- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
Tom Cruise brings his passion for big screen to Cannes
Tom Cruise gushed about his passion for cinema as he made his first visit in 30 years to the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday for the launch of "Top Gun: Maverick".
The sequel to Cruise's superstar-making 1986 blockbuster was supposed to premiere at the French Riviera film fest back in 2020 before it was cancelled by the Covid pandemic and the film's release saw multiple delays.
But speaking to an audience in Cannes ahead of the screening, Cruise was adamant it was worth waiting for cinemas to be back in full swing for the film's release.
Asked if he had considered releasing it via a streaming platform during the pandemic, he said: "That was not going to happen, ever.
"I make movies for the big screen. Cinema is my love, my passion. I always go to movies when they come out. I'll put my cap on and sit in the audience with everyone."
As crowds packed the Croisette begging for a ticket to the "Top Gun" screening, there were rumours the French Air Force aerobatic unit would stage a fly-past over the red carpet.
- 'No to war' -
The main competition at the festival got going Wednesday with a movie from Russian dissident Kirill Serebrennikov, who has been forced into exile since the invasion of Ukraine.
His entry in the race for the Palme d'Or, "Tchaikovsky's Wife", is unlikely to improve his standing with the Kremlin given that it shines a light on the legendary composer's homosexuality -- a story that remains taboo for Russian conservatives.
"No to war," he said after the premiere.
"I am totally convinced that culture and people of culture can help ensure that this war ends," added Serebrennikov, who was unable to attend the festival for two previous nominations due to a controversial court case that barred him from leaving Russia.
The war has already been a major theme at the festival, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky making a surprise video appearance at the opening ceremony on Tuesday.
"Will cinema keep quiet, or will it speak up? If there is a dictator, if there is a war for freedom, once again, everything depends on our unity. Can cinema stay outside of this unity?" said Zelensky, a former actor.
There will be a special screening of "Mariupolis 2", a documentary about the conflict by Lithuanian director Mantas Kvedaravicius, who was killed in Ukraine last month -- reportedly by Russian forces.
Ukraine's beleaguered film-makers will get a special day at the festival and one of its most promising directors, Sergei Loznitsa, will show "The Natural History of Destruction", about the bombing of German cities in World War II.
- 'Emotional wallop' -
Meanwhile, Cruise's fight is to boost cinemas as they struggle to emerge from the pandemic.
His 39 films as a lead actor have pulled in just shy of $8.5 billion (8 billion euros) worldwide, and Box Office Pro estimates "Top Gun: Maverick" could add another $390 million in the United States alone.
Critics have been mostly giddy in their reviews, with Empire magazine praising its "slick visuals, crew camaraderie, thrilling aerial action, a surprising emotional wallop and, in Tom Cruise, a magnetic movie-star performance as comforting as an old leather jacket".
"This is someone that we haven't seen on streaming platforms, TV series, or doing adverts.... He is someone who is devoted to cinema."
L.Mason--AMWN