Award

• Sam Fender, Rosalía, and Jacob Alon were named winners at the Ivor Novello Awards on Thursday, an event dedicated to celebrating the craft of songwriting. • The ceremony included a special tribute to Elton John, featuring a performance by Lola Young to honor his contributions to music. • The academy praised Elton John for building one of the most distinctive catalogues in British music over the last two decades, citing tracks such as "Smile," "LDN," and "Madeline."

• TIN Media hosted the second edition of the Asian Tourism & Hospitality Awards (ATH Awards) 2025-26 during a gala night in Kuala Lumpur. • Key winners included FELDA Residence Hot Springs for Most Unique Nature Wellness Experience (Malaysia), Jatiluwih Village for Leading UNESCO Cultural Landscape Tourism Destination (Indonesia), and Wings of Time Fireworks Symphony for Leading Tourist Attraction of the Year (Singapore). • The event serves as Asia's benchmark for excellence in the sector, receiving strategic support from organizations such as the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Malaysia Chapter.

Political editor Pippa Crerar and features writer Simon Hattenstone top major categories and Malak A Tantesh wins for Gaza reportingThe Guardian’s political editor, a prominent features writer and a brave young Palestinian reporter are among those to have been honoured at the Press Awards in London.The awards celebrate the best journalism across all news media publishers distributing in the UK. Continue reading...

• The 24th Director's Cut Awards recently honored outstanding contributions across the Korean film and drama industries, featuring a historic first with three directors hosting the live ceremony. • Key winners include TVXQ's Yunho, who earned Best New Actor (Series) for his role in *Low Life*, and Park Jihoon, both recognized as successful idol-turned-actors. • Park Chan Wook’s film *No Other Choice* secured multiple awards, continuing its strong momentum throughout the current Korean awards season.

• ATEEZ secured the prestigious Daesang (Grand Prize) during the second day of the 2026 Asia Star Entertainer Awards held in Japan. • Stray Kids were crowned Best Group, highlighting a night dominated by top K-pop acts and electrifying live performances. • The event serves as a major celebration of Korean entertainment, recognizing the global influence of K-pop and K-drama stars across Asia.

• The 2026 Asia Star Entertainer Awards (ASEA) began its two-day celebration on Saturday, May 16, at the Belluna Dome in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. • Hosted by MONSTA X’s Hyungwon and IVE’s Rei, the first day featured red carpet appearances and the announcement of the Hot Icon and Hot Trend awards. • Major honors included Enhypen being named Artist of the Year and Monsta X winning the Top Touring award, highlighting the dominance of these groups in the industry.

• ENHYPEN and ATEEZ emerged as the primary winners at the 2026 Asia Star Entertainer Awards (ASEA), both securing prestigious Daesang trophies. • They shared the top honors with other prominent K-pop acts, including BLACKPINK and &TEAM, highlighting the continued global dominance of the genre. • The victory coincides with ATEEZ's recent promotional activities, including a February 5, 2026, press conference in Seoul for their 13th mini album, ‘GOLDEN HOUR : Part 4’.

• Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fat will appear at the Star Awards 2025 in Singapore on July 6 as an award presenter, marking his return to the ceremony after about three decades. • The event will be held at The Theatre at Mediacorp and broadcast on Channel 8, Channel U, mewatch and Mediacorp Entertainment’s YouTube channel from 7pm to 10pm. • His appearance adds star power to one of Singapore’s biggest TV and entertainment nights, helping Mediacorp draw regional attention.

The historian won $50,000 for her nonfiction book Näku Dhäruk: The Bark Petitions, which judges praised as deeply researched, ‘highly original’ and ‘vividly alive’A “highly original” nonfiction by Melbourne historian Clare Wright, charting the creation of the Yirrkala Bark Petitions – a seminal moment in Australia’s history of land rights – has won book of the year at the NSW literary awards.The Petitions were landmark documents presented by Yolŋu elders to the Australian parliament in 1963 on painted bark frames, which sought government intervention after a portion of Arnhem Land Reserve was licensed to a French mining company. Though it didn’t halt mining on the land, the petitions led to the first land rights legislation in Australia, the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. Continue reading...

• The Crunchyroll Anime Awards will celebrate its 10th anniversary on May 23, 2026, in Tokyo with an expanded roster of celebrity presenters. • The awards ceremony marks a significant milestone for the annual celebration of anime industry achievements and fan-voted categories. • The expanded presenter lineup reflects growing international recognition of anime as a major entertainment medium in Asia and globally.

• AntsCanada, the YouTube channel owned by Filipino-Canadian vlogger Mikey Bustos, received multiple awards at the 30th Annual Webby Awards held on May 14, 2026. • The channel, known for educational content about ant colonies and entomology, secured recognition at one of the internet's most prestigious annual award ceremonies. • The recognition highlights the growing prominence of Southeast Asian creators and educational content in international digital media awards.

All Her Lives is only the fifth short story collection to win the prestigious NZ$65,000 prize in 58 yearsFirst-time fiction writer Ingrid Horrocks has won New Zealand’s richest literary prize for her debut short story collection, All Her Lives.The Wellington-based poet, essayist and memoirist won the prestigious NZ$65,000 (A$53,000, £28,500) Jann Medlicott Acorn prize for fiction at the 2026 Ockham New Zealand book awards on Wednesday night. The book follows nine women across nine different life stages and generations, as they navigate politics, gender and motherhood. Continue reading...

• Emmy Award-winning host Conan O'Brien will return to host the 99th Oscars broadcast, reuniting with executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan for the major awards ceremony. • O'Brien brings his extensive experience in late-night television and comedy to the prestigious Hollywood event, continuing his tradition of hosting major award shows. • The selection of O'Brien signals the Academy's confidence in maintaining strong viewership and engaging presentation for the global entertainment audience.

Case attracts widespread attention as example of China balancing enthusiastic adoption of AI with job securityA court in China has ruled in favour of a worker whose company replaced him with artificial intelligence (AI), awarding him more than £28,000 in compensation.The worker, whose surname is Zhou, joined a tech company in the eastern city of Hangzhou in 2022 to work as a quality assurance supervisor overseeing large language models used in AI products. Continue reading...

In a rare public appearance, Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams warned of ‘networks of powerful elites’ using wealth and influence to silence dissenting voicesMeta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams and the late Virginia Giuffre have jointly won the Freedom to Publish prize at this year’s British book awards, marking the first time the award has been shared.Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook executive, was recognised for Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism, her bestselling memoir about her years inside Meta, formerly Facebook. The book makes allegations about the company’s internal culture and practices, including its approach to political influence, China and the wellbeing of teenagers. Meta has disputed the claims. Continue reading...

Ceremony organisers taking event procedures ‘extremely seriously’ after broadcast of racial slur in February Continue reading...

• MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2026 revealed nominees in 77 categories on Saturday, highlighting achievements in Japanese and global music. • The event celebrates international music connections with artists from Asia and worldwide ahead of the June 13, 2026 ceremony in Tokyo. • Nominees include top J-pop acts and K-pop groups, with categories spanning song of the year, artist of the year, and genre-specific awards.

The honour recognises Albanese’s work ‘documenting and denouncing violations of international law in Gaza’The Spanish government awarded the UN legal expert Francesca Albanese one of its highest civilian honours in recognition of what it termed her “extensive work in documenting and denouncing violations of international law in Gaza”.Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer who serves as UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, has been vocal in her criticisms of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, which she has described as genocide. Continue reading...

Court in Hanover says man entitled to payout after he and his family had to lie on concreteA German holidaymaker has won a payout of almost €1,000 after being unable to find a sunlounger for himself and his family because other guests had got there first.The man, whose identity is not known, holidayed on the island of Kos, in Greece, with his family in 2024. He said that, despite waking up at the crack of dawn every morning to carry out a 20-minute search, he had not been able to lay claim to a lounger. Continue reading...

• The Newsmakers Achievers Awards 2026 celebrated lifetime achievements of renowned Indian entertainers and public figures including Usha Mangeshkar, Hariharan, Dilip Joshi, and Sanjeev Kapoor. • The Governor presided over the ceremony, recognizing contributions from distinguished personalities including Atul Tiwari, Pooja Bedi, and cultural figures across multiple domains. • The awards ceremony highlighted India's recognition of artistic excellence and public service across entertainment, culinary arts, social work, and education sectors.

• Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene commented on Suryakumar Yadav's 183 runs in nine IPL 2026 innings amid team's struggles. • Jayawardene said Yadav is in a phase where things aren't working but must keep grinding hard. • MI's ninth-place standing with two wins threatens early exit from playoffs.

• Actress Sayani Gupta is receiving positive response for her latest series 'Glory', which recently premiered on Netflix, where she plays the role of Joyna. • Gupta celebrated a significant week in her career with the world premieres of her short film 'Aasmani', which won two awards at the event. • The actress shared an emotional note about balancing her work on the Netflix series with her independent short film project.

Media tycoon honoured in absentia as critics decry his 20-year sentence under national security lawThe jailed media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai has been awarded Deutsche Welle’s freedom of speech award for his contribution to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.The German public broadcaster said on Thursday that Lai would be presented in absentia with the 12th iteration of the award on 23 June at the DW Global Media Forum in Bonn. Continue reading...

After an acclaimed, Olivier-winning run on the West End, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical revival will transfer to New YorkAfter months of speculation, the award-winning Evita revival will officially transfer to Broadway in spring 2027.The West End run starred Rachel Zegler in the lead role, winning the actor an Olivier award, and she will follow the revival to New York. The triumphant new take on Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical tale of activist and actor Eva Perón is directed by Jamie Lloyd, who previously won a Tony for reviving Sunset Boulevard. Continue reading...

Renowned artist, who won 12 Grammys, died at home after being diagnosed with an aggressive type of brain cancerSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxMichael Tilson Thomas, a leading American conductor for a half-century who headed orchestras in Buffalo, Miami, London and San Francisco while also composing, died on Wednesday. He was 81.Tilson Thomas had surgery for a brain tumor in 2021 and resumed his career, then said in February 2025 that the tumor had returned. He conducted his final concert with the San Francisco Symphony in April 2025 and died at his home in San Francisco, spokesperson Connie Shuman said. Continue reading...

• The Kennedy Center will hold its first award ceremony since President Trump overhauled the board of trustees earlier this year. • Changes aim to align cultural programming with administration priorities. • The event draws attention to federal arts funding debates and political influence on institutions.

The Plaza Prizes offered 10 awards in 2025 but some judges say they were not paid, while a number of winners hit back over AI accusationsA competition for new writers that promised a £20,000 prize fund appears to have shut down, leaving winners and judges, including a Booker prize-winning novelist, out of pocket.Established in 2022, the Plaza Prizes last year offered 10 awards that were judged by the “finest poets and writers in the world”. Continue reading...