Songwriters ‘missing millions in royalties from more than 100,000 UK gigs’

Songwriters are missing out on millions of pounds a year in royalties because the agency responsible for collecting and distributing payments cannot identify when their songs have been performed at more than 100,000 gigs and performances across the UK.PRS for Music is responsible for collecting royalties for writers when music is played, including on the radio, streaming services, in shops and at live events from pubs to stadiums and festivals.In the case of live music, PRS takes a small percentage cut of gross ticket sales from every performance, and after taking a cut for administration redistributes the royalties after successfully matching the setlist performed with the relevant songwriters.However, at a ballooning number of gigs, classical performances and theatre and variety shows, the collection agency has taken a cut of ticket sales but not been able to allocate it to songwriters because of a lack of information about songs played.In the music industry this growing pot of income at PRS is referred to as the “black box” and the agency is facing legal action about how it ultimately ends out distributing this money

‘The bubble had to burst’: the inside story of the Lindsey oil refinery collapse

It was mid-April and the government had just finished nationalising British Steel, to prevent thousands of job losses at the Scunthorpe steelworks, when word reached Whitehall that another national infrastructure asset was wobbling.Prax Group, owner of the Lindsey oil refinery on the Humber estuary in northern England, was rumoured to be in financial trouble, stoking fears about jobs and disruption to critical fuel supplies.In a hastily arranged meeting at the department for energy security and net zero (DESNZ) on 13 May, well-placed sources said, a concerned Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, took solace from Prax’s owner and sole director, Winston Soosaipillai.Prax had suffered some setbacks, the seldom-seen oil boss is understood to have said, but it was not in any imminent danger and was even planning investment for the future. Within weeks, these assurances had crumbled to dust

Fears AI factcheckers on X could increase promotion of conspiracy theories

A decision by Elon Musk’s X social media platform to enlist artificial intelligence chatbots to draft factchecks risks increasing the promotion of “lies and conspiracy theories”, a former UK technology minister has warned.Damian Collins accused Musk’s firm of “leaving it to bots to edit the news” after X announced on Tuesday that it would allow large language models to write community notes to clarify or correct contentious posts, before users approve them for publication. The notes have previously been written by humans.X said using AI to write factchecking notes – which sit beneath some X posts – “advances the state of the art in improving information quality on the internet”.Keith Coleman, the vice-president of product at X, said humans would review AI-generated notes and the note would appear only if people with a variety of viewpoints found it useful

AI helps find formula for paint to keep buildings cooler

AI-engineered paint could reduce the sweltering urban heat island effect in cities and cut air-conditioning bills, scientists have claimed, as machine learning accelerates the creation of new materials for everything from electric motors to carbon capture.Materials experts have used artificial intelligence to formulate new coatings that can keep buildings between 5C and 20C cooler than normal paint after exposure to midday sun. They could also be applied to cars, trains, electrical equipment and other objects that will require more cooling in a world that is heating up.Using machine learning, researchers at universities in the US, China, Singapore and Sweden designed new paint formulas tuned to best reflect the sun’s rays and emit heat, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the science journal Nature.It is the latest example of AI being used to leapfrog traditional trial-and-error approaches to scientific advances

McLaren go from busking at back of F1 field to Silverstone’s headline act

As a celebration of a sporting revival, McLaren might consider this year’s British Grand Prix a chance to revel in finally returning as the headline act at Formula One’s Glastonbury. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will take centre stage at Silverstone as overwhelming favourites; after more than a decade in the wilderness, there is real optimism that it’s finally coming home for McLaren.Half a million fans are expected at Silverstone over the weekend and while no one is quite counting chickens – not least as rain may play a part on Sunday – 10 years on from what might be considered a nadir for the team, the transformation at McLaren to put them in this position has been remarkable. In 2015 when the current team principal, Andrea Stella, joined as trackside head of operations they entered the season 5.1 seconds off pole in Australia and finished the year in ninth place

Gone in 70 seconds: Ben Shelton finishes bizarre match and finds the funny side

When you’ve had to wait a whole night to finish your match, what’s another 70 seconds between friends? Three aces and an unreturnable kick serve did the job for Ben Shelton as he sealed his place in the third round at Wimbledon on Friday with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 win over Rinky Hijikata, the smile on his face a far cry from the understandable frustration he showed when the match was suspended late the previous evening.The match had been controversially suspended at 9.29pm on Thursday night, with Shelton due to serve for victory. The two players had been in discussion with the umpire, Nacho Forcadell, earlier in the set to see if the match could be suspended because the court was becoming slippery, but the pair played on until the announcement was made at 5-4, prompting jeers from the crowd.The All England Club told the Guardian that the match had been called off because of fading light, while Shelton said he had been given a “five-minute warning until the Hawk-Eye was going down”