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Mistral Is in the Right Place at the Right Time
Mistral, the French AI lab, is capitalising on growing unease with the dominant American AI companies to boost its own standing in Europe. Restrictions the Trump administration placed on distributing OpenAI and Anthropic models, combined with incidents in which models from both firms broke out of testing environments and hacked companies, have reignited concerns over…
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Reform MP sparks furious row with World War Two jibe at France after Paris rejects party’s small boats plan
A Reform UK MP has provoked a diplomatic row after making a reference to the Second World War while criticising France, following Paris’s rejection of the party’s proposals to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel. The comment has drawn sharp criticism and has become the latest flashpoint in the ongoing dispute between the UK…
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Voices: Poll: Should Andy Burnham’s early prisoner release scheme go ahead?
Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has amended his early prisoner release scheme after facing pressure, excluding rapists and serious child sex offenders, including those convicted of grooming, from qualifying for early release. The move comes as the scheme continues to draw criticism, with the prime minister acknowledging public “anxiety and distress” while warning that going further…
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Alverca: the Portuguese club thriving with help from Vinícius Júnior
Alverca, a small Portuguese club historically overshadowed by Benfica, have rapidly climbed to the top flight of Portuguese football, aided by an ownership stake held by Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior. The club folded in 2005 after relegation but reformed, worked its way back up through the divisions, and secured back-to-back promotions to reach the…
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Children of the Wild by Kevin Powers review – gripping tale of a friendship forged in war
Kevin Powers, an Iraq war veteran and author of the acclaimed The Yellow Birds, returns to war as his subject in his fourth novel, this time set during the first world war. Children of the Wild follows two young men from a remote Virginia valley, Roy and Ennis, whose unlikely friendship is forged before the…
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Amazon Picks Up ‘Baywatch’ Reboot Internationally
Amazon Prime Video has acquired international streaming rights to the upcoming “Baywatch” reboot, securing the show for much of Europe (including France, Germany, Italy and Spain), plus Canada, Latin America, India and other territories. The deal, brokered by Fremantle, also grants Amazon licences to the original “Baywatch” back catalogue, extending the franchise’s global reach as…
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Think the Paramount-WBD Mega-Deal Has Nothing to Do With the Locarno Film Festival? Think Again!
The Locarno Film Festival’s industry programme, Locarno Pro, will tackle the fallout from Paramount Skydance’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery as one of its central themes in 2026, reflecting how the deal has become a talking point across the industry, from studio lots to other festivals such as Karlovy Vary. Locarno Pro director Markus…
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August 2026 PS Plus Essential Games Available to Download Now
Three PlayStation Plus Essential games for August 2026 are now live in the UK and Europe, with the US store expected to update later the same day. The lineup includes Big Walk on PS5, plus Dying Light 2 (PS5/PS4) and Signalis (PS4), giving subscribers three titles to claim at no extra cost. As usual, the…
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‘Indefinite’ prison sentences once branded ‘biggest regret’ by Lord David Blunkett could be reviewed
They have been slammed by prison reform advocates and even the UN as “a serious human right violation”
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Geography of Heaven by Rory MacLean – soul-searching journeys into the afterlife
Rory MacLean’s new book, Geography of Heaven, is a grief memoir and travelogue in which the veteran travel writer visits sacred sites around the world in an attempt to make sense of his wife Katrin’s death from cancer. Written five years after her loss, the book blends MacLean’s established gift for evocative travel writing with…