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‘Light Pillar’ Director Xu Zao Readies AI-Themed Follow-Up ‘Easy, My Friend’
Xu Zao’s animated feature *Light Pillar*, screening in the Hidden Dragons section at the Pingyao film festival, is still seeking distribution in China. It follows a film-studio worker who falls for a woman he meets in a virtual game and is drawn into a failed journey to the moon. Xu uses the story to explore…
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Judge condemns Cambridgeshire Police as insulin poisoning case takes seven years to reach court
A judge criticised Cambridgeshire Police for an “unacceptable lack of grip” after it took more than seven years for a case involving a mother who poisoned her young daughter with insulin to reach court. The woman, now in her 20s, admitted administering a poison or noxious substance with intent and received a suspended 18-month prison…
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Judge orders RSPCA to let woman view cat that died in care
A 79-year-old former lawyer, Dr Katherine Theodotou, is suing the RSPCA and Metropolitan Police for £500,000 after they seized her disabled cat, Rita, in March following an alleged mistreatment report. The cat died in RSPCA foster care in July, and the case has now escalated into a legal dispute over whether Dr Theodotou can view…
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William Costelloe takes over family fashion house after father’s death
William Costelloe, 34, has become the new creative director of his family’s fashion business following the death of his renowned Irish father Paul Costelloe last November. Paul had led the business for 46 years, establishing it as a significant presence in fashion. William is balancing respect for his father’s legacy with his own creative vision,…
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Rayner pledges faster council action on long-empty homes
Angela Rayner said the Government would make it easier for councils to take control of privately owned homes that have been empty for more than six months, so they can be brought back into use for families facing homelessness. The proposed changes to Empty Dwelling Management Orders are part of efforts to address the housing…
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FIFA and UEFA clash over abandoned World Cup investment plan
FIFA and UEFA are locked in an escalating legal dispute over the shelved Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, which proposed selling stakes in the World Cup to private investors. FIFA has filed court documents in Florida characterising UEFA’s disclosure request as a “misinformation campaign” and refusing to release evidence about the controversial plan, whilst UEFA has…
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Labour leadership signals flexibility on pension triple lock amid budget pressures
Lucy Powell has not ruled out Labour changing the state pension triple lock in its next manifesto, despite saying the party remains committed to the policy during this Parliament. The uncertainty comes as Andy Burnham prepares to discuss how to fund social care reform, with changing the pension uprating system reportedly among the options being…
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Relatives seek access to Sir Ranulph Fiennes amid care concerns
Family members of legendary British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes have expressed serious concerns that the 82-year-old has been isolated from relatives and friends, apparently placed in care homes under assumed names following a family dispute involving his second wife, Louise Millington-Cotes. His relatives’ inability to locate him, combined with his vulnerability due to a Parkinson’s…
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Russian embassy threatens Britain and NATO over fictional war scenario
Russia’s embassy in London has issued a nuclear threat to Britain and NATO following Sky’s television programme “The Wargame,” which depicted a fictional scenario of Russian military aggression against the UK with British retaliation against Russian territories including Kaliningrad. The programme, featuring prominent figures such as Michael Gove and former UK ambassador to the US…
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Coroner flags national gaps in safeguarding pupils at boarding schools
Georgia Scarff, 16, died after being struck by a lorry on the A14 near her home in Bury St Edmunds in April 2024, the night before she was due to return to boarding school and weeks before her GCSEs. An inquest heard that she had been anxious about her exams and future, and that her…