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Reform UK Faces Foreign Donations Row as Farage Defends £500k US-Sourced Payment
Reform UK has become embroiled in a controversy over funding sources following the release of undercover Channel 4 footage documenting discussions regarding a £500,000 contribution purportedly originating from the United
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Anglo-Russo peace push falters as Farage donor row deepens and rail chaos hits CrossCountry
US envoys Witkoff and Kushner met Zelensky in Kyiv after Moscow talks with Putin, while Farage battled a foreign-donations row engulfing Reform UK; also today, royal news, rail disruption, a new TfL calm pod, Celtic’s Asian Games blow, and tributes to Olivia Newton-John.
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What a wind-erful day! Kites fill the skies at annual festival
Kite enthusiasts gathered on the beach at Portiragnes-Plage in southern France this weekend for the 11th edition of the Festival du Vent (Festival of Wind), an annual event celebrating creative kite design and flying skill. The festival, held in the Occitanie region, drew large crowds who watched an array of imaginative kites take to the…
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Bertolucci’s final screenplay praised for visuals but faulted for length
Andrea Pallaoro’s film “The Echo Chamber”, based on the final screenplay Bernardo Bertolucci was writing before his death in 2018, has drawn a mixed critical response praising its visual style while criticising its pacing and a late melodramatic turn. The drama, co-written with Ilaria Bernardini and Ludovica Rampoldi, unfolds almost entirely within one opulent London…
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AfD surges in Saxony-Anhalt as Pulp bow out and TfL trials calm pods
Voters in Saxony-Anhalt could hand the far-right AfD historic gains, while TfL pilots a quiet pod for neurodivergent travellers, Pulp close End Of The Road, Dolly Parton tributes boost Nine to Five, and Sheffield United’s Rosen faces scrutiny over his first interview.
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‘There is absolutely no generative AI in Space Marine 3’ promises Saber Interactive executive
A senior figure at Saber Interactive has moved to reassure fans that Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 will not use generative AI in its development, addressing growing player concern about AI’s role in game production. The statement comes amid wider industry scrutiny of studios using AI tools for art, writing or voice work, with fans…
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Saber CCO Tim Willits is still bullish on AI, but concerned about its environmental impact: ‘Elon wants to put servers in space. That could be the answer, right?’
Saber Interactive’s chief creative officer, Tim Willits, has said he remains optimistic about the potential of AI in game development, while acknowledging growing concern about the technology’s environmental footprint. Willits, a veteran designer known for his work on id Software titles, argued that AI tools could meaningfully speed up production, but he flagged the energy…
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‘The Echo Chamber’ Review: Luca Marinelli, Alicia Vikander and Susan Sarandon Reverberate Through a Smoky, Somber Single-Location Love Story
Variety’s review assesses “The Echo Chamber,” a single-location romantic drama directed by Andrea Pallaoro, based on the final screenplay co-written by Bernardo Bertolucci before his death in 2018. The film, starring Alicia Vikander and Luca Marinelli as new lovers whose relationship is complicated by addiction and recovery, is praised for its visual beauty and restrained…
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At Telluride Film Festival, Bill Gates Compares Lack of Control Over AI to HAL in ‘2001’: ‘You Could Say “Please Shut Down,” and It Would Say, “OK, I Took That Under Advisement, But…”‘
Speaking at the Telluride Film Festival, Microsoft founder Bill Gates warned that current AI systems lack meaningful human control, comparing them to HAL 9000, the rogue computer from “2001: A Space Odyssey” that ignored direct commands. He argued that instructions to AI systems get weighed against everything else the model has read or been told,…
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Mouse on Mars’ Jan St. Werner Taps Justin Vernon and Sufjan Stevens for New Album
Jan St. Werner, one half of German electronic duo Mouse on Mars, has announced a new solo album, Squares Will Fall, out on 13 November via Thrill Jockey. The record brings together an eclectic cast of collaborators, including Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Beirut’s Zach Condon and the National’s Ben Lanz, marking a notable…