Talk Fuse

    Culture

    Culture covers the stories that shape how we express ourselves and connect with one another. From film festivals and entertainment to social movements and artistic endeavour, these stories reflect the values, conversations and creativity that define our communities. Whether it's a new film project breaking ground, a performer taking their work to new audiences, or society grappling with important questions about identity and behaviour, culture encompasses the ways we live and the narratives we tell.

    This topic matters because culture is often where change begins. The entertainment industry responds to shifting tastes whilst simultaneously influencing them. Artists and creators challenge conventions, spark conversations, and hold up mirrors to society. Social and cultural movements highlight the issues that resonate with people's lives and futures.

    Culture also reflects broader trends in how we consume and engage with content and ideas. From streaming platforms to live performance, from traditional institutions to emerging voices online, the stories documented here chronicle the evolving landscape of how we entertain, educate and challenge ourselves.

    • Rod Stewart cancels North American dates after coronary stent procedure

      Rod Stewart has cancelled the remaining North American dates of his One Last Time farewell tour after undergoing a routine coronary stent procedure. The 81-year-old singer said he was recovering well, but will follow doctors’ advice to take four weeks away from performing, affecting concerts in the United States and Mexico. He first cancelled a…

    • Democrat panic as socialist star is toppled by razor-thin vote after Republican cash boosted her rise

      Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley narrowly defeated Democratic socialist state representative Francesca Hong in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor. The result gives the party’s more moderate wing its preferred nominee in a pivotal swing state, where Crowley will face the Trump-endorsed Republican congressman Tom Tiffany in November. With 98% of votes counted, Crowley led Hong…

    • Nicholas Hoult joins Harry Potter TV show – see the cast so far

      Nicholas Hoult has been cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in HBO’s forthcoming Harry Potter television adaptation, adding another prominent name to the expanding ensemble. His role matters because Lockhart is a major character in the second book, although Hoult is not expected to appear until the already-confirmed second season. The first season, Harry Potter and the…

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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…

    • Steal This Story, Please! review – Amy Goodman, stalwart of the American left, shows her teeth

      This documentary profiles Amy Goodman, the long-running host of listener-funded US news programme Democracy Now!, portraying her as a persistent progressive journalist who challenges powerful figures and pursues stories neglected by larger media outlets. The review argues that her work matters amid perceived corporate influence over American news organisations, while noting that the film does…

    • Democrats’ progressive surge could complicate Jeffries’s path to unity

      Democrats’ string of left-wing primary wins is giving the party’s progressive flank a burst of momentum — and potentially handing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) a new headache should Democrats take back the House. The recent victories come as Democratic voters have been clamoring for a change in direction. That appetite was on full…

    • GOP worries time running out on Trump’s agenda with Congress

      The Senate’s departure for a five-week August recess leaves big political fights for September and the postelection lame-duck session, setting up a scramble to accomplish as much of President Trump’s agenda before Republicans possibly lose complete control of Congress.   Trump has ramped up pressure on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to move a…

    • 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…

    • 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…