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By Sam Tobin LONDON, Feb 5 (Reuters) – British singer Elton John's husband, David Furnish, on Thursday told London's High Court that the publisher of the Daily Mail had unlawfully obtained information about them, including from their friend Prince Harry. Furnish – who with John is one of seven claimants suing Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, for alleged privacy breaches – also said in his witness statement that the Mail titles had been "actively homophobic" about him and John. Associated denies allegations of phone hacking and other unlawful acts made by Furnish, John and the other claimants, and says the information its newspapers reported was already in the public domain or obtained from legitimate sources. The publisher's lawyer, Catrin Evans, suggested that information in the stories Furnish and John complained about had come from other media, John's website or statements from his spokesperson. But Furnish, giving evidence by video link, said details in the Mail articles had been much more specific. FURNISH SAYS MAIL STOLE INFORMATION FROM HARRY Furnish was the sixth claimant to give evidence in the high-profile lawsuit, after Harry, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, former lawmaker Simon Hughes and anti-racism campaigner Doreen Lawrence. John is due to give evidence on Friday. Furnish and John's case relates to 10 articles published between 2002 and 2015, including a 2007 story in the Mail on Sunday about a concert to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Harry's mother Princess Diana, who died in a 1997 car crash. Harry said in his witness statement that he thought he and John would have exchanged voicemail messages about the concert. The Mail's lawyers, however, say the information came from well-placed royal sources. Furnish said in his written evidence that he and John believed their home's landlines had been bugged and the Mail was involved in "the stealing of our information through our friends Elizabeth Hurley and Prince Harry". "Elton absolutely adores Prince Harry," his statement said. Furnish also said that he and John "have a long and difficult history with The Mail", accusing the publisher of writing "judgmental and narrow-minded stories about us". Furnish said that, in relation to a 2010 article about him and John having a child through surrogacy, the Mail obtained a copy of their son's birth certificate before they did, which he said was "deeply disturbing". "It has outraged us that The Mail used our friendships against us by stealing information through them," he added in his statement. "It has outraged us that our family home was violated and our son's birth certificate stolen before we even had a chance to see it ourselves and Elton's medicals were ransacked with impunity." (Reporting by Sam Tobin and Michael Holden; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Sam Tobin LONDON, Feb 5 (Reuters) – British singer Elton John's husband, David Furnish, on Thursday told London's High Court that the publisher of the Daily Mail had unlawfully obtained information about them, including from their friend Prince Harry. Furnish – who with John is one of seven claimants suing Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, for alleged privacy breaches – also said in his witness statement that the Mail titles had been "actively homophobic" about him and John. Associated denies allegations of phone hacking and other unlawful acts made by Furnish, John and the other claimants, and says the information its newspapers reported was already in the public domain or obtained from legitimate sources. The publisher's lawyer, Catrin Evans, suggested that information in the stories Furnish and John complained about had come from other media, John's website or statements from his spokesperson. But Furnish, giving evidence by video link, said details in the Mail articles had been much more specific. FURNISH SAYS MAIL STOLE INFORMATION FROM HARRY Furnish was the sixth claimant to give evidence in the high-profile lawsuit, after Harry, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, former lawmaker Simon Hughes and anti-racism campaigner Doreen Lawrence. John is due to give evidence on Friday. Furnish and John's case relates to 10 articles published between 2002 and 2015, including a 2007 story in the Mail on Sunday about a concert to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Harry's mother Princess Diana, who died in a 1997 car crash. Harry said in his witness statement that he thought he and John would have exchanged voicemail messages about the concert. The Mail's lawyers, however, say the information came from well-placed royal sources. Furnish said in his written evidence that he and John believed their home's landlines had been bugged and the Mail was involved in "the stealing of our information through our friends Elizabeth Hurley and Prince Harry". "Elton absolutely adores Prince Harry," his statement said. Furnish also said that he and John "have a long and difficult history with The Mail", accusing the publisher of writing "judgmental and narrow-minded stories about us". Furnish said that, in relation to a 2010 article about him and John having a child through surrogacy, the Mail obtained a copy of their son's birth certificate before they did, which he said was "deeply disturbing". "It has outraged us that The Mail used our friendships against us by stealing information through them," he added in his statement. "It has outraged us that our family home was violated and our son's birth certificate stolen before we even had a chance to see it ourselves and Elton's medicals were ransacked with impunity." (Reporting by Sam Tobin and Michael Holden; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Sam Tobin LONDON, Feb 5 (Reuters) – British singer Elton John's husband, David Furnish, on Thursday told London's High Court that the publisher of the Daily Mail had unlawfully obtained information about them, including from their friend Prince Harry. Furnish – who with John is one of seven claimants suing Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, for alleged privacy breaches – also said in his witness statement that the Mail titles had been "actively homophobic" about him and John. Associated denies allegations of phone hacking and other unlawful acts made by Furnish, John and the other claimants, and says the information its newspapers reported was already in the public domain or obtained from legitimate sources. The publisher's lawyer, Catrin Evans, suggested that information in the stories Furnish and John complained about had come from other media, John's website or statements from his spokesperson. But Furnish, giving evidence by video link, said details in the Mail articles had been much more specific. FURNISH SAYS MAIL STOLE INFORMATION FROM HARRY Furnish was the sixth claimant to give evidence in the high-profile lawsuit, after Harry, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, former lawmaker Simon Hughes and anti-racism campaigner Doreen Lawrence. John is due to give evidence on Friday. Furnish and John's case relates to 10 articles published between 2002 and 2015, including a 2007 story in the Mail on Sunday about a concert to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Harry's mother Princess Diana, who died in a 1997 car crash. Harry said in his witness statement that he thought he and John would have exchanged voicemail messages about the concert. The Mail's lawyers, however, say the information came from well-placed royal sources. Furnish said in his written evidence that he and John believed their home's landlines had been bugged and the Mail was involved in "the stealing of our information through our friends Elizabeth Hurley and Prince Harry". "Elton absolutely adores Prince Harry," his statement said. Furnish also said that he and John "have a long and difficult history with The Mail", accusing the publisher of writing "judgmental and narrow-minded stories about us". Furnish said that, in relation to a 2010 article about him and John having a child through surrogacy, the Mail obtained a copy of their son's birth certificate before they did, which he said was "deeply disturbing". "It has outraged us that The Mail used our friendships against us by stealing information through them," he added in his statement. "It has outraged us that our family home was violated and our son's birth certificate stolen before we even had a chance to see it ourselves and Elton's medicals were ransacked with impunity." (Reporting by Sam Tobin and Michael Holden; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Feb 5 (Reuters) – Spotify said on Thursday it would begin selling physical books on its streaming platform through a partnership with online retailer Bookshop.org, marking an unexpected expansion beyond its audiobooks business. The company is doubling down on new features to better compete with rival streaming services from tech giants such as Apple and Amazon. Since launching audiobooks two years ago, Audiobooks in Premium has expanded to 22 global markets and its English-language catalog has grown to more than 500,000 titles, Spotify said. Its new listeners were up 36% from a year earlier and listening hours grew 37%, it added. Spotify said the physical book purchasing feature will begin rolling out later this spring for users in the U.S. and the UK, with Bookshop.org handling pricing, inventory and fulfillment. Spotify will receive an affiliate fee for purchases made inside its app. The company's move comes at a time when physical book sales are sluggish because more users are increasingly turning to e-books and other sources on the internet. News Corp, which owns HarperCollins, said last year that book publishing orders were slowing from both readers and retailers. Baker & Taylor, a nearly 200-year-old library book distributor, also shut down operations in January. Spotify said it would launch "Page Match," a tool designed to let users scan a page from a physical book or e-book in the Spotify app to jump to the matching point in the audiobook. Page Match will be available at launch on most English-language titles, with plans to be fully rolled out to all audiobook users by February 23, the company said. Spotify has also increased the price of its monthly premium subscription plan by $1 to $12.99 in the U.S., Estonia and Latvia markets. Shares of the company were down 4.5%. The stock rose nearly 30% last year. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Feb 5 (Reuters) – Spotify said on Thursday it will begin selling physical books on its streaming platform through a partnership with online retailer Bookshop.org, marking an unexpected expansion beyond its audiobooks business. The company is doubling down on new features to better compete with rival streaming services from tech giants such as Apple and Amazon. Since launching audiobooks two years ago, Audiobooks in Premium has expanded to 22 global markets and its English‑language catalog has grown to more than 500,000 titles, Spotify said. Its new listeners are up 36% and listening hours have grown 37%, it added. The physical book purchasing feature will begin rolling out later this spring for users in the U.S. and the UK, with Bookshop.org handling pricing, inventory and fulfillment, Spotify said. Spotify's move comes at a time when physical book sales are sluggish because more users are increasingly turning to e-books and other sources on the Internet. News Corp, which owns HarperCollins, said last year book publishing orders were slowing from both readers and retailers. A nearly 200-year-old library book distributor Baker & Taylor also shut down operations in January. Spotify said it will launch "Page Match," a tool designed to let readers move between reading and listening. Users can scan a page from a printed book or e-book using the Spotify app's camera to jump to the corresponding moment in the audiobook and scan again later to find the exact passage where they should resume reading, the company said. Page Match will be available at launch on most English-language titles, with plans to be fully rolled out to all audiobook users by February 23, the company said. Spotify has also increased the price of its monthly premium subscription plan by $1 to $12.99 in the United States, Estonia and Latvia markets. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Feb 5 (Reuters) – Spotify said on Thursday it will begin selling physical books on its streaming platform through a partnership with online retailer Bookshop.org, marking an unexpected expansion beyond its audiobooks business. The company is doubling down on new features to better compete with rival streaming services from tech giants such as Apple and Amazon. Since launching audiobooks two years ago, Audiobooks in Premium has expanded to 22 global markets and its English‑language catalog has grown to more than 500,000 titles, Spotify said. Its new listeners are up 36% and listening hours have grown 37%, it added. The physical book purchasing feature will begin rolling out later this spring for users in the U.S. and the UK, with Bookshop.org handling pricing, inventory and fulfillment, Spotify said. Spotify's move comes at a time when physical book sales are sluggish because more users are increasingly turning to e-books and other sources on the Internet. News Corp, which owns HarperCollins, said last year book publishing orders were slowing from both readers and retailers. A nearly 200-year-old library book distributor Baker & Taylor also shut down operations in January. Spotify said it will launch "Page Match," a tool designed to let readers move between reading and listening. Users can scan a page from a printed book or e-book using the Spotify app's camera to jump to the corresponding moment in the audiobook and scan again later to find the exact passage where they should resume reading, the company said. Page Match will be available at launch on most English-language titles, with plans to be fully rolled out to all audiobook users by February 23, the company said. Spotify has also increased the price of its monthly premium subscription plan by $1 to $12.99 in the United States, Estonia and Latvia markets. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Feb 5 (Reuters) – Spotify said on Thursday it will begin selling physical books on its streaming platform through a partnership with online retailer Bookshop.org, marking an unexpected expansion beyond its audiobooks business. The company is doubling down on new features to better compete with rival streaming services from tech giants such as Apple and Amazon. Since launching audiobooks two years ago, Audiobooks in Premium has expanded to 22 global markets and its English‑language catalog has grown to more than 500,000 titles, Spotify said. Its new listeners are up 36% and listening hours have grown 37%, it added. The physical book purchasing feature will begin rolling out later this spring for users in the U.S. and the UK, with Bookshop.org handling pricing, inventory and fulfillment, Spotify said. Spotify's move comes at a time when physical book sales are sluggish because more users are increasingly turning to e-books and other sources on the Internet. News Corp, which owns HarperCollins, said last year book publishing orders were slowing from both readers and retailers. A nearly 200-year-old library book distributor Baker & Taylor also shut down operations in January. Spotify said it will launch "Page Match," a tool designed to let readers move between reading and listening. Users can scan a page from a printed book or e-book using the Spotify app's camera to jump to the corresponding moment in the audiobook and scan again later to find the exact passage where they should resume reading, the company said. Page Match will be available at launch on most English-language titles, with plans to be fully rolled out to all audiobook users by February 23, the company said. Spotify has also increased the price of its monthly premium subscription plan by $1 to $12.99 in the United States, Estonia and Latvia markets. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LONDON, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Tony Benna hadn't worked with former advertising creative Andre Ricciardi in years, when one day his friend reached out to tell him, "I've got stage four cancer, but I want to make a comedy and I want you to direct it," Benna said. He was taken aback. "First off, I was having to digest the fact that he has cancer. But second, how do you turn this into a comedy? Obviously, cancer is not funny, but Andre is one of the most hilarious and brilliant people I've ever met. So I figured if I could just capture Andre's character, there was a chance to look at something so dark… through a very different lens.” The result is "Andre Is an Idiot", a raw and funny documentary following Ricciardi as he comes to terms with his terminal illness. The title refers to Ricciardi's mistake of passing up on a colonoscopy the year before he finds out he has stage four colon cancer. The movie follows Ricciardi as he deals with his progressing cancer but also uses humour to prepare for death. Audiences see him meet a "death yell" teacher to practice his last words or share wacky ideas like a television show in which participants offer up unique ways for him to die. "What you see in the film is the tip of the iceberg as far as the adventures Andre took us on. And you never knew… if Andre was really serious about getting a head transplant or if it was just something he was joking about," said Benna. He used stop-motion animation to illustrate Ricciardi's stories and ideas. "You can't show… ten different ways to have your body disposed of with a human… But with a puppet, it's approachable. It adds the humour that Andre was really going for." The film features interviews with Ricciardi's wife Janice, their daughters, and best friend Lee among others, and brought a lot of emotional challenges. "Andre Is an Idiot" premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won two awards. It is released in UK cinemas on Friday. "A lot of us hide, as Andre says in the film, from sickness. We're afraid of it. We're afraid to talk to our friends and family that have cancer. We don't know what to say," Benna said. "And what Andre teaches us is – just go be you." (Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)