The Oscars were silent on Trump, diverging from protests of past years

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No one uttered the US president’s name, and speeches bore few references to Gaza or Ukraine, focusing on the LA fires

The 97th Academy Awards had one of the longest run times for the annual show in recent history, yet the least mentions of the current political climate – with not a single person uttering the name “Donald Trump”.

While few people watch awards shows – least of all the Oscars – for political discussion, comments on world events have long been an expected part of the broadcasts. Trump himself has even weighed in on a show – at least once while it aired: last year, while campaigning for re-election, he posted on Truth Social and asked rhetorically whether there was ever a “worse host” than Jimmy Kimmel at the 2024 Oscars and criticized his opening monologue.

Anora takes home best picture Oscar

Adrien Brody and Mikey Madison win best acting prizes

Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña win supporting awards

Anora’s Sean Baker wins for directing, editing and screenplay

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Labour unveils sick-pay guarantee for 1.3m lowest-paid workers

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Workers earning under £123 a week to get 80% of salary in sick pay, keeping more people off benefits

More than 1 million of the lowest-paid UK workers are to be guaranteed sick pay worth up to 80% of their weekly salary from the first day of sickness, under changes intended to boost living standards.

The UK has one of the stingiest rates of statutory sick pay in the developed world, according to the Resolution Foundation, with those earning less than £123 a week not entitled to anything. For the rest, the rate is set at just £116.75 a week at present, rising to £118.75 – or £3 an hour – for full-time workers from April, but that only kicks in after three days of sickness.

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One in three NHS doctors so tired their ability to treat patients is affected, survey finds

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Exclusive: Medics more sleep deprived now than during Covid crisis amid staff shortages and surging demand

One in three doctors in the NHS are so tired that their ability to treat patients is impaired, according to a report that reveals medics are more sleep deprived now than during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Longer hours, staff shortages and soaring demand for care on top of the backlog that worsened during the Covid crisis are causing extreme tiredness among doctors, leading to memory blanks, problems concentrating and patient harm.

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With Cease-Fire Shaky, Israel and Hamas Consider Both Diplomatic and Military Options – The New York Times

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  1. With Cease-Fire Shaky, Israel and Hamas Consider Both Diplomatic and Military Options  The New York Times
  2. White House backs Israel's decision to halt Gaza aid shipments until Hamas accepts ceasefire extension  Fox News
  3. Fears of ‘famine’ in Gaza as Israel cuts off aid, reneges on ceasefire deal  Al Jazeera English
  4. Israel is criticized after it bars Gaza aid to pressure Hamas to accept a new ceasefire proposal  The Associated Press
  5. Israel blocks aid into Gaza as ceasefire standoff escalates  Reuters
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Trump News and Live Updates: E.U. Leader Calls for ‘Surge in Defense’ for Ukraine – The New York Times

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  1. Trump News and Live Updates: E.U. Leader Calls for ‘Surge in Defense’ for Ukraine  The New York Times
  2. Europe juggles protecting Ukraine with rebuilding its own defences  Financial Times
  3. Starmer says ‘we are at a crossroads in history’ as he announces additional £1.6bn package for Ukraine – live  The Guardian
  4. EU chief: 'We urgently have to rearm Europe'  CNN
  5. Defense promises but scant detail as Europe enters decisive week  POLITICO Europe
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Macron urges Europe to boost defense spending to over 3 percent of GDP – POLITICO Europe

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  1. Macron urges Europe to boost defense spending to over 3 percent of GDP  POLITICO Europe
  2. French economy minister: Hitting 3 percent defense spending target may mean more taxes on rich  POLITICO Europe
  3. France Eyes Taxes on Rich, Not Companies, to Help Fund Defense  Bloomberg
  4. Macron calls on Europe to boost NATO funding to as much as 3.5% of GDP after Trump-Zelensky fallout  New York Post
  5. 'They can no longer rely on US': Macron calls for European defense fund worth 'hundreds of billions'  The Times of India
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Anora dominates the Oscars as Mikey Madison named best actress and Adrien Brody wins for The Brutalist

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Sean Baker’s film picks up five awards including best picture while Israel-Palestine documentary No Other Land also gets major win

Low-budget comedy Anora has triumphed at this year’s Oscars winning five Oscars, including best picture and best actress while Adrien Brody took home best actor.

Anora, which follows Mikey Madison’s sex worker who gets married to the son of a Russian oligarch, premiered at the Cannes film festival last year and has become the fourth Palme d’Or winner to be named best picture.

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‘Gandalf’ accused of selling illegal medicinal cannabis in New Zealand

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Outrage over targeting of one of New Zealand’s alleged ‘green fairies’ who provide cheaper medicinal cannabis without prescription

Police have shut down the alleged medicinal cannabis operation of one of New Zealand’s most renowned “green fairies”, prompting an outpouring of support from a prominent politician and the hundreds of people who rely on such products to ease their pain.

Police raided the rural Northland property of 66-year-old Paul Smith – more widely known as “Gandalf” – last week, destroying plants and greenhouses and seizing cannabis products. Smith was charged with cultivating, possessing for supply and selling cannabis – which could carry an eight-year jail sentence – and was summonsed to court.

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Sean Baker wins best director Oscar for Anora

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Director who made his name with microbudget indie films wins with his self-penned drama about a lapdancer who falls for one of her clients

Sean Baker has won the best director Oscar for Anora at the Academy Awards, which are taking place in Los Angeles, California.

A romance/thriller about a lapdancer who impulsively marries a Russian playboy, Anora stars Mikey Madison and Mark Eydelshteyn. It is Baker’s eighth feature, having made his debut with the microbudget indie Four Letter Words in 2000, and his fourth film since making a breakthrough in 2015 with Tangerine, a drama about trans sex workers shot on iPhones.

Anora wins best original and Conclave wins best adapted screenplay

Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña win supporting prizes

No Other Land wins best documentary andFlow wins best animated feature

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Adrien Brody wins best actor Oscar for The Brutalist

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Former youngest-ever winner of best actor Oscar wins award again for his portrayal of fictional architect in Brady Corbet’s epic drama

Adrien Brody has won the Academy Award for best actor for his role in Brady Corbet’s post-war epic The Brutalist.

In 2003, Brody became the youngest ever winner of the same award, when he took the prize for his role in Roman Polanski’s The Pianist, aged 29 years, 343 days.

Anora takes home best picture Oscar

Adrien Brody and Mikey Madison win best acting prizes

Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña win supporting awards

Anora’s Sean Baker wins for directing, editing and screenplay

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British composer Daniel Blumberg wins best original score Oscar for The Brutalist

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Sole previous scoring credit on a full-length film for the singer, guitar player and visual artist is The World to Come

The young British composer Daniel Blumberg has won his first Oscar for his second-ever musical score for a feature film, for Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist.

Blumberg, 34, won the Bafta award last month for the score, which has met with considerable praise and which plays a prominent role in the film. The Brutalist is the story of a fictitious Hungarian architect, László Tóth, who moves to the US after surviving the Holocaust.

Anora takes home best picture Oscar

Adrien Brody and Mikey Madison win best acting prizes

Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña win supporting awards

Anora’s Sean Baker wins for directing, editing and screenplay

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I’m Still Here wins Oscar for best international film, becoming first Brazilian film to do so

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Brazil’s official entry beats beleaguered French favourite Emilia Pérez to the podium

I’m Still Here has won the Oscar for best international film at the Academy Awards, which are currently taking place in Los Angeles. It is the first Brazilian film to win the award – and was also the first to be nominated.

Directed by Walter Salles and starring Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here is a political drama based on the true story of Eunice Paiva, whose husband Rubens was “disappeared” and murdered in 1970s Brazil. The film had to overcome a lineup including Danish true-crime story The Girl With the Needle, Iran-set legal drama The Seed of the Sacred Fig and trans gangster musical Emilia Pérez, which had been the hot favourite for the award.

Anora takes home best picture Oscar

Adrien Brody and Mikey Madison win best acting prizes

Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña win supporting awards

Anora’s Sean Baker wins for directing, editing and screenplay

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