BAYREUTH, Germany (AP) — Richard Wagner likely would have appreciated the cutting-edge technology, if not the reaction.

Scenery selected by artificial intelligence sparked boos at the 150th anniversary performance of Wagner’s Ring Cycle from an audience frustrated that software could integrate images but not drama.

Called “10010110” — the number 150 in written in binary — the staging is subtitled “From Myth to Code” and was intended to portray the history of “Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung),” a series of four operas about the destruction of gods by humans, giants and dwarfs. It was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the full cycle’s premiere from Aug. 13-17, 1876, at the Festspielhaus theater built to Wagner’s specifications atop a Bavarian hill.

Curator Marcus Lobbes developed the concept with Nils Corte and dramaturge Andri Hardmeier, feeding computers about 1,000 images culled from the 15 prior Bayreuth Ring productions. They did not intend to produce a cohesive drama and suggested minimal blocking.

“We always communicated that it’s an experiment, it’s not stage-directed,” Lobbes said.

Disgruntled by 19th century standards, Wagner demanded his own theater of innovation. Bayreuth’s 239th Ring Cycle was an encyclopedia of interpretations rather than a new one.

The audience also responded with a 17-minute ovation

Singers stood between two 20-by-60 meter (33-by-66 foot) screens, often not moving, for 14 1/2 hours over four nights. About a dozen AI models were combined and Stable Diffusion was used to start each act with 1876 scenery designed by Gotthold Brückner and Max Brückner from sketches by Josef Hoffmann, then select images based on text and music.

After Saturday night’s concluding “Götterdämmerung,” conductor Christian Thielemann and the cast were greeted with a 17-minute ovation that wrapped around 30 seconds of boos and whistles when the production team joined for their bows.

Many Bayreuth productions are initially jeered, such as Patrice Chéreau’s centennial staging in 1976 that moved the action to the Industrial Revolution, then cheered years later. That production’s final appearance in 1980 ignited a 45-minute ovation.

“I know the ritual,” said Lobbes, director of the Academy for Theatre and Digitality in Dortmund.

He was approached in February 2023 to stage an AI Ring for the sesquicentennial by Katharina Wagner, a great-granddaughter of the composer and current festival director.

Wagner composed the Ring over 26 years. Coders divided it into about 250 scenes of two to six minutes and loaded images from past performances and topical moments to a pair of custom-built Tower PCs with NVIDIA RTX 5090 graphics cards.

Singers led by Michael Volle (Wotan), Camilla Nylund (Brünnhilde) and Klaus Florian Vogt (Siegfried) wore birdlike costumes of wire mesh with black backing and laser voile designed by Pia Maria Mackert, Lobbes’ wife. The outfits shimmered in brilliant colors depending on the lighting, with gold and red most prominent.

As the narrative moved forward, so did AI’s projections.

An image of Theodor Herzl, a key figure in modern Zionism, appeared in “Das Rheingold,” and one of Adolf Hitler in “Die Walküre.” A sign that read: “Sorry, no gas today“ flashed in ”Siegfried” as the timeline reached the 1973 oil crisis and Brünnhilde awakened to sing “Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht! (Hail to you, Sun! Hail to you, Light!)”

“Every year of the 150 years, we have an answer from artificial intelligence what she thinks that the audience of Bayreuth would have said is the main political topic of this year or this summer,” Hardmeier said.

Many of the images provoked director name-checking in viewers’ minds — Was this from Wieland Wagner in 1951? From Frank Castorf in 2013? From Valentin Schwarz in 2020?

At other times, AI picked forms that shifted like a giant Etch A Sketch into images evoking works by Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning.

Original plans for 2026 envisioned performances of the final 10 of Wagner’s 13 operas plus the Festspielhaus debut of the composer’s third, “Rienzi,” until now deemed not worthy of inclusion. The AI Ring was to be presented once to coincide approximately with the original premiere dates, but budget cuts two years ago caused four operas to be scrapped and replaced by two additional Rings, the first from July 27 to Aug. 1.

Singers were together for just one nine-hour rehearsal over a four-day period in which the directing team worked with cast members in small groups.

“I would wish that with a certain openness people will find some interesting correlations and will see things that maybe others don’t see,” Hardmeier said. “I hope that people go out with a very fruitful irritation — not irritation in the sense of ‘What was this about’ but more sort of, ‘Hey, interesting.’”

Beethoven’s 9th starts festival

Thielemann conducted Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to open the festival. Wagner led the work at the downtown Margravial Opera House after the Bayreuth cornerstone ceremony in 1872 and it has been repeated on special occasions, such as the 1951 resumption after World War II.

A speech the following day by Michel Friedman titled “Silenced Voices” addressed Wagner’s antisemitism and his family’s support of Hitler and the Nazi party.

‘Rienzi’ a success in Bayreuth Festspielhaus premiere

A striking staging with Alexandra Szemerédy and Magdolna Parditka, updated to post-modern dystopian times, was greeted with extended applause when it opened on July 26 in the first of nine performances through Aug. 26.

Tenor Andreas Schager gave the title role charisma and vocal beauty, telling the story of 14th century Italian populist Cola di Rienzo.

Conductor Nathalie Stutzmann made a convincing case for an unwieldy composition whose autographed score was given by Wagner’s daughter-in-law, Winifried, to Hitler and lost in the destruction that ended World War II.

The ballet became a hilarious parody of Wagnerian cliches as a cartwheeling child wearing sneakers with rainbow lights and dressed in gold, resembling statues of the composer, presided in front of a faux Bayreuth proscenium. A procession of characters, some in winged helmets, performed silent camp references to Wagner’s renowned roles.

Stars of The Commitments joined Steve Coogan and Gerry Adams at the funeral of Oscar-winning Irish musician Glen Hansard at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin on Tuesday.  

Musician, activist and The Commitments movie star Hansard died in an early-hours motorcycle crash on the outskirts of Dublin last week. 

Hansard, 56, had featured in the celebrated film The Commitments, and won an Oscar for best original song for Falling Slowly in 2008, which he co-wrote with Marketa Irglova for the movie Once.

The Commitments star Angeline Ball, who played Imelda Quirke in the 1991 film, led mourners at Tuesday’s service, which took place 24 hours after a wake for Hansard was attended by thousands of well-wishers.

Steve Coogan collaborated closely on an experimental stage musical adaptation of Coogan’s film Philomena.

Hansard was also one half of the rock duo The Swell Season and released solo albums including Didn’t He Ramble, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2016.

For years he led the Christmas Eve charity busk outside The Gaiety Theatre in Dublin city, where members of the public gathered to see famous Irish musicians perform in aid of the Dublin Simon Community.

He also took part in protests against Ireland’s housing crisis, a march to mark three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and he joined anti-austerity water charge protests in 2014.

Hansard also recorded a song called Take Heart, in October 2022, expressing support for Ukraine following the country’s invasion by Russia – with Hansard backed on the track by Irglová, U2 frontman Bono and Ukrainian refugees. 

Hansard toured in the past with Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder, sang the track Coyote at Joni Mitchell’s 75th birthday celebration in Los Angeles in 2018 and also sang live alongside artists including Bruce Springsteen and Ed Sheeran.

Former Irish president Michael D Higgins said Hansard was a ‘wonderful musician and performer’ who had a gift for storytelling.

He also praised the musician for having ‘also placed great emphasis throughout his life on the importance of tackling the problems of society, including regular work in drawing attention to the problem of homelessness’.

Bono said in a statement: ‘Sometimes I would wonder if Glen Hansard really existed….Seriously, he was such an angelic presence… not otherworldly…in fact, very present this presence…

‘A smiling rascal if you needed him to be… this most musical and mischievous archangel of Ballymun… no airs, plenty of graces…

Steve Coogan collaborated closely on an experimental stage musical adaptation of Coogan’s film Philomena

Gerry Adams was among the high-profile mourners at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin

Musician, activist and The Commitments movie star Hansard died in an early-hours motorcycle crash on the outskirts of Dublin last week. He is seen taking part in the annual Christmas Eve busk on Grafton Street, Dublin, in December 2019

‘Of course, Glen was the shining star of the Christmas Eve busk… sometimes the only one reminding the rest of us that Christmas began with a refugee born in a manger, which is hardly a step from living on the street.

‘To be utterly yourself by being more interested in others – a clue for any of us trying out different personas.

‘He really was who you thought he was. He could never walk by a person living rough without checking they were OK… and more than that, he worked very hard so that less people had to live on the streets in the first place.

‘When the crowds got bigger and for safety’s sake Glen had to agree to move the busk to a stage kindly provided outside The Gaiety Theatre, he would say ‘we’ll give it our best but it’s not a busk if we’re not on the street!’ …because that’s who he was – a performer at eye level in any situation.

‘The stage was a separation he wouldn’t recognize. Of all the grand and gigantic venues he and The Frames played, you sensed the street was his most favoured place to perform. And street people, his favourite audience.

Hansard featured in the 1991 movie The Commitments as guitarist Outspan Foster

‘Voice of the streets. A choir of angels in one man. The rest of us blessed to stand there beside our very own and very earthed Angel Gabriel… All of us welcome in his choir, whatever shape or form.

‘….and I’m telling myself this morning that if he never existed, then he can never cease to exist. For me, he will always be everywhere I see a coin spinning into an open guitar case.

‘May you rest in the peace you gave to so many. Bono.’

Video footage showed Hansard’s final performance at the Wren’s Nest late on Tuesday night.

The Wren’s Nest, a pub in Dublin dating back to 1588, has posted an online tribute, saying: ‘We are deeply saddened by the passing of Glen Hansard.

‘It was always a privilege to welcome Glen to The Wren’s Nest over the years. He will be remembered for his incredible talent, generosity and the joy he brought to so many.

‘Our thoughts are with his family, friends and all who knew and loved him. Rest in peace, Glen. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.’

Fans have noted how Hansard’s last performance delivered lyrics such as ‘Time is the only thing that’s going to fix this now’.

A clock on the wall in the footage marks the time as being 11.15pm on Tuesday.

Responses online included the late comedian Spike Milligan’s daughter Jane Milligan saying: ‘How beautiful to have this song.

‘Once is a most profoundly great show, not only for its songs and sweet love story but for its Actor Musician element. RIP Glen.’

Another poster wrote: ‘You just never know when it all ends. So glad he was doing what he loved right up to the last moment. Thank you for everything Glen.’

Other comments included: ‘Nice that he left this song, and thankfully someone captured this on video.’

Dave Ashe said Hansard’s death was a ‘shock’ and described him as a ‘cultural node’ for the music community in Ireland.

‘His inputs of busking on the street, and then being the guitarist, the frontman, and then being the Oscar-winner, and being the storyteller, and then the trad session musician – to have that removed from the culture, I think it’s jarring for people,’ he said.

Songwriter Barra Donovan said Hansard was a ‘hero’ of his and described meeting Hansard in Dublin last month.

‘Who walks in but Glen?’ he said.

‘So naturally, I had to go up and say hello, and he was very approachable and very kind. We had a lovely conversation.

‘For about 30 minutes, we were just chatting, and he kept coming back and asking me questions about my music, had all the time in the world, and I walked away that night – I should say stumbled away – with a big grin on my face and a very happy story to tell the next day.’

He added: ‘I was so shocked at Glen’s passing, and the only thing I could think to do is, I have to come down, pay my respects to an absolute giant in the music community and around the world, really.

‘Glen helped build people up all the time, he was a giant is the only word for it.’

Singer-songwriter Zoe Hayter met Hansard when she was 10.

‘I never, ever thought someone could change your life in the best way possible,’ she said.

‘He introduced me into a world that was the most magical thing you could ever be a part of, and there was no-one else like him that could ever do that for anybody else, and he’s done it for me, and he’s done it for everybody in the whole world.

‘The whole world is crying, and there’ll never be anyone like that, and I’ll never stop loving him and I know no-one else will.’

Maureen Doyle and Richard Thorpe travelled from Co Kilkenny to pay their respects to Hansard.

Ms Doyle said he was a ‘good person’ and they expressed their condolences to his wife and young son, Christy.

‘Beautiful rug with vibrant colours that really brighten up the room and the quality is great for the price’

Adding a new rug to your home can instantly upgrade the space and getting one at half price makes the purchase all the more worthwhile. If you’re looking to give your living space a refresh without spending a small fortune, Dunelm has reduced one of its popular rugs in the sale.

Shoppers have been full of praise for the Traditional Patchwork Chenille Rug, with many saying it adds character and a cosy finishing touch to their home. The Traditional Patchwork Rug combines a timeless vintage-inspired pattern with a choice of rich jewel tones or neutral shades to suit different décor styles.

The rug is available in a multicoloured and a natural patchwork design. The multicoloured rug comes in sizes 240cm x 340cm, which was £319 and is now £159, and a larger 300cm x 400cm version for £224.50, down from £449 but we’ve found a few much cheaper alternatives.

READ MORE:

The natural patchwork rug is also available in the size 200cm x 290cm for £114.50, instead of the original price of £229. The Traditional Patchwork Chenille Rug is made from soft chenille fibres and is described as having a “luxurious underfoot feel”.

Among other stylish rugs on offer is the Hand Woven Wool Checkerboard Rug from Dusk. The rug is 120cm x 170cm and comes in a forest green colour. It was £85 but has been slashed to £52, giving shoppers a £33 saving.

Traditional Patchwork Chenille Rug

£319

£159.50

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Dunelm

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The Traditional Patchwork Chenille Rug is currently 50% off

Elsewhere, the Homemaker Bukhura Traditional Red Rug is priced at £35 at Argos. It features a bold red-medallion pattern that’s designed to be hardwearing, colourfast and stain-resistant. The rug is also available in grey for shoppers who prefer a more neutral look.

Back to Dunelm, the Chenille Patchwork Rug has garnered an impressive 4.9/5 star review from 22 shoppers. One shopper wrote: “Gorgeous rug, you will not regret it. I had been waiting for this rug to come on sale for months and I got it for an absolute bargain price. It looks really classy! I got the extra large size and it has significantly improved the look and feel of my living room.”

Another wrote: “Really happy with the rug looks better in reality a nice twist between traditional and modern.”

A third pleased shopper wrote: “Beautiful rug with vibrant colours that really brighten up the room. The quality is great for the price, making it excellent value for money. Very happy with this purchase.”

One reviewer of the Dunelm rug wrote: “Whilst the rug looks lively, nice feel and great colours, it’s just too lightweight. We tried it on carpet, so it might be ok on a hard floor.”

Despite this, most reviewers praised the quality of the rug, like this shopper who said: “A great quality, good value rug that looks expensive, a bonus for us is that the dog’s hair doesn’t stick.”

Another pleased shopper wrote: “We love this rug. It gives our lounge a sense of calm and sophistication.”

By ISABELLA MACHIN, REPORTER

Published: 12:22 BST, 4 August 2026 | Updated: 13:07 BST, 4 August 2026

There is a huge prize on offer, as well as the money involved in European progress, with the winner of the tie set to face Scottish giants Rangers

Larne’s Europa League qualifying clash with FC Iberia looks set to go ahead despite not complying with UEFA regulations.

The Tbilisi club were due to arrive in Northern Ireland on Monday night for the match 24 hours later, but it’s understood their chartered flight was delayed over ‘paperwork issues’.

The squad are not now due to arrive until Tuesday afternoon, just a matter of hours before kick off at Inver Park (8pm).

Uefa regulations say teams must arrive in a country for a match at least 24 hours before kick-off. However Larne have taken to social media to allay fears over the fixture to say the match is “scheduled to go ahead as planned”.

It’s believed the Georgian team could still request that the game is delayed for 24 hours.

There is a huge prize on offer, as well as the money involved in European progress, with the winner of the tie set to face Scottish giants Rangers or Jagellonia Bialystock of Poland in the next round.

The losing team will drop into the final qualifying round of the Uefa Conference League.

Ahead of the game, Larne manager Gary Haveron warned his players to focus on the task at hand.

“It’s impossible to ignore the carrot of a competitive tie with Rangers should they progress in the Europa League,” said Haveron. “But we expect our players to keep their feet firmly on the ground for now.”

The loser will drop into the final qualifying round of the Uefa Conference League.

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Scarlett Moffatt has shared that she’s been through the “hardest month” of her and her partner’s lives as they suffer two heartbreaking family deaths

Scarlett Moffatt has told fans that she has been through the “hardest month” of her life after two family members died. The former Gogglebox star lost both her grandad and her mother-in-law in July.

Speaking on social media a the time, Scarlett said: “Unfortunately, more sad news for our family this week. My grandad Moffatt has sadly passed away.”

This came just days after the death of her fiance Scott Dobinson‘s mother Janice. “My heart is broken for Scott and all of his family at the loss of his mum Janice,” she wrote at the time.

“You were the best Nanna to Jude, the kindest mother-in-law and one of the loveliest people I’ve ever known. I’m so upset that you won’t get to meet your second grandson, but I know you will be watching over us all.”

In her post about her grandfather, Moffatt added: “Me, Scott and all our family really appreciate all of the love and kindness you’ve shown us following the loss of Janice and now my grandad. Thank you so much.”

Now, the star, who is also recently appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here South Africa, shared another post to Instagram, telling her followers that July had been her family’s “hardest month”.

“It’s been the hardest month of our lives so grateful we have each other,” Moffatt shared. “I now understand that grief is really just love. It’s all the love you still want to give, but no longer can.

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“I’ve known @scottdobby since I was 17, and I still can’t quite believe the life we’ve built together. When grief arrives, it has a way of making you hold on to each other even tighter. Amongst the sadness, we’re finding little pockets of joy, mostly thanks to Jude & bump and looking at old photographs and memories made x. Sending so much love to everyone who knows this feeling. Be gentle with yourselves.”

Amid the grief, Moffatt and Dobinson do have something to look forward to, as she recently announced that she is pregnant with their second child. The two already have a son, three year-old Jude, who was born after a four week fertility journey, leading Moffatt to call him her “miracle baby”. When announcing she was expecting another child, she called the baby “another miracle”.

In the announcement, Jude held up a personalised newspaper that read: “Baby Dobinson; another miracle coming soon!” Moffatt added in the caption: “We honestly can’t believe we’re writing this… After everything, we feel unbelievably lucky to be able to say… our family is growing. One little miracle gave us Jude, and now he’s going to be a big brother. And if there’s one thing we know for certain, it’s that he is going to be the most amazing big brother. We are so grateful, so excited, and still a little bit in shock… Our hearts are fuller than we ever thought possible.”

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PARIS (AP) — French and British teams rescued 157 migrants who were trying to cross the English Channel after the engine of their boat caught fire, French maritime authorities said.

On Tuesday morning, while the boat was still in France’s search-and-rescue zone near British waters, its engine caught fire and it rapidly began to break apart, the maritime prefecture for the English Channel and the North Sea said in a statement. French authorities deployed two rescue ships, a Navy helicopter and medical personnel. Britain’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Border Force also responded.

The rescue operation brought 157 people to safety — 103 rescued by French vessels and 54 by British vessels. All were due to be disembarked at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, in northern France, for medical assessment and assistance.

The boat had initially departed Monday from Normandy shores and was being monitored by French rescue vessels. During the night, five people onboard required assistance and were brought ashore at Boulogne-sur-Mer, while the remaining passengers refused help from French rescuers, the statement said.

French maritime authorities said migrants attempting the crossing in makeshift, overloaded boats often refuse rescue unless faced with an immediate danger. Rescuers do not force people off the boats because of the risk of capsizing that would put people’s lives at risk, the statement said.

Last week, four people died in two separate attempts to cross the Channel on small boats.

Earlier this year, the U.K. and French governments signed a new multimillion-euro deal aimed at reducing the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats, with increased police patrols and enhanced surveillance in northern France.

The plan includes the deployment of new technologies aimed at reducing departures of “taxi boats,” the term authorities use for small motorized vessels that are typically inflatable and are used by smugglers to pick up migrants along long stretches of the northern French coast.

“It was a historic election result for the SNP, the largest ever gap, if I remember correctly, between us and those who came into second place, so I was really proud to stand in that election alongside John Swinney on a positive future for our country, on always standing up for Scotland.”

Flames have been burning on Llanwonno mountain above the Rhondda for days now

People are deliberately setting fires on a Rhondda mountain which has been burning for days. Fire crews have been trying to tackle a serious wildfire at Llanwonno since Saturday afternoon which led to a major incident being declared on Monday due to the scale of the fire and the amount of resources being used.

On Tuesday South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) confirmed the major incident status remains active “due to the ongoing scale of the wildfire and challenging conditions on the mountain, including poor visibility caused by today’s low cloud, mist and rain”.

In a joint-agency message with South Wales Police, SWFRS said that while work is ongoing to prevent further spread and protect nearby properties, there were reports of deliberate fire-setting on the mountain overnight.

Anyone with information about these deliberate fires is asked to contact South Wales Police or neighbourhood policing and fire crime teams.

As part of the ongoing response to the blaze, which has left an area of land as large as 200 football pitches scorched, Natural Resources Wales has secured the deployment of a specialist firefighting helicopter.

However, poor weather conditions, including low visibility, mist, rain and forecasted thunderstorms, have delayed deployment. Conditions are being assessed throughout Tuesday.

Despite the damp weather seen in the Rhondda overnight the fire service said the mountain is continuing to smoulder. It is continuing to advise nearby residents to keep windows and doors closed where possible.

Anyone experiencing health concerns as a result of smoke exposure should seek appropriate medical advice, the fire service said.

The fire service said communities in Ferndale are well protected, with ongoing work looking to protect the Cwmaman side of the mountain while continuing efforts to contain the fire within forestry and upland areas.

A number of road closures remain in place in the small village of Blaenllechau to allow the fire service to get equipment to the mountain, with members of the public asked to avoid the area.

People are also being reminded that a temporary no-fly zone, including for drones, is in place in the area.

The latest update from the fire service reads: “South Wales Fire and Rescue Service continues to work with partner agencies to contain and extinguish the wildfire on Llanwonno mountain in Ferndale and prevent further spread, helping to protect nearby properties and communities.

“There were reports of deliberate fire-setting on the mountain last night. We ask anyone with information to call South Wales Police on 101, report anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or speak to the Neighbourhood Policing Team or Fire Crime Team, who will be patrolling the area.

“Firefighters worked throughout the night in challenging conditions to tackle the fire and protect properties. Incident commanders at the scene have confirmed that communities in Ferndale remain well protected, with today’s operational priority focused on protecting the Cwmaman side of the mountain while continuing efforts to contain the fire within forestry and upland areas.

“The incident remains a major incident due to the ongoing scale of the wildfire and challenging conditions on the mountain, including poor visibility caused by today’s low cloud, mist and rain.”

Anyone with information about fire-setting on the mountain can contact South Wales Police on 101, report anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or speak to the Neighbourhood Policing Team or Fire Crime Team, who will be patrolling the area.

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The man suspected of killing Scottish aid worker Elisabeth Jane Ross in Greece is 26-year-old Sharif Ahmadzai, the BBC understands.

He was arrested after the body of the 38-year-old was found in a suitcase in an abandoned building in the Kypseli district of Athens on 18 July, several days after she was reported missing.

Ahmadzai, who was born in Afghanistan and is a champion boxer, travelled to Greece as a refugee.

He is expected to appear in court in Athens on Wednesday.

The BBC understands Ahmadzai, who left Afghanistan after being orphaned aged 15, lives in Greece with his American wife and child.

His father, a commander in the Afghan army, was shot dead and his mother and siblings were killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul.

He travelled to Greece via Iran and Turkey, according to the charity, external The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), before settling in a refugee camp on the island of Lesbos.

It is understood this is where he met his wife and converted to Christianity. The pair then set up the charity Love Every Nation Athens to help other refugees.

It is thought that he met Ross through the charity.