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‘Evie Was Created by Our Talented Artists’: Stellar Blade Dev Responds to ‘AI Slop’ Accusations
Shift Up boss Hyung-Tae Kim has defended the studio’s AI-generated music video for Stellar Blade: Blood Rain after fans accused the company of releasing “AI slop.” Responding to a follower who questioned why the studio wasn’t relying on its “talented artists,” Kim argued that the video’s star, new protagonist Evie, was hand-crafted by artists and…
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Dollar sinks against yen after Trump administration intervention
The article text was unavailable because access to the webpage was denied, so its reporting cannot be summarised reliably. Based on the headline alone, it appears to concern a fall in the US dollar against the Japanese yen following intervention by the Trump administration. No further details, figures, timing, or explanation of the alleged intervention…
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Government shutdown averted as Senate strikes deal, Kay Granger dies, Ceuta migration surge sparks alarm
US Senate leaders unveiled a bipartisan short-term funding measure intended to prevent a federal government shutdown during the midterm-election campaign. The proposal would broadly maintain existing spending levels until 11 December, carrying funding beyond the 30 September deadline, while including selected adjustments such as support for the WIC nutrition programme, disaster relief and national-security priorities.…
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‘I didn’t understand what Gaz was singing. It’s about needing a hug’: how Reef made Place Your Hands
In a Guardian “How we made” interview, Reef’s Jack Bessant and Gaz Coombes recall writing their 1997 hit “Place Your Hands”, revealing that its refrain “put your hands on” was actually a coded plea for comfort following the death of Coombes’s grandfather, rather than the celebratory rallying cry fans took it to be. The revelation…
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Final Fantasy 7 Revelation’s Surprise Job System Keeps Things Simple with Just Four Jobs Per Character
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will feature a job system called FITS (Function Integrated Tactical Suitwear), but director Naoki Hamaguchi has confirmed it will be more streamlined than fans might have hoped, with each character limited to just four distinct outfits or roles. The clarification follows the game’s June reveal, which showed footage of Tifa transformed…
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Ring Cycle review – AI staging dispenses with drama to create banal bric-a-brac
The Bayreuth festival’s 150th-anniversary production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle has replaced traditional staging with AI-generated visuals, a move critic Erica Jeal describes as producing a “dismal, mindless mess” rather than meaningful reflection on technology’s role in society. Curated rather than directed by German stage director Marcus Lobbes and his team, the production feeds archival material…
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day Swings into IMAX Following Record-Breaking Opening
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to expand into IMAX cinemas across the US from Friday, 7th August, having already opened without an IMAX release. The move follows the film’s record-breaking debut, and reflects strong demand for the biggest possible presentation of a blockbuster that has already made history at the box office. The film…
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Emma Finucane: Can cycling’s new star be beaten?
Emma Finucane’s dominant performance at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where the 23-year-old Welsh track cyclist won four gold medals, has prompted coaches and rivals to describe her as a “generational talent” who could dominate the sport through to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Her success is attributed not just to raw speed but to meticulous…
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Spanish socialist politician called to replace ‘racists’ with migrants and vowed to ensure they were allowed to vote months before 60,000 Moroccans invaded Ceuta
A Spanish socialist politician reportedly called for “racists” in Ceuta to be replaced by migrants and pledged to help ensure migrants were granted voting rights, comments made months before a large-scale crossing of Moroccan migrants into the Spanish North African enclave. The remarks have resurfaced amid renewed scrutiny of the 2021 Ceuta migrant crisis, in…
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Activision rushes out another Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 fix for the embattled PlayStation ports after a hacker started ruining lobbies by bricking accounts
Activision has issued a further fix for the PlayStation versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 after a hacker reportedly disrupted online matches by exploiting a vulnerability that could brick players’ accounts. The response matters because the ageing game’s multiplayer community has faced repeated security and stability problems, leaving some players unable to access…