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The closest Benedict Cumberbatch ever got to playing James Bond: “It didn’t go well”
Benedict Cumberbatch has said his nearest brush with playing James Bond came during an earlier audition for the franchise, but that it “didn’t go well”. The anecdote highlights how major roles can remain elusive even for actors who later achieve international recognition, and reflects the long-running speculation around potential successors to Daniel Craig. The article…
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Widow, 79, refuses to sell part of her garden to developers behind new £45million road as she fights to save 500-year-old oak tree in David and Goliath battle
A 79-year-old widow is resisting pressure to sell part of her garden to developers behind a new £45 million road scheme, in a bid to protect a 500-year-old oak tree on her property. The dispute has been framed as a “David and Goliath” battle, pitting an elderly homeowner against a well-funded infrastructure project, and highlights…
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Original ‘Little House’ villain returns for reboot with warning for new Nellie
Alison Arngrim, who originated the role of villain Nellie Oleson in the classic “Little House on the Prairie” series, has made a surprise cameo in Netflix’s new reboot, now streaming. The nostalgic tie-in is designed to bridge fans of the original show with a new audience for the reimagined adaptation, and Arngrim has offered advice…
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Sphinxes, movie stars and 3m books: inside Los Angeles’s beloved art deco library
Los Angeles’s central library, an art deco landmark in the city’s downtown, has marked its 100th anniversary with celebrations that drew an estimated 12,000 visitors through its halls, courtyards and rotunda. The building, which opened in 1926, remains a much-loved civic institution and continues to feature prominently in popular culture, having served as a filming…
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Are money and soft power draining World Cup football of its magic? | Richard Partington
As the 2026 World Cup draws to a close, this comment piece by Richard Partington questions whether the tournament’s vast commercial and geopolitical machinery is overshadowing the sport itself. It argues that the World Cup has become far more than a football competition, functioning instead as a geopolitically charged economic juggernaut driven by sponsorship, advertising…
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Supreme Court showdown looms over St Michael statue blocked from public safety building
A legal dispute in Quincy, Massachusetts, over plans to install statues of St Michael and St Florian outside a public safety building appears to be heading towards the US Supreme Court. The statues, intended to honour police officers and firefighters, have been blocked amid objections that as religious figures they are inappropriate for placement on…
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Lindsay Clancy’s husband could testify for her at trial over deaths of their three children
Lindsay Clancy’s husband, Patrick Clancy, is expected to testify on her behalf at her upcoming trial over the deaths of their three young children. Lindsay Clancy, 35, from Massachusetts, is accused of killing her children, and the case has drawn wide attention due to claims about her mental health at the time of the deaths.…
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After fixing its engine problems, Rolls-Royce is turning to its next big challenge
Rolls-Royce has resolved the durability problems that plagued its Trent aircraft engines and is now pursuing government backing to re-enter the huge narrowbody jet engine market. Chief executive Tufan Erginbilgiç, who called the company a “burning platform” on arriving in 2023, invested £1bn in improving Trent reliability and expanding maintenance capacity after cracking turbine blades…
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Could AI be conscious?
The article, an opinion piece, argues that AI consciousness is no longer a purely speculative question and that society urgently needs a framework for addressing its ethical implications. It notes that Anthropic’s own updated “constitution” for its Claude model, along with comments from CEO Dario Amodei and philosopher David Chalmers, suggest experts increasingly view the…
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‘Back to the Future’ Meets James Bond in the Sci-Fi Blockbuster Leaving Streaming
Men in Black 3, the 2012 sci-fi comedy blending time-travel plotting with secret-agent spectacle, is due to leave Peacock in the US, giving viewers a limited window to catch it before it disappears from the service. The film stands out for balancing a complex, mind-bending time-travel narrative with mainstream, crowd-pleasing appeal, a combination rarely achieved…