Criticises

State department warns of ‘ideological conditioning’ in message of condolence to family of murdered studentThe US state department has criticised “two-tiered policing” in Britain in a message of condolence to the family of the murder victim Henry Nowak in a thinly veiled rebuke of the UK government.The 18-year-old student’s murder has been claimed by some as evidence of two-tier policing in the UK – the argument that some groups of people are dealt with more harshly than others for ideological reasons. Continue reading...

Pulp Fiction director writes in Sight and Sound that ‘since the pandemic … it seems almost impossible for a new movie to come out that I don’t pick to death’Quentin Tarantino has criticised contemporary Hollywood, calling it “a flavourless sausage factory”.Writing in Sight and Sound magazine, Tarantino said that “since the pandemic … it seems almost impossible for a new movie to come out that I don’t pick to death”. He added: “Flaws, implausibilities, audience pandering, miscast performers or just plain stupid shit usually torpedoes every new movie coming out of the flavourless sausage factory that used to call itself Hollywood.” Continue reading...

Sarah Jones says guidance that black and white suspects should be treated differently gives ‘wrong impression’Anti-discrimination guidance to police that black and white suspects should be treated differently “gives the wrong impression”, according to the policing minister, who said protesters involved in overnight violence in Southampton should not be allowed to shape the reaction to the murder of Henry Nowak.Two people were arrested after unrest in Southampton after the sentencing of the 18-year-old’s killer, Vickrum Digwa, who told police attending the scene of the stabbing in the city on 3 December 2025 that he had been the victim of a racist attack. Continue reading...

• Netflix and other streaming platforms have criticized a new German draft law approved by Chancellor Friedrich Merz's cabinet on Wednesday. • The proposed legislation would compel streaming services to reinvest a specific share of their locally generated revenue back into domestic film and television production. • This move aligns Germany with other European nations, such as France, Denmark, and Sweden, which already enforce similar reinvestment mandates to support local creative industries.

• Netflix and other streaming platforms have criticized a German proposal requiring them to reinvest a portion of their locally generated revenue into domestic film production. • The plan aims to bolster Germany's local creative industry, mirroring similar mandates already implemented in European nations such as France, Denmark, and Sweden. • This conflict highlights a growing tension between global streaming giants and European regulators seeking to protect and fund national cultural content.

• Netflix and other streaming platforms have criticized a German proposal that would require them to reinvest a portion of their locally generated revenue into domestic film and television production. • The plan aims to bolster the German creative industry, mirroring similar regulatory frameworks already implemented in other European nations such as France, Denmark, and Sweden. • This conflict highlights the tension between global streaming giants and national governments seeking to protect local cultural content and ensure fair financial contributions to domestic arts.

Excluding capital would be ‘missed opportunity’, says Sadiq Khan, given existing assets and ‘world-class infrastructure’The mayor of London has criticised plans to explore a bid for the north of England to host the Olympics, saying that excluding London would be a “missed opportunity”.Ministers have commissioned an assessment by UK Sport which could inform a bid for the international sporting event in the 2040s. If the campaign were successful, it would be the first time the Olympic Games and Paralympics were hosted in Britain since London 2012. Continue reading...

The host of the film awards ceremony at which Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson shouted a racial slur has said he won’t host it againAlan Cumming has criticised the organisers of the Bafta film awards in February as “bad people who weren’t doing their jobs properly” after the N-word outburst by Tourette activist John Davidson, which was broadcast by the BBC during its coverage of the ceremony.In an interview with the Sunday Times, Cumming, who was the host of the ceremony, said: “It was bad, bad, bad, bad leadership … Bad people who weren’t doing their jobs properly, who really had not prepared and let people down.” Continue reading...

Mark Rowley says Zack Polanski’s comments risk undermining officers confronting ‘dangerous’ suspectsThe Green party leader, Zack Polanski, thoughtlessly undermined the confidence of officers to deal with dangerous people by sharing a critical social media post after the Golders Green stabbings, according to the head of the Metropolitan police.Officers were filmed detaining the suspect after two Jewish people were stabbed in the north-west London suburb on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Prime minister says the middle of a global fuel crisis is ‘the worst possible time to jeopardise’ Australia’s partnerships with Asian trading partnersThe prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has confirmed next month’s federal budget will not include a new tax on existing gas export contracts as he criticised the “populist” campaign calling for a levy on producers.As reported last week, Albanese was poised to reject pressure to introduce a 25% tax on gas exports amid concerns the intervention could alienate the same Asian trading partners Australia is relying on for supplies of diesel and petrol. Continue reading...

Exclusive: State government commits to strengthening laws as Higgins labels Albanese government’s response to women’s safety issues ‘disheartening’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Victorian government will strengthen laws regarding the use of victim-survivors’ confidential communications after a push by advocates including Brittany Higgins, who described her experience of having counselling records subpoenaed as a “violation”.In an interview with Guardian Australia, Higgins was also critical of the federal government’s lack of action following a sweeping review into the justice system’s responses to sexual violence, saying it had “completely fallen off the agenda”.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Speaking in South Korea, the French president defended the transatlantic alliance and called for return to peaceMiddle East crisis – live updatesEmmanuel Macron has sharply criticised Donald Trump’s inconsistent and often contradictory pronouncements on the Iran war and Nato, saying if “you want to be serious” it was better not to come out with a something different every day.“There is too much talk … and it’s all over the place,” the French president said on Thursday during a state visit to South Korea. “We all need stability, calm, a return to peace – this isn’t a show!” Continue reading...

Anger in France after US president puts on French accent and mocks Macron during private lunch in WashingtonEurope live – latest updatesEmmanuel Macron has said Donald Trump’s comments about his marriage were “neither elegant nor up to standard” after the US president put on an accent and mocked his French counterpart and his wife during a private lunch in Washington.Arriving in South Korea on Thursday, Macron made clear his displeasure at Trump’s comments, which appeared briefly in a video on the White House YouTube channel before being removed. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Justice Jim Henry published data from his own court revealing recent cases took more than a year to reach committalGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Queensland supreme court judge says serious criminal cases are taking “excruciatingly longer” to finalise due to “glacial” delays in the state’s magistrates court, where some matters are spending several years in procedural limbo.Justice Jim Henry, who is based at the supreme court in Cairns, published data from his own court revealing that of 31 recent criminal cases he finalised between November and February, on average each case took more than a year (370 days) in the lower courts before a committal. Continue reading...

Louis Mosley says government should resist calls to trigger break clause in £330m deal with US analytics companyUK politics live – latest updatesPalantir’s UK boss has urged the government not to give in to “ideologically motivated campaigners” as government ministers explore a way out of a £330m NHS contract with the tech company.Ministers have sought advice on triggering a break clause in Palantir’s deal to deliver the Federated Data Platform (FDP), amid questions over the company’s presence in the public sector. Continue reading...

Governing body to meet to discuss next steps over sexual abuse claims made against suspended chiefThe international criminal court’s governing body is expected to meet on Monday to assess the advice of a panel of judges who have challenged the findings of an investigation into the chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.Last year a UN inquiry into the allegations about Khan’s behaviour is understood to have established a factual basis for claims of misconduct against him. The senior British lawyer has been accused by a complainant of sexual abuse. Continue reading...