Apple farmers in northern Italy have a new way of getting their harvest down the hills and into storage in caves below – a cable car system dedicated to transporting the fruit. (more…)
Reuters
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Tiny carved animals found in Turkey tell story of prehistoric myth making
A set of carved stone animals – a fox, a vulture and a wild boar – is shedding light on the way prehistoric people told stories after being unearthed by archaeologists in southeastern Turkey. (more…)
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‘Jay Kelly’ sees George Clooney typecast as Hollywood star
VENICE: George Clooney plays to type in his latest movie “Jay Kelly”, which premieres at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, taking on the role of a Hollywood legend who has to count the cost of a lifetime in the spotlight.
U.S. director Noah Baumbach told reporters that as he worked on the project with British actor-writer Emily Mortimer, he realised the role was tailor-made for the charismatic Clooney.
“Early on, we just started to say, this is going to be George,” Baumbach told reporters, saying it was important for the lead actor to be a global superstar whom audiences could instantly relate to, like the character on the screen.
Clooney has a long relationship with Venice, making his first appearance at the world’s oldest film festival 27 years ago. However, he missed Thursday’s press conference after coming down with what organisers described as a severe sinus infection.
“Even movie stars get sick,” said Baumbach, who is entering the main Venice competition for the third time after “Marriage Story” in 2019 and “White Noise” in 2022.
Read mroe: Adam Sandler gets honest about ‘Jay Kelly’ role
The film tells the story of a celebrated actor stricken by self-doubt while journeying across Europe with his devoted manager, played by Adam Sandler, as the rest of his entourage melts away, including his publicist portrayed by Laura Dern.
The movie weaves sharp humour with poignant self-reflection as the protagonists grapple with lingering grudges, missed opportunities and fractured family ties, pushing them all to confront the compromises and choices that shaped their lives.
“When you read a script like this, you say, Holy shit, I can’t believe that I’m getting this gift,” said Sandler.
The film shows Clooney’s character demanding enormous sacrifices from his army of helpers, expecting them to subordinate their lives to his whims without hesitation.
Sandler and Dern said the film made them appreciate even more their own backstage staff. “(Do) I know if my publicist has a family? I definitely did, but I definitely want to be that much more mindful now,” said Dern.
“Jay Kelly” is one of 21 films competing for the prestigious Golden Lion prize, which will be awarded on September 6.
The picture is one of three films put forward by giant streamer Netflix. The other two, Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite”, will be shown later in the festival.
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White House says Trump not happy with Russia strike on Ukraine, to make statement later
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump “was not happy” about Russian attacks on Ukraine with missiles and drones on Thursday and planned to talk more about the subject later, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Since Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska nearly two weeks ago, little progress has been made toward a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine despite Trump’s attempts to negotiate a halt in the fighting.
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Overnight attacks on Ukraine by Russia killed at least 15 people and damaged buildings.
“He was not happy about this news, but he was also not surprised. These are two countries that have been at war for a very long time,” Leavitt said of Trump.
She told reporters that Trump will make an additional statement on the situation later on Thursday.
Leavitt said the Russian attacks had been deadly and that Ukrainian attacks had done significant damage in August to Russian oil refineries.
She said Trump wants the war to end but that “perhaps both sides of this war are not ready to end it themselves.”
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” on Tuesday that plans to meet Ukrainian representatives this week in New York. The meeting is expected to take place on Friday.
Trump has been pushing for Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to meet and then he would join them for a three-way meeting to discuss ending the war.
But no such Putin-Zelenskiy meeting is forthcoming as of yet. Trump, asked on Monday why Putin is reluctant to meet Zelenskiy, said Putin simply does not like him.
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PSG to face Bayern and Barcelona in Champions League opening stage
MONACO: Champions League holders Paris St Germain will play Bayern Munich and Barcelona in this season’s league phase while record 15-times winners Real Madrid will face Manchester City and Liverpool after Thursday’s draw set up some blockbuster encounters.
PSG will also meet Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United along with Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen in the new league phase format which started last season, where each club plays eight games — four at home and four on the road.
Real Madrid will play Manchester City again for a fifth consecutive season and make a trip to Liverpool in what will be a homecoming for Trent Alexander-Arnold, the English fullback who left Anfield to join Real in the close season.
Real also take on Juventus at home while they have a long flight to Eastern Europe in store when they take on Kazakhstan side Kairat Almaty, who stunned Celtic in the playoffs to qualify for the first time.
Last season’s league phase table toppers Liverpool will also face Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt, while Bayern play Chelsea, Arsenal and Club Brugge.
Pep Guardiola’s City host Dortmund, Leverkusen and Napoli while they make two trips to Spain to face Real and Villarreal.
Last season’s runners-up Inter Milan host Liverpool and Arsenal, and the Italian side will travel to Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona, LaLiga champions and last year’s semi-finalists, host PSG and face away games at Chelsea and Newcastle.
Arsenal, semi-finalists last season, also play Atletico Madrid and Club Brugge but their biggest opponents are Bayern, who they have faced 14 times in the competition. They have also failed to beat the German side in the last five encounters.
SIX ENGLISH CLUBS
The Premier League has the most representatives with six clubs after last season’s top five — Liverpool, Arsenal, City, Chelsea and Newcastle — qualified along with Europa League winners Tottenham.
Spurs will play Borussia Dortmund and Villarreal as well as PSG while Serie A champions Napoli face Chelsea, Man City, Frankfurt and Benfica.
Newcastle returned to the Champions League but have a tough path to the knockout phase after they were placed in pot four, drawing Barca, PSG, Benfica and Leverkusen among the teams they will face.
The league phase gets underway with the 36 teams playing on eight matchdays between September 16 and January 28. The knockout phase begins in February while the final will be played on May 30 at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
Chelsea were honoured with a special award for becoming the first club to win the Champions League, the Europa League, the Conference League, the Super Cup and the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
Former Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was named the winner of the UEFA President’s Award.
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Amorim apologises to fans after Grimsby debacle
Ruben Amorim apologised to Manchester United supporters after his reign reached a new low with a humiliating elimination from the League Cup by fourth-tier Grimsby Town on Wednesday. (more…)
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Rafael Devers sparks San Francisco Giants’ rout of Chicago Cubs
Rafael Devers hit two home runs, Matt Chapman belted the 200th of his career and the San Francisco Giants made it two straight over the visiting Chicago Cubs with a 12-3 shellacking Wednesday night. (more…)
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Brazil’s Joelinton sidelined for World Cup qualifiers after Newcastle injury
Midfielder Joelinton will miss Brazil’s remaining World Cup qualifiers due to an injury sustained during Newcastle United’s 3-2 defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League, the Brazilian Football Confederation said on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old left the pitch visibly upset during the second half of Monday’s game and manager Eddie Howe confirmed afterwards that the injury was serious, saying: “Joey, it doesn’t look great, to be honest.”
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti called up Bahia’s Jean Lucas on Wednesday for the remaining qualifiers. Flamengo left-back Alex Sandro has also been withdrawn due to injury.
Read More: West Ham, Leeds and Sunderland knocked out of League Cup
Brazil face Chile at the Maracana stadium on September 4, before travelling to Bolivia for their final qualifier five days later.
The team are third in the CONMEBOL qualifying standings with 25 points.
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Stars and geopolitics share the spotlight at Venice Film Festival
VENICE: The Venice Film Festival opens on Wednesday, drawing Hollywood royalty, European auteurs and Asian masters, plus a strong dose of political tension as Israel’s war in Gaza casts a shadow over the Lido.
The 11-day event fires the starting gun for the awards season, with films premiering here over the past four years collecting more than 90 Oscar nominations and winning almost 20, making it top draw for actors, producers and directors alike.
Among the A-listers expected on the red carpet are Julia Roberts, Emma Stone, George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Andrew Garfield, Oscar Isaac and Amanda Seyfried, while the programme spans psychological thrillers, art house dramas, documentaries and splashy studio-backed productions.
The celebration of cinema is also colliding with geopolitics.
A collective of film industry figures, Venice4Palestine, has urged the festival to take a robust stand over the war in Gaza, calling on the organisers to promote Palestinian voices and denounce Israeli actions in Gaza.
The appeal was signed by more than 1,500 people, including directors such as Ken Loach and Matteo Garrone, and actors Toni Servillo, Charles Dance and Alba Rohrwacher.
Festival director Alberto Barbera told Reuters on Tuesday that Venice welcomed open debate, but dismissed calls for Israeli filmmakers and actors to be barred from the Lido, the thin barrier island a short boat trip from the main city that hosts the festival.
“We don’t boycott anyone, of course, and we’re open to all the possible speeches about the contemporary situation, which is the way of better understanding how to solve this huge mass of problems that we have to face every day,” he said.
PALESTINIAN GIRL
One of the films in the main competition tackles the war in Gaza head on.
“The Voice of Hind Rajab”, directed by Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania, tells the true story of a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in the territory in 2024 after being trapped for hours in a vehicle targeted by Israeli forces.
“I think it is one of the films that will make the greatest impression,” Barbera predicted last month.
International politics and global intrigue feature strongly in the 82nd edition of the world’s oldest film festival.
Director Kathryn Bigelow will premiere her nuclear thriller “A House of Dynamite” on the Lido, while Olivier Assayas will present “The Wizard of the Kremlin”, which looks at the rise of Vladimir Putin, with Jude Law playing the Russian leader.
“It’s the comeback of a cinema of reality, the sensibility of the filmmakers, invested a lot in reflecting on the major problems of our contemporary world,” said Barbera.
Streaming giant Netflix, which skipped Venice last year, returns in force with not just the Bigelow movie, but also Guillermo del Toro’s re-telling of “Frankenstein” and Noah Baumbach’s comedy-drama “Jay Kelly” competing for the coveted Golden Lion award.
Other highlights include Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s “La Grazia”, which will open the festival, Yorgos Lanthimos’s satire “Bugonia”, Jim Jarmusch’s family triptych “Father Mother Sister Brother”, and Benny Safdie’s fighter biopic “The Smashing Machine”.
A very different biopic is “The Testament of Ann Lee” – a musical take on the life of the radical 18th-century Shaker leader, which is directed by Norway’s Mona Fastvold.
Read More: Venice jury chief says films don’t change the world, but document it
A trio of films from Asia are also in the main competition – “Girl” by Taiwan’s Shu Qi, “No Other Choice” by South Korea’s Park Chan-wook and “The Sun Rises on Us All” by China’s Cai Shangjun.
Out of competition, but still very much in the limelight, Luca Guadagnino presents his #MeToo-themed “After The Hunt” with Julia Roberts, who will be making her Venice red carpet debut.
The main jury is chaired by U.S. director Alexander Payne, joined by fellow filmmakers Stéphane Brizé, Maura Delpero, Cristian Mungiu and Mohammad Rasoulof, alongside actresses Fernanda Torres and Zhao Tao.
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Venice jury chief says films don’t change the world, but document it
VENICE: U.S. director Alexander Payne, president of the jury at this year’s Venice Film Festival, said on Wednesday that while movies rarely alter the course of society, they serve as vital documents of their times and shape memory.
“Can a film really change society or culture? I don’t know. Doubtful,” Payne said, recalling that films such as Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” did not stop World War Two, but rather showed that people were aware of what was going on.
“We have those as documents and, as such, we can try to learn from them,” he said ahead of the formal opening of the 11-day festival later on Wednesday.
Payne, whose credits include the Oscar-winning comedies “Sideways” and “The Holdovers”, lamented the shrinking space for theatrical releases in the age of streaming, saying movies that were only seen online struggled to make a broad impact on society.
“It’s typically films which have theatrical release, which become a part of a cinema conversation, of a cultural conversation, and then have some kind of impact,” he said.
Big streamers such as Netflix and Amazon regularly showcase their films at Venice but then offer little or no exposure for those movies in cinemas, reserving them instead for their subscribers.
In the run-up to the 2025 event, some 1,500 film industry figures signed a petition urging the festival to take a robust stand over the war in Gaza, calling on the organisers to promote Palestinian voices and denounce Israeli actions.
Payne declined to say if he supported their call, while the head of the festival, Alberto Barbera, said he welcomed open debate but rejected suggestions that Israeli filmmakers or actors should be banned.
Read More: When is Venice Film Festival 2025 and what can we expect?
“We reject outright the demand to disinvite artists who wish to take part in the festival. At the same time, we have never hesitated to express our enormous anguish at what is happening in Gaza,” he told reporters.
The Venice festival opens on Wednesday night with the world premiere of Italian director Paolo Sorretino’s “La Grazia.”
The event ends on September 6 when Payne and his fellow jury members announce who has won the top Golden Lion award.