Author: staff
Published on 18/08/2026 – 11:16 GMT+2 There are films that fall under the “so bad, it’s good” category… And then there’s “ugly”, “eerie”, “godawful” and “disaster-level”. Those are some of the terms used to describe Niu Lai (‘Here Comes The Cow’), a new Chinese animated film directed by Xin Yumeng and produced by Dalian Jingyuan Culture Film and Television Media, formerly an interior design and decoration company. The film has been ridiculed for its shoddy animation and low-quality effects, and has even faced calls for theatres to stop screening it. However, in a surprising turn of events, the film has…
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Published on 18/08/2026 – 11:12 GMT+2 FIFA’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has left his role less than three weeks after publicly attacking Gianni Infantino’s plan to bring private investors into world football’s biggest competitions. FIFA confirmed Lamour’s employment ended on 17 August but did not give a reason for his departure. Some media outlets are claiming he had been sacked. Lamour had been one of FIFA’s most senior executives since joining from European governing body UEFA in November 2024. His responsibilities included overseeing finance, legal and compliance, communications, member associations, technology and operations and social responsibility across FIFA’s offices…
Shakira announced on Monday that she will mobilise funding to rebuild the Technological University of Chocó, damaged by the earthquake that struck Colombia on 10 August, as well as around ten non-university educational centres in one of the five departments worst affected by the quake. The Barranquilla-born artist’s donation will not be made directly. The philanthropic organisation Global Citizen will contribute 500,000 dollars (€432,250) and the concert promoter Live Nation, which organised her latest tour, ‘Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran’, and is also her commercial partner, will provide a further 500,000 at her instigation. In October 2025 Shakira joined the…
Published on 18/08/2026 – 9:57 GMT+2 In Marseille, plunges into the Mediterranean from the corniche are attracting more and more young people in search of thrills. Despite a ban on jumps of more than three metres in place since 2006, the practice, amplified by social media, is gaining ground and is prompting the city council to step up prevention and look for ways to regulate it more effectively. “I started this year. We psych ourselves up, we jump and then we try to move on to another spot,” says Dédé, a Marseille resident. Alongside the regulars from Marseille, there are…
Published on 18/08/2026 – 8:58 GMT+2 Kanye ‘Ye’ West’s 2026 European tour didn’t go so well, after multiple countries banned or cancelled his performances. Now, it has been reported that the controversial US rapper will perform two high-profile stadium shows in St Petersburg in October, according to a post by the Telegram channel of Gazprom Arena – the stadium where the concerts are scheduled to take place. If the concerts scheduled for 10 and 11 October go ahead, West would become the first major Western music star to perform in Russia since the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine…
As part of its Tobacco Control Framework Evaluation, the European Commission reviewed current tobacco laws and found that, while older rules successfully lowered traditional cigarette consumption, they are nowcompletely outdated and failing to stop a massive surge in digital marketing and novel nicotine products. As a result, the Commission proposed a revision of the Tobacco Taxation Directive (TTD) to implement fresh rules and curb tobacco use. It remains under negotiation after the Parliament failed to adopt a formal position in June 2026, leaving the final decision to the Council of the European Union, where unanimous agreement among member states is…
A prosecutor said on Monday that while few have been willing to speak about the 1996 killing of prominent hip-hop star Tupac Shakur, Duane “Keffe D” Davis is the “one person who has a hard time being silent.” “Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger. But he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors at the start of Davis’ Las Vegas trial. “Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.” Davis, 63, could get life in prison if he’s convicted of murder with…
Published on 18/08/2026 – 7:54 GMT+2•Updated 7:55 Water is being diverted into the Danube in Hungary and barges are being deliberately sunk in an effort to raise critically low river levels and prevent another shutdown at the country’s Paks Nuclear Power Plant. Since noon on Monday, an additional 20 cubic metres of water per second has been released into the main Danube from the Ráckeve-Soroksár branch at Dömsöd, around 50 kilometres south of Budapest. The measure has raised the river level by about two centimetres. Further downstream at Paks, about 100 kilometres south of the Hungarian capital, two barges are…
Published on 18/08/2026 – 7:00 GMT+2 Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema won re-election with around 60% of votes cast last week, the electoral commission announced on Tuesday, after a race critics said was tightly managed by his government. The result was widely expected, with Hichilema, who has been in power since 2021, facing a crowded field of 13 challengers led by a former provincial minister, Brian Mundubile, making his first bid for the presidency. Mundubile, 55, who entered the race in May, secured nearly 38% of the vote, Electoral Commission of Zambia chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis said. Five of the 226 constituencies…