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Best of the Fest: Giant noses, curious snails and gross medical procedures live on stage – the weird and wonderful Edinburgh Fringe is back to entertain
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival has returned, bringing with it a typically eclectic mix of comedy and theatre acts, including shows featuring exaggerated giant noses, curious snails and graphically depicted medical procedures performed live on stage. The piece highlights the festival’s reputation for embracing the bizarre and boundary-pushing, showcasing performers willing to entertain audiences with unconventional…
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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns with genre-hopping fourth season
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ fourth season, which began streaming on Paramount+ on 23 July 2026, had a sneak peek unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con by co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman. The preview highlighted an unusually varied run of episodes, with the crew of the USS Enterprise, led by Captain Christopher Pike, facing both personal struggles and…
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‘Weird Al’ Yankovic says he walked away from a seven-figure comedy festival offer in Saudi Arabia
“Weird Al” Yankovic said he rejected a seven-figure offer to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia. His decision is notable because the festival has attracted criticism over Saudi Arabia’s human-rights record and restrictions on free expression. The article places Yankovic’s decision in the context of wider debate surrounding performers appearing at the…
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The 1966 song Brian Wilson knew he never belonged on: “I didn’t really like”
Brian Wilson reportedly regarded ‘I’m Waiting for the Day’ as the one Pet Sounds track on which he felt he did not belong vocally. Although he considered the song suitable and positive, he was dissatisfied with the sound of his own voice, illustrating that even an album widely regarded as a landmark contained work he…
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‘Incinerator’ Review: Award-Winning Japanese Portrait of a Teenage Loner Is Gentle to a Fault
Shuntaro Uchida’s Japanese coming-of-age film “Incinerator” follows Kozue, a solitary ten-year-old living outside Tokyo who steals objects to throw into her school incinerator. Although the film’s unusual young protagonist and gentle visual style initially create intrigue, the review argues that it softens her strangeness into a conventional, underdeveloped family drama. The criticism matters because the…
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Trump condemns violence as Sydney stabbing charge laid
Trump clashes with press at White House dinner; an Australian teenager faces a Sydney stabbing charge, while Mets star Juan Soto exits injured.
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Canberra Hospital sonographer sacked over ultrasound errors in high-risk pregnancy unit loses unfair dismissal case after alleging supervisor was attracted to her
A sonographer at Canberra Hospital, Joy Biradee, has lost an unfair dismissal case after being sacked from the hospital’s high-risk pregnancy unit over errors made during ultrasound scans. The case, heard by Australia’s Fair Work Commission, is notable because Biradee had alleged that her supervisor was attracted to her, a claim she raised as part…
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Is this e-reader case a gun?
A 3D-printed, pistol-shaped case for the Xteink X4 e-reader has highlighted the difficulty of requiring printers to block gun-related files. The harmless case, dubbed the “Gundle”, cannot fire and was intended as a joke or commentary, but it resembles a real firearm closely enough to raise questions about whether automated detection software could wrongly prevent…
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The fathers driven to suicide, breakdown and penury by chaotic dysfunction in the Child Maintenance Service
The article reports allegations that serious administrative failures within the Child Maintenance Service have left some fathers facing severe financial and psychological distress, including claims of suicide, breakdown and poverty. It argues that errors, delays and poor communication can have grave consequences for parents who depend on the system to calculate and collect child-maintenance payments.…
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As Adam Peaty prepares to swim for Commonwealth gold tonight in front of besotted new wife Holly Ramsay, the surprising connection he still keeps with his estranged family is revealed
Adam Peaty is preparing to compete for Commonwealth Games gold, with his new wife Holly Ramsay cheering him on, amid renewed attention on his estranged relationship with parts of his family. Despite the rift, it has emerged that Peaty maintains a notable connection with relatives, and his mother, Caroline, has now spoken publicly about the…