Business Minister Michael Fallon said, "From today [Monday] businesses are freed from the red tape that holds them back." The change was introduced through a private member's bill, introduced by Liberal Democrat Don Foster, in order to amend some of the bureaucracy imposed on gigs by the 2003 Licensing Act. The success is a relatively rare example of a House of Lords private member's bill making it into law.
Record Breaker - The National Theatre has reported record yearly takings of £80m, more than double those of 10 years ago and nearly £10m more than last year. Director Sir Nicholas Hytner praised the figures but added that cuts to funding were "neglecting the arts".
One Man, Two Guvnors, starring James Corden, was the most successful National Theatre Live play to date, seen by 54,000 people in cinemas. War Horse is still selling out and has been seen by 2.4m people worldwide.
Sir Nicholas described recent government arts cuts as "a kind of madness, a kind of mania" given the "amount of joy spread by the Cultural Olympiad" and London Festival 2012 - a series of national arts events which ran alongside the Olympics.
Concerts Cancelled - George Michael has cancelled the Australian leg of his tour due to "major anxiety" following his battle with pneumonia at the end of last year. In a statement on his website, Michael said the cancellation of nine concerts "breaks my heart". He confirmed he would still fulfil his UK dates in October but would then undergo treatment for his condition. He added, " I have tried in vain to work my way through the trauma that the doctors who saved my life warned me I would experience.
"They recommended complete rest and the type of post-traumatic counselling which is available in cases like mine but I'm afraid I believed (wrongly) that making music and getting out there to perform for the audiences that bring me such joy would be therapy enough in itself." He has already performed numerous dates across Europe over the last month.
The Symphonica tour was resumed this autumn after it was pulled when he became ill in November last year, just hours before he was due to perform in Vienna. He had completed 46 of the original 65 dates when he contracted pneumonia.
(Jim Evans)
