The Conservative Party Conference in which Theresa May promised to "look beyond Europe" is being held in a conference hall paid for by the European Union. As pointed out in an amusing letter submitted to the Financial Times, Birmingham International Convention Centre received £49.7 million of its construction costs from the European Regional Development Fund. Indeed, the foundation stone was laid by European Commission president Jacques Delors. Prime Minister May has used the conference to unveil plans to trigger Article 50 by...

Review by Leslie Byron Pitt/@Afrofilmviewer When we consider early Wes Craven films, it is Last House on the Left (1972) which often grabs the plaudits for the way it helped redefine the horror genre with its grimness. While this is true, in terms of craft, The Hills Have Eyes is far more accomplished in executing the same ideas. Last House’s grimness made it stand out, but The Hills Have Eyes’ central conflict is realised with far more confidence. Now with...

Review by Leslie Byron Pitt/@Afrofilmviewer It’s hard to say too much about Fight Valley. It’s very hard to say anything particularly pleasant. There’s nothing more painful for a film writer, than viewing a film that doesn’t emit any pleasure in any moment of its running time. You don’t watch a b-movie like this looking for a film that defines a generation, but you expect it to at least have a decent ass kicking. Using popular UFC stars to try and...

Review by Leslie Byron Pitt/@Afrofilmviewer Money Monster comes in at a lean 90 minutes and only flounders once or twice. Partly because it’s a film with a fair amount of moving parts. But also because it pulls a few of its punches. It becomes clear that director Jodie Foster doesn’t want to leave the audience too disheartened. The film steers away at any true cynicism about its subjects. It wishes to entertain and does so with a sufficient amount of...

When the astronomer Percival Lowell claimed he had found canals on Mars, that might have been the first truly scientific attempt to prove alien life exists. Today, Lowell's Martian canals are an embarrassment to the Arizona observatory that bares his name. But if Lowell was wrong about the specifics, he was right about the general trend. Most scientists agree that alien life exists somewhere in the universe. Just fifty years ago the idea was outlandish in educated circles, now governments...

Sport News 24/7 When James Milner netted his first goal on Boxing Day of ’02 to become the youngest player to score in the Premier League there was a palpable sense that the young Leeds lad had a big career in front of him. With 423 appearances in the top tier, 61 caps for England and successful spells at five of the biggest clubs in the country many would say that prophesy has been fulfilled, yet despite what the record...

Ziggy the Piggy, North Carolina North Carolina, USA Sales of chalk will have hit new highs this weekend as thousands of vegans across the globe joined together in a collective ‘chalktivism’ event - a worldwide effort to help spread and celebrate the vegan cause. With the success of documentaries Cowspiracy, Earthlings and Forks Over Knives, the vegan movement has seen a 350% increase in the UK in recent years. Six years ago, James DeAlto, from Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, went...

By Marcus Hendriks Dubai’s sky-line is a mixture of architecturally pioneering skyscrapers and cranes. This juxtaposition of present achievements and unfulfilled ambition does more than just evoke admiration; it is a tangible demonstration of the Emir’s vision for the emirate. Having now had 15 years of implementation, challenges posed by the current oil slump provide an opportune moment to assess whether Sheikh Mohammed’s vision of a diversified, flourishing economy, is being realised. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s determination to catch...

Infamous boxer Tyson Fury has announced his retirement in a rage-fuelled tweet. The heavyweight champion lost his cool on the social media platform after a dramatic few weeks in which he pulled out of the Wladimir Klitschko rematch because of mental health problems and tested positive for cocaine in a random drugs test. Fury, who holds the WBA and WBO world titles, had recently posted a cryptic tweet after reports about him testing positive for cocaine were leaked. The self-proclaimed Gypsy King...