-
Vote Restore, get Greens: Split in Right vote sees Zack Polanski’s leftwing party pip Reform to first council seat
The Green Party won a Dover, Kent, council by-election by 34 votes over Reform UK, with Restore Britain’s candidate taking nearly 300 votes. The result highlights how a divided right-of-centre vote can affect closely contested local elections, while giving the Greens a seat in an area strongly associated with debate over Channel crossings. Green candidate…
-
Fan Bingbing, Kim Jeewoon, Hong Kyung-pyo Curate Busan’s Carte Blanche as Festival’s Story Market Adds Thai Remake, Hong Kong Titles
The 31st Busan International Film Festival has announced its Carte Blanche programme, in which Fan Bingbing, Kim Jeewoon and Hong Kyung-pyo will present films that influenced them and discuss the choices with audiences. The festival has also expanded its Busan Story Market with new Hong Kong intellectual property selections and a Thai-focused remake rights section,…
-
Reform win by-election in Southey ward in Sheffield as Labour come second – thestar.co.uk
Reform UK has won the Southey ward by-election in Sheffield, with Labour finishing second. The result reinforces Reform’s recent strength in the ward and gives the party another councillor on Sheffield City Council. The contest filled a vacancy created by the resignation of former Labour and then independent councillor Gareth Slater. It followed Reform’s victory…
-
Trump reportedly backed out of attending 25th anniversary of 9/11 at ground zero because he can’t give speech
Donald Trump is reportedly expected to skip the 25th-anniversary 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero, instead attending the Pentagon commemoration for the second year running. The reported decision matters because the New York memorial is the central site of remembrance for the attacks, while the museum seeks to keep its ceremony non-partisan. According to The New…
-
Council to vote on under-18s free travel scheme
Sheffield City Council will consider a pilot offering free bus and tram travel to residents aged five to 18, aiming to remove transport-cost barriers to education, training, work and leisure. If approved, the scheme could improve young people’s independence and access to opportunities, including for those with special educational needs and disabilities. The proposed pilot…
-
Sheffield councillors to vote on under-18s free travel scheme – BBC
Sheffield councillors will vote next week on a proposed pilot offering free bus and tram travel to children and young people aged five to 18. Supporters say it could reduce transport-cost barriers and improve access to education, training, work, leisure and social opportunities. If approved, the scheme would run from 15 February to 5 September…
-
Sheffield councillors to vote on under-18s free travel scheme – BBC
Sheffield councillors are due to consider a pilot offering free bus and tram travel to children and young people, aiming to reduce the cost barriers to education, training, work and leisure. If approved, the proposal could broaden young residents’ access to opportunities and support greater independence, including for some young people with special educational needs…
-
Matt Lucas and Hugh Bonneville among actors calling for law on AI voice cloning
More than 80 performers, including Matt Lucas, Hugh Bonneville and Nicola Coughlan, have urged the UK government to give everyone a legal right to own their voice, citing the growing use of AI voice cloning without consent. They argue that existing law does not adequately protect people’s voices, faces or identities, creating risks to performers’…
-
Hugh Bonneville among stars backing campaign against AI voice cloning
Actors including Hugh Bonneville, Nicola Coughlan and Matt Lucas have joined the Save Our Voices Now campaign, calling for legal protection against AI voice cloning. The campaign argues that copying voices without consent threatens personal identity and performers’ rights, while also making impersonation fraud easier, and says legislation has not kept pace with the technology.…
-
Federal judge again blocks Trump’s mail ballot order just before midterms
A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Trump administration rule that would impose new Postal Service requirements on states sending mail ballots, with the midterm elections approaching. The ruling pauses the measure for 14 days, giving states and voting-rights groups relief from immediate changes they argue would disrupt election preparations and exceed federal authority. Judge…