Latest Stories
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‘My whole world was swept from under my feet’
Should there be a “Caroline’s law”? After the reality TV presenter tragically took her own life, friends and politicians are calling on new media regulation to prevent merciless bullying.
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UK to make web titans liable for online harms
Could it undermine free speech? Facebook and Google bosses will face prosecution if they breach their “duty of care”. But some fear the same laws might be twisted to block truth-telling.
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‘Posturing, self-indulgence and surreality’
Have the Oscars become unbearable? Last night, millions of people worldwide watched Hollywood’s biggest spectacle – but critics argue it is a self-congratulating waste of time and money.
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At the Baftas, white actors are the winners
Is the film industry too interested in stories about white people? Despite years of debate about representation, there was a remarkable lack of diversity at last night’s Bafta film awards.
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Studio Ghibli goes for global dominance
Are the best animated films made in Japan? With the first Studio Ghibli films moving to Netflix tomorrow, we examine why anime has become so popular and if it can ever surpass Disney.
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BBC in its current form ‘facing the end’
Should the BBC be another Netflix? Nicky Morgan, the UK culture secretary, wants a move to a subscription system, ending almost a century of public broadcasting funded by a licence fee.
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Comedy about Hitler leaves critics fuming
Is it morally wrong to make a comic film about the Nazis? Critics are passionately divided about Jojo Rabbit, the story of a ten-year-old boy and his imaginary friend – a goofy Adolf Hitler.
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Climate sceptic Murdoch confronted by son
Should Rupert Murdoch step down? The legendary newspaper owner is under attack by his son for allowing climate change sceptics to distort coverage of the deadly Australian bushfires.
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Instagram ban for Love Island’s Molly-Mae
Are influencers undermining democracy? Molly-Mae is the latest to be censured for dishonest Instagram posts, yet more and more young people are turning to celebrities for information.
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Controversial film Joker set for bumper Baftas
Is Joker immoral? Now poised for ample awards, the deeply troubling 2019 film immediately inflamed debate over its depiction of extreme violence and worries about copycat behaviour.
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Record as five black women win beauty crowns
Is this progress? Five black women now hold all the world’s top beauty titles, a development which is being hailed despite the troubled histories and controversial values of pageants.
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Winds of change: the UK picks its next leader
Is this the most important election in a lifetime? Both leading parties have policies that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Voters across the UK will make a huge decision today.
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Baby Yoda takes the internet by storm
Is cuteness a science? The ancient, alien sage has been reborn as an infant in a new Star Wars spin-off. One doctor says that our frenzied reaction to Baby Yoda has a scientific explanation.
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Trump, NATO, the NHS and a wicked Russian plot
Is Russia interfering in UK politics? A new report suggests that Putin is “sowing confusion” and disinformation online in the latest stage of an information war on its NATO enemies.
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Big ideas hit prime time in His Dark Materials
Are dust and dæmons fiction or fact? A new book about consciousness argues that the ideas behind Philip Pullman’s books and new TV series maybe closer to reality than you might think.