Even though Tom Cruise has acted in a number of blockbusters, there has never been any official merchandise with his face on it

The path to the Women’s World Cup has been vastly uneven for the teams headed to Australia and New Zealand next month

Ted Cruz is accusing the highly anticipated Barbie film of “pushing Chinese propaganda,” after a trailer for the Warner Bros release appeared to show a map referencing China’s disputed claims to the South China Sea. “Senator Cruz has been fighting for years to prevent American companies, especially Hollywood studios, from altering and censoring their content to appease the Chinese Communist Party,’ a spokesperson for the Texas Republican told The Daily Mail. The issue stems back to the so-called “nine-dash line” used on Chinese maps, illustrating what it claims are its posessions within the South China Sea. The line, first published on Chinese maps in the 1940s, demarks an area 1,200 miles from the Chinese mainlaind comprised more than 80 per cent of the South China Sea, according to The Los Angeles Times. Parts of the territory within the line, a busy fishing and trade corridor with valuable oil and gas deposits as well as strategic importance, are claimed by nations including Vietnam and the Philippines. About a minute into the Barbie film’s main trailer, a map of the world can be seen with a line of eigh dots jutting off a cartoonish drawing of Asia. The Independent has contacted Warner Bros for comment. The Republican Texas senator isn’t the only one upset about the map. Vietnam reportedly banned the movie over the apparent reference to the Chinese claims. The decision was issued by the country’s Central Council of Film Evaluation and Classification, Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Vietnam Cinema Department, told theTuoi Tre newspaper on Monday. The film was set to premiere in the country on 21 July, the same time as it hit US screens. It’s not the first time the territorial claims have impacted a Hollywood release. Showings of the action film Uncharted in Vietnam were halted last year for the same reason. The map dispute also led Vietnam to cut a scene from the 2018 smash Crazy Rich Asians, according to the Mail. The territorial dispute over the South China Sea territory at issue was brought before The Hague in 2016, where China lost on most of its claims. Beijing has not accepted the judgment. Read More Barbie director Greta Gerwig reveals she rejected ‘terrifying’ idea for Margot Robbie film Vietnam bans 'Barbie' movie due to an illustration showing China's territorial claim John Legend and Chrissy Teigen sleep over at Barbie’s Malibu dreamhouse: ‘So jealous’ Trump and DeSantis to hold dueling campaign events in New Hampshire after squabbling over timing Analysis: Donald Trump's war on truth confronts another test with voters Judge blocks Biden agencies from communicating with social media platforms

Harlow Freeman was in good condition and hydrated when discovered and was taken to Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham

China's top diplomat is a familiar face, known for taking a hard line on those that cross Beijing.

Rep Jamaal Bowman (D - New York) criticised Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene for characterising him as threatening when they confronted each other on the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday. The two had a heated exchange on the steps of the US Capitol after the House voted to refer the expulsion of Representative George Santos to the House Ethics Committee. At a press conference on Thursday, Ms Greene said criticised Mr Bowman, an outspoken progressive, for confronting her on the steps of the US Capitol on Wednesday, for calling her a white supremacist. Ms Greene later criticised Mr Bowman for calling her a white supremacist. “That is like calling a person of colour the n-word,” she said. “Jamaal Bowman was down there cursing at me, telling me to get the eff out of there, right outside the vehicle I was sitting in.” Mr Bowman confronted Ms Greene in a heated conversation on the steps of the US Capitol on Wednesday following the vote to refer the expulsion of the embattled New York Republican representative to the House Ethics Committee rather than subject his expulsion to a full vote on the House floor. “What is on video is Jamaal Bowman shouting at the top of his lungs, cursing,” she said. “Calling me a white supremacist, which I take great offence to. That is like calling a person of colour the N-word.” Ms Greene accused Mr Bowman of “leading the mob” right outside a vehicle as she was prepared to leave the Capitol. She then noted that he confronted her after the vote. “His physical mannerisms are aggressive,” she said, criticising his recent interaction with Rep Thomas Massie (R - Kentucky) and accusing him of shoving Mr Massie when discussing gun violence. “I am concerned. I feel threatened by him.” The Daily Beast’s Ursula Perano filmed the interaction as Mr Bowman admonished Ms Greene, who has promoted conspiracies such as QAnon, to fix the Republican Party. Eventually, Mr Bowman’s friend Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D - New York) stepped in to tell him of Ms Greene: “She ain’t worth it, bro.” During their back and forth, Mr Bowman told Ms Greene of Mr Santos: “Expel him. Save the party. The party is hanging by a thread.” But Ms Greene deflected, saying: “We got to get rid of Biden to save the country,” before she tried to start a chant of “impeach Biden.” Mr Bowman then said Ms Greene needed to stop promoting conspiracy theories. “No more QAnon,” he said, to which Ms Greene replied: “No more CNN.” “No more debt ceiling nonsense,” he said. “Come on, now. Save the party.” Mr Bowman also called on Ms Greene to do something about guns. “So close the border,” Ms Greene, which led Mr Bowman to scoff. “The border is where Trump left it,” he said. Mr Bowman ultimately moved on following the advice of Ms Ocasio-Cortez. The confrontation came after Mr Bowman and Ms Ocasio-Cortez heckled Mr Santos outside of the Capitol building, imploring him to resign as he spoke to reporters. Last week, Mr Santos was indicted on 13 counts of criminal charges related to wire fraud, money laundering, making false statements to the House of Representatives and theft of public funds. However, on Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to refer the resolution to expel Mr Santos to the House Ethics Committee rather than sent it to a House vote. The charges come months after it was revealed that Mr Santos lied on his resume before being elected to represent New York’s 3rd district. Democrats have been pushing for Mr Santos to resign, citing ethical concerns- including Mr Bowman and Ms Ocasio-Cortez. Read More AOC heckles George Santos after Congress votes on his future: ‘Resign! Resign bro!’ Disney cancels $1bn Florida theme park extension amid war with DeSantis Marjorie Taylor Greene files impeachment against Biden, unlikely to pass AOC heckles George Santos after Congress votes on his future: ‘Resign! Resign bro!’ Marjorie Taylor Greene falsely claims slain Georgia activist killed police officer at Cop City protest

The historic impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton plunged Republicans on Sunday into a fight over whether to banish one of their own in America's biggest red state after years of scandal and criminal accusations that will now be at the center of a trial in the state Senate. Paxton said he has “full confidence” as he awaits judgement from the Senate, where his conservative allies include his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, who has not said whether she will recuse herself from the proceedings to determine whether her husband will be permanently removed from office. For now, Texas' three-term attorney general is immediately suspended after the state House of Representatives on Saturday impeached Paxton on 20 articles that included bribery and abuse of public trust. The decisive 121-23 vote amounted to a clear rebuke from the GOP-controlled chamber after nearly a decade of Republican lawmakers taking a mostly muted stance on Paxton's alleged misdeeds, which include felony securities fraud charges from 2015 and an ongoing FBI investigation into corruption accusations. He is just the third sitting official in Texas' nearly 200-year history to have been impeached. "No one person should be above the law, least not the top law officer of the state of Texas,” said Republican state Rep. David Spiller, who was part of a House investigative committee that this week revealed it had quietly been looking into Paxton for months. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has remained silent about Paxton all week , including after Saturday's impeachment. Abbott, who was the state's attorney general prior to Paxton's taking the job in 2015, has the power to appoint a temporary replacement pending the outcome in the Senate trial. It is not year clear when the Senate trial will take place. Final removal of Paxton would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate, where Republican members are generally aligned with the party's hard right. The Senate is led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has served as state chairman for former President Donald Trump's campaigns in Texas. Before the vote Saturday, Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz came to Paxton’s defense, with the senator calling the impeachment process “a travesty” and saying the attorney general’s legal troubles should be left to the courts. “Free Ken Paxton,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, warning that if House Republicans proceeded with the impeachment, “I will fight you.” Paxton, 60, decried the outcome in the House moments after scores of his fellow partisans voted for impeachment. His office pointed to internal reports that found no wrongdoing. “The ugly spectacle in the Texas House today confirmed the outrageous impeachment plot against me was never meant to be fair or just,” Paxton said. "It was a politically motivated sham from the beginning.” Lawmakers allied with Paxton tried to discredit the investigation by noting that hired investigators, not panel members, interviewed witnesses. They also said several of the investigators had voted in Democratic primaries, tainting the impeachment, and that Republican legislators had too little time to review evidence. “I perceive it could be political weaponization,” Rep. Tony Tinderholt, one of the House’s most conservative members, said before the vote. Republican Rep. John Smithee compared the proceeding to "a Saturday mob out for an afternoon lynching.” Rice University political science professor Mark P. Jones said the swift move to impeach kept Paxton from rallying significant support and allowed quietly frustrated Republicans to come together. “If you ask most Republicans privately, they feel Paxton is an embarrassment. But most were too afraid of the base to oppose him,” Jones said. By voting as a large bloc, he added, the lawmakers gained political cover. To Paxton’s longstanding detractors, however, the rebuke was years overdue. In 2014, he admitted to violating Texas securities law, and a year later was indicted on securities fraud charges in his hometown near Dallas, accused of defrauding investors in a tech startup. He pleaded not guilty to two felony counts carrying a potential sentence of five to 99 years. He opened a legal defense fund and accepted $100,000 from an executive whose company was under investigation by Paxton’s office for Medicaid fraud. An additional $50,000 was donated by an Arizona retiree whose son Paxton later hired to a high-ranking job but soon was fired after displaying child pornography in a meeting. In 2020, Paxton intervened in a Colorado mountain community where a Texas donor and college classmate faced removal from his lakeside home under coronavirus orders. But what ultimately unleased the impeachment push was Paxton's relationship with Austin real estate developer Nate Paul. In 2020, eight top aides told the FBI they were concerned Paxton was misusing his office to help Paul over the developer's unproven claims about an elaborate conspiracy to steal $200 million of his properties. The FBI searched Paul’s home in 2019, but he has not been charged and denies wrongdoing. Paxton also told staff members he had an affair with a woman who, it later emerged, worked for Paul. The impeachment accuses Paxton of attempting to interfere in foreclosure lawsuits and issuing legal opinions to benefit Paul. The bribery charges included in the impeachment allege Paul employed the woman with whom Paxton had an affair in exchange for legal help and that he paid for expensive renovations to the attorney general's home. A senior lawyer for Paxton’s office, Chris Hilton, said Friday that the attorney general paid for all repairs and renovations. Other charges, including lying to investigators, date back to Paxton’s still-pending securities fraud indictment. Four aides who reported Paxton to the FBI later sued under Texas’ whistleblower law, and in February he agreed to settle the case for $3.3 million. The House committee said the probe was sparked by Paxton seeking legislative approval for the payout. “But for Paxton’s own request for a taxpayer-funded settlement over his wrongful conduct, Paxton would not be facing impeachment,” the panel said. ___ Bleiberg reported from Dallas. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Texas GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton impeached by Republican-controlled Statehouse AP News Digest 3 a.m. Texas' GOP-held House set for impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Ken Paxton

Russia’s budget deficit, aided by an increase in oil and gas revenue, shrank for the third straight month

When Georgia Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene tried to criticise President Joe Biden by comparing his programmes to those of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson, the White House took it as a compliment. “Caught us. President Biden is working to make life easier for hardworking families,” the official White House account tweeted. Later, the Democratic president went a step further and released the video as a campaign ad. Rep Greene outlined President Johnson’s programmes, called The Great Society, which addressed “education, medical care, urban problems, rural poverty, transportation, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and welfare,” as well as the Office of Economic Opportunity and labor unions. While Johnson had The Great Society, Joe Biden has Build Back Better, Ms Greene said, describing it as: “The largest public investment in social infrastructure and environmental programs that is actually finishing what FDR started that LBJ expanded on.” “And Joe Biden is attempting to complete socialism,” Ms Greene continued. “Marjorie Taylor Greene thought her recent speech was an attack on ⁦POTUS⁩. It’s actually a huge compliment,” California Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu chimed in. New York Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres also reacted: “Marjorie Taylor Greene, a recovering member of the House Freedom Caucus, has accused President Biden and Congressional Democrats of ‘trying to finish what FDR started.’” He added, “Yes! We are guilty as charged.” Rep Greene went on to criticise President Biden’s investments, saying the US is “now $32 trillion in debt with record high homelessness, 40 year record inflation. We’re losing the US Dollar as the number one world currency. We’re losing our freedoms. Our government is one big fat bloated machine and it’s killing the American dream.” But Rep Greene’s initial remarks spread like wildfire on social media, with some accounts tweeting it out as if it were an ad for Mr Biden’s re-election campaign. The President himself took note and formally released his own version. Read More Marjorie Taylor Greene’s antics show that the 2024 election will be about America’s role in the world Far-right pundits and lawmakers evangelise and crown Trump and Tucker at Turning Point’s Florida conference Marjorie Taylor Greene brands Nato ‘not a reliable partner’ as she calls for US to withdraw Trump downplays his legal challenges on the campaign trail in Iowa after revealing new target letter Michigan charges 16 fake electors for Donald Trump with election law and forgery felonies DeSantis says charging Trump for Jan 6 is ‘criminalising political differences’

By Blake Brittain A group of 17 music publishers sued Twitter in Nashville, Tennessee, federal court on Wednesday,

KHARTOUM (Reuters) -Sudan's capital Khartoum and sister city Bahri came under renewed air attack on Friday as the war between

Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro is barred from running for office by the top electoral court.