Flagship

Ghibli chief’s final film out in English

The Boy and the Heron, probably the final film from Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki, had its English-language release. Its Japanese release was Ghibli’s highest-grossing opening. The film draws heavily from Miyazaki’s own childhood, albeit with more talking herons, and according to RogerEbert.com is “gorgeous, ruminative, and mesmerizing … a film that somehow plays as both a child’s heroic journey and an old man’s wistful goodbye at the same time.” The English voice cast includes Robert Pattinson, Christian Bale, and Mark Hamill: Its voice director said the casting was vital, as the likely last Miyazaki film should be “a love letter to the studio.”

Nazi art purchase causes spat

An ancient Greek statue bought by Adolf Hitler is at the center of a diplomatic dispute between Germany and Italy. The 2,000-year-old Discobolus Lancellotti was found on Rome’s Esquiline Hill in 1781 and sold by Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime to Nazi Germany in 1938. After the war, it was returned to Italy. But a German museum director argued that the statue was legally acquired and should be returned. Italy’s culture minister said the request was “as absurd as it is inadmissible,” and that Germany would have to “go over my dead body” to retrieve it. It’s one of a number of ongoing European disputes about ownership of ancient statuary: The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently canceled a meeting with his Greek counterpart in a row over the Elgin Marbles.

Soccer relegation sparks Brazil riots

Santos FC, the team where Pelé and Neymar’s careers began, was relegated from the top division of Brazilian soccer for the first time in its 111-year history, sparking riots in the streets. Santos, based in the southern port city of the same name, lost 2-1 at home to Fortaleza in the final game of the season, sealing their fate. Supporters hurled projectiles at the players before taking to the streets, setting fire to cars and buses: Police responded with tear gas. Santos, eight-time winner of the Brazilian league and twice of the South America-wide Copa Libertadores, was — until now — one of just three Brazilian teams never to have been relegated from the top flight, but suffered financial problems in recent years.

UAE ‘ghost village’ opens for visitors

A “ghost” fishing village in the United Arab Emirates, abandoned for 50 years, is opening up to tourism. Al Jazeera Al Hamra — “the Red Island” — was “a maritime power of fierce renown” in the 17th and 18th centuries, according to Condé Nast Traveller, and remained home to pearl-divers and fishermen into the 20th century. But shortly before the UAE’s formation in the late 1960s, its people left, many for Abu Dhabi. It’s an architectural time-capsule, built from coral, some dating back to 1551, and is, by reputation, haunted by jinns, including one known as the “Noon Donkey.” Heritage trails through the old village are opening up this winter.

AI can identify wine chateaux

Artificial intelligence can identify by smell which particular chateau a Bordeaux red wine comes from. Swiss scientists trained an AI on the chemical signatures of 73 wines from seven particular estates, then introduced seven new wines. Then they repeated the process 50 times. The algorithm identified the correct chateau every time, and got the vintage — the year of production, out of a possible 12 — right 50% of the time. It noted that wines from the right bank of the Garonne, the river near Bordeaux, were chemically distinct from those on the left bank. It’s “coming close to proof” that local soils, climate, and traditions — known as the terroir — affect the flavor of wine, as wine buffs have long claimed, one researcher told New Scientist.

Each week, we’ll tell you what a great independent bookstore suggests you read.

Patrick, a bookseller at Edinburgh’s Topping & Company, recommends James Islington’s The Will of the Many. “It’s a story that deftly weaves mystery, action, and dark fantasy together into a fascinating whole,” Patrick says. Buy it from Topping & Company or your local bookstore.

January 14-19, 2024 | Switzerland

Semafor will be on the ground at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, covering what’s happening on the main stages and lifting the curtain on what’s happening behind them.

Sign up to receive our pop-up newsletter: Semafor Davos (and if you’re flying to Zurich let us know so we can invite you to one of Semafor’s private convenings).

We’re in the process of compiling our Best of 2023 selections — so send in your suggestions for the best books, TV, movies, podcasts, music, and video games of the year and we’ll feature the most-recommended ideas. Just hit reply, or email flagship@semafor.com.

The Scoville Heat Units of Pepper X, the spiciest chili on the planet, according to Guinness World Records. The extraordinarily hot pepper — jalapeños’ spiciness falls in a range of 2,500-8,000 SHU — is part of a budding race to find and develop the spiciest foods on the planet. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the chili pepper market is now worth $100 million a year in the U.S. alone. Although some of the spiciest foods have gone viral as part of pain tolerance challenges, chilis such as Pepper X can be so spicy as to be deadly. “I don’t do those challenges ‘cause they’re stupid,” the creator of Pepper X said.

Golf’s governing bodies announced a golf-ball rollback in response to the ever-increasing length in player’s average driving distance. Although driving distances are expected to remain far above historical averages — pro golfers are expected to lose around 13-15 yards under the new regulations — the restrictions on ball development could have a seismic impact on course designs. Golf courses have tried to adapt to the longer distances for years, with many now reaching the limits of their property as they lengthen holes, forcing some into radical redesigns. The changes will also put a premium on golf players’ other skills, Rory McIlroy, one of the leading players on tour, wrote on X. The move “puts golf back on a path of sustainability,” McIlroy said.

Our weekend roundup of the best Semafor stories you might have missed.

Politics

George Santos, the former Representative for New York who was expelled from Congress this month, is earning six figures a week from Cameo videos.

Net Zero

The COP28 summit is bullish on the carbon market, but a long-sought agreement on global trading rules remains ‘a total mess.’

Tech

Google’s long-awaited launch of Gemini, it’s rival to OpenAI’s GPT-4 heats up competition in the sector.

Business

America’s big banks are strutting. Its small ones are limping.

Africa

Who is Ghana’s masked presidential contender?