Latest news with #AnnieLennox
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dua Lipa, Massive Attack & More Urge British Government to ‘End U.K. Complicity' in Gaza
Dua Lipa, Primal Scream, Massive Attack and Annie Lennox are among the signatories on a new open letter urging British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to 'end U.K. complicity' in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The letter, organized by refugee charity Choose Love, accused the British government of continuing to allow U.K. arms to be sold to Israel and for providing licenses for arms manufacturers. In September 2024, the government suspended 30 licenses from companies involved in sending items to Israel. More from Billboard U2's Bono Calls for Hamas to 'Release the Hostages, Stop the War' During Ivor Novello Awards Speech Zak Starkey Rubbishes Reports He Retired from The Who, Insists He Was 'Fired' Lorde Makes Surprise Appearance at Aotearoa Music Awards Last week, Sir Keir and his French and Canadian counterparts warned Israel that they will take 'concrete actions' if it continues an 'egregious' expansion of military operations in Gaza. 'You can't call it 'intolerable', yet do nothing,' the letter states. 'The world is watching and history will not forget. The children of Gaza cannot wait another minute. Prime minister, what will you choose? Complicity in war crimes, or the courage to act?' The letter comes as the United Nations warns that Gaza's 2.1 million population is facing catastrophic levels of hunger, and the U.N. reports that 47 people were injured on Tuesday (May 27) while aid was distributed to crowds; Israel claims its troops only fired 'warning shots' in the air. 'Those who survive starvation wake up to bombs falling on them,' the letter adds. 'Violence stamped with U.K. inaction — flown with parts shipped from British factories to Israel, could be obliterating families in seconds. Each arms shipment makes our country directly complicit in their deaths.' The war in Gaza began when Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 and taking more than 250 people hostage; 58 are still in captivity. According to the Associated Press, retaliatory attacks by Israel have killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, with Gaza's Health Ministry reporting that most of those killed were women and children. More than 300 personalities from the world of British music, television and film — including director Danny Boyle, Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Riz Ahmed, Tilda Swinton and Gary Lineker — have also added their names to the letter. On Wednesday (May 28) Kneecap was removed from the lineup at Glasgow's TRNSMT festival in July due to safety concerns from the local police force; the band has said the removal was linked to its pro-Palestine advocacy. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh of the West Belfast rap trio was recently charged with a terror offense in relation to an incident at a show in November 2024. He is due in Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18. Read the open letter signed by Dua Lipa, Massive Attack and more below: Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Talented pupils at Livingston school make it through to finals of singing competition
Kids from Bellsquarry Primary took part in the Scottish Primary School Glee Challenge's South East Of Scotland Regional Final at Edinburgh's Usher Hall and took home the top prize. Talented pupils at a Livingston primary school have made it through to the finals of a national singing competition. Kids from Bellsquarry Primary took part in the Scottish Primary School Glee Challenge's South East Of Scotland Regional Final at Edinburgh's Usher Hall and took home the top prize. This time all the choirs chose the same song, 'Love Lost' from the set Calum Bowie tracks, and a song of their own choice. The songs on the night ranged from Annie Lennox 'Little Bird', Paulo Nuttini's 'New Shoes' through to Bellsquarry's winning performance of 'Walk of Life'. All in all the performances were fantastic and every single child that took to the stage on Friday night can hold their head high as they gave their all in front of such a huge audience. A school spokesperson said: 'All in all the performances were fantastic and every single child that took to the stage can hold their head high as they gave their all in front of such a huge audience.'
Sky News
28-05-2025
- General
- Sky News
Dua Lipa, Gary Lineker, and Benedict Cumberbatch join more than 300 figures urging PM to 'end UK complicity' in Gaza
Benedict Cumberbatch, Annie Lennox, Gary Lineker and Dua Lipa have joined more than 300 public figures calling on the prime minister to "end the UK's complicity" in Gaza. In an open letter addressed to Sir Keir Starmer, seen exclusively by Sky News, famous names from the world of media and the arts have joined leading doctors, academics, campaign groups, and a Holocaust survivor. They have accused the British government of continuing to allow UK arms to be sold to Israel and to providing licences for arms. The letter, led by refugee charity Choose Love, demands an immediate suspension of all UK arms sales to Israel, immediate humanitarian access for experienced aid agencies, and urges the government to commit to brokering a ceasefire for "the children of Gaza". In September 2024, the UK suspended 30 arms licences from about 350 involved in items that go to Israel. Last week, Sir Keir joined the French and Canadian leaders to warn Israel they will take "concrete actions" if it continues an "egregious" expansion of military operations in Gaza. The PM also told MPs last week the level of suffering in Gaza, especially among innocent children, was "intolerable" and called Israel's decision to allow a small amount of aid in "utterly inadequate". The letter says: "We urge you to take immediate action to end the UK's complicity in the horrors in Gaza." It says children in Gaza are starving while food and medicine "sit just minutes away" in reference to Israel's 11-week blockade of food and other supplies into Gaza, which was lifted last week. A new foundation backed by Israel and the US has set up an aid distribution site this week, but the UN has rejected the system as it says it cannot meet the needs of Gaza's 2.1 million people. The UN, which has warned the population is facing catastrophic levels of hunger, said it believes 47 people were injured on Tuesday when crowds overwhelmed the aid distribution centre, but Israel said its troops only fired "warning shots" into the air. Among the famous people to put their names to the letter are singers Dua Lipa, Annie Lennox, Paloma Faith, Massive Attack and Primal Scream. Actors include Benedict Cumberbatch, Riz Ahmed, Game of Thrones actress Lena Headey, Tilda Swinton, Maxine Peake, Marvel actress Zawe Ashton, Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan, and director Danny Boyle. TV stars include Dermot O'Leary, Gary Lineker, Chicken Shop Date creator Amelia Dimoldenberg, and presenter Laura Whitmore. Lineker finished his 26-year stint as Match of the Day presenter this week, after apologising for sharing a social media post from the Palestine Lobby group titled: "Zionism explained in two minutes." The Instagram post was illustrated with a rat, which has been used to represent Jewish people in antisemitic propaganda - including Nazi Germany. Lineker "apologised unreservedly" for sharing it, saying he was unaware of the reference and it was a mistake. He maintained the importance of "speaking out on humanitarian issues, including the tragedy unfolding in Gaza". 1:23 Photographer and activist Misan Harriman, writer, model and activist Munroe Bergdorf, artist Tracey Emin and model Lily Cole have also signed the letter. Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos has signed the letter, which says 71,000 children under four years old are "acutely malnourished" and they "cry until they can't cry anymore - until hunger takes even their voices". It says they wake up to bombs falling on them, "violence stamped with UK inaction - flown with parts shipped from British factories to Israel". 1:23 The letter warns Sir Keir: "You can't call it 'intolerable', yet do nothing. "The world is watching and history will not forget. The children of Gaza cannot wait another minute. "Prime minister, what will you choose? Complicity in war crimes, or the courage to act?" The letter comes just days after 828 UK-based or qualified legal experts, among them former Supreme Court justices, signed a letter to Sir Keir warning "genocide is being perpetrated in Gaza". Israel has repeatedly denied that it is committing genocide in Gaza. A government spokesperson said: "We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli Government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid. "The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law. "Last year, we suspended export licences to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licences for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict. "We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace."
Daily Record
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
15 iconic photos of 1980s Scottish fashion that show how people dressed back in the day
The 1980s were a decade like no other, marked by big changes, bold trends and unforgettable fashion Anyone who lived through the 1980s will tell you, it was a decade like no other. A time of big changes, bold choices and even bolder fashion, the era left its mark on everything from music and politics to the way we dressed. While it had its fair share of heartbreak, such as the tragedy of the Lockerbie bombing, it was also a golden age for Scottish music, with stars like Wet Wet Wet and Annie Lennox rising to fame and capturing the hearts of a generation. The highs and lows of the era continue to echo through the memories of those who experienced it first-hand. But for younger generations, one of the first things that springs to mind when the 80s are mentioned is the fashion. And rightly so. Whether it was high-waisted jeans, ankle boots, neon legwarmers or wild printed blouses, the fashion of the time was anything but boring. And Scotland, of course, embraced it all. To celebrate the unforgettable looks of the decade, the Daily Record has delved into the archives to uncover some of the most iconic snapshots of Scottish fashion in the 1980s. From everyday street style to big nights out, the photos capture a time when style was expressive, experimental and, quite frankly, fantastic. Here are 15 classic photos that perfectly sum up Scottish fashion in the 80s and will transport you straight back in time.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Data reforms move closer to becoming law amid calls to ‘protect artists' from AI
The Government's data reforms have moved closer to becoming law as ministers faced calls to do more to 'protect artists' from artificial intelligence (AI) developers. The Data (Use and Access) Bill cleared the House of Commons on Wednesday evening, with the Government successfully resisting proposals by critics of the legislation to include changes relating to AI and copyright. Peers previously amended the Bill in a bid to protect creatives from having their copyrighted work used to train AI models without permission or remuneration, although these changes were removed by the Government during the committee stage of the legislation in the Commons. Opposition MPs failed to reinstate the protections on Wednesday as the Government argued the amendments pre-empted the results of its copyright and AI consultation and it does not want to legislate in a 'piecemeal' fashion. Instead, the Government pledged to conduct an economic impact assessment of the policy options put forward in its consultation. The consultation has been widely condemned by high-profile figures in the creative sector, including musicians such as Sir Elton John, Annie Lennox, Sir Paul McCartney and Kate Bush, who say the Government's plans to make it easier for AI models to be trained on copyrighted material amount to the theft of music and will decimate the sector. The Commons exchanges came after creatives, industry leaders and politicians gathered in central London to call on the Government to scrap plans that would allow AI developers to use creative content without permission or payment. Speaking in the Commons, technology minister Sir Chris Bryant said the creative industries should be 'remunerated for the work that they have produced' and copyright law will remain 'robust and clear'. He said 'there is a text and data mining exception already in UK law', adding: 'That is a text and data mining exception for the sole purpose of research for a non-commercial purpose. I think that is absolutely clear in law, and I don't think it needs any clarifying.' Intervening, Labour MP Stella Creasy (Walthamstow) said: 'The Government did open a consultation that has, for many of our constituents who work in the creative industries, prefigured a substantial change in copyright when it comes to AI.' She added that the creative industries being able to benefit from and protect their own work is 'what is at stake here'. Sir Chris replied: 'I share the concerns, namely that we wanted to make sure, in this very fast changing world, that the creative industries in the UK are able to be remunerated for the work that they have produced, we're not in the business of giving away other people's work to a third party for nothing.' He added: 'The only circumstance in which we would advance with the package of measures that were included in the consultation is if we were to believe that we were advancing the cause of the creative industries in the UK, rather than providing danger or legal peril to them.' Labour MP Alison Hume, a Royal Television Society writer of the year award winner, urged tech firms to 'tell us what they are doing behind our backs, and pay up'. The MP for Scarborough and Whitby, who won the award in 2008 for her work on CBBC's Summerhill, said: 'At the moment, AI companies do not have to tell anyone what they're stealing from the internet, from whom they are stealing and why they are stealing it.' Ms Hume said she understood the Government 'wants more time', but added: 'I worry that in the gap between this data Bill becoming law and a new Bill which addresses transparency in copyright, everything that can be scraped will be scraped.' She later added: 'Necessity is the mother of invention, and without a legal instruction for AI companies to reveal what they are using free of charge, there's surely no incentive for the AI industry to come up with the solutions to make it simple for original creators and collecting societies to assert their rights.' Giles Martin, a Grammy-winning English record producer and son of Beatles producer George Martin, said ahead of the debate: 'The Government seem to be more and more influenced by large technology companies, seem more impressed by them. '(If) Paul McCartney today writes Yesterday, that should belong to him, or he should just say what happens to that, or his voice. He should say what happens to his voice and right now, with the Government, they're not doing enough to protect artists. 'If you make something, if something is yours, it shouldn't be taken by a company and used without your permission. It's as simple as that.' UK Music claims the Bill would put creatives at risk after amendments put forward by Baroness Kidron to ensure transparency and international compliance safeguards were removed. The protest saw industry leaders and creatives call on the Government to make changes to the Bill to ensure that companies training generative AI models, such as ChatGPT, disclose whether work by a human creator has been used and protect creatives under existing copyright rules. A Government spokesperson said: 'Currently, creatives are not being fairly compensated for their content and only the largest rights holders have the power to effectively assert their rights. 'We want to enhance their ability to be paid for the use of their material. UK AI developers also face greater innovation barriers than their international competitors, pushing AI innovation overseas. 'The Government's objectives are to deliver a solution which will ensure increased control and transparency for rights holders and access to high-quality material to train leading AI models in the UK.'
