• Taylor Swift submitted new trademark filings on April 28 to safeguard her voice and image amid rising AI-generated content.
• The move positions Swift as the latest celebrity addressing AI deepfake risks in entertainment.
• Trademarks target protections for her personal brand in a proliferating digital threat landscape.
A man accused of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group and plotting to attack one of superstar singer Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna nearly two years ago pleaded guilty as his trial began on Tuesday, Austria media reported.
One Nation outperforms the Coalition for the first time, while the rightwing populist party’s leader has a positive rating among all age groupsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA majority of surveyed Australians approve of Pauline Hanson’s leadership of One Nation, giving her a higher job approval rating than Anthony Albanese and Angus Taylor, as the Guardian Essential poll finds the rightwing populist party is outperforming the Coalition for the first time.The results come as Australians are becoming more pessimistic about the country and the economy, with the majority of respondents saying they expected things to get worse in coming months. Continue reading...
Defendant, 21, in court with second man over alleged scheme to kill music fans outside Vienna stadiumThe trial against a man accused of plotting to attack one of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna nearly two years ago began in Austria on Tuesday.The plot was thwarted, but Austrian authorities still canceled Swift’s three performances in August 2024. The singer’s fans were devastated, but rallied to turn Vienna into a citywide trading post for friendship bracelets and singalongs. Continue reading...
Club chief says ‘anodyne acknowledgements’ can be ‘overworked’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.The RSL has announced it will review its guidance on welcome to country addresses at Anzac Day services after Indigenous leaders were booed at three dawn services on Saturday. Continue reading...
The singer’s company filed three applications on Friday after Matthew McConaughey launched similar strategyTaylor Swift has filed applications to trademark her voice and image in a move seemingly designed to protect against AI misuse.On 24 April, Swift’s company TAS Rights Management filed three trademark applications, Variety reports. Two of these are sound trademarks which cover Swift saying the phrases “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift” and “Hey, it’s Taylor.” Continue reading...
Opposition leader also says ‘we have seen terrible acts of atrocity coming from Gaza’ as he doubles down on immigration policyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe opposition leader, Angus Taylor, has said “there is a higher risk that some bad people come from those bad countries”, doubling down on his immigration policy and refusing to call out Pauline Hanson’s hardline stance.Speaking to the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday, Taylor also defended preferencing One Nation above the independent community candidate, Michelle Milthorpe, in the upcoming Farrer byelection, arguing the teals “vote with the Greens”. Continue reading...
• Taylor Swift announced a 53-date North American tour beginning in March 2027, with tickets going on sale April 20, 2026 through her official fan club and Ticketmaster.
• The "Eras Tour: North American Leg" will visit 28 cities across the United States and Canada, with nightly production featuring elaborate stage designs and costume changes.
• Industry analysts project the tour could generate over $2 billion in revenue, making it one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time.
• 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.
Mormon Wives star was accused of domestic violence by her former partner Dakota MortensenProsecutors in Utah have declined to press charges against Taylor Frankie Paul, star of the reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, after she was accused of domestic violence.In a statement on Tuesday, the Salt Lake county district attorney’s office said it would not be pursuing charges against Paul following a pair of domestic violence investigations stemming from allegations made by Paul’s former partner Dakota Mortensen. Continue reading...
Howard-era former minister Amanda Vanstone criticises parts of hardline policy but backs English language requirementGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFormer Howard government minister Amanda Vanstone has warned Angus Taylor against turning immigration into heavy-handed law enforcement, saying most migrants from countries run by dictators and extremists move here to escape authoritarianism.Releasing the first elements of a new hardline immigration policy on Tuesday, the opposition leader sparked criticism from refugee advocates, Pauline Hanson and even one sitting Liberal MP, who all likened the plans to policies from US president Donald Trump. Continue reading...
The Coalition might be in opposition to Labor but it is hoping to stem its loss of voters to Pauline Hanson – and Taylor’s speech shows how the party wants to be seenGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt was not long ago that the notion of Australia as the world’s most successful multicultural country was not just a bipartisan political position but a source of national pride, expressed as enthusiastically by Liberals as their Labor counterparts.“I believe, no, I know that Australia is the most successful multicultural immigration country on the planet,” the then Liberal prime minister, Scott Morrison, told the National Press Club in 2021. Continue reading...
Tony Burke says millions of people will be asking why the Liberals have a problem with their parents ‘who don’t speak great English but are great Australians’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor has accused Angus Taylor of “desperate dog-whistling” and says millions of Australians will be asking why the Liberal party has a problem with their parents who don’t speak English, amid a backlash to the opposition’s new hardline immigration policies.Immigration advocates, crossbenchers, and the race discrimination commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, have all criticised a new speech by Taylor, with the Greens likening the Coalition’s approach to a modern revival of the discriminatory White Australia policy. Continue reading...
• NFL player JuJu Smith-Schuster gave marital advice to Travis Kelce in anticipation of his potential wedding to Taylor Swift.
• The comments highlight celebrity couple dynamics in sports and music circles.
• Advice comes amid heightened public interest in the high-profile relationship.
• 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.
Democratic-backed candidate’s win to Wisconsin supreme court gives liberals 5-2 edge on courtHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Democratic-backed candidate Chris Taylor won election to the Wisconsin supreme court on Tuesday, giving liberals a 5-2 edge on the court.Shortly before his 8pm ET deadline for Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz, or face the death of its “whole civilization”, Donald Trump posted on social media that the US had reached a temporary ceasefire agreement with Iran. Details of the agreement are still forthcoming and bombing continues across the region.Iranian officials will meet with the United States for talks beginning Friday. Pakistan, which brokered the ceasefire agreement, will host the negotiations in Islamabad.The Pentagon will hold a press briefing at 8am ET today. Defense secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are expected to attend.Some Democrats criticized the ceasefire deal, saying its terms, if true, would cede major concessions to Iran, including control over the strait of Hormuz. Others, including New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, called for Congress to invoke the 25th amendment to remove Trump from office after he “threatened a genocide against the Iranian people”.Several Republicans cheered the president’s decision, casting it as shrewd and tactical. “This is a strong first step toward holding Iran accountable,” said senator Rick Scott of Florida.Shelly Kittleson, the US journalist who was kidnapped in Baghdad by the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah last week, has been released, said secretary of state Marco Rubio.Repulican Clay Fuller won Georgia’s special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in the House of Representatives. In line with special elections for Congress since the start of Trump’s term, his Democratic rival, Shawn Harris, overperformed. Continue reading...
Voters pick Clay Fuller, deciding Iran war was not enough to propel a Democrat into a conservative-leaning House seatUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailClay Fuller supports the war in Iran. Shawn Harris opposes it. Voters in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s former district in north-west Georgia decided that this distinction was not enough to propel a Democrat into a conservative-leaning House seat on Tuesday night.Associated Press called the election as results from the rural counties of north-western corner of the state rolled in. Continue reading...
• Taylor Swift is developing plans for her next studio album while currently in "The Life of a Showgirl" era, with sources indicating she "always has ideas percolating."
• According to insiders, Swift is not locked into a new tour and is enjoying her break, though ideas for future projects have been floated among her team.
• The singer is realistic about following up The Eras Tour, planning to ensure her next project is special while avoiding the pressure to make everything as "big and ambitious" as her record-breaking tour.
• 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.
Opposition leader calls for the prime minister to give more details about the fuel crisisGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best of the breaking stories before Natasha May takes the helm.Anthony Albanese used a rare address to the nation to attempt to allay public fears over dwindling fuel supplies, vowing to keep petrol prices down by shoring up international supplies and ramping up local production. Continue reading...
The split comes as some MPs raise the prospect of a new conversation about the party’s leadershipFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAngus Taylor has shut down Andrew Hastie’s push for the Liberals to be “open-minded” to increasing taxes on gas companies and winding back concessions for property investors, exposing a clash of philosophies between the opposition leader and his most likely future rival.The opposition leader also did not repeat Hastie’s criticism of Donald Trump as he refused to say whether or not he endorsed the US and Israel’s war with Iran. Continue reading...
Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany were accused of lying on document used to enter Taylor’s house on night of shootingA federal judge has dismissed charges against two former Louisville police officers accused of falsifying the warrant used to enter Breonna Taylor’s apartment the night police shot her to death.Charles Simpson, a US district judge, issued a one-page ruling on Friday throwing out charges against Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany, two former officers involved in crafting the Taylor warrant. Continue reading...
• Rep. Van Taylor's bill mandating deportation of illegal immigrants convicted of fraud passed the House of Representatives on March 19, 2026.
• The legislation targets non-citizens involved in fraudulent activities, aiming to strengthen immigration enforcement.
• Passage reflects ongoing Republican priorities on border security and public safety amid rising immigration debates.
Swift leads with 1.6m vinyl sales of The Life of a Showgirl in 2025 while Sabrina Carpenter and Kendrick Lamar round out the LP chartsFor the first time in over four decades, US vinyl sales have topped $1bn in annual revenue.Vinyl purchases reached $1.04bn in 2025, per a new report by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) published on 16 March. It marks the 19th consecutive year of growth for the format that was once considered a niche interest. Continue reading...
• Nominees Emma Stone, Timothée Chalamet, Teyana Taylor, Rose Byrne, and Jessie Buckley arrived in style at the 98th Oscars red carpet on March 15, 2026, in Hollywood.
• Other attendees included Nicole Kidman, Kieran Culkin, Chase Infiniti, Zinzi Evans with Ryan Coogler, and Joel Edgerton, all captured at the Dolby Theatre.
• The fashion-forward looks highlighted the glamour of the Academy Awards ceremony.