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Helena Gao And Shushu Link On ‘lao wai [老外]’
Chinese-Danish alt-pop artist Helena Gao has released ‘lao wai [老外]’, a new single featuring Chinese artist Shushu, ahead of her EP ‘Gao Dan Dan’. The track explores Gao’s sense of being an outsider—its title means “foreigner”—and blends hyper-pop, Chinese electronic music and Scandinavian alt-pop influences. The EP is due on 10 September via After All…
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Morning news brief
This NPR “Morning Edition” news brief from 7 August 2026 rounds up three developing stories: a fresh push by President Trump to restrict birthright citizenship, an Iranian disclosure of details from an agreement with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and mounting pressure on the Trump administration to secure a diplomatic breakthrough with Iran.…
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fakemink Shares New Single ‘Love Is A Dog From Hell’
UK artist fakemink has released a new single, ‘Love Is A Dog From Hell’, extending a prolific period that has included a mixtape, his debut studio album ‘Terrified’ and international festival appearances. The release matters as it continues the momentum around an artist described as both widely discussed and divisive within the UK music scene.…
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Burnham ordered to be less ‘blokeish’ on social media – and drop the football and pub references
Andy Burnham has reportedly been advised by Downing Street’s social media team to dial back the “laddish” tone of his online videos, which have featured him discussing football and pub visits, amid concerns the content could alienate some voters. The advice marks a notable contrast with the more reserved style of his predecessor, Sir Keir…
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‘Waste colonialism’ – the Turkish city carrying the weight of Britain’s pollution problem
A Guardian investigation reports that large quantities of UK plastic waste have been exported to recycling sites in poorer districts of Adana, southern Turkey, prompting residents and farmers to raise concerns about pollution and health risks. The issue matters because it highlights how Britain’s plastic-waste exports can shift environmental burdens to communities abroad, despite UK…
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Aymar Esse, Director of Locarno Open Doors World Premiere ‘My Father’s Kora,’ Discusses Challenges of Queer Cinema in Senegal
Aymar Esse, a Beninese director, will premiere his film “My Father’s Kora” at the Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors section on 9 August 2026. The film explores queer identity within traditional Senegalese Muslim culture through the story of Souleymane Everston Adowo Freudenreich, an Afro-German trans man who travels to Dakar to repair his father’s kora,…
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Who will leave Chelsea? How Blues could cut 41-man squad
Chelsea have 41 senior players and just 25 days left in the transfer window to trim their squad, with new head coach Xabi Alonso keen to make significant cuts after the club missed out on European football for the coming season. Even reaching a more workable 25-man senior squad would require offloading 16 players by…
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July’s heatwaves kept UK shoppers away from high street
UK high streets saw a marked drop in shopper numbers in July as heatwave conditions, with temperatures reaching the mid-30s Celsius in some areas, prompted many people to shop online instead. This continues a trend of declining footfall through the summer and highlights how extreme weather, alongside climate change more broadly, is reshaping consumer behaviour…
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What Is It Like to Portray Nazi Heinrich Himmler? Martin Müller Shares His Experience on ‘I Is Another’
Actor Martin Müller discusses playing SS leader Heinrich Himmler in Felix Randau’s new film “I Is Another” (Ich Ist ein Anderer), which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival’s Piazza Grande programme on 7 August 2026. Randau said casting the role was unusually difficult, as several actors he approached declined and accused him of “providing a…
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Why Daniel Andrews’ $134k bronze statue risks becoming a ‘public urinal’
A bronze statue commemorating former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, reported to have cost around $134,000, has become the subject of controversy, with critics warning it risks being treated as a “public urinal” rather than a respected monument. The row appears to centre on objections from Liberal figures, reflecting the deep political divisions that marked Andrews’…