Tom Cruise will return to his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in a third Top Gun movie, Paramount confirmed at CinemaCon this week.

The 61-year-old action star first played the character in 1986’s Top Gun and returned in 2022 for Top Gun: Maverick, which was a massively successful box office hit grossing $1.496 billion worldwide.

Now, Varietyreports that Paramount have announced that Cruise and producer Jerry Bruckheimer will both return to the franchise.

Top Gun: Maverick screenwriter Ehren Kruger is already at work on a script, while it has previously been reported that the studio plans for director Joseph Kosinski to return and for Cruise to reunite with his co-stars Glen Powell and Miles Teller.

While it’s no surprise that Paramount would look to repeat the success of Top Gun: Maverick, the news caused some eyebrows to be raised in Hollywood as Cruise signed a new deal with rival studio Warner Bros. in 2024. The two companies are currently in the midst of a high-profile merger, which has been opposed by some actors and directors.

Cruise will develop and star in films for Warner Bros, but the contract is non-exclusive so the star can continue working on Top Gun 3 at Paramount regardless of the status of the merger.

As well as being a commercial hit, Top Gun: Maverick was also nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. At the time, Steven Spielberg said he was “encouraged” to see the blockbuster on the shortlist along with Avatar: The Way of Water.

“I’m really encouraged by that,” said the legendary ET director. “[But] it came late for the film that should have been nominated a number of years ago, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.

“That movie would have definitely garnered a Best Picture Nomination today, so having these two blockbusters solidly presented on the top 10 list is something we should all be celebrating.”

In her four-star review of Top Gun: Maverick for The Independent, film critic Clarisse Loughrey wrote: “The film is a true legacy sequel. In the tradition of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it’s a carefully reconstructed clone of its predecessor, tooled not only to reflect changing tastes and attitudes, but the ascendancy of its star Tom Cruise to a level of fame that borders on the mythological. Do we still think of Cruise as a man these days, or as an idea?”

She added: “But Top Gun: Maverick really isn’t packed with the kind of craven nostalgia that we’re used to these days. It’s smarter, subtler, and wholly more humanistic.”

Residents in Ontario’s Muskoka region are bracing for worsening conditions as water levels surge in Bracebridge, with the next 24 to 48 hours expected to be critical.

In the heart of cottage country, the river is roaring, with water rushing over Bracebridge Falls and pushing levels higher than they have been in years.

Officials say the situation is already significant, though there is hope it will not reach the levels seen in 2019, when seasonal flooding and heavy rainfall forced the town to declare a state of emergency.

Mayor Rick Maloney said the outlook will depend on water flowing south from northern areas.

“It’ll all depend what’s coming down from the north and that will be something we see in the next 24 hours,” he said.

Some residents say they are already feeling the impact.

The Jonkman family, who bought their cottage last summer, are working to keep rising water at bay after their backyard became submerged.

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“We knew about the flood that happened in 2019 and you think, OK, maybe that’s the one-in-100-year flood, but it’s creeping up,” said Janet Jonkman.

Neighbours have been working around the clock to fill sandbags and limit damage.

One resident, Bill Talbot, who has lived in the area for nearly 14 years, said this is the second-worst flooding he has seen.

Meanwhile, a popular local attraction, Santa’s Village theme park, is partially underwater ahead of its planned opening next month.

A spokesperson said the flooded areas mainly involve ride infrastructure and expressed hope the situation does not worsen.

Across the region, residents and officials say they are closely monitoring conditions, with some describing water volumes over the falls as nearing historic levels.

The town is warning people in areas that may have become isolated due to washed-out roads to remain cautious and stay put.

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Macklin Celebrini set a San Jose Sharks’ franchise record for points in a season after a goal and pair of assists in a 6-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.

Celebrini finished the season with 45 goals and 70 assists, his 115 points surpassing former San Jose great Joe Thornton’s 114 points in 2006-07. Both played 82 games.

William Eklund also recorded a goal and two helpers, Will Smith notched a goal and assist, and Collin Graf, Igor Chernyshov and Michael Misa also scored for the Sharks (39-35-8). John Klingberg contributed three assists.

Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 25 shots for San Jose, which hasn’t made the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons.

Despite capping off a disappointing season with a four-game losing skid, a capacity crowd of 15,225 fans at Canada Life Centre stood and cheered the players after the final whistle.

The Jets are the fifth NHL team to win the Presidents’ Trophy for the best regular-season record (116 points last year) and not qualify for the playoffs the following season.

They finish 26th with 82 points (35-35-12). They last missed the playoffs in 2021-22.

Cole Koepke scored for Winnipeg and Eric Comrie made 27 saves.

Takeaways

Jets: Winnipeg finished 19-16-6 at home this season, not reaching the 20-win mark at home for the first time in nine full seasons. It was Winnipeg’s ninth sellout of the season, compared to 16 regular-season full houses last season. Five Jets played all 82 games: Kyle Connor, Dylan DeMelo, Mark Scheifele, Jonathan Toews and Gabriel Vilardi. Scheifele led the team with a career-high and franchise-record 103 points and Connor recorded a team-best 39 goals. It’s the first time in his career that Vilardi has played an entire season, and Toews’ first time since 2018-19. Vilardi had career-highs in goals (30) and points (69).

Sharks: After Celebrini’s 115-point campaign, the next highest point-getter was Smith with 24 goals and 59 points. Celebrini, Mario Ferraro, Barclay Goodrow and Dmitry Orlov all played 82 games. San Jose swept the Jets in three matches for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

Key moment

Misa and Eklund scored with just under two minutes left in the second period to give the Sharks a 5-1 lead.

Key stat

Celebrini’s three-point outing capped an outstanding record-setting season for the 19-year-old North Vancouver native.

On Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “America Reports,” Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon stated that “The only force that can dismantle Hezbollah is the IDF,” and we have to be “realistic that the government of Lebanon, they don’t have full control over Lebanon.”

Danon said, “[W]e have no beef with Lebanon or with the Lebanese people, we have issues with Hezbollah. And I think today we realized we have the same goal, we want Hezbollah out of Lebanon, period. When I say we, it’s the Israelis and the Lebanese. There will be a ceasefire starting at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Hopefully, we will continue to speak with the Lebanese. But we have to be, also, realistic that the government of Lebanon, they don’t have full control over Lebanon. … So, let’s hope that the Lebanese government will have the strength, the determination to finally gain control over Lebanon.”

Co-host John Roberts then asked, “So, let’s look back at history, 1982, Israel successfully pressured Lebanon to expel the PLO. They expelled them to Tunisia. They eventually returned at some point. But Hezbollah is a very different entity than the PLO was back then. And in fact, if you were to go into a head-on fight, Hezbollah against the Lebanese military, Hezbollah would probably come out on top. So, where does Lebanon get the leverage to be able to A. Dismantle Hezbollah and B. Kick it out of the country?”

Danon answered, “You’re absolutely right, John. The only force that can dismantle Hezbollah is the IDF, and that’s what we have been doing. And we will have to speak directly with the Lebanese about that. They have very limited capability. You mentioned 1982, but we had a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon earlier in 2024, in November. And, according to that agreement we signed with them, they were supposed to go to southern Lebanon, take out the launchers, push Hezbollah from those locations, and defend. They didn’t do it. So, we have to be cautious about what we are doing, what we are signing, but, hopefully, we want to see Lebanon independent and Hezbollah and Iran out of Lebanon.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

The Trump administration on Thursday announced a “significant expansion” of its ​visa restriction policy in ⁠the Western Hemisphere, targeting people working on behalf of U.S. adversaries.

In its announcement, the State Department said the expanded policy allows it to restrict U.S. visas for people intentionally acting on behalf of adversarial countries to “undermine America’s interests.”

“President Trump’s National Security Strategy makes clear: this Administration will deny adversarial powers the ability to own or control vital assets or threaten the security and prosperity of the United States in our region,” the department said in a press release. “The Department of State is working to advance American leadership in our hemisphere, protect our homeland, and ensure access to vital routes and areas throughout our region.”

RUBIO IDENTIFIES ‘SINGLE MOST SERIOUS THREAT’ TO THE US FROM WESTERN HEMISPHERE

Marco Rubio with passports in view; the State Department has introduced updated vetting procedures for visa applicants. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images / istock) (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“In support of this critical objective, the Department of State is announcing a significant expansion of an existing visa restriction policy that targets those working on behalf of U.S. adversaries to undermine our national interests in our hemisphere, including regional security and democratic sovereignty,” the department continued.

The administration also said that family members of individuals subject to visa restrictions under this policy will not be allowed to enter the U.S.

Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, left, and US President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)

“This expanded policy enables us to restrict U.S. visas for nationals of countries in our region who, while within Western Hemisphere countries and while intentionally acting on behalf of adversarial countries, their agents, or enterprises, knowingly direct, authorize, fund, or provide significant support to, or carry out activities that are adversarial to and undermine America’s interests in our hemisphere. These individuals – and their immediate family members – will be generally ineligible for entry into the United States,” the department said.

Activities the administration has deemed adversarial and that could trigger visa restrictions include enabling adversarial powers to acquire or control key assets and strategic resources in the Western Hemisphere, destabilizing regional security efforts, undermining American economic interests and conducting influence operations designed to weaken the sovereignty and stability of nations in the region.

STATE DEPARTMENT TO ASK FOR BONDS OF UP TO $15,000 FOR VISA APPLICATION FROM A DOZEN MORE COUNTRIES

U.S. passports are arranged for a photograph in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. A court challenge by federal immigration agents seeking to block President Barack Obama’s deferred-deportation initiative will probably succeed, a judge said. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg)

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The department said it has imposed visa restrictions on 26 people under this policy.

“To demonstrate our commitment to this expanded policy, we have taken steps to impose visa restrictions on 26 individuals across our hemisphere who have engaged in these activities,” the department said. “The Trump Administration will use every available tool to protect our national security interests, defend American interests, and promote our region’s safety and prosperity.”

This comes after a series of moves by the administration in recent months to restrict visas for people around the world, including a visa ban on people from dozens of countries listed by the State Department, which civil rights groups have previously sharply criticized.

Critics, including civil rights advocates, have raised concerns about similar visa restriction policies, saying broad definitions of prohibited activity can create questions about how individuals are identified and what due process protections are available.

“This administration’s targeting of people based on their national origin is part of an autocratic playbook designed to make America smaller – to shut out ideas, perspectives, and communities,” Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said in a statement earlier this year about the suspension of immigrant visa processing for people from around 75 countries.

The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed that Income Support and income-related Jobseeker’s Allowance have now been closed as part of a major DWP benefits overhaul, with claimants urged to switch to Universal Credit

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has stopped payments on two benefits as part of a sweeping reform of the welfare system.

The department has been steadily winding down older, so-called legacy benefits over recent years as it transitions claimants across to Universal Credit (UC). These outdated benefits are being abolished and consolidated into UC.

Claimants are not transferred automatically — they must submit an application themselves. Failure to do so puts them at risk of losing their entitlements entirely.

The most recent benefits to be axed are Income Support and income-related Jobseeker’s Allowance, reports Birmingham Live.

Both have now ceased to be paid out by the DWP. In their place, they have essentially been absorbed into UC, which has become the primary benefit in the UK.

Affected claimants should have received migration notices last year, giving them a three-month window in which to apply for the replacement benefit.

Hundreds of thousands have failed to complete this ‘migration’ process over recent years, consequently losing their benefits altogether.

In a recent statement, the DWP said: “The migration of customers from so-called legacy benefits to the country’s main benefit recommenced in May 2022, with the campaign helping to move over 1.9 million people, including 135,000 Income Support and income-related Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants.

“The success means those two benefits will close with customers now receiving Universal Credit – a benefit that better reflects today’s labour market and opens up a range of support to help people move closer to, or into work.”

Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, said: “Our Move to Universal Credit campaign has been successful in moving over 1.9 million people from legacy benefits to the modern Universal Credit system.

“Vulnerable customers have been at the forefront of this campaign. In their interests, we are extending the deadline for income-related Employment Support Allowance claimants to move over.”

By ANDREW JEHRING, CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT

Published: 18:05 EDT, 16 April 2026 | Updated: 22:35 EDT, 16 April 2026

Dubai police snooped on a private WhatsApp group to snare an airline worker who shared images of a building damaged in the Middle East crisis.

Authorities accessed a closed chat between colleagues, downloaded evidence and then lured the man to a meeting and arrested him.

He is in custody facing charges including publishing information deemed harmful to state interests which carries a maximum sentence of two years.

Radha Stirling, chief executive of Detained in Dubai, said: ‘Dubai Police have now explicitly confirmed they are conducting electronic surveillance operations capable of detecting private WhatsApp messages.

‘Individuals are being tracked, identified, and arrested not for public statements, but for private exchanges between colleagues.

‘Companies like WhatsApp must answer urgent questions about user privacy.

‘If private communications can be detected and used as the basis for arrest by overreaching or hypersensitive states, users worldwide need clarity on how their data is being accessed.’

According to the police report, authorities stated the clip was detected ‘through electronic monitoring operations’. 

Dubai police snooped on a private WhatsApp group to snare an airline worker who shared images of a building damaged in the Middle East crisis (Dubai International Airport pictured)

The material showed smoke rising from a building following the March 2026 Iran-related incidents and had only been shared only within a closed WhatsApp group of airline colleagues.

A specialised team from the Electronic and Cybercrime Department was then formed to identify the account holder.

He was subsequently located, lured to a meeting point and arrested by police.

He remains in detention after the case was escalated to State Security Prosecution.

The UAE government has the majority holdings in telecom operators Etisalat and Du, meaning security services can monitor all communications on their networks.

It has also historically used the Israeli-developed Pegasus spyware, which allows agents to tap private phones – even if they are messaging on encrypted apps like WhatsApp.

They have deployed it most notably against a number of Western politicians and journalists.

The software can infect a device without the user even clicking on any link. For instance, a target can be compromised via a simple WhatsApp voice call – even if the call is not answered.

Once compromised, it can access all WhatsApp call logs, messages and contacts.

Security experts recommend regularly rebooting your phone, frequently updating the software and even using Lockdown Mode to reduce vulnerability.

Ms Sterling said she has received other reports involving tourists, residents, and airline crew detained for sending, receiving, or retaining content, even where there was no public dissemination.

The use of surveillance technology to monitor private messaging platforms raises serious questions about privacy, proportionality, and the scope of the UAE’s cybercrime laws.

President Donald Trump has targeted Fox News host Jessica Tarlov in his latest tirade against female journalists, as she revealed his negative poll numbers in a television segment.

Trump called Tarlov “one of the Least Attractive and Talented People on all of Television” in a fiery Truth Social post written as he was watching Fox News on Air Force One Thursday evening.

“Her voice is so grating and terrible, I had to ‘turn her off!’ Her Democrat soundbites are FAKE. She makes up ‘Poll Numbers,’ and nobody challenges her, because she is so boring,” the president said.

Tarlov, a former strategist and pollster for the Democratic Party, bashed Trump’s popularity during a round-table discussion with her co-hosts on The Five Thursday evening.

“He has a 35 percent approval rating in most polls,” Tarlov said, later adding, “No Americans wanted the tariffs, they didn’t want the war in Iran, and they don’t want the ballroom.”

A recent The Economist/YouGov poll found that just 38 percent of Americans approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president, while 56 percent disapprove.

Most Americans don’t back the war that Trump and Israel waged against Iran, according to the poll. Just 32 percent of respondents said they support the Iran war, while 55 percent said they opposed it.

A majority of Americans also said they disapproved of how Trump was handling tariffs shortly before the Supreme Court struck most of them down.

A total of 64 percent of Americans disapproved of the way Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on imported goods, while just 34 percent approved, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted in February.

Most Americans also opposed Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom in a poll released last October, when the project was estimated to cost $300 million.

A total of 56 percent of Americans opposed the ballroom and just 28 percent supported it, according to a poll conducted by The Washington Post, ABC News and Iposos.

Trump insisted in his Thursday Truth Social post that he has “among the best Poll Numbers I have ever had, and why shouldn’t I, ALL THE COUNTRY DOES IS WIN.”

Tarlov denied that the polling results she mentioned were fake and used the attention the president provided to promote her new book, which will be released in September.

“Guess I’ll take this opportunity to mention that my numbers are far from fake – Trump really is that unpopular. And you can pre order my book I Disagree as of today!!” she wrote on X, along with an image of the president’s rant.

Trump is known for attacking journalists, and mostly women reporters, calling them “stupid,” “incapable,” and referring to one as “piggy.”

In November, Trump told Bloomberg White House correspondent Catherine Lucey, “quiet, piggy,” after she asked about the government files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Trump administration has faced fierce backlash over its handling of the files.

Trump also attacked former MAGA faithfuls Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens in his Thursday posts on Truth Social.

“I hear Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, and Candace Owens are dying fast. Their numbers are terrible. Nobody believes them anymore. They were FAKE MAGA, and now they’ve been exposed!” he said, without providing any evidence to back up his claims.

Owens responded to one of Trump’s posts, calling it a “meltdown.”

“Looks like he may have accidentally heard the truth?” she wrote on X.

Last week, Trump issued a nearly 500-word Truth Social post railing against conservative media figures Kelly Carlson, Owens and Alex Jones, who have all criticized his war with Iran.

“They think it is wonderful for Iran, the Number One State Sponsor of Terror, to have a Nuclear Weapon — Because they have one thing in common, Low IQs,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson has been found to have breached the city’s code of conduct for the fifth time.

A new investigation report, released by the city, finds Hamer-Jackson bullied staff and breached their privacy by sharing personal information.

“No mayor should treat staff in this manner and the mayor owes these staff an unqualified apology,” said external investigator Reece Harding in the report, dated February 2026.

Harding said Hamer-Jackson acted in a way “that was both unwelcome and intimidating” and he humiliated staff and questioned their professional competence.

WATCH | Hamer-Jackson previously refused to heed council’s call to resign:

Kamloops mayor refuses to heed council’s call to resign

City council in Kamloops, B.C., has formally called on Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson to resign after a scathing report by a provincially appointed municipal adviser was made public on Tuesday. But, CBC’s Marcella Bernarndo explains, the mayor is refusing to resign.

The names of the staff members involved were redacted in the published report.

It is the fifth time a code of conduct complaint against Hamer-Jackson has been substantiated, according to the City of Kamloops.

Coun. Dale Bass filed the complaint, saying the mayor breached the city’s code of conduct by sending “abusive content” to staff and breaching their privacy.

“The mayor was combative with the city staff who were simply attempting to do their jobs,” Harding said in the report.

The external investigator recommended that council formally censure the mayor and send him a letter of reprimand.

He also recommended the mayor issue three letters of apology to the staff involved, and if he failed to do so, to reduce his pay by five per cent for the rest of his term as mayor.

Kamloops council has also asked Hamer-Jackson to take mandatory workplace training on protecting personal information, failing which his pay would be cut by a further five per cent.

Privacy breach

Harding said he was unable to receive a “substantive response” from Hamer-Jackson, so he concluded the investigation without his participation.

At one point when trying to reach the mayor, a colleague of Harding sent the the mayor a 57-page letter with detailed information about the complaint and gave the opportunity for the mayor to respond.

The mayor responded about 20 minutes after the office sent the letter, according to the report, and said: “Please just do your report and send to your same jury (councillors). Thanks Mayor Hamer-Jackson.”

Part of the investigation involved emails and texts Hamer-Jackson sent to a staffer, after he was asked to double-delete an email considered by the city to be a privacy breach.

Hamer-Jackson questioned whether anyone’s privacy had been breached and asked whether a Supreme Court judge would agree with “deleting evidence.”

One staff member said the emails caused them to feel humiliated and intimidated.

Harding described some of the emails Hamer-Jackson sent to staff as “aggressive and sarcastic in tone.”

The external investigator said he accepted the evidence of staff as reliable, while the mayor “provided no evidence of his own to counter that which staff provided.”

Mayor, councillor respond

Hamer-Jackson said in an interview with CBC News that he did not owe the staff in question an apology, and that he had yet to actually see the allegations in question.

He had previously filed a code of conduct complaint against Bass himself— which Harding, who previously served as the City of Surrey’s ethics commissioner, dismissed.

“I’ve asked this lawyer for proof, facts and evidence. It’s amazing that something that’s almost a year old surfaces six months before an election,” the mayor said.

“I think these whole code of conduct complaints have been used as a political weapon,” he added.

Bass, who filed the complaint against Hamer-Jackson, said there have been more than two dozen code of conduct investigations launched against the mayor.

She said the current one cost the city around $56,000.

“I knew that the mayor would not participate. I knew that was going to make things cost more,” she said.

“But I also knew that we as councillors have an obligation — a legal obligation, if not a moral one — to ensure our staff feel safe,” she added. “And these staff members did not feel safe.”

Taylor Elgersma is a Winnipeg Blue Bomber.

The CFL club announced Thursday night it had signed the former Wilfrid Laurier quarterback. Contact details weren’t divulged.

Elgersma is scheduled to speak with the media Friday.

Winnipeg selected the six-foot-five, 226-pound native of London, Ont., in the second round, 18th overall, of the 2025 CFL draft.

Elgersma joins the Blue Bombers after spending the first three weeks of the United Football League season with the Birmingham Stallions. However, he neither practised with nor suited up for the club due to work visa issues.

Elgersma was the 2024 Hec Crighton Trophy winner as Canadian university football’s top player after passing for 4,252 yards with 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for the Golden Hawks. He was invited to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., the annual U.S. college showcase event, becoming the first quarterback from a Canadian university to receive an invitation.

Elgersma eventually signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent. He completed 16-of-23 passes for 166 yards and a TD in three exhibition games with the Packers before being released.

Elgersma later had NFL looks from the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins before joining the Stallions.

Veteran Zach Collaros is firmly entrenched as Winnipeg’s starter, but backup Chris Streveler retired from football this off-season after suffering a serious knee injury during the ’24 season. Collaros is a two-time CFL MVP but is 37 years old.

Over four seasons at Laurier, Elgersma threw for 10,230 yards with 76 interceptions and 28 TDs in 39 career games. He also ran for 572 yards on 122 carries (4.7-yard average) and 18 touchdowns.

He was twice Ontario University Athletics’ most valuable player. He was also a first-team All-Canadian in 2024 after earning second-team honours in 2023.