Ten striking images of an Earth scarred by humans
Photographer Ed Burtynsky has been capturing the impact of humans on Earth for over 40 years. Here are ten of his most striking shots, from a shipwrecking yard in Bangladesh to rivers of iron dioxide in Canada. This June, the International Center of Photography in New York is dedicating a retrospective to The Great Acceleration, the seminal work of the Canadian artist.
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Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
Beloved British actress edges out Zendaya as favourite for Bond Girl
There's a new name in the Bond girl conversation, just days after it was finally confirmed that Denis Villeneuve will be directing the upcoming 007 film. The Canadian director, best known for directing Dune and Dune: Part Two, as well as Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Sicario, and Prisoners, is now stepping up to the directorial plate amid major upheaval at Bond HQ. Amazon Studios officially purchased MGM for $8.45billion (£6.7billion) in 2022, with a new agreement over creative control meaning Bond — and whoever is next to play 007 – is entirely under the streamer's control. Now that a director is officially attached, the speculation around who will play who has ramped up a notch. Zendaya has been top of minds to take on the iconic role of the next Bond girl – admittedly, not the best terminology for the iconic female lead – but Florence Pugh's name has now also entered the conversation. Florence Pugh has taken over as the favourite to be the next Bond Girl, at 11/8, according to She already has a working relationship with Villeneuve, having joined the Dune fold for the second film. While Pugh once ruled out being the first female Bond, she has signalled her interest in portraying a spy. She told Digital Spy: 'I think everyone's always interested in playing a spy, right? 'That's something we grow up admiring, which is so strange, but it's just a very clever and quick world that we all want to be a part of.' Pugh's Dune co-star Zendaya – who was directed by Villeneuve in both his sci-fi films and is set to reprise her role in the upcoming third – is also in contention to be the Bond role, currently at 6/4 odds. She has also been produced by new Bond producer Amy Pascal in a number of films, including last year's sensational sweat-fest Challengers. More Trending The other names currently in contention according to the bookies include Ana de Armas, who had a scene-stealing turn in No Time To Die as Paloma, as well as Emma Watson and Rebecca Ferguson. It comes after Villeneuve shared an emotional statement about taking on the next film, saying: 'Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007. 'I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr. No with Sean Connery. I'm a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he's sacred territory.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Whoever the next James Bond is, Denis Villeneuve threatens to overshadow him MORE: James Bond fans convinced they've cracked the next 007 actor after director is confirmed MORE: James Bond fans crushed after discovering Hollywood legends' 1960s-set pitch 'will never happen'
Metro
3 days ago
- Metro
Denis Villeneuve threatens to overshadow the new James Bond
The Amazon/MGM era of James Bond has taken a significant step towards getting the next iteration of Ian Fleming's famous secret agent to the big screen. They've announced Denis Villeneuve as the director of Bond 26. Villeneuve is a name that many film fans will know and love, with the French-Canadian filmmaker being behind the recent – and very successful – Dune adaptations, as well as some of the most well-regarded movies of the 21st century, from Blade Runner 2049 to Arrival (for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Director). His appointment should be cause for celebration; he's one of the most distinct directors of recent memory, offering movies filled with striking visual grandeur, nerve-shredding tension, as well as a flair for directing subtle and stirring performances from his casts. He is unquestionably an excellent filmmaker, so why am I left with a sense of doubt over his selection to be the next Bond director? Put simply, I think the stature and appeal of Villeneuve as an auteur filmmaker threatens to overshadow what will be the introduction of a brand new actor as James Bond. First things first: I love Denis. Making a difficult text like Dune into a mainstream cinematic success was a miraculous feat, and I've been a keen follower of his work since Prisoners caught my eye with its hypnotically dark atmosphere. I am also a James Bond fan. It was the first franchise I can remember falling in love with, and I have always enjoyed coming back to it for several reasons. There's the action, the cars and the gadgets, the corny one-liners, but it is also a fascinating time capsule. Being over 60 years old allows the series to act as a reflection of the moods and preferences of movie-going audiences across generations. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video It is also a franchise that has, from quite early on, always been open to reinvention, and a lot of that comes from the casting of a new actor as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007. When it comes to a new Bond, the build-up to the reveal has always been a hot topic of conversation, just as it is right now. And the reveal itself is even more contentious. Daniel Craig, who is now regarded by many to be the best Bond behind Sean Connery, became the centre of a 'Craig Not Bond' campaign that complained Craig was too blonde when he was announced in 2005. Craig went on to make the role his own with Casino Royale, which was directed by Martin Campbell, who had also been at the helm for the debut of Pierce Brosnan's Bond in 1995's GoldenEye. Timothy Dalton's first Bond – The Living Daylights – was directed by the steady hand of John Glen, who had directed the three previous entries in the franchise. Roger Moore's introduction – Live and Let Die – was likewise directed by a franchise veteran Guy Hamilton. These are all directors who had proven chops either in the genre or within the franchise – journeyman directors if you will – and paved the way to let the personality of the actor selected to enter the gun barrel. Craig would go on to work with more prestige filmmakers in his run as Bond as he became more hands-on with the direction of the series (like Oscar winner Sam Mendes and Emmy-winner Cary Joji Fukunaga) but only once his take on the character was firmly established. There is something to be said about handing the keys to someone less distinguished and focus instead on a steady pair of hands who can deliver action and let the Bond brand do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to marketing. Someone like Mission: Impossible's set-piece specialist Christopher McQuarrie or The Hunger Games' stylish Francis Lawrence – or dare I say even a return to Martin Campbell – would certainly cast less of a shadow for the new actor and be no less capable of providing the necessary Bond flair. There'd certainly be less baggage and expectation. I fear that the narrative now could become less about what an actor could bring to the role of James Bond, but more about what that actor can bring to Denis Villeneuve's James Bond. The casting of Bond for this new era still has a chance to provide something fresh and exciting, and I can't wait to see who Villeneuve picks to lead his film. But already, there's speculation as odds are slashed for his Dune star, Timothée Chalamet. While I feel that is unlikely, it's clear people think Villeneuve could shake things up. Yet, I can't help but feel both the casting and the film itself won't be that dissimilar to what we've seen before. Villeneuve's aesthetic (grounded, precise, atmospheric) isn't miles away from what Mendes or Fukunaga brought to the table (Villeneuve has even worked with Mendes' regular director of photography, Roger Deakins, multiple times before, too). Those hoping for a Bond that airs more back towards a campy tongue-in-cheek tone after the harder-edged Craig era will most likely not be getting that with Villeneuve. I'm also a little disappointed that Villeneuve isn't escaping franchise filmmaking for his post-Dune project. More Trending Bond 26 will follow after his third Dune movie – Messiah, set for release next year – with his previous credit before Dune having been the legacy sequel Blade Runner 2049. While it has been largely exciting to see him play in these worlds, it's a shame that one of the most visually striking filmmakers of the past 25 years isn't providing much in the way of original storytelling. All this being said, I will undoubtedly be there on opening weekend to see what Villeneuve has cooked up for this new era of one of my favourite film franchises. But it would seem that the time when a Bond era would be more defined by the casting than any other factor could be at its end. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Beware the Glastonbury Hipster – they'll ruin the festival for you MORE: If Britain went to war I wouldn't hesitate to enlist MORE: Donald Trump's latest stunt risks dragging the UK into war
Reuters
3 days ago
- Reuters
Canadian carbon tech startup draws US interest post-Trump
CALGARY, June 26 (Reuters) - A Canadian startup that has built the world's first hub for the testing of multiple direct-air carbon-sucking technologies says it has seen an influx of inquiries from U.S. companies in the wake of President Donald Trump's election. Startup Deep Sky recently completed construction at its "Alpha" Direct Air Capture, or DAC, test ground in Alberta, where it will have room for 10 companies to deploy and fine-tune technologies on their way to developing commercial-scale plants. CEO Alex Petre said that with the Trump administration's reduced focus on climate as well as uncertainty about the future of U.S. funding support for DAC technology, Deep Sky is fielding more inquiries than expected from U.S.-based carbon tech developers. "The changes south of the border have actually meant that there is currently a spotlight on Canada," she said. Deep Sky, which received a $40 million grant last year from Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy, has signed contracts with eight companies — from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., the Netherlands and Germany — to operate at the site. Carbon removal at the testing ground, which is expected to capture 3,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, will begin this summer. DAC is different from the more established carbon capture and storage technology. Where traditional carbon capture and storage is deployed at industrial smoke stacks, filtering out the CO2 and storing it before it reaches the atmosphere, DAC removes carbon directly from the air — meaning it can clean up emissions that have already occurred. However, the technology has been expensive and slow to scale. The largest operating DAC plant in the world, in Iceland, has capacity to capture just 36,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said stabilizing the planet's climate could require DAC removal at the scale of millions or even billions of tonnes annually by 2050. In the U.S., DAC proponents are facing a broader political backlash against public funding for climate technology. Under former President Joe Biden, the U.S. Department of Energy pledged more than $1 billion in funding support for two proposed DAC hubs in Texas and Louisiana. But sources told Reuters in March the grant funding could be eliminated by the Trump administration. Petre said that once Deep Sky's Alberta test hub is fully up and running, the company plans to develop a large-scale commercial DAC project in Canada. She said she is encouraged by new Prime Minister Mark Carney's commitment to identify and fast-track infrastructure projects of national interest in an effort to help Canada become a conventional and clean energy superpower. "There's lots of really interesting developments (in Canada) that seem to be on the table that I think will really help us," Petre said.
