More than 30 performing arts leaders in the UK, including the bosses of the National Theatre, Opera North and the Royal Albert Hall, have joined the chorus of creative industry concern about the government’s plans to let artificial intelligence companies use artists’ work without permission. In a statement they said performing arts organisations depend on … Read more
Germany’s likely next chancellor is to face a key vote on plans to unlock a record level of state borrowing, which he argues is necessary to boost the country’s military spending and inject growth into its ailing economy. Ahead of the crucial Bundestag vote on Tuesday, Friedrich Merz has faced a barrage of complaints from … Read more
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD has unveiled a new charging system that it said could make it possible for EVs to charge as quickly as it takes to refill with petrol and announced for the first time that it would build a charging network across China. The so-called “super e-platform” will be capable of … Read more
A jury has been unable to reach a unanimous verdict in the trial of a man accused of murder after a young woman was fatally stabbed on an isolated beach. Toyah Cordingley, a 24-year-old organic food store worker, was found buried in sand at a beach outside Cairns in far north Queensland on 22 October … Read more
Jim Chalmers has confirmed next Tuesday’s budget will unveil a deficit close to the $26.9bn predicted at the December update, as he flagged that the windfall tax gains from high commodity prices and a booming jobs market were now a thing of the past. The government has had to scramble to finalise a fourth Labor … Read more
Universal Music Group have moved to dismiss Drake’s defamation suit, characterising it as “a misguided attempt” by the Canadian rapper to “salve his wounds” after he “lost a rap battle” with rival Kendrick Lamar. In the motion, filed on Monday in the US district court for the southern district of New York, Universal Music Group … Read more
Israel’s military said it was conducting “extensive strikes on terror targets” in Gaza early on Tuesday, with officials there reporting at least 30 deaths in the most intense airstrikes since the 19 January ceasefire began. An unnamed senior Hamas official told Reuters that Israel was “unilaterally” ending the ceasefire. Medics reported that at least 30 … Read more
The Trump administration claimed to a federal judge on Monday that it did not recall deportation flights of hundreds of suspected Venezuelan gang members over the weekend despite his specific instructions because that was not expressly included in the formal written order issued afterwards. The administration also said that even if James Boasberg, the chief … Read more
Ikea will be bringing its mix of meatballs, lampshades and kitchen planning to London’s Oxford Street from 1 May, when the world’s largest furniture retailer finally opens its store 18 months late. The company said its three-floor outlet, in the former Topshop base, would house a 130-seat Swedish deli and showrooms, as well as offering … Read more
The last surviving Battle of Britain pilot, John “Paddy” Hemingway, has died aged 105. The Royal Air Force (RAF) said Hemingway, a member of “the Few” who took to the skies during the second world war, died peacefully on Monday. He played a key role in the successful defence of Britain against unremitting air raids … Read more