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Como bike ban, Trump’s FDA pick and $40tn US debt, Vine returns
Como’s mayor, Alessandro Rapinese, has ordered cyclists to dismount in around 30 streets in the walled historic centre from September, following a June collision involving an electric bike. The rule covers both e-bikes and conventional bicycles because Italian road rules do not distinguish between them. Rapinese says the restriction is intended to protect pedestrians in…
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Badgers review – the audience investigates in this true-crime podcast yarn
This review covers Badgers, a supernatural true-crime podcast-style theatre piece written and performed by Malaika Kegode for Theatre Royal Plymouth, staged at Edinburgh’s Traverse theatre. The show casts the audience as an under-qualified true-crime podcaster investigating the strange 2015 disappearance of a folk singer, blending gothic fairytale elements such as cursed songs and human-to-animal transmutation,…
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New Animated Movie Makes Over 1000X Its Budget in Just 5 Days
A low-budget Chinese animated film, Niu Lai, has become an unlikely box office sensation after being mocked online for its crude 3D animation, with viewers calling its characters “ugly” and “eerie.” The mockery went viral, transforming what looked like a total flop into a mass audience draw, illustrating how online ridicule can sometimes fuel commercial…
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Boy, 13, arrested after pack of dogs chased off stranger who allegedly tried to sexually assault two women
A 13-year-old boy has been arrested in Melbourne following the alleged attempted sexual assault of two women who were walking a pack of dogs in Kooyong on 14 July. The women were reportedly ambushed by a stranger who leapt from bushes and grabbed one of them before both managed to fight him off; their six…
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US Army Is Officially Using ‘GTA 6’ Time as a Reenlistment Incentive
An Army battalion at Fort Stewart, Georgia, is offering soldiers a four-day pass timed to coincide with the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 as an incentive to reenlist. The offer, from the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion within the 3rd Infantry Division, applies only to that unit rather than the Army as a whole, and…
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How ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Pulled Off That Madcap Puppet Episode
“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” has aired its long-teased puppet episode, “Level Five Transporter Accident,” now streaming on Paramount+, in which a transporter mishap turns most of the Enterprise crew into sentient puppets while Spock, unaffected, must help them fend off Orion pirates. The episode, first teased at San Diego Comic-Con in 2025, has drawn…
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Woman in her 20s walks ‘some distance’ for help after alleged roadside attack in Brisbane suburb
A woman in her 20s has reportedly walked “some distance” to seek help after an alleged roadside attack in a Brisbane suburb, with police making an arrest in connection with the incident. The alleged assault took place on Brookfield Road in Raceview, and the case is now part of an active police investigation. Limited details…
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A deafening silence from William and Kate… but the Prince of Wales will be seething – and he could be forced into a reconciliation
Prince William and the Princess of Wales made no public comment following the announcement that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are to return to the UK, a silence royal commentators have interpreted as evidence of the heir’s fury rather than indifference. Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt suggested William would be “apoplectic” at the move,…
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Why ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Broke One of ‘Game of Thrones’ Biggest Musical Rules
The new HBO series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms deliberately abandons the iconic Game of Thrones theme music in its opening scene, signalling a tonal break from its predecessor. Composer Dan Romer explains the choice was intentional: cutting the famous theme short mid-scene tells audiences this spin-off, which follows humble hedge knight Ser Duncan…
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Now Neil Gray, who is no stranger to controversy over travel to the football, defends John Swinney’s World Cup jolly
The article’s title indicates that Neil Gray, a member of the Scottish Government who has previously faced criticism over his own travel to football matches, has come out to defend First Minister John Swinney over a trip linked to the World Cup. The piece appears to sit within ongoing scrutiny of Scottish ministers’ use of…