Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny named Spotify’s most-streamed artist globally, beating the likes of Taylor Swift and Drake December 1, 2021 Spotify has today unveiled its annual 2021 Wrapped campaign and personalised user experience for more than 381 million users worldwide, unveiling the top artists, albums, songs, playlists and podcasts. With more than 9.1 billion streams this year on Spotify, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny is the most-streamed artist of 2021. The second most-streamed artist – and most streamed female artist of the year [...]
Blessing in disguise: Omicron variant may be ‘very positive’ news for the world if new Covid mutation kills off more lethal Delta coronavirus November 30, 2021 Hospitals and GPs across Southern Africa are increasingly reporting that the symptoms of the aggressive new Covid strain Omicron are “unusual but very mild,” according to various media in South Africa this weekend. Around 90 per cent of all new infections in the Johannesburg region are now caused by the Omicron strain but, so far, [...]
Betting giant 888 on track to complete £2.2bn takeover of William Hill’s European business early next year November 30, 2021 Online betting firm 888 has said it expects to complete its £2.2bn takeover of William Hill’s European business in the first quarter of 2022 after “strong progress”. The two firms agreed the deal in September, which will return its 1,400 betting shops to British hands. 888 told shareholders that it has now received all mandatory [...]
Pensioners in Essex take on their own ‘I’m A Celebrity’ bushtucker trials in care home November 27, 2021 Pensioners ate insects and held slithering snakes as their care home staged its own version of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Residents at Care UK’s Mountfitchet House in Stansted Mountfitchet in Essex enjoy watching the ITV show each year, so managers decided to bring it to life for them with their own [...]
Stephen Sondheim dies aged 91: One of theatre’s ‘greatest geniuses’ November 27, 2021 The creator of the musical Sweeney Todd died on Friday morning at his home in Connecticut. Stephen Sondheim has been hailed as one of theatre’s “greatest geniuses” after his death at the age of 91. The American composer’s death was announced by his friend and lawyer, Richard Pappas, who described it as sudden, according to [...]
Ear tumour forces GB News presenter Kirsty Gallacher to step down November 27, 2021 GB News presenter Kirsty Gallacher has stepped down from her role at the channel because of a tumour in her ear. The broadcaster, 45, who co-hosts Great British Breakfast, said her early-morning starts were exacerbating her symptoms. She wrote on social media: “During the summer I discovered I have a tumour in the inner canal [...]
City barristers to hit the screen in new Channel 4 legal documentary November 26, 2021 Barristers from 25 Bedford Row will star in a new show with “unprecedented access” to legal lives. In a four-part documentary, tentatively named The Defenders, a group of barristers from one of the UK’s top criminal defence chambers will be followed around on their daily lives. The Defenders will show how the barristers work through [...]
Google commits to play ball with CMA over anti-competitive ‘Sandbox’ November 26, 2021 Google has improved its commitments to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over its ‘Privacy Sandbox’ amid concerns that changes by the tech titan could reduce competition in the digital advertising market. The competition watchdog launched an investigation into alleged anti-competitive behaviour by Google at the start of the year, following proposed changes to its [...]
The Independent on track to record best results yet November 25, 2021 The Independent is set to report its best profits yet since moving away from print in 2016 The publisher has doubled its operating profit this year and grew revenues by a third. Whilst the results are yet to be audited, this would take the Independent’s operating profit from £2.7m last year to £5.4m this year. [...]
Plastic surgery ads aimed at children will be banned from next year November 25, 2021 Cosmetic surgery clinics will be banned from from targeting under-18s with plastic surgery ads following a crackdown by advertising watchdog in the UK.