Quiz: Match the AI baby to the world leader
European leaders burst into laughter at a summit in Albania, as AI-generated videos of them as babies were projected onto a giant screen.
The light-hearted clip at the start of the European Political Community (EPC) meeting featured presidents, prime ministers and European organisation chiefs reimagined as small children, while keeping their distinctive features.
Some babies were shown wearing glasses, others had beards, and some had earrings.
Only one male leader, shown as a toddler, was not wearing a suit.
Each of them was heard saying: 'Welcome to Albania!' with giddy, childish enthusiasm in their native language.
But can you work out which AI baby was which leader? Take our quiz and watch the leaders react at the bottom of this article.
The EPC is the brainchild of Emmanuel Macron, the French president. It was founded in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, bringing together members of the European Union and 20 other countries.
Ukraine was the dominant issue at the summit on Friday, held in the weighty context of meetings between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul, along with the issue of migration.
But before the serious talks began, Edi Rama, Albania's 6ft 7in leader, did everything to underscore his love of Europe and lighten the mood.
'It's true that I am the tallest among them, but I lead a country that is one of the smallest, and for us it's already a big honour to have the opportunity to host this summit,' he said afterwards.
The opening video prompted a relative rarity in the staid setting of European diplomacy – laughter and big smiles from the crowd.
Europe's leaders turned into babies during the welcoming ceremony of a political summit in Albania. Read more about the summit here ➡️ https://t.co/FGIRdPtlxf pic.twitter.com/nHj9PrCmnk
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 16, 2025
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The Guardian
29 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘The script didn't have Jurassic World on the front': Gareth Edwards on Monsters, Godzilla, Star Wars and reinventing dinosaurs
Like an ancient warhorse hearing the bugle for one last time, readers of a certain age will be snorting and whinnying at the words 'Gareth' and 'Edwards'. They are irresistible madeleines for the legends of Welsh rugby: unfeasible 70s sideburns, neck-high tackles and JPR Williams on the overlap. These days, though, things are different: Gareth Edwards is also the name of the unassuming, Midlands-born fortysomething film director sitting in front of me, who has quietly acquired a reputation as one of Britain's most accomplished franchise movie-makers. 'I've had it my whole life, to be honest,' he says. 'My dad was a massive rugby fan. My comedy goal is that the Gareth Edwards does something and everybody goes: 'Oh, the film‑maker?' That would be it. I could die happy after that.' While there is no immediate prospect of this Gareth Edwards finishing off an eight-man move and going over in the corner – any more than there is of Willie John MacBride taking on the next Iron Man movie – you sense that the tide may eventually turn in the younger man's favour. With a Star Wars and a Godzilla movie under his belt, not to mention the Christopher-Nolan-esque sci-fi parable The Creator, Edwards is now perched atop the new Jurassic World movie – the seventh in the series, if you count the three Jurassic Park films – which is slightly ominously subtitled Rebirth. As gigs go, it doesn't get much bigger. Edwards is stewarding the franchise at a critical moment: even though the last film, Dominion, proved as commercially robust as its predecessors, it took such a critical pasting, not least from the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw, that the future of the whole thing was in doubt. Diplomatically, Edwards says 'they just wanted to press the reset button slightly' – although Rebirth, as its title suggests, does rather more than that. It junks the entire cast and characters of the previous three films, ditches the theme-park-gone-wrong through-line and generally adopts a scorched-earth attitude to what went before. (Devotees of the franchise will be glad to know that the series' basic DNA – involving ferocious dinosaurs and creepy corporate types attempting to exploit them – remains unchanged.) Edwards says a new beginning was very much the plan. 'The honest truth is that, when the script arrived, it didn't have the words Jurassic World on the front. It really felt like a new chapter.' Even so, anyone who reads the movie-industry trade press will know that Edwards wasn't the first name on the team sheet; what is more, the Hollywood Reporter rather ungallantly described him ungallantly as 'more shooter than auteur'. Edwards, though, brushes this sort of thing aside with aplomb and readily offers an insight into how the Hollywood hiring game works. He says he found out the Jurassic producers were looking for a new director after spotting an article in the very same movie-industry trade press and messaged his agent ('is it worth throwing my hat in to see if they'd be interested?') just as the franchise's producer Frank Marshall was tentatively reaching out to him. He had a weekend to read the script – 'I basically spent that weekend hoping I would hate it, because I kind of wanted to have a break and not do a big franchise movie' – and then found himself pitching to Marshall, a Hollywood legend who has worked on movies including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Poltergeist, The Sixth Sense and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. 'I just went through my little list and waited for him to have an allergic reaction. And then, right at the end, he went: 'OK, do you mind repeating everything you just said to me tomorrow to Steven?' And I thought: oh shit, I assume he means Spielberg. Maybe there's three Stevens. 'So the next day I am pitching a Jurassic film to Steven Spielberg, which is very surreal. Halfway through, he asked for a pen and paper and started writing stuff down. And I thought: oh, is this a bad sign or a good sign? Then, at one point, he just stopped and smiled and went: 'That's great.' And I felt like: OK, can we just end my life now? Because it can only go downhill from here.'' It's a great pitch-meeting story, perhaps matched only by the one in which he gets a talking-to from another Hollywood big shot, Thomas Tull, just before the pair went in to Warner Bros to sell Godzilla in the early 2010s. 'I felt like my whole life was hanging on what I said over the next half an hour. As we were walking there, he said: 'Remember, Gareth, you are not auditioning for them, they are auditioning for you. If they don't want you to do this movie, we're going somewhere else.' Whether he meant it or not, it was the best thing he could have said to me.' Quite how Edwards got here seems to baffle even Edwards himself. He is still awestruck by the fact he is rubbing shoulders with his childhood movie heroes – Spielberg, George Lucas – but is focused and tough enough to channel it into his own creative inspiration: 'They managed to make what I consider to be art and commerciality at the same time. They managed to combine [the two to create] the holy grail. Jaws is a masterpiece and it was the most popular movie ever made when it came out. So that's your benchmark, right? Like, what's the matter with you, Gareth? Why can't you try to do that?' Edwards cut his teeth in visual effects (he won a TV Bafta in 2006 for a BBC drama-documentary about Hiroshima) and applied those skills to his first feature, Monsters; released in 2010, it still looks amazing, despite being produced on an inconceivably small budget. Having established himself as the Kevin Smith of the creature feature, Edwards experienced a vertiginous ascent after being picked by Tull to oversee Hollywood's latest attempt to take on Godzilla, going from Monsters' $500,000 budget to a $160m blockbuster. 'I felt I was getting crushed as I was doing it. I felt like: I don't know if I'm going to survive this.' Having scrambled up the learning curve, Edwards can look back with a measure of calm. 'Any movie like that is a machine, and the machine kicks in and you've just got to [do it]. You've got to know the battles you can win and the ones you can't, the ones that are worth dying on a hill for and the ones that won't really matter at the end of the day; they might hurt your pride a little bit, but the audience is not going to notice or care.' The Godzilla gamble paid off handsomely and the lessons appeared to stand him in good stead: he rolled straight in to another fanboy dream project, a standalone Star Wars film. The experience of making Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was marred by much after-the-event muttering that the scriptwriter Tony Gilroy had been brought in to re-shoot and re-edit much of the film, but Edwards remains unbowed: 'It's the nature of doing a massive film with that much pressure on it – the studio just wouldn't leave anything to chance.' In any case, it is evident that the kerfuffle did not have any long-term effect on his standing. Edwards clearly has a talent for what Hollywood likes to call 'vision': an ability to orchestrate grand, sweeping visuals into which spectacular digital visual effects are seamlessly integrated. Rather more unusually, he also likes a roving quasi-documentary camera, giving many sequences a combat-movie edge. He also has a predilection for a certain type of scene, which you will notice if you watch all his films in a row: people dying horribly trapped behind a sealed glass door, often with someone they love watching it happen. ('Maybe I got trapped as a kid in one of those automatic doors in Sainsbury's, or something, and my mum left and I couldn't get out.') That was then; this is now. Like most of Hollywood, Edwards is waiting hopefully on Rebirth's box office performance, as movie theatres cautiously haul themselves away from the Covid disaster and try to beat back the menace of high-end TV. On the surface, at least, he seems sublimely unbothered by it all. 'This movie is kind of what I've been waiting for. I felt that if we get the right cast, then really it's a playground for me to do the things I love doing, you know? So I was like: it's mine to screw up.' Jurassic World Rebirth is in cinemas in the UK, Ireland and the US from 2 July and in Australia from 3 July
The Sun
32 minutes ago
- The Sun
Asda's Screaming Devil is the best Whispering Angel dupe & over £9 cheaper – plus 5 other rose wines to try this summer
WITH summer finally here and our purses feeling tighter than ever before, if you're eager to find a rosé wine that's perfect for warm days and super affordable, you've come to the right place. When it comes to rosé, there's no doubt that Whispering Angel has secured itself an A-list reputation. The popular rosé comes with plenty of celebrity backing, with Adele, Lady Gaga and the Beckhams pronounced as big fans of the tasty tipple. But unfortunately for those on a budget, it also boasts a VIP price tag of around £22.50 a bottle. However, luckily for those looking to cut costs on their alcohol stash, supermarkets have released a variety of similar styles that are much more cost-effective. So, with the weather heating up and picnic season in full swing, here, Fabulous' Senior Writer and self-proclaimed wine fanatic, Abby Wilson, tests out six of the high-street's best bottles. Breath of Paradise £10.99, Lidl I was excited to try the latest Whispering Angel dupe that hit Lidl shelves only recently, and while it looks practically the same, I have to say, I was thoroughly disappointed. Yes, it's a nice bottle, but this good-looking blush tribute is not getting a thumbs up from me. This Whispering wannabe might have the vibe of the real thing but unfortunately, it lacks the flavour. If you like wine that's bitter and vinegary, this Provençal tipple could be for you. Yes, it will keep your bank account in the pink, but it lacks depth and to be totally honest, has a nasty acidic taste that quite frankly, tastes cheap. 'Aldi, are you ok hun' wine pro exclaims as she calls store's £6.99 pink bubbles a 'crowd pleaser' you need to snap up For me, Lidl normally smash it out the park with their dupes, but in my opinion, this is simply style over substance. Unfortunately, it's not giving me a 'Breath of Paradise'. The only thing I'm noticing is a sigh of disappointment. There's not much of a fruity flavour and it definitely needs a bit of lemonade to sweeten it up. While aesthetically it looks the best of the bunch, the taste makes it the biggest loser in my books. Ranking: 1/5 Tesco Finest Provence Rosé £10, Tesco With the cost of our weekly grocery shop rising, there's no doubt that many of our wallets are feeling the pinch. But if you're wanting to scrimp on rosé, the Tesco Finest Provence Rosé may, or may not, be one to try. Where my taste buds are concerned, it's dry, weak and watery, with a somewhat tangy aftertaste. Yes, it's light, but that's about it. 5 delicious supermarket wines under £10 Fizz for popping! Corte Molino Prosecco Extra Dry NV (11% abv), Italy, Co-op, £9.50 Prosecco is always a winner, but not all Proseccos are created equal…the Corte Molino Prosecco Extra Dry NV is an example of the easy-drinking Italian fizz. With its sensational Tiffany-blue label, this delicious sparkler is floral on the nose and delicately fruity on the palate. It's also suitable for vegans. Cheers! Great value red for all your date-night faves CAMPANEO OLD VINES TEMPRANILLO 2023 (13.5% ABV), Spain, Morrison's stores & online from £5.45 A smooth, well-structured red wine with ripe raspberry and cherry flavours complemented by a touch of spice, this gorgeous Tempranillo is a great value alternative to pricier Spanish reds. It goes with Tapas, stews and casseroles and roast lamb, too. Great value white that will go with anything! Andrew Peace Signature Black Label Chardonnay 2024 (11% abv), Australia, Morrisons, £5.50 Making roast chicken, mac and cheese, prawn stir fry, or fish and chips? Or do you need something to go with a decadent dessert? The incredible value Andrew Peace Signature Black Label Chardonnay from Morrisons is hugely versatile. What's more, it's celebrated by critics and is only £5.50 a bottle making it instantly affordable. Eco friendly vegan wine for the planet lover Hidden Sea Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (14.5% abv), Australia, Co-op, £10 Did you know there's a wine brand that actually saves the sea? Lush, black fruit with a touch of spicy oak, this ripe, dark berry-fruit Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon by Hidden Sea boasts supple tannins that add elegance and complexity. And buying this wine removes the equivalent of 10 plastic bottles from the ocean. Rose for your sweetheart Baron De Ley Rosado de Lágrima Rioja 2023 (13% abv), Spain Asda, £8 (when on promotion) This gorgeous pale pink wine has white blossom aromas enhanced by hints of ripe red fruits. The palate is luscious and fresh, all perfectly balanced. Serve this Provence-style wine chilled as an excellent apéritif and also alongside grilled fish. It's perfect for gifting, too, as the bottle is a beaut! *Note, prices of wine are subject to promotion. Prices correct as of January 27. I'm normally a huge fan of the Tesco Finest range and can't get enough of their epic microwave meals that are perfect for lazy nights, but this own-brand buy hasn't cut the mustard for me. It's said to emit 'delicious stone fruit flavours' and has been hailed as 'crisp and delicate', but I'm not getting any of that with this beverage. The only upside is that it's cheap. You'll be able to enjoy a summer BBQ and toast to all the cash you've cashed with this, so I suppose if I had to, I could force it down if it meant saving a few pounds. Ranking: 3/5 Château Roquefeuille Côtes de Provence St Victoire £14, Tesco If you're after a full body rosé wine, this bottle of Château Roquefeuille Côtes de Provence St Victoire should be one to add to your shopping list. It's got good depth and a nice sweetness, with a fruity flavour of fresh nectarine. As well as having soaring character, with an intense, lasting taste, the expensive-looking bottle is sure to impress your dinner party guests. It's a gem of a wine that's spot on when paired with a summer salad or a creamy pasta for an alfresco meal on a balmy night. At £14, it's not the cheapest of the bunch - but if you've got a Clubcard, you'll need to move quickly, as you'll now be able to nab it for just £12, making it over a tenner cheaper than the real deal. Ranking: 3.5/5 Les Sarrins Côtes de Provence Rosé £15, Tesco For those after a wonder-wine that screams liquid sunshine, look no further. Wine enthusiasts will need to get their hands on a bottle of Les Sarrins Côtes de Provence Rosé, which has a sharp but round flavour. It's more than just a copycat - its deep flavour almost gave me goosebumps (in a good way). It covers all bases - it's a brilliant all-rounder wine that is sure to be liked by many at your next outdoor function. It'll get you ahead of the A-list but that's not all, as it's also a lovely bottle that's perfect for picnics and pre-drinks in the garden. Yes, it's not a mega bargain, but it's refreshing, elegant and gluggable, making it brilliant for those looking for a luxury pale pink wine that will dance on your tastebuds. Ranking: 4/5 La Balconne Organic Provence Rosé £18, M&S 11 If you can't afford to splash the cash on Whispering Angel, here's a wannabe that is well worth raving about. The La Balconne Organic Provence Rosé has been hailed by M&S bosses as 'elegant' and 'charming', and I have to say, I agree. It reaches near the top of the dupe test with flying colours. It has a light but luscious flavour, with a nice tang that had me reaching for more. It's floral and fruity, with mouth-watering tastes of berries and wild herbs. Celebrities with their own wine brands Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - Château Miraval (Côtes de Provence) Cameron Diaz - Avaline (Low-intervention, made of organic grapes) Sarah Jessica Parker - Invivo X (Collaboration with a New Zealand winery) John Malkovich - Les Quelles de la Coste Rosé IGP Vaucluse (Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir blend) Drew Barrymore - Carmel Road Julianne Hough and Nina Dobrev - Fresh Vine Wine Rosé (Low-sugar blend of Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir) Jon Bon Jovi (with his son Jesse and French wine-maker Gérard Bertrand) - Hampton Water Rosé Kylie Minogue - Kylie Rosé Post Malone - Maison No. 9 Danica Patrick - Danica Rosé Gordon Ramsay - Elegante Rosato Lisa Vanderpump - Vanderpump Rosé Graham Norton - Graham Norton's Rosé (Blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc) Sting and Trudie Styler - Tenuta Il Palagio Beppe Rosato Toscana IGT Ridley Scott - Mas des Infermières Rosé Nicki Minaj - MYX Light Rosé Mary J. Blige - Sun Goddess John Legend - Legend Vineyard Exclusives (LVE) Rosé Jay-Z - Ace of Spades Rosé (Sparkling) Paul Oakenfold (Spokesperson) - Domaine Bertaud Belieu It's been described as 'delicate yet complex' and for me, that's spot on. Yes, it's the most expensive of the bunch and isn't that much cheaper than the OG, but it's definitely worth it if you want something that's similar to Whispering Angel but not quite as pricey. Not only does it taste great and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans, but to top things off, it's also a gorgeous bottle too. Ranking: 4.5/5 Screaming Devil £12.97, Asda But if you're eager to nab a rosé that's bold but not too sharp, with a strong flavour that hits you straight away, look no further. This Screaming Devil Côtes de Provence not only has a great name, but is of great value too. It's just like the costly celestial sip, but thankfully, a lot cheaper. This high-class bottle will save you an impressive £9.53 and not only that, it's also sure to make summer picnics in the park much more straightforward too. Thanks to the handy glass stopper, there's no need for a corkscrew, so you'll never find yourself desperately Googling hacks to remove a cork again - phew. It's a lovely, modern bottle and has a sweet and refreshing flavour of white peach. As well as being vibrant, this thirst slacker from Asda is sure to ruffle the feathers of the big-name bottle, and has a tasty zest that left me pouring a second (and third) glass within a matter of minutes. So if you can't make it to the South of France this summer, this dupe-tastic buy is a real winner and one that you'll definitely want to stock up on this season. Ranking: 5/5 Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club 11
Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Sarah Murdoch stuns in a low-cut violet gown as she attends at Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos' star-studded wedding welcome party with husband Lachlan
Sarah Murdoch cut a stunning figure on Thursday when she joined husband Lachlan for the star-studded wedding party for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in Italy. The billionaire Amazon CEO and his journalist fiancée are set to exchange vows on Friday, but the celebrations have already kicked off. The soon-to-be husband and wife gathered at the Madonna dell'Orto cloisters with their A-list friends on Thursday evening for a lavish pre-wedding celebration. Among the revellers were media mogul Lachlan and his wife of 26 years, and the couple were all smiles as they arrived at the lavish soirée. Sarah, 53, looked absolutely stunning in a classic violet gown that showed off her svelte form. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The simple-yet-stylish gown was cinched at the waist and finished just below Sarah's knee. The British-Australian model finished her ensemble with a pair of black strappy heels. She accessorised with a small black clutch and a pair of sleek black sunglasses. Husband Lachlan, 53, complemented his wife perfectly in a navy blue jacket and matching pants. The News Corp chairman also wore a similarly coloured collared shirt while finishing his dapper look with what appeared to be a pair of black sneakers. The couple looked chuffed to be in each other's company, walking hand-in-hand as they arrived at the luxe celebration. A slew of celebrities stepped out to celebrate Lauren and Jeff on Thursday evening as their pre-wedding festivities kicked off, including Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Orlando Bloom, who all dressed to the nines. Bride-to-be Lauren, 55, donned a terrifyingly tight corset for the party. Husband Lachlan, 53, complemented his wife perfectly in a navy blue jacket and matching pants The shimmering one-piece by Schiaparelli boasted a cinched waistline and embroidered floral detailing. For his part, Jeff, 61, looked dapper in a white shirt and black suit before finishing the outfit with a pair of statement sunglasses. It comes after Sarah made a rare public appearance as she celebrated Tamie Ingham's 40th birthday in Sydney earlier this month. She was all smiles as she mingled with Eastern Suburbs socialites at the event. Sarah put on a stylish display in a dark top with a matching-coloured pleated skirt. She was also seen cutting a cake at the event as her friends took time to sing her happy birthday after she celebrated turning 53 in May. Sarah left her curled blonde locks out as she cut her cake while standing alongside birthday girl Tamie. Tamie, who is married to celebrity chef Guillaume Brahimi, dressed to impress in a light blue dress that had a cinched-in design at the front. Meanwhile, Sarah has been happily married to her husband Lachlan for 26 years after tying the knot in 1999. They are parents to sons Kalan Alexander, 18, and Aidan Patrick, 17, and daughter Aerin Elisabeth, 13. The couple own a home in Bellevue Hill, Sydney, known as Le Manoir. Sarah and Lachlan were spotted packing on the PDA in February last year as they watched the SailGP championships in Sydney. While watching the race, Rupert Murdoch's son and News Corp chairman Lachlan, leaned in and gave his wife a kiss. After sharing the intimate moment, the pair were seen sitting and chatting with friends. At one point, Lachlan was seen leaning on the edge of the balcony and puffing on a giant cigar. Just days prior, the couple had attended the opening of Sydney's first LGBTQIA+ museum, Qtopia.
