Atom bomb epic "Oppenheimer" won seven prizes, including best picture, director and actor, at the 77th British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, cementing its front-runner status for the Oscars next month.
Gothic fantasia "Poor Things" took five prizes and Holocaust drama "The Zone of Interest" won three.

U.S. lawmakers are raising alarms about what they see as America's failure to compete with China in biotechnology, warning of the risks to U.S. national security and commercial interests. But as the two countries' rivalry expands into the biotech industry, some say that shutting out Chinese companies would only hurt the U.S.
Biotechnology promises to revolutionize everyday life, with scientists and researchers using it to make rapid advances in medical treatment, genetic engineering in agriculture and novel biomaterials. Because of its potential, it has caught the attention of both the Chinese and U.S. governments.

Dwindling ammunition threatens Ukraine's hold on the 1,000-kilometer front line under withering assault by Russian artillery. Defensive lines are in jeopardy.
Ukrainian forces withdrew from the city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region on Saturday after daily Russian onslaughts from three directions for the last four months.

Activists blocked Monday the road leading to the Egyptian embassy in Beirut in protest against the closure of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Egypt, which controls the Rafah border crossing, has repeatedly warned against any "forced displacement" of Palestinians from Gaza into the Sinai desert.

Israel has condemned Brazil's president for comparing the war in Gaza to the Holocaust, accusing him of being antisemitic and trivializing the Nazi genocide of European Jews during World War II.
The outcry further strained relations between the countries, which have deteriorated since President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva returned to office last year. Lula has portrayed himself as a leader of the " Global South," a loosely defined group of developing countries.

The sudden death of Russian President Vladimir Putin's most formidable antagonist has left an open wound in Russia's political opposition.
Alexei Navalny, 47, was the Kremlin's best-known critic at home and abroad. Before he died in a penal colony Friday, the anti-corruption crusader, protest organizer and politician with an arch sense of humor became the subject of an award-winning documentary. His channels on YouTube had millions of subscribers.

Jordanian soldiers have killed five smugglers who allegedly tried to bring drugs into the country from neighboring Syria, the country's military.
The army said the incident occurred early Sunday. It said four other suspected smugglers were wounded and "large quantities of drugs" were seized. It vowed to "strike with an iron fist" anyone who threatens Jordanian national security.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brushed off growing calls to halt the military offensive in Gaza, vowing to "finish the job" as a member of his War Cabinet threatened to invade the southern city of Rafah if remaining Israeli hostages are not freed by the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Israel's government has not publicly discussed a timeline for a ground offensive on Rafah, where more than half the enclave's 2.3 million Palestinians have sought refuge. Retired general Benny Gantz, part of Netanyahu's three-member War Cabinet, represents an influential voice but not the final word on what might lie ahead.

At least 26 combatants and an unconfirmed number of bystanders were killed in a gunbattle between warring tribes in Papua New Guinea, police said Monday.
A tribe, their allies and mercenaries were on their way to attack a neighboring tribe when they were ambushed Sunday in Enga province in the South Pacific nation's remote highlands, Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Acting Superintendent George Kakas said.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators cloaked in pink have marched through cities in Mexico and abroad in what they called a "march for democracy" targeting the country's ruling party in advance of the country's June 2 elections.
The demonstrations on Sunday called by Mexico's opposition parties advocated for free and fair elections in the Latin American nation and railed against corruption the same day presidential front-runner Claudia Sheinbaum registered as a candidate for ruling party Morena. Approximately 90,000 people turned out to rail against the leader, according to government figures.
