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Christian kids’ movie is entertaining during the big battle, but the older bouffant hero’s lack of depth is distracting and the worship songs a weak link

U2’s Bono once described King David as “the Elvis of the Bible” – but in this musical kids’ adaptation, David is more boyband than rock’n’roll, with voluminous bouffant hair and a soundtrack of upbeat worship songs. The singing is actually a weak link in what is otherwise an unexpectedly entertaining film, with better than average animation and plenty of PG-approved sword-and-sandal battles. That said, David is unquestionably Christian cinema and frequently takes a preachy tone (often in song form); how much you enjoy it will probably depend on your tolerance for a bit of God.

The Bible’s inconvenient plotting means that David’s takedown of the fearsome giant Goliath (voiced by Kamran Nikhad) comes relatively early in the film. We hear Goliath before we see him, ground trembling, as shepherd boy David (voiced by Brandon Engman) steps on to the battlefield armed with an only slingshot and stone. He has already been anointed by the prophet Samuel (Brian Stivale) as the future king of Israel. David has said he doesn’t want the job, which as Samuel sagely points out, makes him an ideal candidate. After his surprise victory against Goliath, David is brought by current ruler Saul to live at the royal palace.

The director’s BBC hit opened the door to Hollywood action films including Hamburger Hill, The Dogs of War and Raw Deal

John Irvin, the British film-maker who directed the Bafta-winning BBC miniseries Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, as well as films including Hamburger Hill, The Dogs of War and Raw Deal, has died aged 86.

Irvin died “peacefully at home” on 11 August, surrounded by his family, his producer Claire Evans confirmed to the Guardian.

A teenage boy navigates adolescence and the traumatic loss of his mother in this poignant coming-of-age novel set in rural Ireland

Something is happening to literary time. In the last fortnight I’ve read new or forthcoming novels about a mirror universe where history runs backwards (Under Story, Chloe Benjamin), an agency that offers appointments with the past (Time Travel for Beginners, Jaclyn Moriarty), and a young woman who’s genetically untethered from linear life (Audrey Niffenegger’s long-awaited sequel to The Time Traveller’s Wife, out in October). And these are just the latest books to meddle with the fourth dimension. There are dozens: from Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume series and Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold, to Kaliane Bradley’s The Ministry of Time. Time is losing the plot – or perhaps it’s the other way around.

I have an armchair theory about all this counterfactual longing: the lure of the do-over. The present feels like a corrupted timeline. If only we could find the glitch.

From the early days of computers and the internet, Wendy McMurdo has let tech infuse her photography. Now, in her largest exhibition yet, she looks at its impact on the future generation

I found two days of hard graft – repairing hiking paths with a conservation trust in stunningly remote Wester Ross – a surprisingly rewarding experience

I hadn’t planned to enjoy any of this. As summer light fell on Stac Pollaidh – the summit’s teeth bared, the views stretching across the surreal emptiness of Assynt – I found myself ankle-deep in blanket bog next to a hiking path, back bent, hacking at the tough terrain with a heavy-duty mattock. Farther up the hillside, another hunched figure was cutting a deep brown scar into the moor grass and, while he worked, I stood back to look at my efforts. At my feet was a cross drain that I’d unblocked and repacked with new stonework to prevent storm damage and aid runoff from the path. A burble began to trickle, slow yet clear across the sparkling bedrock. It felt a little like appreciating a masterwork in a museum.

I’d come to Wester Ross with a bucket and spade, not for a beach break at particularly gorgeous Achmelvich or Clachtoll nearby, but with the notion of giving something back to the hills. The Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (Oats) is a steward of many of the Highlands’ most famous mountains – developing, building and repairing paths and habitats – and I’d joined a group of volunteers for a two-day stint on the north-west Highlands’ most visited peak. Factoring in a free stay at Ullapool youth hostel and the promise of a home-cooked communal meal in return, plus an acceptable midge-free forecast, I’d driven north from Edinburgh the night before in a buoyant mood.

I was living on my own for the first time in 35 years, walking every day. Nature reminded me how much there still is to be found in emptiness

After my husband died, the birds started behaving strangely towards me. This was not my imagination; it really happened. On my daily walks, I was startled by how close they came to me – approaching, hopping alongside me and chirping. If there were a lot of them – and if there was no one else around – it felt as if they were accompanying me, maybe trying to convey something.

I had walked on the heath near our home with my husband for years. But his illness meant that, during his final months, he could not walk with me any more. When he died – in January 2023 – I had been walking on my own for six months and the birds, I am sure of this, had paid no attention to me.

Привет, Хабр!

В этой статье я хочу подробно разобрать практический пример инкрементальной синхронизации данных между двумя базами PostgreSQL с использованием FESB.

Материал получился достаточно объёмным, поскольку я решил показать не только общую идею, но и весь путь реализации: от подготовки таблиц и триггеров до настройки интеграционного процесса, первоначальной загрузки и обработки последующих изменений.

Статья в первую очередь будет полезна разработчикам, интеграторам и архитекторам, которые работают с ESB, ETL и реляционными базами данных. Даже если вы не используете FESB, описанный подход с контрольной точкой и инкрементальной загрузкой можно адаптировать для других интеграционных платформ.

Надеюсь, каждый читатель сможет найти в материале что-то полезное для своих задач — готовое решение, отдельный SQL-приём или идею для построения собственного интеграционного процесса.

Accelerating price increases in July add to pressure on households, with chancellor saying ‘there is more to do to restore hope’

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UK inflation rose to 2.9% in July as the impact of the Iran war on energy prices triggered a renewed cost of living squeeze for British households.

The Office for National Statistics said inflation rose from a 15-month low of 2.6% in June, driven by the rising price of gas and electricity. Matching City economists’ forecasts, it was the first rise in the annual rate as measured by the consumer prices index since March.

Christmas Island locals who woke to see the spacecraft floating off the coast hope global attention will encourage tourists

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Engineers from Elon Musk’s SpaceX are on their way to a remote Australian island to retrieve part of a Starship that dived into the Indian Ocean.

The spacecraft – now floating off the coast of Christmas Island – was launched in Texas on 24 July, in the 13th test of the technology. After reaching orbit and releasing 20 non-functioning satellites, the upper stage of the rocket re-entered the atmosphere, landing in the ocean.

Мы храним зашифрованные данные, и рядом с ними лежат ключи, которые к этим данным не подходят. Выглядит как расстройство для взломщика.

Это описание того, что я хотел построить, и оно же оказалось единственной формулировкой, которую я потом ни разу не пожалел. Дальше рассказ про то, как из этой мысли вырос отдельный сервис, и как из него пришлось выбросить самую эффектную часть.

Сомелье видит вишню, кожу, мокрый камень и 2016 год. Я вижу GROUP BY. Проверяю на 272 напитках, сколько калорий на самом деле различают дешёвое и дорогое вино — и почему бутылка оказывается не самой тяжёлой частью вечера.

Dallas McInerney tells inquiry he wiped data from his devices over the weekend after receiving a security warning from his bank

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The chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW has denied he performed a factory reset on a work phone and iPad to wipe critical evidence for an investigation into allegations of corruption in the New South Wales Liberal party, an inquiry has heard.

On Wednesday afternoon, Dallas McInerney revealed he had performed the factory reset over the weekend after giving evidence to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) last week.

Lee Jae Myung has long pushed for stronger homegrown defences, yet Donald Trump’s move has sparked alarm in some quarters

At their first summit, in August last year, the South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, told Donald Trump: “If you, Mr President, become the peacemaker, then I will assist you as the pacemaker.”

The remark at the Oval Office captured the thrust of Lee’s approach to North Korea: dial down the military posturing and make repeated peace overtures to revive dialogue, even if they have been consistently rejected by Pyongyang largely over Seoul’s insistence on denuclearisation.

Lee Jae Myung has long pushed for stronger homegrown defences, yet Donald Trump’s move has sparked alarm in some quarters

At their first summit, in August last year, the South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, told Donald Trump: “If you, Mr President, become the peacemaker, then I will assist you as the pacemaker.”

The remark at the Oval Office captured the thrust of Lee’s approach to North Korea: dial down the military posturing and make repeated peace overtures to revive dialogue, even if they have been consistently rejected by Pyongyang largely over Seoul’s insistence on denuclearisation.

Самые опасные уязвимости живут не там, где вы их ищете, а на активах, о которых вы забыли. Разбираем, зачем категоризировать активы по недопустимым событиям, что требуют по инвентаризации приказ ФСТЭК № 117 и новые правила категорирования КИИ, какие типы активов добавились за последние годы (облачные ресурсы без хозяина, SaaS, машинные идентичности, AI-агенты) и почему одной CMDB недостаточно. С реальным кейсом про “невидимые” серверы.

Десять лет в таможне, второй пилот детсадовского возраста, привычная стабильность и… 25 отказов от IT-компаний в один день. Кажется, это идеальный рецепт для того, чтобы смириться и опустить руки. Но сегодня я — бизнес- и системный аналитик, кайфующий от задач, «которые никто даже трехметровой палкой трогать бы не захотел». Это моя честная история о том, как перебороть карьерную инерцию, превратить опыт госслужбы в хард-скиллы и найти ту самую команду, где тимлид перед дейликом «обнял, приподнял и покружил».

Make the most of the season’s freshest produce with a light but richly flavoured tomato-dosed dinner and a booze-laced, New York-inspired dessert

At Toklas, ingredients such as datterini tomatoes and ripe peaches are taking centre stage. These recipes celebrate the simplicity of summer cooking, allowing produce to shine with minimal intervention. From a risotto layered with sweet tomatoes, pecorino and mint to roast peaches finished with amaretto and mascarpone, they capture the character of the season – fresh, generous and full of flavour.

Food Foundation sounds alarm over supply risks and price shocks as about 40% of Britain’s food is imported

The UK is vulnerable to food price shocks because of its dependence on imports of fruit and vegetable from countries even more exposed to the climate crisis, researchers say.

Much of Britain has sweltered under a record five heatwaves this year and endured drought and wildfires, with the hot, dry conditions damaging crops and reducing yields of domestic produce.

Amid the grief and rage at a tragic loss, it’s right to differentiate between those who fought a culture war and others who just sought the truth

Even now it is very difficult to process the scale of tragedy that engulfed Jason Arday and those who loved him. The unbearable sadness at his death; the wretched knowledge that the very public onslaught against him began with the malign machinations of a self-defined “race realist” – who believes that, in an ideal world, black people would “disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment”. The horror that a rightwing and far-right campaign seeking a victim to fuel its nativist prejudices can now crow that it found one.

There is wide and profound grief and of course there is rage, focused and unfocused. Both were on display as thousands joined a protest vigil in Trafalgar Square on Monday evening.

Hugh Muir is executive editor, Opinion

In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. In the US, call or text Mental Health America at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Does the description from a study ranking all of England’s 296 boroughs for friendliness ring true for people in the east London town?

Alice Fokuo is so friendly with her neighbour that they have exchanged keys to each other’s homes. The level of intimacy is such that “I call her mum, because she cooks for me”.

So the market trader was surprised to learn that her borough, Barking and Dagenham, ranked the least friendly in England in a new study drawing on government data from the community life survey. It measures how often people chat to neighbours, feelings of loneliness and belonging, local pride, and levels of participation in civic life in England’s 296 local authority areas.

Food Foundation sounds alarm over supply risks and price shocks as about 40% of Britain’s food is imported

The UK is vulnerable to food price shocks because of its dependence on imports of fruit and vegetable from countries even more exposed to the climate crisis, researchers say.

Much of Britain has sweltered under a record five heatwaves this year and endured drought and wildfires, with the hot, dry conditions damaging crops and reducing yields of domestic produce.

Mohommed Farhat spray-painted slogans and torched a car in Woollahra. He pleaded guilty but supreme court judge says case appears to be a ‘miscarriage of justice’

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For almost two years, Mohommed Farhat has been in prison after he pleaded guilty to 15 offences in connection with property damage, including spray-painting “Fuk Israel” on cars in Sydney’s east and setting another vehicle alight in late 2024.

This week, the New South Wales supreme court justice Desmond Fagan ruled that police, lower courts and various state agencies all incorrectly labelled Farhat’s actions antisemitic, meaning he was treated more harshly.

President Trump said he was delaying the 50% U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports after the two countries reached a last-minute deal less than two hours before the sanctions were to go into effect.

(Image credit: Kelly Geraldine Malone)

Мы производим SNMP-карты для различных источников бесперебойного питания. Основные модели – СКУП-8/8М для ИБП с протоколом Megatec и СКУП-11М для устройств, использующих протокол CyberPower/СайберЭлектро.

Карты поддерживают полноценный обмен по SNMP и могут интегрироваться с Zabbix и другими системами мониторинга. Однако далеко не каждому пользователю нужна полноценная система со сбором метрик, отдельным сервером и сложной настройкой. Если требуется контролировать один компьютер или сервер, хочется получить более простое решение: установить программу, указать адрес SNMP-карты и сразу начать работу.

Для этого мы разработали SkupLink – небольшой веб-сервис для мониторинга ИБП и автоматического завершения работы компьютера при разряде аккумуляторов

The director’s BBC hit opened the door to Hollywood action films including Hamburger Hill, The Dogs of War and Raw Deal

John Irvin, the British film-maker who directed the Bafta-winning BBC miniseries Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, as well as films including Hamburger Hill, The Dogs of War and Raw Deal, has died aged 86.

Irvin died “peacefully at home” on 11 August, surrounded by his family, his producer Claire Evans confirmed to the Guardian.

Ahead of the Nordic nation’s EU referendum, the Icelandic flag has been co-opted by the far right

To enter Reykjavik’s Grafarvogur Lutheran church, worshippers and visitors are invited to make their way down 16 steps painted in the rainbow stripes and the white, pink, blue, brown and black chevrons of the Progress Pride flag. The artwork, which can even be seen on satellite pictures, was originally a project of former head pastor Guðrún Karls Helgudóttir, now the bishop of Iceland, and her colleagues. The point was to show support for the LGBTQ+ community’s “need to be visible and accepted”, the church’s current head pastor, Arna Sigurðardóttir, told me.

And then some time in between the barely faded midnight sun of 7 July and the early morning light of 8 July, someone painted over all those colours with just three: blue on the outside, and two thin strips of white encasing a thicker strip of red in the centre.

Whether it’s paying for dinner, going on holiday or sharing a taxi, friendships can be fraught with financial frustrations, which are very rarely aired. Here’s how to break the taboo

Summer is the season of socialising, from alfresco drinks to weddings to group holidays. It can get expensive – and suddenly you start noticing those friends who don’t pay their way. Or the ones who splash the cash and make you feel cheap. In fact, there are a host of annoying money-related habits that can cause tension among friends. Here are 20 common sources of financial frustration – and how to resolve them.

Alpine communities hit out after influencer videos draw huge queues to Friedrich August refuge in Dolomites

Hundreds of people overwhelmed a mountain hut in the Italian Dolomites, not for the panoramic views but in search of a creamy pastry, reigniting the debate about social-media-driven tourism.

The visitors ventured en masse to the Friedrich August refuge – perched at 2,300 metres (7,500ft) above sea level, between Col Rodella and Passo Sella in Val di Fassa – some reportedly waking up at dawn or camping overnight, just to ensure they could buy a freshly baked krapfen, a traditional German pastry similar to a doughnut, before they ran out.

Hottest periods this year in most sea regions would have been ‘virtually impossible’ in a preindustrial climate

Carbon pollution has fuelled a “massive expansion” of marine heatwaves in Europe this summer, research has found, with some waters recording temperatures 6C higher than normal.

The hottest fortnights of this year would have been “virtually impossible” in a preindustrial climate in three of the four sea regions studied, according to analysis by World Weather Attribution, while in the Celtic region, which covers much of the water around the British Isles, heat hit levels that used to strike just once a century.

In video celebrating Maggie’s cancer charity, queen recalls ‘longing to let it out’ on visit to centre in 2024

The queen has spoken for the first time of how difficult she found it to keep King Charles’s cancer a secret before it was announced publicly.

Camilla found herself “longing to let it out” during an official visit to a Maggie’s cancer support centre in 2024, after Charles had received his diagnosis but before the news was released.