Articles about Announces

• The Weeknd announced a massive 75-date world stadium tour spanning North America, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia, beginning September 2026. • Ticket pre-sales for North American dates begin April 19, 2026, with general sales starting April 25 through Live Nation's ticketing platform. • The tour supports his upcoming fifth studio album "Midnight Requiem," expected to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart in May.

• Disney+ revealed "Marvel: Secret Wars," a six-part miniseries event bringing together characters from the MCU, Sony's Spider-Man Universe, and Fox's X-Men franchise in an unprecedented crossover. • Production is set to begin in summer 2026, with Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield all confirmed to return as versions of Spider-Man within the multiverse storyline. • The series will premiere in early 2027 and serve as a major reset point for Marvel's cinematic universe, introducing the Fantastic Four and Professor X to the MCU proper.

Halt to seven weeks of fighting will be followed by first Israeli-Lebanese summit in decades. Plus, why are there so many false claims that some of cinema’s most famous scenes were improvised?Good morning.Donald Trump has announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon, to be followed by a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese leaders next week, a deal that it is hoped will bring progress toward a parallel peace agreement between the US and Iran.What has Lebanon said? The Lebanese army warned people displaced from southern Lebanon about returning home because of intermittent shelling that was reported after the ceasefire came into effect.This is a developing story. Follow the liveblog here.What has Amazon said? It has called the claims in the lawsuit “entirely false and misguided”. The company said in a statement: “Amazon is consistently identified as America’s lowest-priced online retailer, and it is ironic that the attorney general seeks to have us feature higher prices in ways that would harm consumers and competition.” Continue reading...

• Taylor Swift revealed on April 16 the final US dates for her 'Eras Tour' kicking off June 15 in Miami, wrapping December 20 in New Orleans, via social media to 300 million followers. • Confirmed openers include Sabrina Carpenter for 12 shows and Post Malone for five stadium dates, with ticket sales starting April 18 via Ticketmaster. • The announcement sent Ticketmaster crashing briefly, with resale prices already hitting $1,200 average per Billboard reports, underscoring Swift's $2 billion tour dominance.

• Donald Trump announced a major ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon while signaling progress toward a potential nuclear deal with Iran. • The development represents a significant diplomatic initiative amid broader Middle East tensions and ongoing US-Iran negotiations. • The ceasefire comes as regional dynamics continue to shift with multiple diplomatic channels active simultaneously.

• HHS launched the $4 Million KidneyX EMPOWER Prize Challenge on April 15, 2026, to advance living kidney donation and patient-centered health technologies. • The initiative aims to spur innovation in kidney care through science and programs improving American health outcomes. • This effort addresses critical needs in organ transplantation, potentially increasing donation rates and access to treatments.

Rebrand as NewBird AI sent shares up 582% in bizarre and rapid turnaround for firm that had fallen on hard timesAllbirds, the maker of minimalist wool sneakers beloved by Silicon Valley, announced on Wednesday that it is leaving shoes behind and pivoting to artificial intelligence. The new focus and rebrand as “NewBird AI” sent the company’s stock up 582% as of mid-day during a flurry of trading.The surging stock price and new direction is a bizarre, rapid turnaround for a company that had fallen into disrepair in recent years. Once valued at $4bn, Allbirds’ shares had lost 99% of their worth since 2021 and earlier this month the company announced plans for a $39m sale to brand management firm American Exchange Company. Continue reading...

Confessions II reunites her with producer Stuart Price and is billed as a study of the dancefloor as ‘a ritualistic space where movement replaces language’Madonna has announced the release of her 15th studio album, Confessions II: a sequel to Confessions on a Dance Floor, her disco-fabulous 2005 release regarded as one of the jewels of her discography.The album will be released on 3 July. Details are still relatively scarce beyond that, but like its predecessor, Confessions II is a collaboration with the British producer Stuart Price.When Stuart Price and I first started working on this record, this was our manifesto:We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies. These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people. Sound, light, and vibration Reshape our perceptions Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time. Continue reading...

Refugee Council criticises Labour’s decision, saying military sites are unsuitable and ‘more expensive than hotels’Hundreds of asylum seekers have been removed from government-funded hotels while others have been sent to live in army barracks, the Home Office has announced.Eleven “asylum hotels” in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland have been closed, as first reported by the Guardian, and more will close “in the coming weeks”. About 350 claimants have been moved to the Crowborough military camp in east Sussex, described by a spokesperson as “basic accommodation”. Continue reading...

• Actress Aubrey Plaza revealed she is pregnant with her first child, sharing the news via social media and public appearances. • Known for roles in Parks and Recreation and White Lotus, Plaza's announcement has sparked congratulations from Hollywood peers. • The news adds to her rising profile ahead of upcoming film projects.

• President Trump announced on April 12 that the U.S. Navy would begin a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and intercept any vessel that has paid tolls to Iran to transit the strait safely, following the failure of 21-hour nuclear negotiations. • Vice President JD Vance confirmed in Islamabad that no agreement was reached, with Iran's refusal to abandon its nuclear program cited as the primary sticking point. • Iran's state-affiliated Fars news agency reported the country has no plan for a next round of negotiations, marking a significant escalation in the U.S.-Iran conflict.

• JPMorgan Chase announced Thursday the acquisition of a fintech startup specializing in regional bank digitalization for $5.2 billion in cash, marking one of 2026's largest financial services M&A deals. • The acquisition will expand JPMorgan's capabilities in serving mid-sized regional banks, addressing a strategic gap as community lenders face increased competition from digital-native competitors. • JPMorgan executives stated the deal is expected to generate $200 million in annual cost synergies by 2028 and will close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approval.

• Taylor Swift revealed her 12th studio album 'Evermore Echoes' during a live stream from Nashville on April 9, featuring collaborations with Post Malone and Lana Del Rey. • The 16-track project includes bonus tracks from fan-voted sessions, priced at $13.99 on digital platforms, set for April 17 release. • This marks Swift's quickest turnaround between albums at 18 months, boosting her streaming dominance amid 1.2 billion monthly Spotify listeners.

Closure comes weeks after former Australian of the Year and advocate for abuse survivors says she lost speaking engagements because of a ‘smear campaign’ against herFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChild sexual abuse survivor Grace Tame’s foundation has announced it is closing, citing challenges with long-term funding.The former Australian of the Year set up the foundation in 2021 – the year she carried the national honour for her advocacy for abuse survivors and for law reform. Continue reading...

Kremlin proposes 32-hour ceasefire starting on Saturday afternoon – with Ukraine expected to agree to planVladimir Putin has declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, after an earlier call from Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a pause.The president’s decree, released by the Kremlin on Thursday, orders Russian forces to observe a ceasefire starting on 4pm Saturday and lasting until the end of Sunday. Continue reading...

• Nvidia unveiled Blackwell Ultra GPUs on April 9, 2026, at GTC US keynote, delivering 50 petaflops for AI training in a single rack. • Chips target US hyperscalers with 4x inference speed over prior gen, shipping Q4 2026 at $50,000 per unit. • CEO Jensen Huang called it 'the dawn of agentic AI,' boosting Nvidia's dominance in $200B US AI hardware market.

Brent crude oil dropped to $93 a barrel after Trump ceasefire announcement and Iran’s pledge to reopen strait of Hormuz under its managementMiddle East crisis – live updatesFull report: US and Iran agree to provisional ceasefire with Tehran saying it will reopen strait of HormuzOil prices plunged by almost 15% after Donald Trump held off on his threat to bomb Iran into the stone ages on Tuesday night, and Iran’s foreign minister said passage through the strait of Hormuz would be allowed for the next two weeks under the management of its military.With just over an hour until his deadline was due to pass, the US president said he was holding off on threatened attacks on Iran, subject to Tehran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and reopening of the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...

Chuck Schumer attacks president’s ‘ridiculous bluster’ while Republicans cast decision as shrewd tactical moveMiddle East crisis – live updatesPolitical leaders and many Americans breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday evening, after Donald Trump announced a provisional ceasefire deal following threats to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization” if Tehran failed to reopen the strait of Hormuz by a self-imposed deadline.The announcement of the agreement, mediated by Pakistan, came roughly 90 minutes before the 8pm ET deadline by which Trump pledged to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges in a move legal and military scholars said would be considered a war crime. Continue reading...

London festival will feature an intimate Styles performance as well as appearances from Warpaint, Kamasi Washington, Devonté Hynes and moreHarry Styles has announced the lineup of artists he has curated for this year’s Meltdown festival, held at London’s Southbank Centre.As well as performing a solo concert on 16 June at Royal Festival Hall, sandwiched amid his run of 12 dates at the considerably larger Wembley Stadium, Styles has brought together a diverse range of artists spanning jazz, pop, indie rock and electronic music. Continue reading...

• Microsoft revealed a $10 billion investment plan in Japan focused on AI infrastructure, cybersecurity cooperation, and developer training. • The initiative partners with Sakura Internet and SoftBank to train one million engineers and developers by 2030, boosting local AI capabilities. • Sakura Internet's stock surged sharply following the announcement, signaling market optimism for Japan's tech infrastructure growth amid US tech ripple effects.

• Plug and Play hosted Demo Day on April 6, 2026, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, showcasing 10 winning teams from 285 applications in the NJEDA-supported AI Innovation Challenge. • Winners include AgentGov for AI-powered fraud detection in government, NJSecure for cybersecurity in community banks, CardioLink for cardiovascular care intelligence, and GlucoSync for real-time diabetes decision support. • The initiative advances AI solutions in government services, clinical intelligence, climate resilience, and energy forecasting, with up to $3.34 million in sub-grant funding available for pilots and commercialization.

• Taylor Swift revealed a new surprise album titled 'Evermore Sessions' during her Eras Tour stop in Los Angeles on April 5, featuring 15 re-recorded tracks and collaborations with Bon Iver and The National. • The announcement came via a live Instagram post to 280 million followers, with pre-orders spiking 500% on iTunes within hours, reaching No. 1 globally. • Fans and critics hail it as a bridge between folklore and evermore eras, potentially breaking streaming records amid Swift's dominant 2026 chart presence.

• President Trump stated he will sign an executive order to pay all DHS employees despite the ongoing government shutdown, posting 'Help is on the way' on social media. • The move comes as funding lapses continue, with Trump aiming to mitigate employee hardship amid stalled congressional negotiations. • It underscores executive efforts to address shutdown impacts while pressuring lawmakers for a full funding resolution.

• Graham Nash launches his 2026 solo U.S. tour on April 4 at Lansdowne Theater in Landsdowne, Pennsylvania, with a spring leg along the East Coast. • The tour includes 12 dates through May 2, hitting cities like Ridgefield CT on April 6, Tarrytown NY on April 8, and ending in Ponte Vedra, Florida. • Nash hints at performing rarities and deep cuts from his Crosby, Stills & Nash catalog, exciting longtime fans with exclusive setlist teases.

US president makes baseless claims about fraud in blue states and says JD Vance will lead clampdown as ‘fraud czar’Donald Trump announced a fresh crackdown on “fraud” in Democratic states and tapped JD Vance to lead the charge. Officials swiftly announced a string of arrests in California.In a Truth Social post on Friday, the US president announced that his vice-president is now “in charge of ‘fraud’ in the United States”, claiming the problem is “massive and pervasive” and that Vance’s new role as “fraud czar” will be “a major factor in how great the future of our country will be”. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration plans to implement tiered tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, with 50% duties on many derivative goods based on import value, 25% on others, and lower rates for some products. • This policy aims to protect US industry amid global trade tensions exacerbated by Middle East conflicts. • The measures could reshape international supply chains and provoke retaliatory actions from trading partners.

• Netflix unveils fresh content for April 2026, including an animated spin-off from a hit series. • The streaming lineup caters to diverse tastes with new movies amid ongoing originals. • This expansion bolsters Netflix's position in streaming wars, attracting US subscribers.

• NASA revealed a $20 billion fast-tracked initiative to establish a permanent moon base, with the rocket for astronaut lunar missions launching Wednesday. • The plan accelerates U.S. space exploration goals amid competition, building on Artemis program advancements for sustainable lunar presence. • This development matters for enabling long-term human spaceflight, resource utilization, and preparation for Mars missions.