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The BBC has announced a plan to move BBC Scotland, BBC Three, and related services online as part of a broader effort to save £500m over the next two years. Linear channels will close in spring, with content rerouted to iPlayer, BBC Sounds, and YouTube while some programming shifts to BBC One/Two in Scotland. The changes aim to align with changing audience habits while preserving key regional content.
The Mercury Prize shortlist has been announced, with Olivia Dean and Nia Archives among favourites. The ceremony will be held at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on October 22, with contenders including Dave, Florence + the Machine, and Suede. Olivia Dean is the bookies’ 2/1 favourite, while Nia Archives is priced at 2/1, and Dave sits at 10/3 to win the Mercury Prize.
Netflix has announced deals to add short-form video from publishers including BuzzFeed Studios, Condé Nast, Hearst, People, Tastemade and Penske Media brands. The licensed clips and ongoing short series will roll out August 3 in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, with runtimes from two to 20+ minutes.
The new British prime minister has stated that defending Britain’s national interests comes first in its dealings with the United States. In a warm initial exchange with President Trump, the PM says he will voice differences if needed and will not rush to elections. Defence spending remains a key issue as ministers map out plans ahead of the autumn budget.
A new documentary uses archival Wham! footage to examine the 1985 China tour, its tensions with director Lindsay Anderson, and the broader cultural moment as China opened to the West. Ridgeley and Michael are featured, with new interviews and unseen material that cast their trip in a provocative light.
ZDNet has reported that most people no longer need flagship levels of phone storage or RAM. For storage, 128GB or 256GB will suit most users who stream and use cloud backups; 64GB is now the bare minimum. For RAM, 8GB–12GB will cover most use cases while high-tier RAM is driving device price increases in 2026.
Samsung has expanded its foldable lineup with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra, plus Z Flip 8. Prices have risen due to memory costs, with storage options up to 1TB. Trade-in incentives exist, but pre-order bonuses for storage upgrades have been scrapped. Deals vary by retailer and colorways.
A$AP Rocky has said Rihanna has returned to the studio and is working on new music. The comments, given on Jason Lee's podcast this week, add to years of intermittent updates about the singer's long-promised follow-up to 2016's Anti. Neither Rihanna nor her team has confirmed a release date or detailed the project.
The New York Post reports a StackCommerce deal offering Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows as a lifetime license at $32.97 until Aug. 9. The product includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, Access, OneNote, and Teams, with no ongoing subscriptions. The offer targets small businesses, freelancers and anyone tired of recurring charges.
Michael Sheen’s two-part BBC/Independent documentary investigates claims that polychlorinated biphenyls were dumped across Wales and nearby England. The programme finds residents near waste sites with elevated PCB levels and several cancer cases, prompting renewed calls for accountability from authorities and polluters.
The Pembrokeshire case from 1976 remains unresolved as Dyfed-Powys Police say artefacts and DNA are degraded. A family member calls the review ‘shell-shocked’ and vows to push the Attorney General if the original verdict stands.
The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham have seen Scots secure more podium spots across events from Aug. 12-15, with Team GB leading the medal table. Daily schedules highlight finals and key qualifications as 49 nations compete for 50 golds.
Android 17 introduces Encrypted Client Hello (ECH) to hide destination hostnames in TLS handshakes, improving privacy. The rollout includes stricter local-network permissions and default Certificate Transparency. ECH remains imperfect, not a VPN and does not conceal all metadata.
The BBC has confirmed RuPaul’s Drag Race UK will depart BBC Three and iPlayer, moving future series to World of Wonder’s Wow Presents Plus. The decision is part of the BBC’s 500 million savings drive, with the current eighth series continuing on BBC Three and iPlayer before the move. Fans and contestants warn the shift may reduce queer representation on UK screens.
The Lammermuir festival has filled Amisfield Walled Garden near Haddington with a 100-tuba ensemble, under Artistic Director James Waters, to explore large-scale brass in outdoor space. The Guardian piece recounts the planning, acoustics, and collaboration with trumpeter Marco Blaauw.
Jamie Roberts has apologised for not disclosing his production partner’s link to a Hamas official in Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone. The BBC removed the film after the reveal, and a BBC review found a breach of accuracy guidelines. Roberts says the underlying stories remain important as he previews England ’Til I Die, a Channel 4 documentary on anti-immigration protests.
The Guardian reports Clarkson urges a single Britflix to survive streaming era; Reuters notes Channel 4 and the BBC are weighing collaboration amid funding pressures and audience fragmentation. Both pieces frame pressure on UK public-service media as competition from global platforms grows.
The second series of Celebrity Traitors has launched with 21 stars entering Ardross Castle in Scotland. Host Claudia Winkleman introduces a larger cast, extended episodes, and new twists as Richard E. Grant and Maya Jama are revealed as Traitors. The series streams on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK, with international options via Peacock in the US.
Leaked Cyprus Confidential files show years of backdating and asset shifting linked to Roman Abramovich, with Deloitte Cyprus named in signing off on statements. The investigations allege wealth concealment and tax evasion spanning 1999–2022, while Abramovich and key aides deny wrongdoing.