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Pylon Bill Discounts and Unmarried Couples Reform Considered
On 12 August, the government identified more than 40 locations expected to fall within its new electricity Bill Discount Scheme, intended to compensate households close to new or substantially upgraded overhead transmission infrastructure, including pylons. Subject to legislation and final project details, eligible homes within 500 metres could receive up to £250 a year for…
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The Hollywood Merger Won’t Kill Entertainment Jobs. Blocking It Might
Something besides industry consolidation is clearly to blame for Hollywood’s current contraction.
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Unwell valued at £370 million after WTSL investment
Unwell, the media company founded by Alex Cooper and Matt Kaplan, has received its first outside investment from Patrick Whitesell’s WTSL, valuing the business at $500 million (£370 million). The investment provides growth capital for expansion while allowing Cooper and Kaplan to keep majority ownership of the self-funded company. Founded in 2023, Unwell targets Gen…
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‘The X-Files’ Meets ‘True Detective’ in Deborah Ann Woll’s New Shudder Horror Thriller
Shudder’s upcoming horror thriller The Cycle, starring Deborah Ann Woll, will stream from 23 October. Woll plays Meg, a forensic anthropologist who discovers that a newly recovered body from a 36-year missing-person case is her estranged father, setting up a mystery with supernatural and investigative elements. Director Jordan Downey and Woll discussed the film at…
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Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson shares new ‘Moana’ ballad ‘Your Dad’, teases return to music with “old school soul” and country music
Dwayne Johnson has released ‘Your Dad’, a ballad from the Moana companion album ‘Moana: Voices Across The Ocean’, and said he is considering a more sustained music career. The actor’s comments matter because they signal an expansion beyond his established wrestling and film work, with country and soul music emerging as his preferred direction. Johnson…
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AI was supposed to destroy jobs. Where’s the carnage?
Predictions that artificial intelligence would rapidly eliminate large numbers of jobs have not yet been borne out, despite high-profile warnings from technology executives and companies linking some layoffs to AI. Economists say the technology is instead changing how work is organised and what employers expect from staff, in a pattern more akin to earlier, slower…
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If the markets reject OpenAI and Anthropic, the US should nationalize them | Bruce Schneier and Nathan E Sanders
Bruce Schneier and Nathan E Sanders argue that, if OpenAI and Anthropic fail to meet investors’ expectations, the US government should nationalise them and operate them as democratically controlled national laboratories. They say this could restore the firms’ original public-interest aims and prevent powerful AI systems from being governed chiefly by corporate profit motives. The…
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Trump puts vaccines on front burner ahead of crucial midterms for GOP
The Trump administration has thrust vaccine policy back into the headlines just three months before the midterm elections, potentially complicating matters for vulnerable Republicans who are hoping to keep control of Congress. President Trump on Monday doubled down on his attempt to overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule with an executive order aimed at reducing…
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FEMA’s ‘Shadow Administrator’ Was Paid by a DOGE Member’s Startup for Months
Court filings indicate that Kara Voorhies, a FEMA contractor described as the agency’s “shadow administrator”, was subcontracted by a company owned by DOGE operative Kyle Schutt while working in government. The arrangement raises questions about conflicts of interest and whether an outside contractor exercised influence over FEMA spending and grant decisions that may be considered…
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Suno licenses BMG recordings for new AI music models
Suno has agreed a licensing deal with music company BMG, allowing it to use BMG recordings in forthcoming AI music models and retrospectively covering their use in earlier training. The agreement gives Suno further legitimacy within the music industry as it seeks to move from disputed training practices towards licensed, label-backed AI tools. Suno will…