On this day: “God’s Banker” found dead, suicide or murder? Opinion On 18th June 1982, Roberto Calvi, a banker with close ties to both the Vatican and the Mafia was found hanged under Blackfriars Bridge. Eliot Wilson asks what happened The temperature was climbing by 7.30am on Friday 18 June 1982 and had reached 14°C, but London remained cloudy and wet. A postal clerk was walking [...]
I’m an AI founder – here’s why I agree with the Pope about AI Opinion Pope Leo XIV’s has produced the most profound piece of writing on AI – critiquing how extreme capitalism uses AI to homogenize knowledge and concentrate power, says Lewis Liu When I was 18, I took a religious philosophy course as part of the core curriculum at Harvard. When we dove into the Tower of Babel, [...]
How to experience Harry Styles’ Rome, from cool neighbourhoods to flea markets Life&Style Why has Harry Styles fallen so deeply for the Italian capital? Amélie Outters checks out his favourite spots Near Campo de’ Fiori, inside a small Roman café, the queue moves slowly. The staff gruffly mumble orders in rapid Italian while customers lean over the glass counter, pointing at pizza sold by the centimetre and paid [...]
LA is the future of sport and coming for London’s crown as global capital January 11, 2026 LA offers a glimpse into the future for the sports industry as the city prepares for a starring role at the 2026 Fifa World Cup and 2028 Olympics, finds Frank Dalleres. Arriving at the Intuit Dome by driverless taxi and then using facial recognition technology to enter the home of the NBA’s LA Clippers (mobile [...]
Best of the fest: 9 of the best London Film Festival movies to book October 16, 2025 Anemone, After The Hunt, Is This Thing On? and much more: The best of London Film Festival, and when to catch these films in cinemas No Other Choice Dir. Park Chan-wook No Other Choice is a sprawling, pitch-black farce that starts out as a corporate satire and morphs into something so singular and distinct I’m [...]
LFF film review: Ballad of a Small Player sees Colin Farrell at his absolute peak October 13, 2025 Conclave director Edward Berger is a long way from the hallowed halls of the Vatican in his new film, a surreal neon noir following a down-and-out gambler through the casinos of Macau. Ballad of a Small Player tells the story of Lord Doyle, a dapper aristocrat who seems to have misplaced his silver spoon. When [...]
Italy, Call Me By Your Name style: staying at Luca Guadagnino’s hotel May 17, 2025 Every so often in films, carpets steal the spotlight. There’s the hypnotic hexagonal pattern in The Shining’s Overlook Hotel, The Dude’s Persian rug in The Big Lebowski, or the Kubrick-inspired flooring in The Substance. And no premiere is complete without the deep plush of a freshly vacuumed red carpet. At Palazzo Talìa in Rome, designed [...]
Trump’s apparent change of heart on Russia ‘welcome’, says senior minister April 27, 2025 Donald Trump’s apparent change of heart about Russia is “welcome”, a senior UK minister has signalled. The US president turned his criticism towards Vladimir Putin on Saturday after meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on the fringes of the Pope’s funeral in Rome. Images of the encounter within the Vatican showed the two leaders locked in [...]
Zelensky says Vatican meeting with Trump ‘has potential to become historic’ April 26, 2025 Volodymyr Zelensky said his meeting with Donald Trump on the fringes of the Pope’s funeral “has potential to become historic”. The Ukrainian president and his US counterpart met within St Peter’s Basilica after they each paid respects at Francis’ coffin. A photograph of the two leaders shows them sat opposite one another on chairs within [...]
Presidents, prime ministers and cardinals gather for funeral of Pope Francis April 26, 2025 Presidents, prime ministers and cardinals have gathered for the funeral of Pope Francis as huge crowds descended upon Vatican City. The Catholic faithful are bidding a final farewell to a religious leader dubbed the “people’s pope”, whose death sparked tributes from across the globe. The 88-year-old, who died on Easter Monday, has been hailed for [...]