Four days of weather warnings ahead with thunderstorms, floods and power cuts

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The Italian film industry is in a paradoxical state: production is booming but box office is bust. Italy’s five features vying for a Venice Golden Lion – plus a myriad more scattered in other Lido sections – reflect cinema Italiano’s current creative vibrancy, if you look at the cream of the crop; however, the average quality is not that great. On the plus side, the country is making a quantum leap forward in terms of the global visibility of its movies just as the number of Italian directors considered bankable in Hollywood, such as Paolo Sorrentino, Luca Guadagnino and Stefano Sollima (“Without Remorse”), to name but a few, is growing.

Gregg Goldstein Since 2007, Venice’s Queer Lion Award has reflected and elevated the best in LGBTQ cinema. Fifteen years later, founder Daniel N. Casagrande said this year’s Venice Film Festival will be “the most queer edition ever.” Among the fest’s 30 LGBTQ-themed titles, 19 are competing for the Queer Lion, including a record six films from the main competition. They include Todd Field’s orchestra conductor drama “Tár,” starring Cate Blanchett; Darren Aronofsky’s estranged gay father study “The Whale,” featuring Brendan Fraser; Laura Poitras’ doc “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” chronicling bisexual artist Nan Goldin’s life and anti-opioid crusade; Andrea Pallaoro’s trans woman family drama “Monica”; Emanuele Crialese’s “L’immensità,” starring Penélope Cruz as the mother of a transgender child; and Gianni Amelio’s “Il signore delle formiche,” the true story of an Italian artist jailed under an infamous anti-gay law.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic By Peter Debruge It’s been nearly three decades since “In Bruges” writer-director Martin McDonagh decided to try his hand at writing for the theater, knocking out the first drafts of “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” — a dark comedy so violent that the actors find them slipping in all the fake blood on stage — and “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” as well as five other plays, during an unthinkably prolific nine-month span.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Meghan Markle continued her reign atop Spotify’s podcast charts worldwide for the second week in a row, as the Duchess of Sussex’s “Archetypes” continues to attract a robust listenership. As of Friday, “Archetypes” ranked as the No. 1 podcast on Spotify in seven countries: the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, India, Australia, and New Zealand. It shot to the top of the charts soon after premiering Aug. 23 with featured guest Serena Williams, who recently announced plans to retire from pro tennis. The weekly show, hosted and executive produced by Markle, aims to “dissect, explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back,” as she put it in the trailer for the series. “Archetypes” is available exclusively on Spotify.

Naman Ramachandran Janus Films has acquired North American rights for Hlynur Pálmason’s “Godland,” which bowed at Cannes and is bound for Telluride and Toronto. The film follows a young Danish priest in the late 19th century who travels to a remote part of Iceland to build a church and photograph its people. But the deeper he goes into the unforgiving landscape, the more he strays from his purpose, the mission and morality. It stars Elliott Crosset Hove (“Winter Brothers”), Ingvar Sigurðsson (“A White, White Day”), Vic Carmen Sonne (“Holiday”), Jacob Hauberg Lohmann (“Shorta”), Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir (“A White, White Day”), Waage Sandø “The Team”) and Hilmar Guðjónsson (“Sóttkví”).

Armie Hammer’s aunt is praising the women who are coming forward with shocking accusations about the fallen movie star. The 36-year-old and his family are the subjects of a Discovery+ docuseries titled "House of Hammer" premiering on Sept. 2.

A 76-year-old Melbourne man, who was arrested last year, for the suspected “gay hate” murder of Raymond Keam in a Sydney Park in 1987, was granted bail on a $1 million surety.Trigger Warning: This story discusses a gay hate crime, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.Keam’s murder was among the spate of targeted killings of gay men and trans persons in Sydney and NSW between 1970 and 2010.

Hamilton Accies boss John Rankin has told injured star Andy Ryan to get on the spinach to speed up his recovery - and revealed the striker is proving a great asset to the coaching ranks in the meantime.

Hamilton Accies Women’s boss Gary Doctor she he was happy to come away from their defeat to Rangers with their confidence still intact.

Married At First Sight UK fans have been left appalled by Whitney Hughes' "disrespectful" behaviour towards Duka Chav, with many fans threatening to call Ofcom over scenes aired. During the first episode of the new season, viewers saw Whitney and Duka tie the knot in front of their nearest and dearest, but things soon took a turn for the worse between them as 31 year old Whitney confessed he wasn't the man she was expecting at the altar and compared him to a shed. She also threatened to pull out of the wedding at the altar and was later also seen mocking her new husband's Yugoslavian name.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The titles of Fukada Koji’s films almost drip with bitter irony. “Sayonara” seemed to be a farewell to human actors. Instead of being harmonious, Cannes Un Certain Regard jury prize-winner “Harmonium” was pitch black and steeped in quiet violence. Fukada’s latest, Venice Film Festival competition title carries the moniker “Love Life.” But its subject matter is loneliness. The story starts out on familiar lines, involving a married couple where suddenly the ex-husband of the wife appears, potentially setting up the melodrama of a triangular relationship. But in Fukada’s hands things are colder and more painful. The newcomer is burdensome, deaf and homeless. His arrival triggers, not love, but fragmentation, individualism and loneliness.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent MK2 Films, which is at Venice with “Love Life” playing in competition, is reteaming with Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel on “The Falling Star,” a darkly comic mystery thriller. The directing duo is rolling off “Lost in Paris,” their international breakout film, which had a buzzy premiere at Telluride in 2016. The film was also a commercial success, grossing nearly $3 million outside of France, with strong performances in the U.S., Italy, Germany, Brazil and Australia/New Zealand. “The Falling Star” tells the story of Boris, a former activist who’s been a fugitive for 35 years, and works as a bartender. Boris’ past finally catches up with him when a mysterious stranger appears at the bar, armed and wanting revenge. The appearance of a double, the depressed and solitary Dom, provides Boris’ cunning partner Kayoko and their faithful friend Tim with the perfect escape plan, but they haven’t accounted for Dom’s ex-wife, Fiona, a detective on their trail.

Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz have given a new interview about their new life together – this time to Vogue Hong Kong.MORE: Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz enjoy rare family night outThe duo didn't hold back and answered all types of questions, from how they fell in love, to Brooklyn's relationship with his siblings, Romeo, Cruz and Harper, and the "activity" he most enjoys doing with his mum, Victoria Beckham, and dad David.WATCH: Brooklyn Beckham's touching gesture for Nicola Peltz's grandmother revealedAsked about growing up with many siblings so close to age, Brooklyn revealed it was "nice" and confessed that they are "very close," despite not being photographed together since his and Nicola's wedding back in April.SEE: The best photos of David and Victoria Beckham from their 25-year romanceRELATED: Victoria Beckham's 9 most dramatic wedding guest outfits of all timeBrooklyn also failed to reunite with his family during his honeymoon in the South of France, and most recently, David and Victoria travelled to Miami, as well as Aspen, without stopping by Los Angeles, where their eldest son currently lives.A post shared by Vogue Hong Kong (@voguehongkong)Brooklyn for Vogue Hong KongDetailing each of his siblings' best qualities, the budding chef added in the interview: "Harper is the loudest, Cruz is the funniest and Romeo is the most energetic."The 23-year-old also spoke about his parents and revealed that when they are together he loves "cooking and watching football with my dad"."My mum has always had a house of boys until Harper, I love spending time with them together," he said of his designer mum.Brooklyn's new comments come just weeks after he and Nicola spoke for the first time about rumours that Nicola and

Taylor Swift has announced three new collectable editions of her forthcoming 10th studio album, ‘Midnights’, all of which will boast unique features and will only be available to purchase for a limited time.The three different variants are a ‘Jade Green’ edition, a ‘Blood Moon’ edition and a ‘Mahogany’ edition. Each is named for the colour it represents – for example, the ‘Jade Green’ edition has the title and tracklisting on the album’s front cover (as well as the left-side bar of the CD version’s jewel case) printed in a muted gradient of deep greens, while the original version is laid out in blue.Similarly, the ‘Blood Moon’ edition of ‘Midnights’ features a gradient of deep red to orange, and the ‘Mahogany’ edition comes with brown and gold accents.

Alicia Keys is addressing a situation that recently occurred at one of her shows.

Tiffany Haddish‘s lawyer has issued a response to a lawsuit that was filed against her this week.

All eyes are on tennis right now with this likely being Serena Williams‘ last U.S. Open!

Florida Georgia Line is officially over.

Serena Williams and Venus Williams fell in the opening round of doubles at the 2022 U.S. Open on Thursday (September 1) in Flushing, New York.

Manori Ravindran International Editor High-profile espionage cases in the post-war period often invoke the grisly fate of the Rosenbergs, the first U.S. citizens to be convicted and executed by electric chair for sharing atomic secrets with the Soviet Union in peace time. But in the new documentary “A Compassionate Spy,” filmmaker Steve James tells the incredible story of Manhattan Project scientist Ted Hall, who shared classified nuclear secrets with Russia — and got away with it. The Participant and Kartemquin Films-produced documentary, which has its world premiere in Venice on Sept. 2, is one of a number of films at this year’s festival that tackle the topic of nuclear disaster: Projects from Noah Baumbach’s feature adaptation of Don DeLillo’s “White Noise” through to Oliver Stone’s on-the-nose documentary “Nuclear” all contemplate some aspect of our nuclear past and future.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Netflix on Friday announced a slate of upcoming films and TV series from Indonesia. The company says this is its most ambitious outreach in the populous and influential Southeast Asian country. The seven new titles span sci-fi thriller, comedy and period drama genres and involve big name creators Joho Anwar (“Satan’s Slaves,” “Impetigore”), Timo Tjahjanto (who is also part of the creative duo Mo Brothers) and Kamila Andini (“The Mirror Never Lies,” “Yuni”). They were announced at an in-person event in Jakarta called Waktu Netflix Indonesia (which translates as ‘Time for Netflix Indonesia). The company said that the slate reflects its “commitment to helping the [Indonesian] industry build compelling content from the country and taking these stories to the world.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Indonesia is often described as the world’s most populous Muslim nation. But the country’s development as a global-scale media market has been uneven and full of promises unfulfilled. Many of the old connections between media ownership and political influence appear to have been transplanted from the analog era into the digital one, making it a tricky place for foreign film, TV and (latterly) streaming companies to operate in. The slate announcement and Friday’s Jakarta event, however, appear to normalize Netflix’s position in Indonesia after a politically-charged and controversy-laden first few years. The presentation included a gushing video message from Sandiaga Uno, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent British director Joe Wright, who helmed Winston Churchill drama “Darkest Hour” – which earned Gary Oldman an Oscar for his portrayal as the British prime minister – is set to change historical sides and direct TV drama “M,” which chronicles Benito Mussolini’s rise to power. The high-end series, which is based on Antonio Scurati’s Premio Strega-winning and international bestselling novel “M. Son of the Century,” traces the birth of Fascism in Italy and Mussolini’s ascent with an innovative approach that has sparked debate about the Fascist dictator’s legacy in Italy and abroad. “The writer understood and put on paper, with facts and documents and everything, that Mussolini is the guy – him and only him – who created what we now know as populism and Fascism,” said the show’s producer Lorenzo Mieli, speaking in Venice, where he is among producers of Luca Guadagnino’s “Bones and All.”

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent After the edgy crime comedy “The World Is Yours,” Romain Gavras is back with thriller “Athena.” Produced by Paris-based Iconoclast for Netflix, the ambitious, €15 million film ($15 million) unfolds in the aftermath of the tragic killing of a young boy. A leaked video showing the boy as a victim of police brutality goes viral and ignites an all-out war in an imaginary community called Athena. It’s the first French movie that Netflix is presenting in competition at the Venice Film Festival. “Athena” tells the story of the boy’s three siblings, who are responding to the tragedy in different ways. French star Dali Benssalah (“Les Sauvages,” “No Time to Die”) plays the older brother, Abdel, a French soldier. Faced with an impossible moral dilemma, Abdel is called back from the frontline to help diffuse the all-out war that has been sparked by his younger brother Karim (Sami Slimane), who wants revenge. Athena becomes the backdrop of a tragedy for both the family and its entire community. The film’s stellar cast also includes Ouassini Embarek, Anthony Bajon and Alexis Manenti.

Netflix has announced its biggest slate of Indonesian projects to date, with seven new films and TV series from leading local talents including Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes For Us), Joko Anwar (Impetigore) and Kamila Andini (Before, Now & Then).

David and Victoria Beckham are one of the most well-known power couples in the world. Join us at HELLO! as we revisit some of their best moments with some romantic photos.PHOTOS: Victoria Beckham's 9 most dramatic wedding guest outfits of all timeAfter meeting in 1997, Manchester United footie ace David Beckham and Spice Girl star Victoria Adams became one of the celebrity world's hottest couples.

The extreme heat over the weekend has continued to affect some of Greater Manchester’s reservoirs.

All of the UK's major supermarkets have now stopped selling disposable barbecues because of safety fears during the heatwave. Asda and Lidl join Aldi, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Co-op, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer to temporarily remove the product from sale.The ban comes after concerns that disposable barbecues could start wildfires after the long spell of dry weather, with a drought being declared in eight areas of England earlier this week. A Tesco spokesman previously said: "In light of the ongoing heatwave and dry conditions, we've now made the decision to temporarily pause the sale of disposable barbecues across the UK.

The UK is hot, hot, hot this weekend in a resurgence of the heatwave that caused record highs in mid July. Parts of the country could see temperatures as high as 35C this weekend and with that experts have warned of wildfires, drought, and thunderstorms. It comes as the southern half of the UK has been hit by drought conditions this weekend, while the northern half braces for thunderstorms on Sunday and an amber heat warning has been issued by the Met Office.This means heat-related illnesses including sunburn and heat exhaustion are “likely” among the general population, and delays to public transport are “possible”.