Americas

Count Binface and the serious political message behind the UK’s ‘joke’ candidates

• Nigel Farage's Clacton by-election features Count Binface as a prominent challenger, sparking criticism of joke candidacies from within Reform UK
• UK has a long tradition of comedic candidates with serious underlying political messages, from Screaming Lord Sutch onwards, whose policies have sometimes influenced government

Nigel Farage's decision to resign his Clacton seat and trigger a by-election, amid scrutiny of his personal finances, has drawn no candidates from any other major party, leaving Count Binface, a costumed "intergalactic space warrior," as his most prominent challenger among a record 34 contenders. Reform UK MP…

James Cameron says he’s “literally mapped out” the last act of his career, and it might not involve directing Avatar 4 and 5: “What are the other stories I want to tell?”

• Cameron has strategically mapped his final career phase and may opt out of directing Avatar 4 and 5
• He's prioritising projects with social impact over franchise continuity, marking a shift from his 2024 stance

Director James Cameron has said he has "literally mapped out" the final stage of his career, hinting that it may not involve him personally directing further instalments of the Avatar franchise, including Avatar 4 and Avatar 5. The remark suggests the filmmaker, best known for blockbusters such as…

Forest target Reijnders – Wednesday’s gossip

• Forest reportedly targeting Man City's Reijnders in £55m move
• Spurs linked with Savinho, Gakpo and Jackson as attacking targets
• Chelsea nearing Chavarria deal; Real Madrid to resume Vinicius Jr talks

BBC Sport's football gossip column rounds up transfer rumours from various British and European outlets, with Nottingham Forest reportedly eyeing Manchester City's Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders in a deal worth around £55m. Tottenham are said to be pursuing several attacking options including Manchester City's Savinho, Liverpool's Cody Gakpo…

“Surely it’s the greatest psychedelic rock song ever recorded… It makes the whole God thing seem plausible!” Kavus Torabi’s Guide To Cardiacs

• Kavus Torabi picks his favourite Cardiacs songs in a 2014 interview.
• Torabi played guitar in Cardiacs from 2003 until Tim Smith's 2008 stroke.
• Piece resurfaces following Smith's death in 2020, 12 years after his illness.

This 2014 interview, republished by Prog/Louder, sees Cardiacs guitarist Kavus Torabi talking through his favourite songs by the cult English band led by the late Tim Smith. Torabi, who also plays in Gong and rejoined a reactivated Cardiacs line-up in 2024, describes the group as the greatest he…

With Avatar’s Future Still Uncertain, James Cameron Now Says He Wants to Prioritize ‘Other Stories’ For the ‘Last Act’ of His Career

Avatar director James Cameron has signaled that he may be ready to move on from the franchise, as the status of its two planned sequels still remains uncertain.