Cultural Ties - Shakespeare's Globe and the National Theatre are among British companies that have been awarded a share of a £7m fund aimed at strengthening cultural ties with China. The fund has been announced by chancellor George Osborne and seeks to open up British arts and culture to Chinese audiences.
The Globe has been given £740,000 to tour a production of The Merchant of Venice and for the theatre's education arm to create a training programme for arts organisations in China to develop learning and community programmes.
The NT will work with the National Theatre of China to develop a national tour of War Horse, following the production's current performances in Beijing and Shanghai. The show, which will benefit from £250,000 funding, will be produced, operated and performed by 90 Chinese artists and technicians, trained as part of a skills exchange between the two national theatres.
Who Cancel - The Who have cancelled their entire North American tour after Roger Daltrey was diagnosed with viral meningitis. The band were due to play at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas on Saturday night before taking in other cities in the US and Canada. A statement on the group's website said: "The band apologise to fans and realise that the postponement will cause an inconvenience for ticketholders. It wasn't a decision taken lightly - The Who always give their fans 100% and were never going to compromise the show, but ultimately the band had no alternative but to postpone the tour."
Free Sheet - The NME is now being distributed for free in what the editor says is an essential move that will strengthen its brand. The paper has been selling about 15,000 copies a week - but from this week some 300,000 copies will be distributed in more than 500 locations across the country. Editor Mike Williams said: "Ultimately it's up to all media industries, whether that's the music industry or the publishing industry, to react and change. People's habits have moved to consuming their content digitally, so for us it was an incredible opportunity to really put the print product at the centre of the brand again, and to really increase our audience."
Faking It - Sir Elton John has said he was "happy to be pranked" in a fake phone call from Vladimir Putin because it has helped raise awareness of LGBT issues. The singer wrote on Instagram last week that he had spoken to the Russian president about gay rights in the country. However, it emerged that comedians Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Stolyarov were behind the call. Sir Elton responded to the incident on Instagram as a recording of the call was released. "Pranks are funny. Homophobia, however is never funny," he wrote beside a photo of a young man with a bloodied nose. "I love Russia and my offer to talk to president Putin about LGBT rights still stands. I will always stand up for those that are being degraded and discriminated against."
On The Strip - Lionel Richie has revealed plans to launch a residency called Lionel Richie - All the Hits in Las Vegas next year. The Motown legend will play
