Life&Style

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Suzume review: Your Name director returns with new masterpiece

April 13, 2023

Japanese animation can often be unfairly categorised as a niche genre, meant for the arthouses but not the multiplex. Disproving this point, Suzume arrives on these shores already a blockbuster. Its director, Makoto Shinkai, is an animation veteran who has found international success in the last few years with 2016’s Your Name and 2019’s Weathering [...]
Nothing Ear (1) review: Slick but room for improvement

April 13, 2023

Nothing Tech sells itself as a cooler, more rebellious and – crucially – cheaper alternative to Apple. Its Nothing (1) smartphone follows 80 per cent of the Cupertino playbook but then mixes it up with a clear back panel that displays the phone’s innards, as well as using a retro dot matrix font in place [...]
First ever Harry Potter TV series officially confirmed

April 13, 2023

The first ever televised series of the Harry Potter books has been confirmed. A 30 second clip was made available by Max, formerly HBO Max, featuring the original Harry Potter music from the film franchise, the Harry Potter logo and a graphic of Hogwarts. It has long been rumoured that a televised version of the [...]
Billy Vunipola facing defeat in battle to force England World Cup recall

April 12, 2023

England No8 Billy Vunipola is a major doubt for this year’s Rugby World Cup after being ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. The bulldozing back row is set to undergo surgery on Thursday after suffering the problem in Saracens’ bruising Champions Cup defeat at La Rochelle on Sunday. Vunipola’s [...]
PM Rishi Sunak lays out plans for biggest sporting event ever hosted by UK and Ireland

April 12, 2023

Euro 2028 will be “the biggest sporting event our islands have ever jointly staged”, says Prime Minster Rishi Sunak, after the UK and Ireland confirmed details of their bid to stage the international football tournament. England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland today formally submitted their proposal to governing body Uefa, which [...]
The future is orange for rugby referees as chiefs ponder new card for World Cup

April 12, 2023

World Rugby is considering giving referees the option of “orange cards” at this year’s World Cup, according to the governing body’s head of match officials. A form of the yellow card review system is currently being trialled in Super Rugby Pacific and it could be fast-tracked into the global showpiece hosted by France this autumn. [...]
Beleaguered Edinburgh Fringe responds to financial struggles of key London festival

April 12, 2023

The future of the Edinburgh Fringe festival is hanging in the balance due to rising costs, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society’s chief executive Shona McCarthy has said. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that this festival is under existential threat,” said McCarthy, speaking on Barry Fearn’s Leading Conversations podcast. “We’ve come into 2023 with a [...]
New Netflix show scores rare 100 per cent Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes

April 12, 2023

Only a handful of shows have done it, but one new Netflix series has landed a rare 100 per cent Certified Fresh’ rating on review platform Rotten Tomatoes. It means critics and viewers think it’s one of the best shows out there at the moment, and it joins just a few dozen shows to have [...]
A Little Life review: 4 hours of misery but James Norton is electric

April 12, 2023

Author Hanya Yanagihara has said of her 814-page, million-copy bestseller that she set out to create the literary version of an ‘ombre cloth’, a piece of material that’s light at the top and becomes increasingly saturated towards the bottom. It’s a fitting metaphor for A Little Life in its book form. The doorstop of a [...]
Hotel Chais Monnet in Cognac: Stunning space off the tourist track

April 12, 2023

The distillery town of Cognac lies off the tourist route, making it ideal for a weekend break that genuinely feels like a getaway. Our Life&Style editor Steve Dinneen stayed at the wonderful Hotel Chais Monnet. Where is it? Cognac, population 18,000, is one of those places whose produce is far more famous than the town [...]