, asserting that the halting of the military action was also not linked to trade as claimed by Mr. Trump.

    On the day of his summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday (August 15, 2025), Mr. Trump repeated multiple times within hours his claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan, as well as spoke about India’s purchases of Russian oil.

    “Look at India. Take a look at India and Pakistan. They were shooting down airplanes already, and that would have been maybe nuclear. I would have said it was going to go nuclear, and I was able to get it done. Number one is lives, and number two is everything else. Wars are very bad and if you can avoid them, and I seem to have an ability to end them, to get people together, I use the power of the United States,” Mr. Trump had said.

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  • Amino acid metabolism shapes the tumor immune microenvironment and therapy response

    Amino acid metabolism shapes the tumor immune microenvironment and therapy response

    The tumor microenvironment is not just a site of cancer growth—it is a high-stakes metabolic contest where tumor and immune cells vie for limited resources. Amino acids, once seen as passive nutrients, are now known to steer cell fate, immune suppression, and resistance to immunotherapy. Tumors often win this battle by monopolizing amino acids, crippling the metabolism of nearby T cells and macrophages. Recent advances have illuminated how this biochemical imbalance hinders immune surveillance and fosters tumor progression. Due to these challenges, there is a growing urgency to explore how amino acid dynamics influence cancer immunity and identify new therapeutic targets within this hidden battleground.

    In a new review (DOI: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2025.0115) published in Cancer Biology & Medicine, scientists from Tongji University Cancer Center explored how amino acid metabolism governs the intricate dialogue between cancer cells and immune defenses. The paper charts a comprehensive map of how amino acid sensing, transport, and utilization shape tumor behavior and immune cell function. It also highlights pioneering therapies—from CAR-T cell enhancements to microbial-based interventions—that rewire the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and offer fresh hope in the fight against cancer.

    Tumor cells and immune cells are locked in a biochemical tug-of-war over amino acids. The review uncovers how tumors exploit this metabolic dependency to fuel their growth while sabotaging immune responses. Glutamine feeds tumor proliferation but its depletion cripples T cells. Arginine, essential for T cell activation, is often depleted in the TIME by tumor-associated macrophages expressing arginase. Tryptophan is converted by tumor enzymes into kynurenine, suppressing T cells via the AhR pathway. Methionine, vital for DNA methylation, is hoarded by cancer cells, disrupting T cell epigenetic programming.

    Beyond nutrient supply, amino acids act as molecular messengers. Sensors such as mTOR, AMPK, and AhR decode amino acid levels, triggering survival and immune evasion pathways. Newly discovered sensors like TARS2 and HDAC6 open doors to uncharted therapeutic targets. The review further highlights experimental interventions—from enzyme inhibitors and amino acid-loaded nanoparticles to diet-based and microbiota-driven strategies—that selectively reprogram metabolism to favor immune activation. These findings connect molecular pathways to real-world treatments, positioning amino acid metabolism as a powerful lever in cancer therapy.

    Amino acids are not just nutrients—they are the language tumors and immune cells use to communicate. By understanding this metabolic dialogue, we can begin to intercept and rewrite it. Our work lays the foundation for a new class of therapies that don’t just kill cancer cells but also empower the immune system to fight back more effectively.”


    Dr. Ping Wang, co-corresponding author of the review

    Targeting amino acid metabolism offers a novel and precise strategy to tip the balance of the tumor immune microenvironment. Therapeutic approaches such as glutaminase inhibitors, arginase blockers, and methionine restriction diets are being tested alongside immune checkpoint inhibitors to amplify antitumor effects. Probiotic-based therapies that alter local amino acid levels and engineered immune cells with enhanced nutrient-sensing capacities hold promise for hard-to-treat cancers. As metabolic profiling becomes integrated into oncology, these amino acid-centered interventions may lead to more personalized, effective cancer treatments that overcome immune resistance and improve patient survival.

    Source:

    Chinese Academy of Sciences

    Journal reference:

    Lin, Z., et al. (2025). Amino acids shape the metabolic and immunologic landscape in the tumor immune microenvironment: from molecular mechanisms to therapeutic strategies. Cancer Biology & Medicine. doi.org/10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2025.0115.

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  • PowerA Reveals Nintendo Switch 2 Controller With Lumectra – Bleeding Cool News

    1. PowerA Reveals Nintendo Switch 2 Controller With Lumectra  Bleeding Cool News
    2. Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller has stiff competition from GuliKit’s ES and ES Pro  The Shortcut | Matt Swider
    3. New controller ‘optimized for Switch 2’ with TMR joysticks goes up for pre-order with an early bird price cut  PC Guide
    4. GuliKit’s new anti-drift Switch 2 controllers are budget-friendly alternatives to Nintendo’s  The Verge

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  • European leaders to join President Zelenskyy for meeting with Trump – RADIO PAKISTAN

    1. European leaders to join President Zelenskyy for meeting with Trump  RADIO PAKISTAN
    2. ‘Next time in Moscow?’: Five takeaways after Trump and Putin’s Alaska summit  BBC
    3. European leaders to join Ukraine’s Zelensky in Trump meeting  Dawn
    4. Statement by President Macron, Prime Minister Meloni, Chancellor Merz, Prime Minister Starmer, President Stubb, Prime Minister Tusk, President Costa, President von der Leyen  consilium.europa.eu
    5. Zelenskyy faces daunting trip to the White House – but this time he won’t be alone  The Guardian

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  • Enjoyed the holiday? Now buy the swanky vintage poster

    Enjoyed the holiday? Now buy the swanky vintage poster

    If Jeremy Sacher tires of looking at a verdant Queen’s Park through the windows of his west London home, he needs only to step into his kitchen to find a view of New York’s Times Square or an Imperial Airways flying boat heading for Cape Town.

    Sacher, you see, is an avid collector of travel posters created during the early decades of the 20th century to entice the adventurous into a world gradually being made smaller by trains, planes and automobiles.

    Back then such ephemera was used as a cheap, cheerful and entirely disposable way to promote the services of shipping companies, airlines and railways. But now surviving examples of the best vintage travel posters have become valuable and highly sought-after.

    Sacher began collecting more than 40 years ago when, as the head of a design company, he found himself making regular trips to studios in New York.

    “There were many more poster dealers in the US than there were in the UK, so I became familiar with the world of collecting and with the names of the top graphic artists.

    “Howard Hughes employed many of them when he owned Trans World Airlines during the 1940s and 1950s, so I started collecting posters advertising the airline’s routes,” he explains.

    In recent years Sacher has bought through the art agents Nicolette Tomkinson and Sophie Churcher, who set up the specialist art agency Tomkinson Churcher in 2016 following the closure of Christie’s South Kensington saleroom, which ran a vintage poster department.

    Empire Flying Boats Aircraft, Imperial Airways by Harold McCready, c 1937

    TOMKINSON CHURCHER

    San Francisco-Hawaii Overnight! Via Pan American Poster

    San Francisco-Hawaii Overnight! Via Pan American Poster

    DAVID POLLACK/GETTY IMAGES

    Travel posters first became seriously collectable after New York’s Swann Galleries staged the first dedicated auction in 1979. Now the best examples by leading graphic artists such as the Frenchmen Roger Broders and Adolphe Mouron Cassandre, the Brits Norman Wilkinson and Frank H Mason, or the Irishman Paul Henry can fetch as much as £15,000 apiece.

    Tomkinson says the golden age of Britain’s railways during the 1920s and 1930s resulted in some of the best images but, by the very nature of their role as short-lived advertisements, few have survived — and getting hold of good ones is becoming increasingly difficult.

    “Sometimes travel posters are numbered but in most cases we never really know what the print runs were,” she explains.

    NINTCHDBPICT001015859182

    Fiat Jolly, Portofino by Charles Avalon, available at Pullman Editions

    “What is certain is that only a fraction of those produced actually survived, because they were either pasted over or torn down. And when collectors get hold of the best, they tend to hold on to them.”

    But some big collections saved by people who had connections with the printers, the artists or the firms that commissioned the designs do occasionally come on to the market.

    One spectacular cache emerged in Australia about 20 years ago, having been amassed by the owner’s father, a teacher, who had written to the country’s various train companies during the 1920s asking for travel posters to use in geography lessons. He received more than 200, which were dispersed at auction for in excess of £200,000.

    And while posters promoting trips to once-popular British holiday resorts such as Skegness and St Andrews continue to sell for as much as £5,000, it’s those depicting more glamorous continental destinations that many collectors find most uplifting.

    Tomkinson says several such images have been consigned to a Lyon & Turnbull auction (happening on October 29) and include a 1957 lithograph of Cote d’Azur, “after Pablo Picasso”, which is estimated to fetch £1,500. And at his by appointment gallery in south London, the dealer James Manning is offering a striking 1930s image by the top artist AE Halliwell promoting “cruises to Norway” for £4,000.

    NINTCHDBPICT001015862350

    A 1957 lithograph of Cote d’Azur, “after Pablo Picasso”, is estimated to fetch £1,500 at the Lyon & Turnbull auction

    TOMKINSON CHURCHER

    NINTCHDBPICT001015859109

    Cruises to Norway, c 1930 design by AE Halliwell, from Manning Fine Art

    NINTCHDBPICT001015859337

    USA, Fly by B.O.A.C, 1950s

    © STICK NO BILLS® 2025. COURTESY OF THE ARCHIVES DESIGN GROUP (UK) LTD AND ITS OFFICIAL LICENSORS BRITISH AIRWAYS PLC & PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    However, travel posters are not categorised only by country but also by modes of transport and activities, meaning there are images that hold appeal to fans of cars, trains and aeroplanes, others that attract those drawn to the glamour of steam-driven liners and still others that are bought by regular visitors to top ski resorts such as St Moritz and Gstaad.

    Buying vintage originals is not, however, the only route to getting some uplifting travel posters on to your walls, as there are now several firms, such as Stick No Bills and the north London gallery Pullman Editions, that sell brand-new, top quality images that are either in a vintage style or licensed fine art prints of exceptional posters from the golden era of graphic advertising.

    Uniquely, Stick No Bills has been granted access to the historic archives of travel companies such as Pan American Airways, British Overseas Air Corporation (BOAC), Lufthansa, the Fomento del Turismo Mallorca and Braniff International Airways in order to recreate the best of their vintage posters.

    NINTCHDBPICT001015859111

    Go by Train to Brittany original vintage 1956 Nathan poster from Manning Fine Art

    Sizes range from postcard-format works to unique Master editions featuring 24-carat gold lettering applied by the Spanish royal family’s yacht gilder — and costing as much as £16,000.

    Which might be the price of a darned good holiday. But the poster will last a whole lot longer — and there’s no need to endure the journey…

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  • New Zealand outclass Samoa to open OFC U-16 Men’s title defence in style in Honiara

    New Zealand outclass Samoa to open OFC U-16 Men’s title defence in style in Honiara

    Defending champions New Zealand have made the perfect start to their OFC U-16 Men’s Championship 2025 campaign in the Solomon Islands, sweeping aside Samoa 5-0 in their opening Group B encounter at the National Stadium in Honiara.

    Martin Bullock’s side took control early, with Ben Perez Baldoni heading home in the 8th minute to set the tone. Samoa threatened briefly midway through the half, when Isaac Edward’s curling freekick was tipped over by New Zealand goalkeeper Will Martin.

    Moments later, Willem Des Tombe doubled the advantage with a superb solo effort, outpacing the Samoan defence before rounding Damien Saienisi and slotting into an empty net.

    Anthems at the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship 2025, New Zealand v Samoa, National Stadium, Honiara, Solomon Islands, Monday 18 August 2025. Photo: DJ Mills / www.phototek.nz

    Despite a late first-half surge from Samoa, it was New Zealand who struck again in stoppage time, Perez Baldoni firing a left-footed effort from the edge of the area to claim his second and give the Kiwis a commanding 3-0 lead at the break.

    The striker completed his hat-trick just three minutes into the second half with a simple finish at the near post, putting the result beyond doubt. Ben Trenberth then added further gloss to the scoreline in the 68th minute, unleashing an impressive strike from distance that clipped the upright on its way in.

    Anthems at the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship 2025, New Zealand v Samoa, National Stadium, Honiara, Solomon Islands,

    Substitute Bevan Jr Kapisi came agonisingly close to getting a consolation goal for Samoa late on, but his effort rolled across the face of the goal after beating Martin at the near post.

    New Zealand now turns their attention to New Caledonia on Thursday, while Samoa will look to bounce back against hosts Solomon Islands.

    New Zealand 5 (Ben PEREZ BALDONI 8’, 45+2’, 48’, Willem DES TOMBE 29’, Ben TRENBERTH 68’)

    Samoa 0

    HT: 3-0

    Photo Credit: OFC Media via Phototek

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  • All Pokémon World Championship Announcements Recap

    All Pokémon World Championship Announcements Recap

    While hundreds of thousands of fans travel to or tune into the Pokémon World Championships every year to watch the best players compete for prestige, but that is only part of what makes the event so appealing. Because, at the end of the 2025 2025 Pokémon World Championships, we got a rapidfire set of announcements for various areas of the franchise, such as X. 

    Following the VGC Masters finals in the Anaheim Convention Center on Aug. 17, the closing ceremony for the 2025 Pokémon World Championships featured brand new reveals for Pokémon UNITE, the Pokémon TCG, and more. This ceremony was something The Pokémon Company and its partners were hyping up all weekend at the event and on broadcasts, even more than in previous years. 

    At previous events, we saw new Pokémon TCG products revealed for the first time, release dates for big updates shared and even exclusive reveals for upcoming games. This year, the focus was on X, as X stole the show following the event’s conclusion. Here is a full list of those 2025 Pokémon World Championship announcements. 

    Empoleon, Dhelmise, and Vaporeon will all soon join the lineup of Pokemon Unite. Empoleon, the final stage evolution of Gen 4 starter Piplup, was confirmed for release on September 19. It looks like plenty more new playable ‘mon are in the works, so development on Pokemon Unite isn’t slowing down any time soon.

    As the performers closed out the 2025 Pokemon World Championships with one last song, the Pokemon Go account had already begun to tease the arrival of Eternatus to the game. Rather than revealing an upcoming event, the Go team soon announced the start of a Special Timed Research for Eternatus that kicked off in Anaheim at the venue for the tournament.

    Eternatus will role out to the rest of the world in an event later this month and looks to be the biggest Dynamax boss the game has seen.

    Related Article: Pokémon Legends Z-A Rogue Mega Bosses Give A Major Power Up: Hands-on First Impression

    Mega Evolutions are headed to Pokémon TCG Pocket, confirming previous leaks reported by Esports on SI. Among the cards teased were Mega Blaziken EX, Mega Altaria, and Mega Gyarados. The trailer ended by revealing that the next season would begin “This Fall”.

    Along with this announcement, Pokémon Legends: Z-A was playable for the first time at the 2025 Pokémon World Championships. Esports on SI got early access to the demo build, sharing extra details about the new Rogue Mega battles, Z-A Royale and more.

    The biggest headline of all: Pokemon Legends Z-A has Multiplayer!! Players will compete in 4-way battle royale matches, opening the door to a brand new type of Pokemon esports.

    In a stunning announcement to close out a wave of shocking reveals, The Pokemon Company comfirmed that not only will Pokemon Champions be supported on the brand’s competitive circuit, but the new mobile title will be the main game for VGC next year. The Champions trailer also showed Mega Dragonite, indicating that new mega forms from Legends Z-A will be making their way into the new competitive title.


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  • Israel intensifies Gaza City attacks, forcing starving Palestinians to flee

    Israel intensifies Gaza City attacks, forcing starving Palestinians to flee

    GAZA (Agencies) – Israel’s military has stepped up attacks on Gaza City as part of its expanded operations aimed at seizing the last major population centre in the enclave, forcing tens of thousands of starving Palestinians to flee again.

    The Gaza City neighbourhoods of Zeitoun, Sabra, Remal and Tuffah have particularly borne the brunt of the Israeli bombardments in recent days as a spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Israel’s plans to forcibly displace Palestinians to southern Gaza would increase their suffering.

    Thousands of families have fled Zeitoun, where days of continuous strikes have left the neighbourhood devastated. At least seven people were killed on Sunday when an Israeli air strike hit al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City.

    Also on Sunday, the Israeli military said tents and equipment to erect shelters will be provided to the Palestinians who have been displaced multiple times in 22 months of war, which has been called an act of genocide by multiple rights organisations.

    Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said artillery fire and air raids have forced many from their homes.

    “The Zeitoun neighbourhood is a very densely populated area, home to many families, including those who have been sheltering there. Residents were surprised when the artillery shelling and the intensive air raids started. Some people stayed. Others started moving. As the violence escalated, many were forced to evacuate – hungry, devastated and displaced yet again, leaving behind everything they had,” Khoudary said.

    ‘NEW WAVE OF GENOCIDE’

    Israel last week announced plans to push deeper into Gaza City and remove its residents to the south, a move that has drawn international condemnation.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, said civilians would be moved to “safe zones” even though these areas have also been repeatedly bombed.

    Nearly 90 percent of the 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza remain displaced, and an overwhelming number of them are now facing starvation. At least seven more Palestinians died of starvation in Gaza in 24 hours, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said on Sunday, raising the war’s hunger-related death toll to 258, including 110 children, as a result of Israel’s ongoing siege of the enclave.

    On Sunday, Israel killed nearly at least 57 Palestinians, 38 of them aid seekers, taking the total number of Palestinians killed since the war began in October 2023 to nearly 62,000.

    Hamas denounced Israel’s plan to set up tents in the south as a cover for mass displacement.

    The group said in a statement that the measure amounted to a “new wave of genocide and displacement” and described it as a “blatant deception intended to cover up a brutal crime that the occupation forces prepare to execute”.

    There was an atmosphere of despair in Gaza after Israel’s latest forced displacement order, Maram Humaid, Al Jazeera’s online correspondent from Gaza, posted on X.

    “There are no words to describe how people in Gaza feel right now. Fear, helplessness, and pain fill everyone as they face a new wave of displacement and an Israeli ground operation,” she posted.

    “Family and friends’ WhatsApp groups are full of silent screams and sorrow. God knows people have suffered enough. Our minds are almost paralysed from thinking.”

    Displaced and desperate Palestinians are scrambling for scraps of food as they face more bombardment from Israeli forces.

    The UN says one in five children in Gaza is malnourished as tens of thousands rely on charity kitchens, whose small portions of food can be their only meal of the day.

    “I came at 6am to the charity kitchen to get food for my children, and if I don’t get any now, I have to come back in the evening for another chance,” said Zeinab Nabahan, displaced from the Jabalia refugee camp, told Al Jazeera.

    “My children are starving on small amounts of lentils or rice. My children haven’t had bread or any breakfast. They’ve been waiting for me to leave with whatever I can get from the charity kitchen.”

    Another resident, Tayseer Naim, told Al Jazeera that “had it not been for God and charity kitchens”, he would not have survived. “We come here at 8am and suffer to get lentils or rice. We suffer a lot, and we leave at midday and walk for about a kilometre.”

    ‘MAN-MADE FAMINE’

    On Sunday, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned that Gaza is facing a “man-made famine” and urged a return to a UN-led distribution system.

    “We are very, very close to losing our collective humanity,” Juliette Touma, the agency’s communications director, said in a post on X.

    She said the crisis had been fuelled by “deliberate attempts to replace the UN-coordinated humanitarian system through the politically motivated ‘GHF’.”

    She warned the alternative system promoted by Israel and the United States “brings dehumanisation, chaos, and death” and stressed: “We must return to a unified, UN-led coordination and distribution system based on international humanitarian law. The abomination must end.”

    The World Food Programme (WFP) says despite its teams “doing everything” to deliver food assistance in Gaza, current supplies only meet 47 percent of the intended target.

    According to the UN agency, around 500,000 people are now on the “brink of famine”, and that only a ceasefire would allow food assistance to be scaled up to the required levels.

    The Government Media Office in Gaza said Israel was deliberately starving Palestinians by blocking essential goods, including baby formula, nutritional supplements, meat, fish, dairy products, and frozen fruits and vegetables.

    In a statement on Telegram, it said Israel was carrying out “a systematic policy of engineered starvation and slow killing against more than 2.4 million people in Gaza, including more than 1.2 million Palestinian children, in a complete crime of genocide”.

    It warned that more than 40,000 infants face severe malnutrition while at least 100,000 other children and patients are in a similar condition.

    Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza City, told Al Jazeera that aid workers were struggling to respond as resources collapse.

    “We are trying to do our best. We are … part of this social fabric. We are linked to the people here, and we are staying with them while Israel threatens to apply its plans to forcibly evacuate Gaza City and destroy the rest of Gaza. There are 1.1 million people here, most of them elderly, women, children and people with disabilities,” Shawa said.

    He said workers continued to provide limited meals, medical care and education but warned that “the humanitarian system is collapsing” as Israel strikes aid facilities and restricts supplies.

     


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  • Bella Thorne singles out fans after backlash over her proposal to fiance

    Bella Thorne singles out fans after backlash over her proposal to fiance

    Bella Thorne reacts as fans divide over her proposal to fiance of two years

    Bella Thorne is taking notice of her fans’ mixed reaction to her recent romantic proposal to her fiancé, Mark Emms.

    It began this weekend when the singer and actress, 27, shared photos and clips from the recent proposal, marking two years since he popped the question first.

    The Disney alum could be seen getting down on one knee while surrounded by candles, flowers, and red heart-shaped balloons.

    Emms was initially unsure of what Thorne was doing until he knelt to meet her at eye level. His jaw dropped when the actress pulled out a ring box.

    “3 years ago we met, 1 year later he proposed, Now 1 year later so did I,” Thorne, 27, captioned the videos. However, most fans did not approve of the gesture. 

    “If he already proposed why did you do it lol I’m confused,” one Instagram user commented under the post, while another wrote, “Ok ladies let’s not normalise this, okay?”

    Bella Thorne singles out fans after backlash over her proposal to fiance

    “Girls in 2025: he said yeeesss,” someone quipped while a fourth sarcastically said they “would rather swallow glass” than propose to their man.

    Others gushed over the sweet moment, as a fan wrote, “I don’t understand why everyone’s hating. It’s cute,” while another agreed, “comments failed. girl power i love you for this.”

    In her response, Thorne took to Instagram Stories on Saturday, saying, “The comments on my post are hilarious!!

    “Totally split down the middle. Half of u are like let’s not normalize proposing to your partner — other half is like f*** yeah girl power this is the sweetest.”

    The OnlyFans creator and Emms went public with their romance in February 2023 after she broke off her engagement to Benjamin Mascolo.


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  • HollyShorts Awards Got To ‘Trapped,’ Voices From The Abyss’ And More

    HollyShorts Awards Got To ‘Trapped,’ Voices From The Abyss’ And More

    Four films have booked passage into the Oscar race after taking home awards at the prestigious HollyShorts festival in Los Angeles.

    Trapped, a drama directed by Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz, won the Grand Prix Award. The short starring Javier Molina and Keith William Richards centers on a “high school janitor [who] runs into a series of dangerous obstacles.” Trapped also won Best Drama. Scroll for the full list of winners.

    “At the end of the day, the thing that I’m most grateful for is just the film has resonated with so many people,” David Cutler-Kreutz told Deadline after winning the two honors. “The goal is that people see the film and find that it impacts them, that it makes them want to think about the world or see the world a little bit differently. That’s why I do the work, that’s why my brother does the work.”

    The Cutler-Kreutz Brothers earned a 2025 Oscar nomination earlier this year for their short film A Lien. The Grand Prix Award at HollyShorts puts them back in the Oscar picture for a second consecutive year.

    ‘Trapped’

    HollyShorts

    “It’s really amazing… To be able to bring this story to all of the folks at the Oscars is really such a gift,” Cutler-Kreutz said. “One of the things from last year going through the Oscars, just the number of people that the film touches and number of people who see the film is such an incredible stage to be able to do that.”

    'Voices From the Abyss'

    ‘Voices From the Abyss’

    HollyShorts

    The award for Best Documentary went to Voices from the Abyss directed by Irving Serrano and Victor Rejón. The film shot in black and white documents the La Quebrada Cliff Divers of Acapulco, a group of divers – young and old – who leap from cliffs at an elevation of up to 135 feet, or roughly the height of a 12-story building. (Full disclosure, I served as a juror for the documentary category).

    'A Son and a Father'

    ‘A Son and a Father’

    HollyShorts

    Best Live Action Short was claimed by A Son and a Father, directed by Andrés Ramírez Pulido and starring Hugo Andrés Yate and Jhojan Estiven Jimenez. Logline: “Perceived as a problem child, Kevin cannot control his temper, often erupting when taunted. He is obligated to undergo behavioral therapy, but his father refuses to accompany him and surprisingly, his stepfather takes his place.”

    The prize for Best Animation went to Hurikán, directed by Jan Saska, a film set in the Czech capital. “Hurikán rushes to save his favorite beer stand from closure by fetching a new keg to impress the bartender he crushes on,” notes a description of the film. “In a wild Prague district, he faces robbers, cops, and his own thirst.”

    'A Friend of Dorothy' poster

    Filthy Gorgeous Productions

    The award for Best Director went to Lee Knight for his live action short A Friend of Dorothy, starring Miriam Margolyes. The story is based on a relationship Knight developed with a neighbor, an older widow who formed a strong bond with Knight and his husband.

    “It was a unique friendship, someone who was lonely and in a way still had so much to give and no one really realized,” Knight told Deadline. “She had supported theaters for 50 years with her husband. He passed away. When she met me and my husband and realized we were actors, it gave her a new lease on life, and we took her to our opening nights. She would take us to plays on her arm going, ‘These are my boys, my boys.’”

    Lee Knight accepts the HollyShorts award for Best Director

    Lee Knight accepts the HollyShorts award for Best Director

    Matthew Carey

    “It’s a fictional story inspired by a real person,” Knight continued. “Miriam Margolyes, who plays the lead, I actually wrote it for her before we met. As I was writing it, I just thought, ‘Who could play this?’ And I think the inspiration of Shirley, who was my friend who passed away, and then Miriam Margolyes’ voice, it’s sort of an amalgamation of the two in a way. But it was very much written for Miriam.”

    Actor David Dastmalchian presents at the HollyShorts awards show

    Actor David Dastmalchian presents at the HollyShorts awards show

    Matthew Carey

    This is the 21st year for HollyShorts. The festival presented more than 425 films, culled from 7,000 submissions. Among the presenters at Sunday night’s awards presentation was director Catherine Hardwicke, actress Sharon Lawrence and actor David Dastmalchian.

    These are the winners announced at the ceremony at Mann’s Chinese in Hollywood:

    Grand Prize Award – Trapped – Sam Cutler-Kreutz – David Cutler-Kreutz

    AAPI Award – Mushroom Dad – Michael Yuchen Lei

    Best Animation – Hurikán – Jan Saska

    Best Cinematography – Lo Que Desaparece –  Mario Lerma and Alex Rapariz

    Best Comedy – Susana – Gerardo Coello Escalante and Amandine Thomas

    Best Documentary – Voices from the Abyss – Irving Serrano, Victor Rejón

    Best Drama – Trapped – Sam Cutler-Kreutz – David Cutler-Kreutz

    Best Editing – Say Wuff! – Fabian Podeszwa

    Best Horror – Heirlooms – Dan Abramovici

    Best International  – The Painting & The Statue – Freddie Fox

    Best Midnight Madness – Stomach Bug – Matty Crawford

    Best Music Video – Earth Defender  – Sil van der Woerd, Jorik Dozy and Kynan Tegar

    Best Podcast – Moonburn by Robbie Hyne

    Best Producer – Money Talk$ – Tony Mucci (Director and Producer), Scott Aharoni (Producer), Bryan Schmier (Producer) and David Mazouz (Producer)

    Best Sci-Fi – The Second Time Around – Jack Howard

    Best Special Effects – Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting – Alexander Thompson

    Best Student Film – 1:10 – Sinan Taner

    Best Thriller – Plastic Surgery  – Guy Trevellyan

    Best TV – Chasers – Erin Brown Thomas

    Best Web Series – Hasaan Hates Portland – Mischa Webley

    Kodak Best Shot on Film, 16MM – Ragamuffin – Kaitlyn Mikayla

    Kodak Best Shot on Film, 35MM – The Singers – Sam Davis

    Kodak Honorable Mention – Synthesize Me – Bear Damen

    Latine Award – Cura Sana – Lucía G. Romero

    LGBTQIA+ Award – Dancing in Tomorrowland – Jakob Roston

    SAGindie Award – L’avance – Djiby Kebe

    Social Impact Award – Rise – Jessica J. Rowlands

    Best Sports Drama –  Negro League Nights  – Kyle Sykes

    Best Sports Documentary – It’s On Like A Pot Of Neckbones – Joey Garfield

    Top 10 Live Action Short Films Finalists –

    A Son and a Father – Andrés Ramírez Pulido

    Mercenaire – Pier-Philippe Chevigny

    Ragamuffin – Kaitlyn Mikayla

    Amarela – André Hayato Saito

    L’avance – Djiby Kebe

    Trapped – Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz

    One Of Them – Mostafa Vaziri

    A Friend of Dorothy – Lee Knight

    Rise – Jessica J. Rowlands

    Script Awards –

    ISA Story Award – Best Feature Screenplay –  Dope Friend – Matt Ferrucci

    Best Female Screenplay – The Unraveling by Samantha Mallory

    Best Short Screenplay Grand Prize – Mudslide by Frederik Ehrhardt

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