Post your questions for the Cardigans’ Nina Persson
After more than 30 years of melodious guitar pop, the Cardigans are returning to the stage – and their frontwoman Nina Persson will be joining us to answer your questions.The Swedish band instantly marked themselves out from the rest of both pop and alternative music when they broke through in 1995 with their album Life: sophisticated lounge-pop informed by bossa nova and disco (including sprightly Black Sabbath cover versions) was the very opposite of boorish Britpop or rave culture, and Persson’s vocals – girlish yet faintly careworn – carried so much drama within them.Third album First Band on the Moon contained their first true hit, Lovefool, which reached No 2 in the UK after framing Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes’ romance as Romeo and Juliet in Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film adaptation – and has endured, now closing in on its billionth play on Spotify.Their next album, 1998’s Gran Turismo, was just as sophisticated but switched into a darker-hued digital palette, as on singles My Favourite Game and Erase/Rewind.Shortly after, Persson duetted with Tom Jones on a cover of Talking Heads’ Burning Down the House, which was included on his mega-selling Reload album.
Then there was another tonal switch, to lamplit folk-rock and brawny Americana on 2003’s Long Gone Before Daylight; and another on 2005’s Super Extra Gravity, full of bright pop-rock,There hasn’t been another Cardigans album since, and Persson has ruled out the possibility after the departure of guitarist Peter Svensson, but the band reformed for live shows in 2012 and have sporadically toured since,Around the band, Persson has been an engaging vocal foil for Manic Street Preachers – their song Your Love Alone I s Not Enough reached No 2 in the UK singles chart – and Scottish folk singer James Yorkston, and as well as a 2014 solo album, she released two albums under the name A Camp, featuring various collaborators including her husband, film composer Nathan Larson,The Cardigans’ next UK gig is on 27 June at London’s Eventim Apollo, and ahead of it Persson will answer your questions about her life and work – post them in the comments below before noon on Monday 2 February, and we will publish her answers in the 6 February edition of the Film & Music section, as well as online,
Trump nominates Federal Reserve critic Kevin Warsh as its next chair
Donald Trump has announced Kevin Warsh as his nomination for the next chair of the Federal Reserve, selecting a candidate who has been an outspoken critic of the US central bank.The move ends months of speculation about who the president would pick to replace Jerome Powell, as he waged an extraordinary campaign to influence policymaking at the Fed by repeatedly calling for interest rate cuts. Powell’s second term as chair is due to end in May.Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: “I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best. On top of everything else, he is ‘central casting’, and he will never let you down
FSA confirms presence of toxin in some Nestlé SMA baby formula products
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has confirmed the presence of a toxin that can cause food poisoning in some Nestlé baby formula products.At the start of this month, the Swiss food and drink company recalled several batches of its SMA infant formula and follow-on formula due to concerns they contained cereulide, which can trigger nausea and vomiting when consumed.The FSA said it had identified the problem ingredient as arachidonic acid oil. This plays an important role in infant development and is added to formula to ensure babies who are not breastfed receive it.The food regulator said the ongoing investigations had confirmed that the contaminated oil had come from an ingredient supplier used by both Nestlé and rival food group Danone
What good is a social media ban when screens are rife in classrooms? | Letters
Your recent coverage of children’s screen use (How screen time affects toddlers: ‘We’re losing a big part of being human’, 22 January) highlights an issue that still receives remarkably little attention: the amount of screen time built into the school day. While politicians debate bans on social media for under‑16s, and teachers report children trying to swipe the pages of books, it is puzzling that the question of screen time in schools is left out of discussions.Every morning, most primary school children are greeted by an electronic whiteboard glowing in the classroom, often left on all day. Lessons are delivered as slides, tablets are used for activities, and many schools require homework to be completed online.When it rains, “wet play” means more screen‑based entertainment
AI-generated news should carry ‘nutrition’ labels, thinktank says
AI-generated news should carry “nutrition” labels and tech companies must pay publishers for the content they use, according to a left-of-centre thinktank, amid rising use of the technology as a source for current affairs.The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said AI firms were rapidly emerging as the new “gatekeepers” of the internet and intervention was needed to create a healthy AI news environment.It recommended standardised labels for AI-generated news, showing what information had been used to create those answers, including peer-reviewed studies and articles from professional news organisations. It also urged the establishment of a licensing regime in the UK allowing publishers to negotiate with tech companies over the use of their content in AI news.“If AI companies are going to profit from journalism and shape what the public sees, they must be required to pay fairly for the news they use and operate under clear rules that protect plurality, trust and the long-term future of independent journalism,” said Roa Powell, senior research fellow at IPPR and the report’s co-author
Chess: Uzbek pair share narrow half-point lead as Wijk aan Zee reaches final weekend
Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov are just half a point ahead of their closest three rivals as the “chess Wimbledon” at Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee heads into its final two rounds this weekend. Abdusattorov was the clear leader, but he has drawn three and lost one of his last four games.Leading scores after 11 of the 13 rounds are Abdusattorov and Sindarov 7, Matthias Blübaum (Germany), Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands) and Hans Niemann (US) 6.5, Vincent Keymer (Germany) 6, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (Turkey), Gukesh Dommaraju (India), Vladimir Fedoseev (Slovenia) and Anish Giri (Netherlands) 5.5
Novak Djokovic thanks doubters for giving him strength after Sinner success
Novak Djokovic thanked his doubters for helping to give him strength after he produced an incredible performance to defeat Jannik Sinner, the No 2 and two-time defending champion, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the Australian Open final.Djokovic, the fourth seed, will contest his 11th Australian Open final and 38th grand slam final overall on Sunday, his first since winning the US Open in September 2023. At 38 years old, he is the oldest Australian Open men’s finalist in history.“I never stopped believing in myself,” he said. “There’s a lot of people that doubt me
Wall Street opens lower after Trump nominates Kevin Warsh as next Fed chair – as it happened
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Donald Trump expected to nominate Kevin Warsh as US Federal Reserve chair
UK’s first rapid-charging battery train ready for boarding this weekend
AstraZeneca to invest £11bn in China after rowing back on UK expansion
What is behind the extraordinary rise in investment into silver and gold?