Government Stuff
The government has finally announced plans for an insurance scheme for live events and festivals, worth over £750m, in case of COVID-related cancellations.
DCMS has announced that performers won’t need visas or work permits for short-term tours in 19 EU member states, including France and Italy.
The first five Turing AI Fellows have been announced, backed with £18m to conduct groundbreaking research on AI’s biggest challenges.
Sectors, including the creative industries, can now bid for a share of a £7 million fund to support more flexible apprenticeships opportunities.
A new Cabinet Office report has found that keeping old computers going is costing the government £2.3bn a year. Just turn it off and on! Give it a kick! It’ll be fine!
DCMS has published new details on how 2.2m rural homes and businesses are set to benefit from a broadband boost under the £5bn Project Gigabit.
A new DCMS report examining how online platforms with video-sharing capabilities are protecting users online.
Culture Minister Caroline Dinenage has delivered a keynote speech to fellow G20 culture ministers about the role of the sector in battling the climate crisis.
You can now apply to be a vendor on the government’s new Help to Grow: Digital scheme.
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Culture Stuff
Arts & Culture
Workers in the arts and creative industries have leapfrogged hospitality staff as the most likely to still be on furlough in June. Eeesh.
New Arts Council England research finds that over two-thirds of the general public think that culture on high streets make for better places to live.
£3m is being invested to double the size of London’s Creative Enterprise Zones scheme.
Creative Scotland has announced the Scottish venues set to receive a further £17m in COVID relief grants.
Serpentine has launched a new £100k programme of support for artists to mark the 20th Serpentine Pavilion (which is open until October, FYI).
The New York Times marks 50 years of taking photos seriously at London’s Photographers Gallery. Give it another 50 and they’ll take newsletters seriously, too. I’ll still be writing this.
Design
Architect Amanda Levete's firm AL_A has designed the world's first magnetised fusion power station for the UK. Magnetised? Are you sure? I’m positive.
Dezeen with a nice lil’ look at ten impressive bamboo buildings from around the world demonstrating its versatility. Bamboo? You wouldn’t? I wood.
Theatre & Dance
Scottish theatres are to reopen without social distancing from 9th August.
Tourism & Heritage
The chief of UNESCO has warned that ministers must do more to protect the UK’s historic sites or they may well lose their world heritage status. Gulp.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded over £14m to projects helping a wider range of people connect with heritage.
Museums
There’s a new book on the way from the British Museum which, for the first time, explores indigenous Australian collections in museums across the UK.
Press, Books & Libraries
The Guardian’s sales are now split almost 50/50 (fave Lemar song) between paid newsstand and subscriptions.
Acting legend Mel Brooks is to release his first memoir at the age of 95 this November.
Press Gazette explores how younger readers are passing mainstream news by and what publishers can do about it.
Exhibitions and Events
Battersea Arts Centre has unveiled its autumn season, including regular socially distanced shows and a building takeover from James Cousins Company’s We Are As Gods.
This October’s London Film Festival will see The Harder They Fall as its opening night gala film.
WePresent invites people to a free, immersive journey through artist Marina Abramović’s life at the Old Truman Brewery in September.
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Neil Sharpson’s debut When the Sparrow Falls (part of the Rebellion Publishing family) has been named by The Times as its sci-fi book of the month. Lovely stuff.
The free Left 4 Dead 2 character pack is now LIVE on Zombie Army 4.
You can now pre-order a limited edition slipcase version of Judge Dredd, numbered and signed by Brian Bolland – one of the greatest comic artists of his generation.
A games course at the University of the West of Scotland is the latest to achieve TIGA accreditation.
Rebellion has had 21 new joiners at its studios across the country in July alone – and there’s plenty more roles up for grabs.
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Creative Industries & Tech Stuff
Film & TV
The first names for the new series of Strictly have been unveiled, including Peep Show’s Robert Webb, McFly’s Tom Fletcher, and also the first all-male partnership.
The upcoming series of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! (aka. Rwy'n enwog, ewch â fi allan o'r fan hon!) is set to take place in Wales again this November.
Variety on how Discovery’s $1.5bn Olympics deal has meant uneven free-to-air coverage right across Europe.
The creators of South Park have signed a $900m deal with US media giant ViacomCBS.
Top Gear is moving production to Bristol from 2022. They should check out Warleigh if they fancy some natural swimming. Top weir.
A DC-themed immersive experience is to be developed with Warner Bros and launched in cities including London in 2022. I’m gonna go dressed as the Dad Joker.
Fashion
An eye-opener of a long read from the i on how Leicester’s clothing sweatshop scandal hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.
Upmarket British workout brand Sweaty Betty has been sold to a US footwear firm for $400m.
Music & Radio
Dave’s new album has broken the UK rap streaming record and has also had easily the biggest opening of 2021 releases so far. Legend.
Music Business Worldwide meets Alec Boateng (one half of 0207 Def Jam with his twin brother Alex) to talk about how his life has led to heading up a new frontline label.
Youth Music has opened the third round of its £2m Incubator Fund, offering grants of up to £30k.
The Beeb charts 20 years since The Strokes’ gamechanging debut album Is This It. 20 years? Feels like only Last Nite to me.
Tech & Telecoms
Wired on the whopping £636m GDPR fine facing Amazon – the first significant ruling on its kind against Big Tech.
UK events platform Hopin has raised $450m in Series D funding, valuing the firm at a cool $7.75bn and making it Europe’s fastest-growing startup.
Square (run by Twitter boss Jack Dorsey) is to purchase the ‘buy now, pay later’ company Afterpay for a mega $29bn. Here’s Fast Company with why.
Ahead of its planned New York listing, digital used car platform Cazoo has seen revenues jump an eye-boggling 600% to £141m in the space of the year.
According to new Ofcom stats, UK adults spend, on average, almost a third of their waking day on screens. A third! Didn’t realise it was amateur hour!
Interesting read from Wired on how France has tamed Google with antitrust fines totalling €720 million this year.
Apple is planning to install software on iPhones in the US which will continuously scan for child abuse imagery.
Facebook has blocked the accounts of some academics researching political ads and disinformation on the platform.
On the back of ITV’s investigation into Amazon destroying unsold stock, the company has announced new programmes to not just bin everything.
WhatsApp has launched disappearing photos and vi
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Appointments & Movers
Will Gompertz and Sandeep Dwesar will share leadership of the Barbican when Nicholas Kenyon steps down in September; Sandie Shaw has stepped down from the Featured Artists Coalition; Mike Ashley is to relinquish his role as CEO of Frasers Group; Xbox veteran Harvey Eagle is to lead Microsoft’s Azure Gaming expansion in the UK; Hannah Price and Mark Ravenhill have been announced as joint artistic directors at King’s Head Theatre
And could there be a role here for YOU? Artiq are recruiting across all departments as they go into growth mode
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Ed Stuff
Popped up on Times Radio’s breakfast show to talk through the day’s top stories
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...And Finally
I’m sorry to have to announce that a JRR Tolkien-themed cryptocurrency has launched and it’s obviously called JRR Token. I’m even more sorry that Pippin has endorsed it. You could say I am Sorry-man (like Saruman) (don’t worry about it).
An Olympic cameraman stopped filming the final five minutes of a hockey match between Argentina and Spain to focus on cockroach. Glad it wasn’t just me. Thought I had a bug on the feed.
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