Oscars 2026 class photo: can you spot the tallest nominee – and a camouflaged Diane Warren?

The annual Academy Award nominees luncheon is my favourite part of an otherwise excruciatingly dull affair – and the group picture reveals more than any winners list could

Russian crackdown on Telegram app prompts rare criticism from soldiers, pro-war bloggers and officials

Critics say restricting social media app risks harming communications between state, military units and public

Is surprise box-office hit Iron Lung the future of ‘video game films’?

The YouTube gaming star’s weird and divisive adaptation of his obscure horror film is a game within a film about a game – and hints at new directions for storytelling

Beyond Trainspotting: The World of Irvine Welsh review – uniquely funny writer holds court

The author discusses his writing, the movies it created and his own youth, but not all the interviewees in this documentary are quite so gripping

​AI slop, begone! The viral musical virtuosos bringing brains and brilliance back to social media

Whether making microtonal pop or playing Renaissance instruments with sheep bones, a crop of bold artists are making genuinely strange music go mainstream – but are they at the mercy of the algorithm?

UK wealth manager and price comparison site shares fall amid AI fears

Drop comes as AI firm Altruist launches service that helps advisers create personalised tax strategies

Little Amélie review – tender and poignant study of the fragility of early childhood

Based on a 2000 novella, this sweet animation follows a young girl who wakes from a vegetative state on the verge of feral, but begins to bond with others after an intervention by her grandmother

The mother of all meltdowns: Rose Byrne on playing a parent cracking up in her taboo-busting new film

What if loving your child is destroying you and all you want to do is escape? That’s the nightmare the Oscar-nominated Byrne faces in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. The star and its director reveal why backers were scared

The President’s Cake review – toughly revealing story of kid on a baking mission for Saddam Hussein’s birthday

Nine-year-old Lamia is obliged by her school to make a birthday cake for the Iraqi president, and meets a series of vivid characters as she shops for sanctioned ingredients

Method dressing: nine actors who stayed wildly in character on the red carpet

Whether it’s Zendaya in tennis-inspired shoes, Cynthia Erivo dressed in green, Margot Robbie as Barbie or Jenna Ortega in shredded black leather, today’s movie stars rarely disappoint on the promo circuit

The big AI job swap: why white-collar workers are ditching their careers

As AI job losses rise in the professional sector, many are switching to more traditional trades. But how do they feel about accepting lower pay – and giving up a dream career?

Epstein engineered intimate relationship for Tesla’s Kimbal Musk, emails show

Elon Musk’s younger brother and the woman were involved for about six months between 2012 and 2013

Children in England ‘bombarded’ with online ads for harmful products

Teenagers routinely see content promoting weight-loss drugs, steroids and skin-whitening creams, research finds

UK signed deals with US firms that were clients of Mandelson lobbying company

Clients of Global Counsel, co-founded by Mandelson, included OpenAI and Palantir, which have both signed deals with government

Wallace, Gromit and a new use for lentils: blockbuster Aardman exhibition opens at Young V&A

Children are encouraged to get hands-on as the world’s leading stop-motion studio showcases its work in east London