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Veteran actor best-known for playing Salvatore ‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero, friend of Tony Soprano who becomes FBI informantVincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best-known for playing Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, has died. He was 80.Bob McGowan, who had managed Pastore since his run on The Sopranos, told the Associated Press that he learned of his death Saturday from another client and actor on the show, Vincent Curatola. Continue reading...

Scientists believe sunfish-smashing behaviour could be form of entertainment or to help younger whales feedOrcas have been observed ramming into giant fish so hard that the prey explode, possibly as a form of gory entertainment.On several occasions, orcas were observed to hold sunfish in their jaws while a second whale smashed into the target at high speed, causing it to break into thousands of pieces. Since the fish had already been killed, scientists suggested the behaviour may represent a form of play. Continue reading...

• Kjell Nilsson, the actor best known for portraying the villainous Lord Humungus in the film 'Mad Max', has died at the age of 76. • He passed away on Thursday, July 2, 2026, following a battle with kidney disease. • Nilsson's contribution to the 'Mad Max' franchise cemented his legacy as a memorable figure in cult cinema and action film history.

• Chief Justice John Roberts is navigating a complex judicial strategy that balances the Supreme Court's independence with the expansion of executive authority. • While the Court has occasionally defied former President Donald Trump, it has simultaneously issued rulings that broaden the scope of presidential power. • This approach reflects Roberts' "long game" to preserve the institutional legitimacy and prestige of the judiciary amidst intense political polarization.

Justices upheld laws in West Virginia and Idaho, boosting similar restrictions in 25 other statesTransgender youth athletes have vowed to keep playing sports and fighting for equal access to teams after the US supreme court ruled in favor of laws banning their participation.The court’s conservative supermajority on Tuesday upheld laws in West Virginia and Idaho prohibiting trans girls from participating in women’s teams, finding the laws were constitutional. Continue reading...

• Bangladesh women won the toss and elected to bat first in their ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 match against South Africa. • The high-stakes encounter is taking place on Sunday, June 28, at the historic Lord's Cricket Ground in London. • This decision sets the tactical tone for a crucial game that could significantly impact both teams' standings in the tournament.

• The U.S. is shifting its approach toward Latin America, with lobbyists and pundits influencing President Donald Trump's policies to support right-wing movements. • This strategic pivot is currently manifesting in Guatemala, where U.S. influence is aiding a political swing toward the right. • The shift matters as it signals a departure from previous diplomatic norms, prioritizing ideological alignment over traditional democratic stability.

• China is shifting its AI strategy away from competing with the U.S. on frontier models and AGI, focusing instead on the industrialization of AI. • Kai-Fu Lee, former Google China chief and president of Sinovation Ventures, is leading this transition by pivoting his company from pure LLM development to enterprise AI agents. • These "super-employees" are designed to automate specific professional functions, including logistics optimization, procurement, and insurance brokering.

• The UK government and private sector announced multi-billion pound investments at London Tech Week. • Lumai unveiled an optical computing system capable of running billion-parameter Large Language Models (LLMs) in real time, a significant advancement in AI technology. • This development indicates that AI is becoming increasingly tangible and powerful, with potential applications across various industries.

In an exclusive interview, Ukraine’s president says he believes the war will be won when Russian society feels its impact. Plus, why California’s election count is taking so long (hint: it’s not fraud)In the fifth year of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine, Volodymr Zelenskyy says he is feeling upbeat and has been grateful for military support from the US, but has a pointed message for Washington.Speaking to Luke Harding and Pippa Crerar in London, the Ukrainian president acknowledged that the priority of Trump’s second term in foreign policy had shifted away from Ukraine to conflict in the Middle East.What did Zelenskyy say about Trump’s relationship with Putin? He carefully praised US diplomatic efforts, despite his bruising encounter in the Oval Office and the fact that Trump has been willing to meet Vladimir Putin, saying: “I always said to President Trump that Putin is lying. He plays games with you, with the White House.”Does he see any prospect of the war ending? The military situation was the most promising it had been for Kyiv for two and a half years, Zelenskyy ssaid. “We can’t say Russia is losing this war. But we can say they are losing the initiative each day, day by day,” he added. “Victory in this war is when Russian society recognises that the war is awful, that the war is a tragedy not for someone, somewhere, but for themselves.” To that end, Zelenskyy said the purpose of long-range strikes – drones buzzing above apartment blocks in greater Moscow and St Petersburg – was to make residents “feel” what war meant.Which other AI companies are making market moves? In addition to Anthropic, which makes the popular Claude chatbot, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which owns his artificial intelligence company xAI, is also imminently slated to go public at an expected valuation of $1.75tn. Continue reading...

TUC, GMB and Unison leaders reject invitation to affiliate to Reform amid rising support for party among their membersUK politics live – latest updatesMajor trade unions and the TUC have rebuffed Nigel Farage’s call for unions to affiliate to Reform UK, saying the party is “cosplaying” as workers’ champions and has opposed new employment rights.Farage issued a call on Tuesday for unions to attend Reform’s conference and to affiliate to the party, and he suggested one union may be on the brink of doing so. Continue reading...

• The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, concluding with the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. • This expanded tournament will feature 48 teams and introduce new rules, including VAR for corners and red cards for players who cover their mouths. • UK viewers face scheduling challenges as the event features 13 different kick-off times, with nearly 50% of group stage matches occurring after midnight.

Sue Jacquot was taking part in fundraiser when police swarmed her home after someone falsely reported a crimeAn Arizona grandmother has said someone subjected her to a so-called police swatting call while she was taking part in a Minecraft fundraiser to raise financial support for her grandson’s cancer treatment medical bills.The bizarre turn of events is the latest high-profile instance in the US of an act of criminal harassment which involves prank-calling emergency operators to get a heavily armed police response sent to a target’s home. Continue reading...

Senator Chris Van Hollen and other Democratic lawmakers are embracing a policy that hardly benefits the middle classSoul-searching within the Democratic party is to be expected after its loss in the 2024 election. Donald Trump’s edge over Kamala Harris in voters’ perceptions of economic competence (perplexing though it now appears following a year of erratic policymaking) was bound to inspire a call to rethink the party platform.Yet the second-guessing is steering the Democrats down a dangerous path to embracing a tax-cutting strategy that risks defeating the project to enable a healthier, more equitable society. Continue reading...

Psychologists at Cardiff University and King’s College London compared children given dolls to those given a video gamesPlaying along with dolls can help boys and girls develop more sophisticated imaginations and better social skills, compared with children who play on electronic devices, according to research.Psychologists at Cardiff University and King’s College London found that children given dolls gained a richer appreciation of other people’s beliefs and feelings, in contrast to those given a tablet loaded with video games. Continue reading...