Would-be reality TV contestants ‘not looking real’

Valerie Penso-Cuculich TV producer Ms Penso-Cuculich says reality TV applicants are using too much AI to alter how they look Valerie Penso-Cuculich knows a thing or two about picking contestants for reality TV shows. She’s a casting director for such programmes as Love Island USA, The Real Housewives of Dubai, and The Millionaire Matchmaker. Ms … Read more

Revealed: wealthy western countries lead in global oil and gas expansion | Oil and gas companies

A surge in new oil and gas exploration in 2024 threatens to unleash nearly 12bn tonnes of planet-heating emissions, with the world’s wealthiest countries – such as the US and the UK – leading a stampede of fossil fuel expansion in spite of their climate commitments, new data shared exclusively with the Guardian reveals. The … Read more

Union Budget 2024-25: Govt aims on strengthening social sector reforms | Supplements

6 min read Last Updated : Jul 25 2024 | 6:20 AM IST Union Budget 2024-25 emphasises the government’s commitment to ‘Viksit Bharat, or developed India. One highlight is the focus on seamlessly bridging industry and employment linkages through three schemes for ‘employment linked incentive’ under the Prime Minister’s package. The substantially increased … Read more

The Only Way Is Up by Polly Toynbee and David Walker review – climb every mountain | Politics books

No sooner had the exit poll dropped on election night than commentators were warning that Labour had a mountain to climb and there was no time for complacency. But Keir Starmer did not need telling. He has a mountain-climbing expression, all tense determination and hovering unease. Contrast the gung-ho simplicity of Boris Johnson’s “Get Brexit Done” with … Read more

Mingus, Blige, Beyoncé: Black Twitter celebrates Kamala Harris’s pop-culture cred | Kamala Harris

Within moments of Joe Biden announcing his decision to hand his presidential campaign over to Kamala Harris, the greatest hits of her meme stardom re-entered circulation: the “We did it, Joe” call, the “Momala” interview with Drew Barrymore. Never mind callbacks to the vice-president quoting her Indian mother’s habit of asking, in frustration, “You think … Read more

UK getting more hot and more wet days – Met Office

EPA Climate change is dramatically increasing the frequency of extreme high temperatures in the UK, new Met Office analysis has confirmed. Its annual State of the Climate report says data from 2023 shows the country is experiencing significantly more really hot days. Its observations suggest there has been an increase in the number of really … Read more