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Nora Aunor, one of the Philippines' most celebrated film stars, has died at the age of 71.

Aunor's death on Wednesday was announced by her children on social media, but no further details were provided about her cause of death, according to BBC.

"Her unrivaled talent, grace, and dedication for the trade inspired generations. Her voice, personality, and craftsmanship forged a legacy that will endure," her daughter and actor Lotlot de Leon wrote on Instagram.

Ms Aunor was born into a poor family in Iriga and has spent seven decades working in television, music, and movies, BBC reported.

In 2022, she was appointed a National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts, the Philippines' highest artistic honour.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump's spate of tariffs that have upended global trade.

The suit, which marks the first time a state has sued over the levies, challenges an emergency power Trump cited giving him authority to enact them, BBC reported.

California, the world's fifth-largest economy, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over tariffs, claiming they disproportionately harm the state's industrial and agriculture industries. Governor Gavin Newsom argues the levies—10% on most countries and 145% on China—damage California’s economy, which leads the U.S. in production. 

The White House dismissed the suit, defending the tariffs as necessary to address trade imbalances and a "national emergency" harming U.S. industries. California has already filed 15 lawsuits against Trump since January, according to BBC.

Legal experts note the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, cited for the tariffs, which has never before been invoked to impose tariffs.

Trump's tariff authority is also being questioned in other lawsuits filed by corporations and human rights advocates.

A significant number of American students are increasingly pursuing higher education opportunities in Canada, driven by concerns over current educational policies in the United States.

Recently, Trump’s administration has enacted measures that adversely affect American institutions, exemplified by funding cuts to Harvard University following its refusal to comply with government demands regarding anti-Semitism, Firstpost reported.

The University of British Columbia (UBC) has seen a remarkable 27% increase in applications from US citizens for programs commencing in the 2025 academic year compared to all of 2024.

In response to this surge, UBC's Vancouver campus has reopened admissions specifically for US students and intends to expedite their application processes for those looking to start in September, according to Firstpost.

Meanwhile, the University Of Toronto, Canada's largest university by enrollment, has seen an uptick in applications from US students before of the January deadline for 2025 programs. The University of Waterloo has seen an increase in campus visits and web traffic from American users since September, showing a growing interest in Canadian education among US students.

The UK Supreme Court has unanimously determined that a woman is defined by her biological sex under equalities law.

It marks the end of a long court dispute that might have far-reaching consequences for how sex-based rights are applied in Scotland, England, and Wales, according to BBC.

The court sided with the campaign group For Women Scotland, which filed a case against the Scottish government saying that sex-based protections should only apply to persons who are born female.

Judge Lord Hodge stated that the verdict should not be interpreted as a victory for one side over another, and emphasized that transgender individuals continue to be protected from discrimination under the law.

The Scottish government contended in court that transgender people having a gender recognition certificate (GRC) had the same sex-based rights as biological women.

The Supreme Court was requested to rule on the right interpretation of the 2010 Equality Act, which applies throughout Britain, BBC reported.

Public reactions to the court's ruling have been mixed, with supporters and opponents gathering outside the Supreme Court to express a range of emotions regarding its implications for gender identity and women's rights.

Activists from both sides voiced their concerns about the ruling's impact. Legal experts indicate that this decision will likely shape future debates and legislative discussions on gender identity and legal protections in the UK, marking a critical point in the ongoing conversation about equality before the law in an increasingly complex social landscape.

A Peruvian court has sentenced former President Ollanta Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, to 15 years in prison for laundering $3 million from Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht and $200,000 from the administration of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Following the verdict, Humala, 62, was taken into custody, while Heredia, 48, sought asylum at the Brazilian embassy in Lima and was later granted safe passage to Brazil with their youngest son, Al Jazeera reported.

During the three-year trial, which began after an investigation in 2016, Humala maintained that the charges stemmed from political persecution. His legal team has announced plans to appeal the court's decision.

Humala, a retired military officer who led the Andean nation from 2011 to 2016, will likely carry out his sentence on a police base built specially to house Peru’s jailed leaders.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 9.75 points to close at 2,698.97 points on Wednesday. 

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 1.54 points to close at 452. 06 points. 

A total of 16,611,532- unit shares of 329 companies were traded for Rs 7. 26 billion.

Meanwhile, Corporate Development Bank Limited (CORBL) and Balephi Hydropower Limited (BHL) were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 10. 00 percent. 

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 48 trillion.

Nepal defeated Hong Kong by nine wickets in the ICC U19 World Cup Asia Qualifier on Wednesday.

In the match held at the Lower Mulpani Cricket Ground, Hong Kong, who were invited to bat first after losing the toss, posted 115 runs.

Set 116 to win, Nepal achieved that target for the loss of one wicket in 12. 3 overs.

Nepal's opening duo Shahil Patel and Neeraj Kumar Yadav shared a 50-run partnership in five overs. Patel and Yadav shared a 55-run partnership for the first wicket.

Patel, who remained unbeaten, top-scored for Nepal with 42 runs off 41 balls hitting eight boundaries.

Along with him, captain Naren Bhatta scored unbeaten 39 runs.

Sayan Puri claimed the only wicket for Hong Kong.

Earlier, Hong Kong scored 115 runs in 46. 2 overs losing all the wickets.

Captain Shiva Mathur top-scored for Hong Kong with 63 runs off 116 balls with four boundaries and one six.

Opener Arya Panjwani scored 13, Thomas Hodson 10 and Veer Mathur 12 while other batters failed to score in double digits.

Yuvaraj Khatri took four wickets, Bipin Sharma three, Santosh Yadav two and Ashok Dhami one wicket.

In the first match, Nepal thrashed the UAE by five runs and Hong Kong by eight wickets in the second match.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Oslo on May 15-16 to participate in the third India-Nordic Summit.

The summit will bring together leaders from all five Nordic countries—Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland—to focus on increasing collaboration in areas such as trade, innovation, green energy, climate change, and the blue economy, according to the Firstpost.

Geopolitical topics are expected to dominate discussions, including global peace and security and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Prior to this engagement, PM Modi held a conversation with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, during which they deliberated on both bilateral and international matters, Firstpost reported.

The Indian government said in a statement that the leaders recognized the value of high-level interactions since the Green Strategic Partnership's launch in 2020. They noted the expansion of this partnership across various sectors, which has facilitated Danish investments in India's green transition, while also addressing regional and global concerns of mutual interest.