Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, David Cronenberg, K-Stew. The Cannes organisers have certainly rallied the A-list troops for the rabidly anticipated 75th edition of the film festival, which kicks off today. After last year’s Covid instalment – an understandably muted, half-mast affair – the promise this year is a full blast of Cannes delirium, with rumoured controversies, proper parties and paparazzi galore. If this suggests a rocking good time, selectors are tripling down on that threat with air-guitar largesse, by unveiling a hat-trick of high-profile features about music legends: Elvis Presley, David Bowie and Jerry Lee Lewis. The latter two are documentaries, while Elvis is a full-blown jukebox biopic from Baz Luhrmann , who hasn’t made a film since 2013’s Cannes curtain-raiser The Great Gatsby. First up is Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind, a breezy-looking, 73-minute portrait of one of rock ’n’ roll’s original wild men, whose career nose-dived when he married his 13-year-old … [Read more...] about Bowie v Elvis: How rock stars took over Cannes
John lewis
What Ted Cruz’s Supreme Court Win Means
To hold his Senate seat against his challenger, Beto O’Rourke, in 2018, Ted Cruz spent nearly $40 million. O’Rourke’s campaign spent double that amount. The day before the vote in Texas, Cruz lent his campaign $260,000. This was a curious—and seemingly unnecessary—gesture: The campaign’s final report showed it ended with $263,000 cash in hand. Yet Cruz was not acting irrationally. He was preparing the ground for a challenge of his own, an assault on the tottering remains of the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance law of 2002. That law, more formally known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, or BCRA, limited how campaigns could repay loans from candidates. A campaign has 20 days in which it can repay such loans in full. After that deadline, it can repay no more than $250,000. When Cruz’s campaign finished repaying him, the deadline had elapsed. So his campaign committee settled only $250,000 of the loan, leaving $10,000 outstanding—which Cruz then sued in federal court to … [Read more...] about What Ted Cruz’s Supreme Court Win Means
‘My four-year-old son was killed in a dog attack – latest death has to be the last’
The parents of a boy killed in a dog attack 12 years ago are backing the Mirror’s campaign for change, saying they do not want other families to suffer. John-Paul Massey ’s mum and dad talked about the overwhelming grief they still feel after the four-year-old was mauled to death. The parents have spoken out after hearing that another child – three-year-old Daniel Twigg – was killed by a dog on Sunday. John-Paul’s mum Angela McGlynn, 51, said: “When I see other children have been attacked, it breaks my heart. I don’t want anyone else to have to live my Angela and the boy’s dad John Massey split after the tragedy but are united in wanting the Government to take urgent action. John-Paul Massey's father is supporting a Daily Mirror dangerous dog campaign ( Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror) Former painter and decorator John, 50, said he has daily flashbacks of his little boy lying dead. In tears, John added: “I thought my son... was taken for a reason – that … [Read more...] about ‘My four-year-old son was killed in a dog attack – latest death has to be the last’
‘Buffalo shooting shows life is black and white for trigger happy police in US’
Patrick Lyoya, Daunte Wright, Andre Hill, Rayshard Brooks, Atatiana Jefferson, Aura Rosser, Stephon Clark, Botham Jean, Jacob Blake, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Akai Gurley. A drop in the ocean of victims of an American policing policy that amounts to ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ when it comes to Black people. Scratch the surface and you’ll find a litany of cases over the past few years alone that could have so easily been handled with patience and compassion – as it should be – yet so often have resulted in death and the destruction of families and communities. Hill and Clark, for example, were shot because police somehow mistook the mobile phones they were holding for weapons. Blake was shot in the back multiple times at close range as he tried to enter his car. Read the detail around enough of these cases and you begin to get the picture. Contrast all that with Kyle Rittenhouse , Robert Aaron Long, Benjamin Murdy, Brian Riley, Floyd Ray Roseberry, Jeffrey … [Read more...] about ‘Buffalo shooting shows life is black and white for trigger happy police in US’
Northern Ireland Protocol: Is the DUP’s defiance starting to soften?
Enda McClafferty Published 20 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Every high-wire act needs a safety net and Stormont is no different. It came in the form of legislation designed to ensure that no matter what happened, the facade of government would survive. All the bases were covered or so officials thought. A functional assembly providing cover for a dysfunctional executive. But that carefully woven safety net fell apart when the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) blocked the election of a speaker as part of its protest against the protocol. But is the DUP defiance now starting to soften. What is the Northern Ireland Protocol? Claims about Northern Ireland's Brexit fact-checked Truss sets out new law on Northern Ireland trade deal The government's pledge to legislate "within weeks" to override parts of the Northern Ireland … [Read more...] about Northern Ireland Protocol: Is the DUP’s defiance starting to soften?
Justin Fashanu: 30 years since footballer came out
By Zoe Applegate & Martin Barber Published 22 October 2020 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Exactly 30 years ago, footballer Justin Fashanu hit the headlines as the first professional player to come out as gay. What impact did he make - and why have no others followed him? As a footballer, Justin Fashanu was a ground-breaker. In 1981 he became the country's most expensive black player with his £1m move to Nottingham Forest. Growing up in foster care in Norfolk alongside his footballer brother John, he had risen through Norwich City's youth ranks. His majestic strike against Liverpool in 1980 was Match of the Day's Goal of the Season, cementing his legendary status among Canaries fans. Then, in 1990, Fashanu stunned the football world when he told a newspaper he was gay. Three decades on, he remains the only male footballer to reveal his sexuality while … [Read more...] about Justin Fashanu: 30 years since footballer came out
‘My number plate could have cost £1m’
By Kevin Peachey Published 6 March 2015 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing When the auctioneer's hammer came down, classic car dealer John Collins was looking at a bill of £518,000. But it was not a rare Ferrari that he had bought. It was a number plate. The registration plate "25 O" is the most expensive ever bought at a Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) auction. Even so, Mr Collins, who owns classic Ferrari dealer Talacrest, says he would have bid more at the auction for the plate which matches the 250 model. "It was a question of holding one's nerve until the very end," he says, glancing at the plate on the vehicle which itself has an estimated value of millions of pounds. "I'm glad it stopped where it stopped - £520,000. You could buy a couple of nice cars with that. "I hate to say it but it could have been the first £1m number plate. I'm glad … [Read more...] about ‘My number plate could have cost £1m’
Treasure-hunting twins strike again, reunite family with long-lost war medals
JOHN BISSET/STUFF Twins James and Richard Koia have now found three shooting medals from 1914 belonging to the late William Joseph Husband. Armed with their trusty metal detectors, Timaru’s treasure-hunting twins spend hours scouring the coastline for lost items – often volunteering their services to reunite people with lost items. Since word of James and Richard Koia’s ability to find things got out, members of the community have been asking them to help find phones, rings and necklaces. “We have had a bit of success finding things for people,” James said. In the two years they have been hunting treasure they have also uncovered a number of historically significant items, spending time to reunite them with their rightful owners. READ MORE: Shooting medal discovered on South Canterbury beach more than 60 years after being lost Medals found in the grass in Whitianga reunited with Wellington man Long lost medal makes its way home to South Canterbury In some … [Read more...] about Treasure-hunting twins strike again, reunite family with long-lost war medals
Raw, challenging scooter ride no match for cancer, rider says
JOHN BISSET/STUFF Lizzie Watson and her team are preparing for this weekend's Tranz Alpine Scooter Safari to raise money for cancer. It's raw, challenging, and the weather is often abysmal over the 250 kilometres, but it's nothing compared to cancer, Lizzie Watson says ahead of her third Tranz Alpine Scooter Safari. Watson is one of about 300 riders lining up to ride her scooter across the South Island, from Christchurch to Hokitika on Saturday to raise funds for the Cancer Society. All money raised on the biennial endurance ride goes to the Cancer Society of New Zealand, Canterbury-West Coast Division – a charity close to Watson, a breast cancer survivor’s, heart. And it could be a chilly ride for participants, with the South Island due for a chilly end to the week, and temperatures expected to plummet and a chance of snow for inland parts of the high country . READ MORE: South Canterbury cancer survivor fundraises for others 'It's not meant to be easy': … [Read more...] about Raw, challenging scooter ride no match for cancer, rider says
Robots will take a third of British jobs by 2030, report says
A third of existing British jobs are at risk of being taken over by robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) within 15 years, a report reveals. As many as 30pc of existing roles in the UK could be automated by 2030 with the most at risk industries being waste management, transportation and manufacturing, according to an analysis by PwC. However, the report stressed that automation won't result in rocketing unemployment. "The UK employment rate is at its highest level now since comparable records began in 1971, despite advances in digital and other labour-saving technologies," said John Hawksworth, chief economist at PwC. Mr Hawksworth anticipates that manual and routine tasks will be susceptible to automation, with social skills and creative roles being more protected. "That said, no industry is entirely immune from future advances in robotics and AI," he said. However, in many cases the nature of jobs will change rather than the roles completely disappearing, … [Read more...] about Robots will take a third of British jobs by 2030, report says