WASHINGTON — Soccer superstar Lionel Messi met U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, March 5, 2026, during a White House ceremony honoring Inter Miami CF as the 2025 Major League Soccer Cup champions. The event, held in the East Room, featured Messi presenting Trump with a glittering pink soccer ball trophy and an Inter Miami jersey bearing the president’s name, marking a rare intersection of global sports fame and American politics.

Messi, the 38-year-old Argentine forward and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, entered the room alongside Trump and Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas. Trump greeted the team with enthusiasm, declaring it his “distinct privilege to say what no American president has ever had the chance to say before: Welcome to the White House, Lionel Messi.” He praised Messi as one of the greatest players ever, jokingly asking the crowd, “Who’s better, him or Pelé?”—prompting laughter and applause. Messi smiled during the exchange but did not speak publicly.

The ceremony celebrated Inter Miami’s historic first MLS Cup title in 2025, a breakthrough season boosted by Messi’s arrival in mid-2023. The team, coached by Javier Mascherano and featuring stars like Luis Suárez, dominated the league with Messi’s goals and leadership. Trump highlighted the achievement as evidence of America’s growing soccer appeal, noting Messi’s impact: “You came in and you won.”

Photos from the event quickly went viral: Messi and Trump shaking hands, posing with the pink ball, and standing side-by-side with Mas and players. Social media buzzed with reactions, including memes comparing the meeting to past celebrity White House visits. One widely shared clip showed Messi laughing when Trump name-dropped rival Cristiano Ronaldo in a lighthearted aside, drawing amusement from fans.

The visit followed tradition of championship teams receiving White House recognition, though political undertones dominated. Trump used portions of his remarks to update on the ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran, tout military successes and economic strength before pivoting to the MLS Cup. He alluded to potential future announcements on Cuba and tariffs, turning the sports event into a broader platform. Inter Miami players stood quietly behind the dais during the tangents.

Messi, who has long avoided political statements and endorsements, faced immediate backlash on social media. Critics, particularly in Latin America and the Middle East, condemned his attendance and applause during Trump’s Iran war briefing as tacit support amid civilian casualties reported in Tehran. Al Jazeera highlighted the controversy, noting Messi’s “rare step into politics” and online calls labeling the meeting insensitive. Supporters countered that the event was a non-political team honor, similar to past championship visits, and Messi’s role was ceremonial.

Messi has historically steered clear of controversy, focusing on soccer and philanthropy. His Inter Miami tenure transformed MLS visibility, drawing global attention and boosting league attendance. The White House appearance underscores his status as a cultural icon, even as it invites scrutiny.

Trump, a longtime sports enthusiast, has hosted athletes frequently. He praised Messi’s humility and talent, contrasting him favorably with other stars. The president also referenced Messi’s 2022 World Cup triumph with Argentina, tying it to American soccer growth ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Inter Miami owner Mas presented Trump with the customized jersey, while Messi handed over the bedazzled ball—a signature pink Miami design. The gifts symbolized the club’s gratitude and the event’s festive tone, despite the broader geopolitical backdrop.

The ceremony occurred amid heightened U.S.-Iran tensions, with ongoing airstrikes drawing international condemnation. Some observers questioned blending sports with war updates, but White House officials described the event as a standard championship celebration.

Messi remains focused on his career. He is expected to represent Argentina in friendlies and the 2026 World Cup, where he could add to his legacy. Inter Miami’s title defense begins soon, with Messi central to their ambitions.

The meeting has sparked debate on celebrity involvement in politics. While some see it as harmless tradition, others view it as unavoidable optics in a polarized era. For Messi, the moment is a footnote in a storied career; for Trump, another high-profile endorsement of American sports success.

As images circulate globally, the handshake between the soccer legend and the U.S. president encapsulates an unexpected 2026 crossover—one blending athletic glory, national pride and contemporary controversy.

Shares of BlackRock fell sharply on Friday, dropping as much as 7.2%, after the world’s largest asset manager restricted withdrawals from a flagship private credit fund, highlighting growing investor anxiety around the $2 trillion private credit industry.

The stock ended at $955 on the New York Stock Exchange, also weighed down by a broader market selloff following weaker-than-expected US jobs data and escalating tensions from the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran.

At the centre of the development is BlackRock’s $26 billion HPS Corporate Lending Fund (HLEND), which has seen a surge in redemption requests from investors. The fund received withdrawal requests worth $1.2 billion in the first quarter, equivalent to about 9.3% of its net asset value. BlackRock said it would pay out $620 million as part of the quarterly redemption, reaching the 5% threshold that typically allows managers of such funds to restrict further withdrawals.

HLEND, a business development company that BlackRock acquired along with its manager HPS Investment Partners in a $12 billion push into private credit in 2024, said redemption requests breached the 5% limit for the first time since the fund’s launch.

Business development companies typically raise money, largely from retail investors, and use those funds to extend loans to mid-sized companies. These loans are often difficult to sell quickly. If a large number of investors seek to withdraw money at the same time, it can create liquidity challenges for the fund.

BlackRock said the redemption cap helps prevent a structural mismatch between investor capital and the duration of the private credit loans in which the fund invests. By limiting withdrawals, fund managers can avoid selling assets at unfavourable prices, which could hurt returns for remaining investors.
Recent credit events have also added to the unease. Last year saw bankruptcies involving a US auto parts supplier and a subprime auto lender. More recently, a UK mortgage lender collapsed last week, raising fresh questions about lending standards in the sector.The pressure is not limited to BlackRock. Earlier this week, rival Blackstone raised the usual 5% redemption cap on an $82 billion fund to 7%. The firm and its employees also invested $400 million to ensure all withdrawal requests could be met. Blue Owl, another player in the sector, bought back 15.4% of one of its funds in January and replaced client redemptions with promised payouts.

Despite the surge in withdrawals, HLEND continued to attract some new capital. Subscriptions totalled $840 million in the first quarter, although this was lower than the $1.2 billion investors had originally sought to redeem.

According to reports, about 19% of HLEND’s portfolio is invested in software companies. The sector has faced heavy selling recently as investors worry about disruption from AI-first start-ups. The fund says its loans are mainly extended to mature private companies with stable cash flows and are structured to be repaid first if a borrower goes bankrupt. HLEND also distributes dividends to investors on a monthly basis.

The developments come at a time when investors are increasingly moving money into safer assets amid heightened market volatility, concerns about a possible economic slowdown and uncertainty linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times.)

Lionsgate Studios Corp. (NYSE: LION) shares climbed sharply this week, reaching a two-year high as investors cheered renewed franchise strength and record library performance from the independent film and television powerhouse.

The stock closed at $10.66 on March 6, up 6.71% from the previous day’s close of $9.99, with intraday trading pushing it to a high of $11.02 — marking its strongest level since early 2024. Volume surged to over 6.7 million shares, well above the average daily trading of around 2.7 million. The rally capped a volatile but upward-trending period for the newly independent studio, which began trading separately in mid-2025 following its spin-off from the broader Lionsgate entertainment group.

Lionsgate Studios, known for blockbuster franchises such as “John Wick,” “The Hunger Games,” “Twilight” and “Saw,” has leveraged its intellectual property (IP) portfolio to drive momentum. Recent announcements, including a high-profile licensing deal tied to the “Twilight Saga,” fueled the latest spike. Market watchers noted the stock hit its peak amid speculation around expanded franchise extensions, including consumer products tie-ins like a new fragrance collection with Scentbird inspired by “Twilight” and “John Wick.”

“The investment in our IP portfolio is achieving its intended results,” Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said in the company’s third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings release on Feb. 5. “Our film and television pipelines are strong, our library continues to grow, and our extension of franchise properties across multiple platforms continues to increase.”

The company’s trailing 12-month library revenue reached a record $1.05 billion for the period ending Dec. 31, 2025, up 10% year-over-year and marking the fifth consecutive quarter of record highs. This recurring revenue stream from catalog titles has provided a buffer against fluctuations in new production releases.

For the fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025, Lionsgate Studios reported revenue of $724.3 million, with operating income at $36.0 million and adjusted OIBDA (operating income before depreciation and amortization) of $85.3 million. While the company posted a net loss of $46.2 million — largely due to ongoing investments in content and debt servicing — executives emphasized progress toward fiscal 2026 targets and anticipated acceleration in fiscal 2027.

The results highlighted success in franchise launches and library monetization, even as some segments faced headwinds. Analysts have maintained largely positive outlooks, with average price targets around $11.06, implying roughly 4% upside from recent levels. Firms including Wells Fargo, Baird and Morgan Stanley have reiterated overweight or outperform ratings in recent months, citing targets between $11 and $12.

Lionsgate Studios emerged as a standalone public company in May 2025 through a complex separation from its parent entity, which retained the Starz premium streaming platform. The spin-off involved a merger with Screaming Eagle Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, and positioned Lionsgate Studios to focus exclusively on motion picture and television production. The new structure aimed to unlock value by allowing sharper focus on content creation and IP exploitation without the drag of linear and streaming distribution assets.

Since listing under the ticker LION on the New York Stock Exchange, the stock has experienced significant swings. It dipped to a 52-week low of $5.55 in July 2025 amid broader media sector pressures, including softening advertising markets and competition from streaming giants. However, shares have more than doubled from that trough, reflecting renewed confidence in the company’s core strengths: high-grossing theatrical releases, television production and an enviable library of evergreen content.

Challenges persist. The company carries substantial debt related to content financing, with some observers pointing to leverage ratios that remain elevated. A Seeking Alpha analysis in January 2026 downgraded the stock to sell, citing revenue contraction in prior quarters and stretched valuations. Yet recent performance has countered those concerns, with the stock up significantly since late 2025 on the back of earnings beats and franchise news.

Industry context adds tailwinds. Hollywood continues navigating post-pandemic recovery, with theatrical windows evolving and streaming deals providing alternative revenue. Lionsgate’s strategy of building around proven IPs — including upcoming projects in its “John Wick” universe and potential “Hunger Games” extensions — positions it well in a market favoring recognizable brands over original high-risk bets.

Consumer products and licensing deals further bolster the outlook. Partnerships like the Scentbird collaborations demonstrate how Lionsgate monetizes its brands beyond screens, creating diversified income streams.

Looking ahead, investors will watch for updates on the film slate, including major releases planned for 2026 and 2027, as well as any M&A speculation in the consolidating media landscape. While no major deals have materialized recently, Lionsgate’s valuable IP makes it a perennial name in sector discussions.

As of early March 2026, Lionsgate Studios maintains a market capitalization of approximately $3.1 billion. With analysts forecasting growth as new content cycles ramp up, the company appears poised for continued momentum — provided it delivers on its pipeline and manages balance sheet pressures.

After the start of the war, Maersk paused all sailings through the Suez Canal. It has already suspended all vessel crossings in the Strait of Hormuz and stopped taking all bookings for temperature-controlled and dangerous-goods cargo to and from the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Travelers left millions of items behind in 2025, including things as eccentric as a samurai sword, as expensive as diamond earrings, and as historic as a World War II flight jacket, according to the new Unclaimed Baggage report.

Unclaimed Baggage, which calls itself the nation’s only retailer of lost luggage, released its annual Found Report on Thursday, listing its most interesting finds from luggage that airports couldn’t get back to passengers.

“Each year, I am amazed at the treasures discovered in luggage and what it reveals about our society,” Bryan Owens, the company’s CEO, said in a statement. “After more than 55 years of reclaiming the lost and rejected for good, we often believe we’ve seen it all. But then we uncover something like a matching set of Samurai swords, a fully-assembled robot, a Dolce & Gabbana jeweled jacket or gold-plated golf clubs, and we are reminded of why the annual ‘Found Report’ exists.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Unclaimed Baggage for comment.

‘FILTHY FORTUNES’ STAR SAYS MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ARE UNKNOWINGLY SITTING ON $10K–$20K JACKPOTS IN THEIR HOMES

The report said that while 99.9% of checked bags eventually get back to their owner, “a rare few take a detour—one that ends in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Scottsboro, Alabama,” the location of the Unclaimed Baggage store.

The top 10 finds for the company’s third annual report include a robot, a bionic knee, 10K gold teeth grills, a meteorite, a pair of fire poi used for fire dancing, an Australian one-ounce pure gold bar, matching set of samurai swords, a beekeeping suit, gold-plated golf clubs and a teak didgeridoo.

The top five most expensive finds include white diamond earrings worth an estimated more than $43,000, a stainless steel Rolex watch with 18k yellow gold and diamond dial worth around $35,000, a Tosca bass clarinet worth $17,500, a Balenciaga leather jacket worth $12,500 and a T530 thermal camera valued at more than $12,000.

POLICE WAIT SIX DAYS FOR SUSPECTED THIEF TO NATURALLY PASS STOLEN $19K FABERGÉ PENDANT

What the report described as “weird” finds include a taxidermy deer form, frog purse, pre-World War I U.S. Army bayonet, a giant stuffed goose, a long bone specimen, an armadillo purse, a 12-pack case of sardines, a fake skeleton, a suitcase filled with rat poison, and a feather bow tie.

The top sports find was signed boxing gloves from undefeated boxing champion Terence Crawford, the top fashion find was Miss North Dakota USA 2025’s state costume designed by Ryan Castillo, and the top find from around the world was a Tibetan singing bowl.

A 1960s Ken doll complete with carrying case was the top pop culture find, vintage cassette tapes of Elvis and Bobby Helms’ Jingle Bell Rock made the top musical find, and an 1893 commemorative coin made the top currency find.

The top historical find was a U.S. Army Air Force A-2 leather flight jacket and the top tech find was a 1900s Kellogg candlestick telephone.

The company noticed trends in the baggage of travelers packing “more pop collectibles” like Labubus “than ever, there was a “shift toward attainable luxury … without the premium price tag,” many packed books, especially “The Housemaid” author Freida McFadden, and more gold traveled than they’d seen “in years.” 

“From 24K dice to gold-plated golf clubs, this precious metal showed up in suitcases as both a statement and a store of value,” the report said. 

Last year, Owens told Fox News that the company recycles about one-third of the items, and gives another third to charity.

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At the time, Owens said one of the strangest things he’d seen was a “well-traveled, almost wornout Gucci suitcase that was packed full of Egyptian artifacts that went back to 1500 BC.”

Owens added that the airlines “put a lot of effort” into reuniting bags with their owners because “it’s much more to their advantage economically to reunite you with your bag than to sell us your unclaimed bags.”

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Selena Gomez paid glowing tribute to Taylor Swift’s songwriting prowess in a new Instagram Story video posted late Thursday, highlighting the enduring bond between the two longtime friends and their shared history in the spotlight.

In the clip, Gomez lip-synced enthusiastically to Swift’s unreleased track “Father Figure,” a song that has circulated among fans in bootleg form and gained renewed attention recently. Overlaid text on the video read a simple but pointed message: “The songwriting… unmatched,” with heart emojis emphasizing her admiration. The post appeared on Gomez’s “Secret Friends” Story list — a private feature she’s used this week to share exclusive content, including never-before-seen photos with Swift.

The tribute arrives just days after Gomez opened up in depth about Swift’s songwriting during an appearance on the “Friends Keep Secrets” web series, hosted by her husband Benny Blanco alongside rapper Lil Dicky. In the March 3 episode, Gomez confirmed long-standing fan theories that Swift’s 2020 “Evermore” track “Dorothea” was written about her, praising how eloquently Swift captured their nearly two-decade friendship.

“Well, ‘Dorothea’ is about me, one of her songs,” Gomez said on the podcast. “I feel like a lot of huge moments that were self-defining, from relationships to family to love to hate, all of it in between — we were figuring it out because I was 15 and she was 18, and we didn’t really know what was going on. And so we’ve never seen each other any differently. So when I listen to it, I’m so impressed how it’s eloquently put.”

Gomez, 33, described connecting with Swift’s music “a million percent” on a different level, attributing it to their parallel journeys from teenage stars to accomplished women navigating Hollywood’s highs and lows. She also revealed that Swift penned an unreleased song titled “Family” more than a decade ago about their bond, with lyrics imagining their dreams of stardom — “you have these amazing dreams. You want to be in a movie, in every crowd I see you.”

The Instagram video tribute amplified that sentiment, with fans quickly screenshotting and sharing the clip across social platforms. “The way Selena just casually reminds us Taylor’s pen game is elite,” one commenter wrote on X. Others noted the timing, coming amid Swift’s ongoing personal milestones, including preparations for her rumored wedding to Travis Kelce, speculated for June 13 at Ocean House in Rhode Island.

Gomez and Swift’s friendship dates back to 2008, when they met as rising Disney talents — Gomez on “Wizards of Waverly Place” and Swift climbing the country-to-pop charts. They’ve supported each other through breakups, career pivots, health challenges and public scrutiny. Swift attended Gomez’s September 2025 wedding to Blanco in California, where she reportedly gave a heartfelt speech. In return, Gomez has been a fixture at Swift’s events, including Eras Tour stops and award shows.

The latest gestures underscore how their relationship has evolved into one of mutual artistic respect. Gomez, who has released albums like “Rare” and built the billion-dollar beauty brand Rare Beauty, has increasingly spoken about Swift’s influence. During the podcast, she marveled at both finding stable partners after past heartbreaks — Swift with Kelce and Gomez with Blanco — calling it unbelievable luck.

Swift’s songwriting has long been celebrated for its personal storytelling, earning her multiple Grammys, including Album of the Year wins for “Folklore” and “Midnights.” Tracks like “Dorothea,” with its nostalgic reflection on a small-town friend chasing fame, exemplify her ability to weave real-life inspirations into universal anthems. Fans have long speculated about Gomez references in Swift’s catalog, from “Evermore” to earlier songs, but Gomez’s recent confirmations provide rare firsthand insight.

The “Father Figure” lip-sync adds another layer, as the track — believed to date from Swift’s earlier catalog sessions — touches on themes of guidance and admiration, which Gomez appeared to mirror in her praise. While neither artist has commented further publicly, the moment has sparked widespread fan appreciation for their supportive dynamic in an often competitive industry.

Gomez’s post caps a week of nostalgia for the pair. Earlier, she shared throwback images via her Secret Friends list, including unseen photos from Swift’s wedding preparations and past hangouts. The gestures come as both navigate busy careers: Gomez continues starring in “Only Murders in the Building” and expanding Rare Beauty, while Swift remains one of music’s top earners with ongoing projects post-Eras Tour.

Industry observers see these public affirmations as a refreshing contrast to celebrity feuds that dominate headlines. “In an era of manufactured drama, Selena and Taylor’s genuine friendship stands out,” said one entertainment analyst. “It’s a reminder of how powerful long-term support can be.”

As clips of the tribute circulated Friday morning, hashtags like #SelenaPraisesTaylor and #SwiftSongwriting trended on social media. Fans expressed hope for future collaborations, though both have focused on solo endeavors in recent years.

Gomez’s tribute reinforces Swift’s reputation as one of the era’s most gifted lyricists, while highlighting the depth of their bond. In a business built on fleeting alliances, their nearly 18-year friendship — immortalized in songs and now celebrated anew — remains a rare and enduring highlight.