Sci-fi epic 'Dune' leads BAFTA nominations with 11 nods

Singers Dolly Parton and Lionel Richie, rapper Eminem and new romantic band Duran Duran were among the first-time nominees announced on Wednesday for possible induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Singer Carly Simon, musician Beck and hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest also made the list for the first time.

Science fiction epic "Dune" , a mammoth adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, led nominations for the British Academy Film Awards on Thursday, securing 11 nods, with dark Western "The Power of the Dog" following with eight. "Belfast" , Kenneth Brannagh's semi-autobiographical black and white comedy-drama set at the onset of Northern Ireland's three decades of conflict, received six nominations at Britain's top movie honors.

BT said it would merge its sports TV unit with Discovery's Eurosport in Britain and Ireland, enabling it to retain Premier League soccer for its customers while sharing the burden of expensive broadcast rights. BT, a former British telecoms monopoly, moved into sport in 2013 when it beat Rupert Murdoch's Sky to Champions League rights, hoping that exclusive content would help it stem broadband customer losses.

Four men have been arrested and charged in last year's overdose death of actor Michael K. Williams, who was best known for playing a shotgun-toting drug dealer in the HBO crime drama "The Wire," the U.S. prosecutor in New York City said on Wednesday. Williams, 54, was found dead in his New York apartment on Sept. 7, police said.

'Game of Thrones' studio tour takes fans into world of Westeros

From the frozen lands "Beyond the Wall" to the destroyed "Throne Room", a new "Game of Thrones" Studio Tour takes fans behind the scenes of the hit television series. Located at Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge, Northern Ireland, one of several locations where the fantasy show was filmed, the attraction opens up the world of Westeros to the public with an array of costumes, props, and sets on display.

British music superstar Adele has confirmed she will perform at next week's BRIT Awards, two weeks after tearfully telling fans she was postponing her Las Vegas shows due to Covid-19 related delays. The "Hello" and "Someone Like You" chart-topper will take to the stage in her hometown of London on Feb. 8 for Britain's annual pop music honours, where she is nominated for four awards.

The Olympic torch relay began its second day on Thursday atop the Great Wall, with Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan and Chinese Olympic medallists among those taking turns carrying the flame along a route shortened to three days because of Covid-19.

The relay for the torch that will open the Feb. 4-20 Winter Games is much more modest than the globe-spanning relay for Beijing's 2008 Summer Games, a tour that was disrupted by protests.

Bob Marley's daughter and grandson on Wednesday visited an exhibition that opened in London telling the life story of the late Jamaican reggae singer. 

The "One Love Experience", at London's Saatchi Gallery for the next 10 weeks before heading on a multi-city tour, features memorabilia, photographs and personal items. These range from the original handwritten lyrics of "Turn Your Lights Down Low" to shoes Marley wore in the 1970s.

Nintendo Co Ltd sold 18.95 million Switch video game consoles in the nine months to the end of December, the Japanese company said on Thursday, taking total sales past 100 million and beating the lifetime sales of its Wii console. 

Although the figure undershot the 24.1 million Switch units sold in the same period a year earlier, the milestone highlights the continuing demand for the device which is in its fifth year on the market.

Budweiser and one of its famous Clydesdales will return to the Super Bowl in a commercial that celebrates the ability to overcome life's challenges in a story directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloe Zhao. 

The advertisement, released on YouTube on Wednesday ahead of this month's National Football League championship, shows an injured Clydesdale working through setbacks with help from a vet, a stableman and an attentive dog before making a triumphant recovery. "Down Never Means Out" flashes on the screen.