Movie star Brad Pitt and his girlfriend Inés de Ramón made a glamorous red carpet debut at the 81st annual Venice International Film Festival last week, looking absolutely smitten with each other at the premiere of Brad’s new film Wolfs. The 60-year-old actor looked dashing in a black tailored suit by Louis Vuitton, and was all smiles as he held hands with Inés, 31, who was stunning in a white floor-length gown by Entire Studios. The couple, who met through mutual friends and went public with their romance in 2022, were spotted arriving together at Venice’s Marco Polo Airport the previous day. It was a double date for Brad, whose close friend and Wolfs co-star George Clooney, 63, also walked the Venice red carpet with his glamorous wife, international human rights lawyer…

The U.K.’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into the way more than one million tickets were sold for next year’s reunion concerts from iconic 1990s Britpop band Oasis. In a statement Thursday, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said its investigation into Live Nation Entertainment’s unit Ticketmaster will look specifically at “dynamic pricing,” whereby prices can vary rapidly in light of changing market conditions. It is a pricing strategy used in flight sales and home food deliveries, where demand levels can fluctuate and lead to surging prices while also sometimes leading to lower prices. It is a more common practice in the U.S. than in the U.K. Many Oasis fans who queued online at the Ticketmaster site for hours Saturday complained that they ended up paying more than double the face value…

Athletes in both the elite and age-group categories are proving that 40 can be the start of some of their best performances rather than a decline. There are realities of aging that must be respected, but that doesn’t mean your fastest splits have to be behind you. Here are effective ways I’ve modified training and psychology in athletes I coach to help them be faster after 40. Mindset Every athlete can point to their best race and still find areas for improvement. Mastery of triathlon is challenging and, while some improvements are quicker and simpler to gain than others, some dangle just out of reach. Maintaining focus on chasing these improvements is key to maintaining motivation year after year. Focusing on the experience of doing triathlon without expectation of a specific result…

After an extensive search for a team who could help them bring their newly acquired historic Tuscan estate back to life, an American couple landed upon British interior designer Nicola Harding, who is known for the atmospheric abodes she crafts mostly in England. The couple was drawn not only to the warmth and energy of Harding’s style, but also to her attitude about the process of making a house a home. “Core to what we do is to understand the people who will inhabit a home, to discover what kind of moments they want to have there, the deeply held values they subscribe to, how they imagine an ideal Sunday breakfast,” says Harding. “Weaving elements of their stories into the spaces so they feel connected is key to creating a…

Stormers coach John Dobson is a regular visitor to Barrydale. He gives easily of his time to support his mate Rick Melvill and the Karoo Art Hotel, but more significantly both Dobson and Melvill invest energy into the local rugby community. Melvill has a Pied Piper presence in Barrydale. Where he walks others follow because of his generosity to improve someone's day, be it in an interaction or an opportunity. Dobson is from similar ilk. He loves to give back to the sport that gave him so much and he loves to do so through community projects. The Flying Eagles were once the singular club rugby entity in Barrydale. The club was established in 1950 but in 2018 there was a breakaway and the Barrydale Stryders were born. No community…

TRUMP FRAMES IMMIGRATION as an existential threat to the United States. He has said immigrants are “taking our jobs,” are “not people,” and are “poisoning the blood of our country.” In fact, the nation’s undocumented immigrants grow and harvest the food we eat, construct our homes, and care for our young and elderly. They pay billions in taxes, start businesses that employ Americans, and help rebuild in the wake of climate disasters. Not only would Trump’s plan rip families and communities apart, but it also would have devastating effects on the economy for years to come. According to a 2016 report by the Center for American Progress, deporting 7 million workers would “reduce national employment by an amount similar to that experienced during the Great Recession.” GDP would immediately contract by…

IN A VIDEO TAKEN BY THE MARINE scientist Renaud de Stephanis, three orcas, or killer whales, can be seen swimming around the stern of a boat. One orca is vocalising in high-pitched tones before it gently nudges one of the twin rudders and swims off like a dog that’s just snatched some food from a kitchen top. “Whoa!” it seems to say, “that was fun.” This is just one of about 1,000 recorded interactions that orcas have had with boats in the Strait of Gibraltar and around the coasts of Spain and Portugal since the summer of 2020. Roughly 200 of those incidents have resulted in damage to the boats, with a total of seven sinking. It is behaviour that raises questions about our relationship with this species of dolphin.…

The 1963 Sting Ray is considered by many to be the most desired model and year Corvette ever. With its sleek, modern design, a range of powerful engine choices, and newly introduced independent rear suspension, its popularity makes total sense. With mostly positive reviews from automotive journalists when it debuted in the fall of 1962, those favorable assessments translated to strong sales. The 1963 model marked the first year of the C2 and featured a one-year-only distinctive rear split window. While this iconic feature contributed to the car’s futuristic and aggressive demeanor, it also created a blind spot posing visibility issues, which many owners considered to be an inconvenience. Some actually had dealers replace the split window for a single-piece rear window. Blasphemy! Today, the ’63 Corvette commands insane prices,…

Bravo to the central bankers, says The Economist. The likes of the Bank of England and the US Federal Reserve appear to have pulled off mission impossible – bringing down inflation without crashing the economy. In 2022 the average rate of inflation across developed countries peaked at about 10%. Large interest rate hikes followed and inflation in most developed economies has now fallen below 3% (annual UK inflation was 2.2% in July). Previous central banks’ battles with inflation tamed prices only at the cost of “deep” recessions. While the going has been tough this time, severe pain has been avoided. Interestrate theory worked in practice, with hikes causing just enough cooling in labour markets to ease wage pressure, but not so much that they triggered mass unemployment. Self-serving narrative A…

As the name suggests, the Audiovector Trapeze Reimagined is a reboot of the company's original “Trapez” loudspeaker from 45 years ago. Also, as the name suggests, the Danish floorstanding loudspeaker has a trapezoidal cabinet. It has nothing whatsoever to do with circuses. The Trapeze Reimagined is a short three-way design. It uses a 12-inch high-power mid/bass driver with an eight-inch driver in a configuration Audiovector calls “Isobaric Compound Bass” loading. This is met by a five-inch high-speed midrange, and an Air Motion Transformer tweeter specifically designed for this loudspeaker. Unlike “frozen in time” designs such as the evergreen BBC LS3/5a, the Trapeze Reimagined is not a carbon copy of the original. However, the waist-high family resemblance to that loudspeaker, which wowed Scandiwegian audiophiles of the late 1970s, is unmistakable. The Trapez was…

WHERE EAGLES DARE Animal lovers are in for a treat with HX’s 13-night summer cruise from Anchorage to Vancouver. Starting with a night in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, you’ll board your ship in Seward and begin your journey on a cruise that will allow the remarkable diversity of nature and culture offered by Alaska and British Columbia to unfold around you. Expect to see many of Alaska’s wild animals, including bald eagles, moose, bears, sea lions, otters, orcas, humpback whales and many seabirds. You’ll also enjoy the sights of towering forest-clad mountains, glittering glaciers and deep blue fjords. The 13-night Wilderness, Glaciers & Culture cruise, from Anchorage to Vancouver, departing 9 June 2025, is priced from £4,648 per person. travelhx.com LATIN AMERICA EXPLORER AMAWATERWAYS will be the first major cruise line to sail Colombia’s…

THIS MONTH’S WINNER VERONICA WILLIAMS Water gems EDITOR’S COMMENT Captured beautifully by Veronica Williams, this lovely shot was taken in Mt Lofty Botanical Gardens SA, when the weather had “other plans”. “I decided I'd brave the rain and wander, anyway,” says Williams. “Umbrella in one hand and camera in the other, I took only my macro lens thinking visibility would be too low for other photography (I was wrong, of course). I came across some gorgeous decaying leaves, both on the ground and on the trees. The fresh raindrops on this coloured leaf look ready to roll off at any time, and epitomise autumn in the leafy Adelaide hills.” There’s something lovely and peaceful about this image that made it a clear winner in a stacked field this time. We really loved the autumn tones, the…

Whether or not you’re a fan of Nintendo’s products, it’s impossible to deny its influence on the design of home videogames. Time and again, the company has introduced new design concepts that have become commonplace – and just as frequently, it has popularised technologies that had previously been tried to no avail. Thanks to its lengthy tenure in the business, it’s arguable that Nintendo has done more to push the videogame console forward than any other manufacturer. Prior to its transformation into the company we know today, Nintendo was making toys like the Ultra Hand and arcade games such as EVR Race. Key employees including Genyo Takeda, Masayuki Uemura and Gunpei Yokoi were hired in this era, and they carried the inventive nature required for those industries with them as…

Advance tickets are now on sale for the UK’s premier high-end audio event – The UK Hi-Fi Show Live, hosted at the Ascot Racecourse Grandstand, High Street, Ascot on Saturday and Sunday 21st -22nd September 2024. Friday 20th is reserved for accredited press/trade only. Tickets will cost just £20 (£30 for a weekend pass) via www.eventbrite.co.uk or using the links on the www.hifishowlive.com site. Concessionary £15 day passes will be offered for subscribers of Hi-Fi News and Hi-Fi Choice (print and digital subscribers will be contacted by e-mail). See our website for further information. Tickets On Sale Now! www.hifishowlive.com…

Walking across campus with friends, it was my first week at Holy Cross college, Massachusetts, in September 2017. And with food trucks parked all around, we wouldn’t be going hungry. Only I had to be careful. Since I was two years old, I have had severe allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, kiwi, mustard and seafood, cats and dogs, mould and pollen. Apart from a severe reaction aged two, my life had been normal. It had never held me back. My mum Julie, 60, even made sure I had pretty bags and purses to carry my EpiPens as a child. And aged 18, I was so excited to experience college. Holy Cross’ food hall was entirely nut free and it even had an allergy kitchen. And with my family home…

For the first time since King Charles’ Coronation, the Royal Princes – William and Harry – were seen in the same place at the same time... As a memorial service was held in the coastal village of Snettisham in Norfolk on 28 August for Lord Robert Fellowes, 82, their uncle by marriage, both brothers joined the congregation. Harry had discreetly flown in from his California home, keeping the visit very much away from the spotlight. However, although there were united – geographically – in wanting to pay their respects to Diana’s brother-in-law, and comfort their newly widowed aunt Lady Jane Spencer, it seems that when it comes to relations between the two – there appears to be no thawing. According to an eyewitness who was at the service the brothers ‘kept their distance’…

“Not bad,” Madam Vice President, said William Kristol in The Bulwark. “Pretty damn impressive, in fact.” Kamala Harris wrapped up last week’s Democratic National Convention with a stirring address that established her as a vigorous, centrist, and unabashedly patriotic leader—everything that Donald Trump is not. As flag-waving delegates in the Chicago arena chanted “USA! USA!” the Democratic presidential nominee reintroduced herself as a child of immigrants whose story, she explained, “could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth.” She spoke of “the privilege and pride of being an American,” vowed to bolster border security, and called for “optimism and faith” in the fight for American ideals. “Yes, this was a Democrat talking,” said Peter Hamby in Puck. There were, of course, “paeans to diversity and pluralism.” But Harris’…

MAKING its public debut at CarFest 2024, the latest Range Rover Sport is now available as the SV Edition Two. Offering a performance-honed exterior, the range-topper blends unique paint colours with new carbonfibre detailing. Inside, SV Performance seats are available in a range of colours, upholstered in knit textiles or Windsor leather. The SV Edition Two also features exclusive branding on the front splitter, centre console, treadplates and puddle lamps. Powered exclusively by a 626bhp, 553lb-ft 4.4-litre twin-turbo MHEV V8 petrol engine, the Range Rover Sport SV is capable of dashing from 0-60mph in 3.6sec and on to a top speed of 180mph, thanks to both a weight saving of up to 76kg if you tick the box for the Carbon Ceramic Brakes option, and standard-fit aerodynamic enhancements. Clients can…

This month, we made our way to Kintsugi Omakase to have an epic meal that we will talk about for quite a bit! We knew that there would be a number of courses that would be created in front of us by Chef Victor Chen who was in last month’s issue in our THE 9LIST 9M3NU feature. Our meal didn’t disappoint! We were able to enjoy a 16 course meal that is part of their Kintsugi Experience. It’s a fantastic experience where upon entering the restaurant, you are sitting with 9 other guests who nave a front row seat at a meal that is next level. We wanted to know more about when the restaurant launched, why they provide omakase, and what you can expect when it comes to heading…

‘AGE IS MEANINGLESS WHEN YOU’RE HAPPY’ Suzanne Scott Nagasaka, 77, from Skerne, Yorkshire, has been with her husband Michael, 54, for 30 years. A few years ago, I was out shopping with my husband Michael when a shop assistant made a comment about him getting a ‘nice present from his mum’. Instantly, I was mortified. The age gap between us is 23 years. To us, it’s irrelevant but the same can’t always be said for others. Jazz night I was 47, a single mum of two grown-up boys and living in Hong Kong when I met Michael. I was out with friends at a jazz club when the barman asked me to talk to this young man who’d just flown in from Washington, USA, and didn’t know anyone. I invited…

addiction As we went to press, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu was nearly 100 points ahead of his nearest rival in the 2024 WSBK title race, after seven out of 12 rounds. The superstar from Türkiye is making the rest of the paddock look just a wee bit ‘steady,’ and the best bit is he's doing it for a marque that's never won the WSBK crown before – BMW. The Bavarian firm has been looking for a world production-based title since the original S1000RR appeared back in 2010, but success has been patchy; Marco Melandri's third and fourth spots in 2012 and 2013 are still the best placings for the firm in the WSBK riders’ championship. There's been race success elsewhere, of course; notably at the Isle of Man TT. But WSBK has…

We’ve included a vast Python code repository for you to freely use in your own programs. There’s plenty in here to help you create a superb piece of programming, or extend your project ideas. We’ve got code for making backups of your files and folders, number guessing games, random number generators, Google search code, game code, animation code, graphics code, text adventure code and even code that plays music stored on your computer. We’ve broken down some of the newer, and extended, concepts of the code to help you better understand what’s going on. This way you can easily adapt it to your own uses. This is an excellent resource that you won’t find in any other Python book. So use it, take it apart, adapt it to your own…

07/2024 7:29AM FASTCOMPANY.COM HAVE A NICE DAY! WD-40 COLOGNE. A NIKE AIR MAX SNEAKER FILLED WITH BLOOD. A FRUIT LOOP AS BIG AS YOUR HEAD. EVERYWHERE I TURN IN THIS GARAGE that's been half converted into an office, I see objects that look like they belong in a Hot Topic managed by a MoMA curator on acid. I'm perched on one of three couches, which appear to have been rescued from the curb to form a conversation pit. Around me are piles of stickers, gallons of chemicals, a power sander, and a shop vac. To my left, a few glass conference rooms hint at more grown-up endeavors. A hand-drawn sign is taped to one of them: RAT LOOSE INSIDE! KEEP THIS DOOR CLOSED! The door stands casually ajar. At Mschf, it's hard to tell…