Netflix comes under fire for removing comedy episode critical of Saudi prince January 2, 2019 Netflix has pulled an episode of a comedy show that criticised Saudi Arabia after complaints from the country’s regime, sparking fears over freedom of expression in the kingdom. The online streaming service removed an episode of the standup show Patriot Act in which host Hasan Minhaj criticised Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal [...]
Luxury slippers brand Mahabis falls into administration January 2, 2019 Upmarket footwear brand Mahabis has entered administration after four years of trading, the company has confirmed. The luxury slippers maker called in administrators KRE on 27 December, despite selling almost 1m pairs of slippers in more than 100 countries. Mahabis described itself as “desperately disappointed” at the news. The online retailer – which targeted millenials [...]
Rail fares rise by 3.1 per cent as commuters stage protests at train stations across the UK January 2, 2019 Rail fares increased by an average of 3.1 per cent today despite commuters suffering a year of travel chaos in 2018. Passengers are set to stage a national protest at the hike today, which will see many rail season tickets increase by more than £100. Commuters, rail union leaders and politicians are expected to protest [...]
Man arrested in Germany as car driven into crowd on New Year’s Eve January 1, 2019 A man has been arrested in northern Germany after driving his car into a crowd, injuring four, in a suspected racist attack. The man fled the scene in the northwestern town Bottrop on New Year’s Eve and made racist comments when he was arrested, police said in a statement. Syrians and Afghans are among the injured, police [...]
Manchester stabbing treated as terror attack January 1, 2019 A stabbing in Manchester on New Year’s Eve is being treated as a terrorist attack, police confirmed today. The attack, which injured three people including one police officer, is being led by counter-terror experts, police said, adding they were “keeping an open mind”. “We are treating this as a terrorist investigation,” chief constable Ian Hopkins told reporters. The [...]
Russia detains American on spying charges in Moscow January 1, 2019 Russian authorities have detained and opened a criminal case against an American they say is suspected of spying in Moscow. The Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had detained the US citizen on Friday, but did not give any details of the suspicions it has against him. The US state department said that Russia had [...]
Chinese cinemas show bumper profits, but growth slows January 1, 2019 Growth in China’s box office takings dropped to nine per cent in 2018, a reduction from the year before, state media has reported. The world’s second largest market for movies increased to 60.98bn yuan (£7bn) last year, but the pace of growth slowed from 13.45 per cent. Despite some big-budget flops, domestic films made up [...]
Elizabeth Warren looks to challenge Trump in 2020 race January 1, 2019 US senator Elizabeth Warren has become the first to throw her hat in the ring as the Democratic Party searches for a challenger to run against President Donald Trump in 2020. The liberal firebrand said yesterday she was forming an exploratory committee, the first step along the path to challenge for the party’s nomination. The [...]
Households urged to shop around for best deals as energy price cap kicks in January 1, 2019 Customers wanting to save should not place too much faith in new regulation and must continue to shop around to get better deals, experts warned as the energy price cap came into force this morning. The cap, which limits the price paid for each unit of energy, will mean a fairer deal for consumers, but does not [...]
Theresa May still has ‘more work to do’ to secure Brexit deal with EU December 31, 2018 A spokesperson for the Prime Minister has said Theresa May still has "more work to do" in order to secure assurances on the UK's exit from the European Union before the next parliamentary debate. May is said to have spoken to EU leaders over the Christmas period about reassurances on the deal, particularly on the so-called [...]