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You can’t trick the markets with extra borrowing, experts and former chancellor warn Burnham
Financial experts, the Institute for Fiscal Studies and former chancellor Phillip Hammond have warned that plans reportedly being considered by the Treasury to borrow an additional £9bn annually could raise rather than reduce the cost of government debt. Supporters say the borrowing, if directed towards infrastructure, housing and businesses under Rachel Reeves’s fiscal rules, could…
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Neil Young Announces New Album with The Chrome Hearts, Second Song, Shares 11.5-Minute Title Track: Stream
Neil Young has announced Second Song, a new seven-track album with his backing band The Chrome Hearts, due for release on 18 September via Reprise Records. Its lead single and title track, an 11-and-a-half-minute acoustic piece, reflects on life, love and the future after Young said recent politics had left him disheartened. The album is…
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Every Baby Boomer Alive Remembers These 4 Classic Pop Jams From 1968
The article highlights four pop hits from 1968 that it says remain especially memorable to baby boomers: Bobby Goldsboro’s “Honey (I Miss You)”, The Beatles’ “Hey Jude”, Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson” and Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”. It presents them as examples of the year’s enduring mainstream music and notes…
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‘Pricing Has Not Kept Pace With Inflation’ — Take-Two Boss Insists Rockstar Got GTA 6 Standard and Ultimate Edition Price Points Right
Take-Two chief executive Strauss Zelnick has defended Rockstar’s pricing for Grand Theft Auto 6, arguing that both its standard and Ultimate editions offer strong value. The comments matter because the game’s $80 standard price is $10 above the usual triple-A console price, while the $100 Ultimate Edition has prompted criticism over paid exclusive content and…
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Carly Rae Jepsen Shares ABBA-Inspired New Song ‘Don’t Leave Me on the Dance Floor’
Carly Rae Jepsen has released ‘Don’t Leave Me on the Dance Floor’, an ABBA-inspired single from her forthcoming double album, Day and Night. The song marks the first preview of the album’s ‘Night’ half and is accompanied by a video directed by playwright Jeremy O. Harris, featuring Alden Ehrenreich and Olivia Washington. Jepsen said the…
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MIT boffins’ TONTOU attack slips through Spectre defenses on Intel and AMD CPUs
MIT researchers have developed TONTOU, a speculative-execution attack that can bypass some Spectre v2 defences on Intel and AMD processors. It matters because it challenges the assumption that branch-predictor state remains safe between a system’s protective sanitisation step and the later execution of sensitive code. The technique uses carefully timed timer interrupts to re-poison branch-prediction…
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GTA 6 “will be an incredible bargain” at $80, says Take-Two CEO, as the Rockstar owner isn’t trying “to maximize price”
Take-Two chief executive Strauss Zelnick has described Grand Theft Auto 6 as “an incredible bargain” at $80, saying the company is focused on offering value rather than simply charging the highest possible price. His remarks matter because GTA 6 is one of the industry’s most anticipated releases and its pricing could influence expectations for other…
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John Waters Is Aging Disgracefully, Thank Goodness
John Waters, the cult filmmaker known as the “Pope of Trash”, reflects on turning 80 while continuing to host Oakland’s Mosswood Meltdown punk festival with deliberately provocative humour. His refusal to become more conventional matters because it underlines the longevity of a career built on satirising social norms, shock comedy and independent creative control. Waters…
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GTA 6 Pre-Orders Are ‘Exceptional’ So Far, Says Take-Two Boss
Take-Two Interactive says pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto 6 have made an “exceptional start”, according to chief executive Strauss Zelnick. The early demand reinforces expectations that Rockstar’s next major release will be one of the industry’s biggest launches, ahead of its planned November release. The publisher reported $1.39 billion in net bookings for the latest…
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“This Is As Authentic As It Gets” Masego Interviewed
Masego discusses his new 16-track album, ‘Fix Your Face’, describing it as his most vulnerable and authentic work to date. The Jamaican-American musician says the record moves beyond the bravado and charisma often associated with R&B, using open-hearted songwriting across jazz, soul and R&B to reveal more of his personal perspective. He says the album’s…