Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Actors recruited to appear at Perth Film Studios’ first public open days will be paid after the Western Australian Government intervened over a proposal that initially offered only meals and the prospect of industry “exposure”. More than 30 performers had been sought for a music video shoot planned as part of the events at the $233.5 million facility on September 11 and 12. The roles included kung fu fighters, police officers and zombies. An email circulated by contractor West Coast Crew described the work as an unpaid opportunity. It offered participants meals, access to the finished video for possible showreel…

A second trailer for HBO’s Harry Potter television adaptation has offered fans their fullest look yet at Dominic McLaughlin’s first year at Hogwarts, ahead of the series’ premiere on Christmas Day. The new footage follows Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger as they arrive at the school of witchcraft and wizardry, meet their teachers and begin to uncover the danger surrounding the Philosopher’s Stone. McLaughlin, a young Scottish actor, takes over the role of Harry Potter from Daniel Radcliffe. He is joined by Arabella Stanton as Hermione and Alastair Stout as Ron in the eight-episode first season, officially titled Harry…

India’s statistics secretary has defended the country’s revised gross domestic product figures after a former finance secretary questioned whether changes to earlier data had made the latest growth rate appear stronger than it was. Saurabh Garg said the estimate of 7.8% growth in the April-to-June quarter reflected more detailed price data, additional sources and methodological improvements, rather than any systematic bias in the official figures. The latest figures were issued under a new GDP series, rebased to the 2022-23 financial year. Historical data was revised at the same time to reflect updated information and changes in the way economic activity…

Claire Foy brought a touch of old Hollywood glamour to the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday evening, arriving in a striking red gown and opera gloves for the premiere of Ink. The actress led the high-profile arrivals on the Lido as Danny Boyle’s newspaper drama opened the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. Ink received its world premiere in competition at the Sala Grande in the Palazzo del Cinema. The film stars Guy Pearce as Rupert Murdoch, Jack O’Connell as newspaper editor Larry Lamb and Foy among its principal cast. ([labiennale.org](https://www.labiennale.org/en/news/danny-boyle%E2%80%99s-ink-opening-film-biennale-cinema-2026?utm_source=openai)) Written by James Graham and directed by Boyle, the film…

Google has agreed a multi-year partnership with YouTube star MrBeast to promote its Gemini artificial intelligence assistant and Google Health, beginning with an extreme survival challenge across three of the world’s harshest environments. MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, and his crew will race through a jungle, desert and the Arctic in a video due to be published on his YouTube channel on 5 September. Google said Gemini would be used during the challenge to help the teams identify dangers, respond to severe changes in weather and navigate the different environments. The agreement will also extend beyond MrBeast’s own…

Chelsea have contacted former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum about a possible free transfer after their late attempt to sign Lamine Camara from Monaco collapsed. The move is being considered after Chelsea sold Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City and failed to secure a replacement before the summer transfer deadline. Chelsea have confirmed that Fernandez has completed a permanent move to their Premier League rivals. Sky Sports reported that Fernandez joined City in a deal worth £125 million, while Camara had been expected to move to Stamford Bridge for about £47 million before Monaco withdrew from the agreement after the deadline had…

McDonald’s has launched a limited-time Texas Meal featuring seven collectible cups designed around different regions of the state by Texas artist Avery Orendorf. The promotion began at participating restaurants across Texas on 1 September. The bundle includes 10 McNuggets, medium fries, a medium soft drink and one regional cup, with customers able to request their preferred design while stocks last. McDonald’s Texas Meal cups celebrate seven regions The collection covers Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin and Central Texas, West Texas, East Texas, and the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas. Each cup uses artwork inspired by the landmarks, culture…

The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is threatening neighbouring countries and the wider Great Lakes region, the World Health Organisation’s director-general has warned, as the outbreak continues to spread faster than efforts to contain it. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the response must be urgently expanded, with more resources directed towards surveillance, testing, treatment, contact tracing and safe burials. More than 6,000 cases and almost 3,000 deaths had been reported by Tuesday, according to the WHO. The outbreak has reached 60 health zones across six provinces, making it the second-largest Ebola epidemic on record and the fastest-moving…

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s request for pre-election access talks with Whitehall has been rejected by Cabinet Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo, after Prime Minister Andy Burnham insisted there was no plan to call an early general election. Ms Badenoch had written to Dame Antonia asking for senior civil servants to be briefed on the Conservatives’ plans, arguing that officials should be prepared to implement them if a snap poll led to a change of government. Her proposed programme includes withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights, reducing welfare spending, increasing defence expenditure and abolishing stamp duty. A senior Conservative source…

At least $1 billion in anonymous political spending is flowing into the 2026 US midterm elections, according to a New York Times investigation that has exposed the growing scale and complexity of “dark money” in American politics. Reporters Shane Goldmacher and Theodore Schleifer examined advertising data, Federal Election Commission filings and tax records to identify money being channelled into campaigns by organisations that do not reveal their donors. Their findings suggest the total is a conservative estimate. Much of the spending can be traced through public records, but other forms of political activity — including direct mail, payments to social…