British author, philanthropist, producer and screenwriter best known for Harry Potter
The Queen has announced a new initiative to gift a special edition of Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures to every year 6/P6 child this Christmas, in partnership with the National Literacy Trust. The move aims to bolster children's reading enjoyment as part of the Queen's literacy advocacy. The book, Waterstones Book of the Year 2023, will include a personal message from the Queen.
Bloomsbury has a share in a landmark $1.5bn copyright settlement with Anthropic over training AI models on protected works. The publisher lists 14,087 titles within the settlement, with about $3,000 per work, and a payout structure that splits proceeds with authors. The case has been described as the largest known copyright recovery in history.
The Philippines’ $40bn outsourcing industry, which employs about 1.9 million people, is facing pressure as AI adoption rises. Workers report AI-generated material being trained on their writing, with redundancies looming as roles shift toward automation.
Former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon says she was betrayed by Peter Murrell, who pleaded guilty to embezzling SNP funds. She reveals she did not know of the crimes until the day of his guilty plea and will not visit him in prison.
The Greenlink interconnector linking the UK and Ireland has been rerouted to avoid Dobby’s grave on Freshwater West after Harry Potter fans protested. Officials say the project now avoids the fictional site and proceeds while highlighting tensions between fandom and infrastructure.
The Harry Potter TV series has replaced Nicholas Hoult with Kit Harington to play Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season, adapting The Chamber of Secrets. The change follows scheduling conflicts and comes after fan backlash to Rowling’s involvement. Other cast updates include Paapa Essiedu as Snape and John Lithgow as Dumbledore.
Multiple outlets report new footage from JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, with Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger leading scenes at Hogwarts. The clip previews a larger arc, confirms a second season, and situates the show as a major adaptation for HBO Max.
Frasers has appointed Michael Murray, its chief executive and son-in-law of founder Mike Ashley, to Hugo Boss’s chairmanship as the luxury brand tightens its ties with the conglomerate. Sturm will step down, having announced an orderly transition, while Frasers seeks majority control after lifting its Hugo Boss stake to nearly 48%.