• QMusic CEO Kris Stewart resigned suddenly on April 3, 2026, following board accusations of improprieties in awarding lucrative media contracts for major events.
• The resignation highlights governance issues in the music industry organization.
• Stewart's departure raises questions about transparency in entertainment event deals.
Activists accuse Iran’s regime of crackdown on civil society as whereabouts of Nasrin Sotoudeh are unknownIs Iran using the war to hide a surge in executions?The prize-winning Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been arrested in Tehran, according to her family, as activists accused the regime of cracking down on civil society under cover of the war with Israel and the US.Sotoudeh’s daughter Mehraveh Khandan said her mother was taken from her home in Tehran late on Wednesday and that her whereabouts were unknown. Khandan suspected the arrest may be related to recent interviews about the war, in which Sotoudeh criticised the government. Continue reading...
• Focus Features released 'The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist,' a new documentary from Academy Award-winning filmmakers Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell, examining humanity's most urgent challenge: artificial intelligence.
• Co-directed by the filmmakers behind 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' and 'Navalny,' the documentary follows Roher's perspective as a father-to-be seeking to understand the world his child will inherit.
• The film explores critical questions about AI's future impact on society, blending personal narrative with broader technological concerns in theatrical release across the United States.
Other winners include Raye for video of the year, Central Cee for best hip-hop act and Ezra Collective in jazz categoryBritish golden girl Olivia Dean was the biggest winner at the 2026 Mobo awards, scooping best female act, album of the year and song of the year for the No 1 hit Man I Need.Other big winners at the ceremony honouring the best of black music included Raye, whose song Where Is My Husband won video of the year; Central Cee, who was awarded best hip-hop act, and Ezra Collective in the jazz category.Best male act – Jim LegxacyBest female act – Olivia DeanAlbum of the year – Olivia Dean, The Art of LovingSong of the year – Olivia Dean, Man I NeedBest newcomer – DC3Video of the year – Raye , Where Is My Husband! (directed by The Reids)Best R&B/soul act – FloBest alternative music act – Nova TwinsBest grime act – ChipBest hip-hop act – Central CeeBest drill act – Twin SBest international act – Ayra StarrBest media personality – Niko OmilanaBest performance in a TV show/film – Stephen Graham, AdolescenceBest African music act – WizkidBest Caribbean music act – Vybz KartelBest jazz act – Ezra CollectiveBest electronic/dance act – SherelleBest gospel act – DC3Best producer – P2JMobo global songwriter award – Pharrell WilliamsMobo lifetime achievement award – Slick Rick Continue reading...
Critics have mocked Mike Johnson and Republicans for presenting the president with the newly concocted awardSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAmid an aggressive war in Iran, heightening and devastating pressure on Cuba, immigration enforcement operations throughout the country and a partial government shutdown, the lead Republican in the House has given Donald Trump a newly concocted award.Democrats, lawmakers and commentators are criticizing and ridiculing the “America First” award given to Trump on Wednesday evening during the National Republican Congressional Committee fundraiser. Continue reading...
Other winners include Inter Alia’s Rosamund Pike, Ivo van Hove for All My Sons and Hayley Atwell who beat her Much Ado co-star Tom Hiddleston to best Shakespearean performanceBrendan Gleeson has been named best actor at the Critics’ Circle theatre awards for his West End debut in Conor McPherson’s pub drama The Weir. He beat fellow nominees including Bryan Cranston and Paapa Essiedu, both recognised for All My Sons, and James Hameed and Arti Shah, the duo who together portray Paddington in the new musical about Michael Bond’s bear. The Weir, directed by McPherson, was entirely omitted from the nominations for this year’s Olivier awards and is being turned into a film with Gleeson and the rest of the West End cast.All My Sons, a critically adored production of Arthur Miller’s 1946 classic at Wyndham’s theatre, won in two categories at the Critics’ Circle awards: best revival of a play or musical and best director for Ivo van Hove. A new production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods, directed by Jordan Fein at the Bridge theatre, also won two prizes – best designer (Tom Scutt) and the inaugural award for best ensemble or cast. Continue reading...
The Australian Institute of Architects’ judges sought to highlight a gentler approach to urban transformation,’ chair of the awards steering committee saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSydney’s Campbelltown has paved paradise and put up a parking lot. And the brave jury at the Australian Urban Design awards has declared it heavenly.The winners of the 2026 awards, announced on Tuesday at Parliament House in Canberra, suggest the era of the star architect’s singular, sculptural spectacle is being traded, at least this year, for something more pragmatic: an unassuming revolution where the most significant breakthroughs are found in natural, open-mesh ventilation, a splash of colour and a heart of soothing greenery. Continue reading...
• The National Science Foundation awarded $45 million over three years to the NSF Energy Storage Engine, led by Binghamton University, entering its second phase on March 24, 2026.
• The Upstate New York initiative, partnering with Cornell, RIT, Syracuse, and others, aims to make the region America's battery tech capital.
• Phase one funded over 15 battery startups, securing $20 million in follow-on funding and national awards like Battery Manufacturer of the Year.
• The US Army announced a major enterprise agreement with Anduril, consolidating 120-130 prior orders into a 5-10 year contract worth up to $20 billion for AI drones and detection systems.
• The deal shifts Pentagon strategy from pilot programs to long-term fixed-price contracts with select defense tech startups, with an initial $87 million task order issued.
• This establishes a benchmark for venture-funded firms, amid tensions with AI companies like Anthropic restricting military use of their models.
Jonathan Horn scooped best sports feature prize for a series on AFL, while Chris Hopkins won for pictures of a cancer sufferer caring for her son Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSports writer Jonathan Horn and photographer Chris Hopkins have won Melbourne Press Club awards for their work for Guardian Australia.Guardian Australia was recognised with eight nominations in a range of categories in the 31st annual Quill awards, which were presented in Melbourne on Friday night. Continue reading...