Mubeen Blogs

Before this week’s local elections, John Harris is on the road in Doncaster – which could prove to be a canary in the coalmine for the government. Labour has been in power here for decades but this time Nigel Farage’s Reform UK fancies its chances. So why are people turning away from Labour? Why are they so disillusioned with politics in general? And what would a Reform-run city actually be like? Please support The Guardian at http://theguardian.com/politicspod The full list of candidates for Doncaster mayor are: David Bettney, Social Democratic party Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/tieZyJR

Show dips into lucrative holiday market with butter-yellow, lilac and gold lamé outfits reflecting beauty of the backdrop Chanel has a fresh-faced, avant garde new designer but it still stands for classic glamour. This was the loud and clear messaging at the first Chanel show since Matthieu Blazy took up his role. The show was held at Villa d’Este, the Lake Como palace hotel where Elizabeth Taylor, Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich holidayed and which Alfred Hitchcock, who filmed The Pleasure Garden there, pronounced the most beautiful place on earth. The location, booked a year in advance, provided the theme: life in a grand hotel. Think White Lotus on Lake Como, art directed by Slim Aarons. First on to the pebbled catwalk weaving through the hotel’s terrace was a white bathrobe-style coat. Then there were capri pants in the butter yellow of the hotel parasols, and a lilac tweed suit to match the wisteria trailing overhead. Models swung tote bags big enough for pool towels, while gol...

The Trump administration is making an example of the Milwaukee judge to intimidate critics and opponents On Friday, the Trump administration dramatically escalated its assault on the courts when the FBI arrested Hannah Dugan , a county circuit court judge handling misdemeanors in Milwaukee – allegedly for helping an undocumented man avoid abduction by Ice agents outside her courtroom. The arrest, a highly publicized and dramatic move from the Trump administration, seemed designed to elicit fear among judges, government bureaucrats, and ordinary Americans that any effort to slow, impede, or merely not facilitate the administration’s mass kidnapping and deportation efforts will lead to swift, forceful, and disproportionate punishment by Trump allies. Her arrest may be the opening salvo of a broader Trump assault on judges. Even if you believe the FBI’s allegations, their account of Dugan’s alleged misconduct is trivial and flimsy, wholly undeserving of the administration’s sadistical...

Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff to face-off in quarter-final Grigor Dimitrov and Jacob Fearnley paused at 6-4, 5-4 Mirra Andreeva has spent the past two years of her life outperforming most teenagers that have ever picked up a tennis racket in the 21st century, yet on a chaotic, surreal Monday inside Caja Mágica, she briefly returned to her roots. During the final change of ends of her fourth-round match against the Ukrainian qualifier Yulia Starodubtseva, as she served for a comfortable victory, she learned of the power outage that had ravaged Spain, Portugal and many nearby countries, ultimately forcing play to be postponed in Madrid. As matches across the tournament grounds had already come to a halt, the two players were informed that they could play out the subsequent game, but there was a catch: the live electronic line calling system was no longer functioning and there were no line umpires to call upon. They would have to play as if they were back on the junior circuit, calli...

Surrey and Nottinghamshire wrapped up victories with a day of play to spare as wickets tumbled around the grounds Somerset’s second innings starts sub-optimally, as Archie Vaughan is caught behind for 0 off Worrall and trudges the slow trudge back to the pavilion. Somerset 0-1. A clip to midwicket brings fifty for a free-flowing Dan Lawrence, but he’s just lost Dan Worrall. Surrey 358-9, a lead of 75 and I’m expecting some big hitting. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/bo8Crit

It’s behind you! Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu find themselves at the mercy of a terrifying invisible enemy … and he really shouldn’t have called an evil officer ‘babes’ A lot of science fiction and fantasy franchises love to commission sequels but have a patchy record on delivering second stories that match up to the first. Russell T Davies and Sharma Angel-Walfall got close to pulling it off here, but the much-touted Disney+ bigger budget may have worked against it out-scaring the original. Midnight , where we first met this galvanic radiation-soaked entity in 2008, had a cast of eight trapped on one space transporter set barely bigger than a couple of SUVs. By contrast, the base and sets on planet 6767 were huge, and lacking the claustrophobia that could have made this even more terrifying. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/rwVkdBp

Irish trainer sends 21 runners to Sandown in final-day attempt to overhaul rival in gripping championship duel Dan Skelton has been an immovable object at the top of the National Hunt trainers’ table since the opening day of the 2024-25 season on 4 May last year but, when he comes up against the irresistible force of Willie Mullins’s stable at Sandown on Saturday, the betting market sees only one winner. Mullins is top-priced at 1-6 to retain the title he won for the first time last year, and while stranger things happen in racing on a fairly regular basis – a 1-9 shot was beaten in a two-horse race at Fakenham less than a month ago – even Skelton has seemed slightly resigned to his probable fate in the run-up to this weekend’s decisive card. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/871ZT0x

Democrats including Schumer say Trump is using antisemitism as cover to defund schools Five Jewish Democratic senators have sent a strongly worded letter to Donald Trump condemning his administration’s “assault on universities” and questioning whether actions taken against higher education institutions are truly aimed at combating antisemitism. The letter – signed by Chuck Schumer, Senate minority leader, and senators Jacky Rosen, Richard Blumenthal, Adam Schiff and Brian Schatz – accuses the administration of using “a real crisis as a pretext to attack people and institutions who do not agree with you”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/tar7RVs

Tensions rise between nuclear-armed neighbours who have fought three wars over territory as Delhi vows to respond The brutal militant attack that killed 26 people in one of Kashmir’s most scenic spots has shattered the region’s relative calm, turning a popular tourist destination into a scene of horror – and sparking fears of a fresh conflict between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan. Soon after the attack in which gunmen emerged from dense pine woods and opened fire on families picnicking and riding ponies, India’s defence minister, Rajnath Singh, vowed a “loud and clear response”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Oqs3oGK

Gustavo Petro hits back after Álvaro Leyva accused him of going awol during official visit to France A prominent Colombian politician and former minister has accused the country’s president, Gustavo Petro, of being a drug addict who allegedly went awol during an official visit to France. In a damning letter to the South American leader, the former foreign minister Álvaro Leyva painted a dire picture of his one-time boss and ally, later publishing the text on his official X account. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/JjebcI3

Statement signed by Harvard, Princeton and Brown leaders denounces White House’s ‘undue government intrusion’ US politics live – latest updates More than 150 presidents of US colleges and universities have signed a statement denouncing the Trump administration’s “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” with higher education – the strongest sign yet that US educational institutions are forming a unified front against the government’s extraordinary attack on their independence. The statement , published early on Tuesday by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, comes weeks into the administration’s mounting campaign against higher education, and hours after Harvard University became the first school to sue the government over threats to its funding. Harvard is one of several institutions hit in recent weeks with huge funding cuts and demands they relinquish significant institutional autonomy. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://if...

State’s only clinic stopped operations in February after state laws sought to control licensing and requirements Wyoming ’s only abortion clinic is resuming abortions after a judge on Monday suspended two state laws. One suspended law would require clinics providing surgical abortions to be licensed as outpatient surgical centers. The other would require women to get an ultrasound before a medication abortion. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Q4U1FSx

Decorated hats and costumes flood St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City during the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/EA40DBk

McLaren man’s win catapults him 10pts clear in title race Max Verstappen pays price for first-lap penalty Maintaining a focus and equilibrium under pressure has always been one of the hallmarks of Formula One’s greatest proponents and Oscar ­Piastri is demonstrating it with striking assurance for one so young. His victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, beating the world champion Max Verstappen, was an object lesson in the 24-year-old’s calm and confidence and his potential to take the title in only his third season. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/bx1PgDp

The order is the latest example of how the courts are challenging the Trump administration’s overhaul of the immigration system The US supreme court has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily halt the deportation of Venezuelan men in immigration custody, after their lawyers said they were at imminent risk of removal without the judicial review previously mandated by the justices. “The government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this court,” the justices said early on Saturday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/RgZIGYl

Rain hit several games but Gloucestershire made hay against Kent and a Yorkshire trio made half-centuries at Durham And as rain hits Birmingham, let’s wander around the grounds. Division One: Lyth and Bean are making steady progress against Durham ( Yorkshire 31-0 ). A couple of wickets for Worcestershire his morning at Chelmsford, both to young Jacob Duffy, who hasn’t played much red-ball cricket. ( Essex 54-2) Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Bdib7ER

French weekly published pictures of Pelicot with a man, described as her ‘companion’, walking in the street Gisèle Pelicot, who survived nearly a decade of rapes by dozens of men, will sue Paris Match magazine for invasion of privacy, her lawyers said on Thursday. In its latest edition, Paris Match published seven pictures of Pelicot accompanied by a man described as her companion walking in the streets in her new home town. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/iIV4hjQ

Move paves the way for Moscow to normalise ties with leadership of Afghanistan Russia has suspended its ban on the Taliban, which it had designated for more than two decades as a terrorist organisation, in a move that paves the way for Moscow to normalise ties with the leadership of Afghanistan. No country currently recognises the Taliban government that seized power in August 2021 as US-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. But Russia has been gradually building ties with the movement, which Vladimir Putin said last year was now an ally in fighting terrorism. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/k1B8Xjp

Judge finds probable cause to hold Trump officials in contempt over ‘willful disregard’ of order to stop deportation flights Full report: US judge finds probable cause to hold Trump officials in contempt US attorney general Pam Bondi on Wednesday unveiled legal action against Maine, in an escalation of Donald Trump ’s conflict with the state for refusing to ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s and girls’ sports . Reuters reports that the lawsuit comes five days after the administration tried to cut off all of Maine’s federal funding for public schools and its school lunch program over the issue, following a 21 February meeting of Trump and a group of US governors where he clashed with Maine’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills . Nothing in Title IX or its implementing regulations prohibits schools from allowing transgender girls and women to participate on girls’ and women’s sports teams. Your letters to date do not cite a single case that so holds. It was a compe...

Amy Schumer, Olivia Wilde and Olivia Munn are among the famous names calling out the much-publicised space trip The all-female Blue Origin rocket launch may have received plenty of glowing media coverage – but not everyone is impressed. The stunt has drawn criticism from a number of female celebrities who were not keen on the Jeff Bezos -owned Blue Origin NS-31 mission, which included Katy Perry, Bezos’s fiancee Lauren Sanchez, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn and, in a twist straight out of Apple TV’s The Morning Show, CBS Mornings host Gayle King. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/CcnTslH

Warwickshire edged Durham by a wicket while Sussex dismissed Somerset for a first Division One win since 2015 An extravagant target …after some slap and tickle by the Leicestershire tail. Ben Mike 38 not out, three wickets for Jack Morley. A few wickets round the grounds i n this first half hour: Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Yhlco0e

Cuts would mean dramatic decreases in funding for humanitarian aid, global health and international groups The Trump administration is reportedly proposing to slash its budget to the state department by nearly half in a move that could drastically reduce US international budget and ending its funding for Nato and the United Nations, according to an internal memorandum. The memo based on spending cuts devised by the White House office and management and budget envisions the total budget of the state department and USAID, the main foreign assistance body which has been largely dismantled by Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency”, or Doge, being reduced to $28.4bn, a reduction of $27bn or 48% from what Congress approved for 2025. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2XkOFP1

Former PM says governments should team up to create ‘global rescue plan’ that counters US president’s tariffs Gordon Brown has accused Donald Trump of “weaponising” the global trading system with steep import tariffs that threaten a “breakdown” in the global economic order. The former prime minister said governments and central banks should come up with a “global rescue plan” comparable to actions taken during the global financial crisis of 2008 , including synchronised interest rate cuts to cushion the blow from tariffs. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Uqaz1MI

Forward dismissed for reckless first-half tackle Atalanta back in winning ways against Bologna Kylian Mbappé’s reckless foul left La Liga champions Real Madrid with a nervy second half before they saw out a 1-0 win at relegation-threatened Alav és who also finished the match with 10 men. Eduardo Camavinga gave Real the lead in the 34th minute, scoring from outside the box with a brilliant curled shot, after an earlier goal by Raúl Asencio was ruled out following a VAR check. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Dw5OuMR

The Tory MP for Brigg and Immingham, which includes part of the Scunthorpe steelworks, fully backs its nationalisation Mention steel and one of the towns you immediately think of is Scunthorpe. The steelworks site defines the area. It is huge, the equivalent of 1,133 Wembley football pitches. It extends well beyond the bounds of Scunthorpe itself, into my constituency, and employs hundreds of my constituents and many more beyond. The raw materials that feed the blast furnaces come in through the port of Immingham, which I represent at Westminster. I have spent all my life living in this corner of Lincolnshire and am old enough to have witnessed the decline of Grimsby following the loss of its deep-sea fishing industry. Such losses affect every part of a community. When such industries decline and disappear people feel cut off from their heritage, their culture and so much more. The health of the local community deteriorates, chronic illnesses increase, there is lower life expectancy,...

It’s time to fashion a new global trade order without the US The game-changing geopolitical event last week was the near collapse of the immense $29tn ­market in US government debt, threatening the stability of the American and global financial system and the safe-haven status of dollar assets. The US president boasted as the collapse unfolded that world leaders were queueing to “kiss his arse”. Twelve hours later, he was in the same humiliatingly weak position as the then British prime minister Liz Truss found herself after her tax-slashing “mini-budget” in 2022. The markets had forced him to pause for 90 days the swingeing range of “reciprocal” tariffs that he announced on what he proclaimed “liberation day”; instead he lowered all of them, bar that on China, to 10%. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/YTPFwpC

White House has claimed that Khalil’s ‘beliefs and associations’ are counter to US foreign policy interests Mahmoud Khalil , the Columbia University graduate and Palestinian organizer, is eligible to be deported from the United States, an immigration judge ruled on Friday during a contentious hearing at a remote court in central Louisiana. The decision sides with the Trump administration ’s claim that a short memo written by the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, which stated Khalil’s “beliefs and associations” were counter to foreign policy interests, is sufficient evidence to remove a lawful permanent resident from the United States. The undated memo, the main piece of evidence submitted by the government, contained no allegations of criminal conduct. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/AofU7yV

Department seeks instances of bias, with emphasis on Christianity, that may have occurred under Biden The state department is ordering staff to report colleagues for instances of “anti-Christian bias” during the Biden administration, part of Donald Trump’s aggressive push to reshape government policy on religious expression in his first months back in office. The internal cable, obtained by the Guardian, establishes a short seven-day window for employees to report perceived religious discrimination committed by state department officials, with particular emphasis on Christianity. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2JNEBDV

Tyrique George scored his first Chelsea goal as Enzo Maresca’s side eased past Legia Warsaw to take a commanding lead into the second leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final. Next week’s return at Stamford Bridge should be little more than a formality and it would take an almighty collapse for Chelsea not to reach the last four from here, after three second-half goals helped purge the memory of another uninspiring first period. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/yI7pqLG

Beijing and Pyongyang are aiding Russia in its war against Ukraine, and Moscow in turn is assisting their militaries The top US commander in the Pacific has warned senators that the military support that China and North Korea are giving Russia in its war on Ukraine is a security risk in his region as Moscow provides critical military assistance to both in return. Adm Samuel Paparo, head of US Indo-Pacific Command, told the Senate armed services committee that China has provided 70% of the machine tools and 90% of the legacy chips to Russia to help Moscow “rebuild its war machine”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/msF60NJ

Court filing reported by Reuters shows White House appealing against judge’s order to restore full access to the AP China’s move to impose 84% retaliatory tariffs against the United States is unfortunate and a losing proposition for Beijing, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said on Wednesday, as he urged China to “come to the table” with the Trump administration. “I think it’s unfortunate that the Chinese actually don’t want to come and negotiate, because they are the worst offenders in the international trading system,” Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business Network . I can tell you that this escalation is a loser for them , that they have some very smart the economist and the academicians, technocrats within their bureaucracy, and they would be telling the leadership that we do not have the edge here. They are the surplus country that their exports to the US are five times our exports to China. So they can raise their tariffs. But so what? No one wins in a war...

As fears of a global recession continue in the wake of Donald Trump’s tariffs, Keir Starmer insists the UK should keep a cool head. But with markets in turmoil and a looming economic crisis, does the prime minister need to be bolder? John Harris asks the Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff. Plus, he speaks to Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, about whether people should ‘buy British’ to combat the tariffs. -- Listen to John discuss how music helped him connect with his autistic son on the Today in Focus podcast here : https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2025/apr/04/how-the-beatles-helped-my-autistic-son-find-his-voice-podcast -- Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/q6VkJNv

Probationary employees laid off in Trump administration’s purge lose reinstatement in 7-2 ruling over legal standing US politics live – latest updates The US supreme court has handed Donald Trump a reprieve from a judge’s ruling that his administration must rehire 16,000 probationary workers fired in its purge of the federal bureaucracy. A day after ruling in the White House’s favor to allow the continued deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members, the court gave the White House a less clear-cut victory in halting the order by a California court that dismissed workers from six government agencies must be rehired. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Unx792X

Country had refused to admit deported man, following which US revoked visas of all South Sudan passport holders The government of South Sudan said on Monday that an individual at the centre of a deportation row with the US, which South Sudan refused to allow into the country at the weekend, is a citizen of neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). South Sudan said the individual was a man named Makula Kintu, not Nimeiri Garang, as his paperwork claimed and had been using travel documents which were not his. “In accordance with our immigration protocols, we returned him to the sending country for further processing,” the foreign ministry spokesperson, Apuk Ayuel Mayen, said. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Jb8aRUo

Mourners gather for former lawmaker and daughter of Haitian immigrants, Mia Love, who died aged 49 Family and friends of the former US congresswoman Mia Love gathered Monday in Salt Lake City to honor the life and legacy of the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress after she died of brain cancer last month aged 49. The former lawmaker from Utah, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, had undergone treatment for an aggressive brain tumor called glioblastoma and received immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial. She died on 23 March at her home in Saratoga Springs, Utah, weeks after her daughter announced she was no longer responding to treatment. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/rvi2dnk

Striker seen an ideal option to improve faltering attack André Onana shrugs off criticism of his slow distribution Manchester United are eyeing Liam Delap as a prime summer target, with the Ipswich striker’s price expected to be in the region of £40m. United’s head coach, Ruben Amorim, and Jason Wilcox, the technical director, have identified the 22-year-old as an ideal option to bolster an attack that has faltered this season, scoring only 37 goals in 31 Premier League games. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/grIm1YS

Nominees, presenters and guests arrive for London theatre’s big night out at the Royal Albert Hall Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/NWwshFm

How Aston Villa were made to sweat for a seventh successive victory. At least the manner in which Nottingham Forest swarmed their goal as they pushed for a second-half equaliser may prove a decent dress rehearsal for Wednesday’s quarter-final at Paris Saint-Germain. Forest pulled a goal back through half-time substitute Jota Silva and then dialled up the pressure but the visitors, determined to emulate Villa by gatecrashing the Champions League, were beaten by early goals from Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/UBVyrTt

Paris Saint-Germain, who beat Liverpool with verve and energy, are the upstart newcomers among big-name quarter-finalists Narratives are never as straightforward as they may appear. One era does not yield easily to another. What constitutes an era changes over time. While history is happening it’s often hard to make sense of it; patterns seem to emerge that, from the perspective of 20 years later are meaningless, or culs-de-sac. That seems particularly true this season. As the Champions League reaches its quarter-final stage this coming week, it feels that one age has ended and another has yet to materialise. The past was a simpler place. First there was the age of dominance by Real Madrid and Benfica, teams from the capitals of Iberian nations under right-wing dictatorships, packed with great individuals. Then came systematisation, catenaccio and the Italian ascendancy, followed, with a brief period of crossover, by the era of domination by the northern European industrial powers, ...

Postecoglou fighting to keep his job after league struggles ‘I just don’t think it’s about the managers themselves’ Ange Postecoglou believes Tottenham must make material changes to their outlook as a club if they are to reach the level of success they crave. The manager, who is fighting to continue into next season, described his job as different to anything he had experienced because of the “weight of things you’re trying to rail against”. They include the isolation of the post, how the Spurs manager is normally the lone spokesperson for the club, nobody from the hierarchy publicly defending its positions. This echoed the sentiments of some of his predecessors, especially Antonio Conte . Postecoglou did not name names but it is a matter of fact that the chairman, Daniel Levy, almost never gives interviews. The chief football officer, Scott Munn, and the technical director, Johan Lange, are similarly low-profile. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/cjZ3flF

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, Trump tariffs, the bin strike in Birmingham and the Grand National Meeting at Aintree: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Warning: this gallery contains images that some readers may find distressing Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ve4R0K5

Oscar-winner set to take on role as godlike lion usually perceived to be male in upcoming adaption of The Magician’s Nephew Meryl Streep is in talks to play Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia film, according to reports. According to Nexus Point News , and confirmed by Deadline Streep, 79, is being lined up to star in Netflix’s film, which will be adapted from The Magician’s Nephew – the sixth of CS Lewis Narnia series of novels, but the first in chronological terms. In the Narnia books, Aslan is a dignified and quasi-omniscient lion, generally seen to be male and usually interpreted as an allegory for Jesus. The Magician’s Nephew centres on two children, Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, who discover the magical world through Digory’s uncle Andrew. Daniel Craig is also in talks for the film, with speculation rising that he will play the uncle . Charli XCX is also in line for a role, rumoured to be Jadis, the White Witch. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/zCx...

The US nonprofit, whose online community encouraged members to write a novel in a month, has been rocked by controversy in recent years NaNoWriMo, the US-based nonprofit organisation that challenged people to write a novel in a month, has announced it is closing down after 20 years. NaNoWriMo – an abbreviation of National Novel Writing Month – fostered an online community of participants aiming to write 50,000 words of fiction in November. It began informally in 1999 before becoming a nonprofit in 2006. Each year, tens of thousands signed up to the organisation’s flagship programme. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/bVLavHY

Full-throttle star turns from Jack Black and Jennifer Coolidge raise laughs but don’t help the perfunctory plotting in this screen take on the game franchise If you’re not familiar with Minecraft as a game then this film, notionally a big screen version of same, won’t necessarily solve that. Minecraft, even more than most computer games, is what you make of it, an experience generated by the player. So in a way, the idea of making a film set in the Minecraft world is counterintuitive, because it can never replicate what is good about Minecraft, it can only tell you what is good about Minecraft. In addition to that, this comedy-fantasy takes aspects of the Minecraft world and uses them as building blocks in a rollicking adventure suitable for almost all ages, giving Jack Black and Jason Momoa carte blanche to wild out and be deeply silly. Your affection for and/or tolerance of this latter prospect will dictate to a large extent your enjoyment of this film. Black plays Steve, a crafter...

Exclusive: State department said to have raised concerns over whether new online safety act infringes on freedom of expression US state department officials have challenged Britain’s communications regulator over the impact on freedom of expression created by new online safety laws, the Guardian understands. A group of officials from the state department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) recently met with Ofcom in London. It is understood that they raised the issue of the new online safety act and how it risked infringing free speech. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/erXltVq

Grant Paterson, 54, from South Lanarkshire, was pulled out from rubble on final day of visit A Scottish tourist who suffered severe burns in a suspected gas explosion at a building in Rome has died of his injuries. Grant Paterson, 54, was admitted to hospital on 23 March after the explosion and subsequent collapse of the block of flats where he was staying, in the Monteverde district. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Bh12Mau