Day: March 24, 2024

Prosecutors in 3 Wisconsin counties decline to pursue charges against Trump committee, lawmaker  MPR News

Jared Kushner: The Cleaner of War-Torn Gaza  WhoWhatWhy

General Education Task Force schedules listening sessions | University Times | University of Pittsburgh  University Times

Russia observed a day of mourning Sunday following a deadly attack on a music venue in a Moscow suburb. Islamic State took credit for the assault that killed 137 people. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us more.

beijing — The head of the International Monetary Fund called Sunday for China to implement “a comprehensive package of pro-market reforms” to boost a sluggish economy beset by a housing market crisis, low domestic demand and persistently high youth unemployment.   

Chinese policymakers have so far resisted calls to juice the economy through massive government stimulus, instead stressing the need to pivot toward “high-quality” growth.

Speaking at the China Development Forum in Beijing on Sunday, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the “transition from high rates to high quality of growth is the right fork in the road to take and China is determined to do so.”

The Bulgarian economist warned that “this transformation would not be easy” but argued that “with a comprehensive package of pro-market reforms, China could grow considerably faster than a status quo scenario,” according to an official transcript of her speech.

Beijing should take “decisive steps” to reduce the amount of unfinished housing and give more space for “market-based corrections” in the crucial but heavily indebted real estate sector, Georgieva said.

Authorities should also boost “the spending power of individuals and families” by beefing up China’s pension system and taking other steps to hone its vast social security apparatus, she added.

Georgieva also pushed China to strengthen “the business environment and [ensure] a level playing field between private and state-owned enterprises,” a long-standing demand of overseas business groups operating in the Asian nation. 

Top Chinese politicians have been outwardly bullish on the economy, with Premier Li Qiang telling Sunday’s forum that Beijing would “take practical, effective actions to promote high-quality development and inject positive energy … into the global economic recovery.”

But GDP growth rates in China have been trending downward for years, and Beijing this month set an annual target of “around 5 percent” — significantly lower than the breakneck expansion rates that powered the country’s meteoric rise to prosperity.

Sunday’s forum was attended by some of the world’s highest-profile business figures, including Apple’s Tim Cook, who said he had enjoyed an “outstanding” meeting with Li.

“I think China’s really opening up, and I’m so happy to be here,” the CEO of the United States’ largest smartphone empire told a reporter from CGTN, according to a video posted on one of the state-run broadcaster’s social media accounts.

In separate comments published online by state broadcaster CCTV, Cook said Apple would keep increasing its investment in research and development in China.

He added that Apple’s flagship mixed-reality headset, the Vision Pro, would hit shelves in China by the end of this year, according to a social media post that carried his remarks in Chinese translation only.

Cook was in Shanghai to open a new Apple store this week, and Friday discussed the company’s expansion plans in China with the country’s commerce minister, Wang Wentao. 

new york — Ghostbusting is still a good business. 

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” collected $45.2 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, handing Sony Pictures the studio’s first No. 1 film since last summer. 

The opening weekend for “Frozen Empire,” in 4,345 theaters, was nearly exactly the same as the $44 million launch for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” in 2021. “Afterlife” rebooted the franchise with a sequel built around the descendants (Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace) of Harold Ramis’ Egon Spengler, along with Paul Rudd’s seismologist Gary Grooberson. 

Neither film has been a hit with critics, but audiences have been more receptive. “Frozen Empire” garnered a B+ CinemaScore from moviegoers, a tick down from the A- score for “Afterlife.” “Frozen Empire” isn’t assured of profitability, but it will hope for sustained business over spring break. 

“Ghostbusters” films tend to make a low impact internationally. In 25 overseas markets, “Frozen Empire” added $16.4 million. 

The latest “Ghostbusters” cost about $100 million to make. After Jason Reitman took over directing duties from his father, Ivan Reitman, to helm “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Frozen Empire” is directed by Gil Kenan, co-writer of “Afterlife.” 

Those two sequels took “Ghostbusters” in a more family-oriented, albeit PG-13 rated, direction, with original cast members Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Bill Murray returning in supporting roles. After the 2016 female-led “Ghostbusters” prompted a backlash, Sony rebooted the franchise. 

The weekend’s other new wide release was “Immaculate,” the horror film starring Sydney Sweeney as an American nun at a remote Italian convent. The film, released by Neon following a premiere at SXSW, debuted with $5.4 million on 2,354 screens. Sweeney’s ascending star power helped make “Anyone But You” one of the most successful rom-coms in years. But “Immaculate,” an independent production that cost less than $10 million to make, isn’t getting the same bounce. 

“The movie features the popular Sydney Sweeney, but horror movies are not cast-driven,” wrote David A. Gross for the consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “They’re driven by the hook: the evil doll, the wicked smile, the invisible or silent presence, the found footage, the possessed child. That’s what terrifies the horror crowd. The hook is not completely clear here.” 

The No. 2 spot went to “Dune: Part Two,” which continues to hold well. The Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi sequel starring Timothee Chalamet added $17.6 million in its fourth weekend of release, bringing the Warner Bros. release’s domestic total to $233.4 million. Overseas sales are just as strong, adding up to a $574.4 million worldwide haul. 

After two weeks atop the box office, Universal’s “Kung Fu Panda 4” slid to third place with $16.8 million over its third weekend. The well-performing DreamWorks animated sequel is up to $133.2 million domestic. It debuted with $25.7 million in China, where the movies have historically been popular. When the 2008 “Kung Fu Panda” was released, its success partly inspired China to expand its own film production. 

Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 

1. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $45.2 million. 

2. “Dune: Part Two,” $17.6 million. 

3. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $16.8 million. 

4. “Immaculate,” $5.4 million. 

5. “Arthur the King,” $4.4 million. 

6. “Late Night With the Devil,” $2.8 million. 

7. “Imaginary,” $2.8 million. 

8. “Love Lies Bleeding,” $1.6 million. 

9. “Cabrini,” $1.4 million. 

10. “Bob Marley: One Love,” $1.1 million.

Kamala Harris warns Israel not to cross US ‘red line’ and invade Rafah: ‘Huge mistake’  New York Post

The West Fails to Learn from Crimea’s Ten-Year Occupation  Wilson Center

Ocasio-Cortez, in House Speech, Accuses Israel of ‘Genocide’  The New York Times