shocked

Jury chair Wim Wenders said filmmakers ‘have to stay out of politics’ when asked about German support for Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.

Indian author Arundhati Roy has announced that she is withdrawing from the Berlin International Film Festival after what she described as “unconscionable statements” by its jury members about Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Writing in India’s The Wire newspaper, Roy said she found recent remarks from members of the Berlinale jury, including its chair, acclaimed director Wim Wenders, that “art should not be political” to be “jaw-dropping”.

“It is a way of shutting down a conversation about a crime against humanity even as it unfolds before us in real time,” wrote Roy, the author of novels and nonfiction, including The God of Small Things.

“I am shocked and disgusted,” Roy wrote, adding that she believed “artists, writers and filmmakers should be doing everything in their power to stop” the war in Gaza.

“Let me say this clearly: what has happened in Gaza, what continues to happen, is a genocide of the Palestinian people by the State of Israel,” she wrote.

The war is “supported and funded by the governments of the United States and Germany, as well as several other countries in Europe, which makes them complicit in the crime,” she added.

During a panel to launch the festival on Thursday, a journalist asked the jury members for their views on the German government’s “support of the genocide in Gaza” and the “selective treatment of human rights” issues.

German filmmaker Wim Wenders, who is the chair of the festival’s seven-member jury, responded, saying that filmmakers “have to stay out of politics”.

“If we made movies that are dedicatedly political, we enter the field of politics. But we are the counterweight to politics. We are the opposite of politics. We have to do the work of people and not the work of politicians,” Wenders said.

Polish film producer Ewa Puszczynska, another jury member, said she thought it was “a bit unfair” to pose this question, saying that filmmakers “cannot be responsible” for whether governments support Israel or Palestine.

“There are many other wars where genocide is committed and we do not talk about that,” Puszczynska added.

Roy had been due to participate in the festival, which runs from February 12 to 22, after her 1989 film, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, was selected to be screened in the Classics section.

Germany, which is one of the biggest exporters of weapons to Israel, after the US, has introduced harsh measures to prevent people from speaking out in solidarity with Palestinians.

In 2024, more than 500 international artists, filmmakers, writers and culture workers called on creatives to stop working with German-funded cultural institutions over what they described as “McCarthyist policies that suppress freedom of expression, specifically expressions of solidarity with Palestine”.

“Cultural institutions are surveilling social media, petitions, open letters and public statements for expressions of solidarity with Palestine in order to weed out cultural workers who do not echo Germany’s unequivocal support of Israel,” organisers of the initiative said.

The Winter Olympics has seen its fair share of twists and turns this week, but none come close to Ilia Malinin’s shock downfall in the men’s single skating final, with Clare Balding left at a loss for words

Clare Balding was left flabbergasted at Ilia Malinin’s eighth-place finish in the final of the men’s single skating at the Winter Olympics. That’s given the Team USA star was slated as an overwhelming favourite for a gold medal.

Despite his most fierce challengers preceding his time on the ice, giving him what should have been a clear pathway to at least a podium place, the 21-year-old suffered a number of high profile mistakes under immense pressure. As a result of falling twice, Malinin tallied a total of 264.49 – his lowest free skate score in years.

As a result, Malinin sunk to eighth in the standings, while Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov secured gold with a score of 291.58. Japan’s Yugi Kagiyama and Shun Sato secured silver and bronze respectively, with scores of 280.06 and 274.90.

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Reacting to Malinin’s performance, Balding was left stunned. Speaking to BBC Sport, she said: “We didn’t expect that anything could happen to Ilia Malinin but it did – and he will leave these Games without a medal.”

BBC commentator, Kat Downes, meanwhile, was also astounded at Malinin’s fumble. She added: “This is taking some computing from everybody.

“The ‘quadgod’ has fallen. Beaten for the first time in two years, the gold that was supposed to be his. That was supposed to be the most predictable gold of this games but Ilia Malinin has fallen to eighth.”

Elsewhere, Olympic gold medallist, Robin Cousins, picked problems with a sloppy performance on the skater’s part on the whole, with a number of errors outside his falls. He said: “No one has ever seen this from him Ilia Malinin.

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“When he executes, you can see how easy it is for him. There’s so many questions about those elements that are being reviewed.

“Underrotated which caused the fall. Even the landing of the backflip wasn’t the best.”

Despite being visibly upset with his own result, Malinin showed humility by quickly congratulating Shaidorov on his win, the two spotted embracing one another after the results were read. Speaking in the aftermath of the event, meanwhile, Malinin said it was a difficult night on the ice to process.

He explained: “I was not expecting that. I felt like going into this competition, I was so ready. I just felt ready getting on the ice, but I think maybe that have been the reason that maybe I was too confident that I was (going to) go well.

“It honestly just happened. I can’t process what just happened. It happens. I think it was definitely mental. Just now experiencing that Olympic atmosphere, it’s crazy. It’s not like any other competition. It’s really different.”

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Adam Toms visited a classic British market town and was left shocked shortly after arriving.

Some UK towns can feel like they are in a state of decay, leaving locals feeling their taxes are little better than money down the drain. Many high streets have become ghost towns, with only large chains or resilient independent businesses managing to survive.

Burgess Hill, once renowned for its thriving brick and tile-making industry and an annual St. John’s Sheep Fair, is nestled just north of the affluent coastal city of Brighton in Sussex. However, some locals claim it’s now a town in decline, teetering on the brink of oblivion.

The story they tell is one that will be familiar to many: once a bustling hub with its own market, attracting shoppers from far and wide to its array of local shops, it has since fallen into disrepair. And shortly after arriving in the town and paying for parking, journalist Adam Toms was confronted with what he described as a scene more reminiscent of The Last of Us than a typical English provincial town.

A desolate patch of land, eerily reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher’s infamous “walk in the wilderness”, was flanked by vacant retail units, their interiors hauntingly empty. Messages left by former staff were scrawled on the doors.

Adam went on to share: “A piece of barren land – which put me in mind of the famous photos of Margaret Thatcher’s ‘walk in the wilderness’ – was surrounded by empty retail units with ghostly, empty interiors. On their doors were messages written by staff who had since moved elsewhere.”

Signs declared “STORE CLOSING. EVERYTHING MUST GO” and “SALE 50%”. Windows had been boarded up after apparently being smashed by local youths, rainwater leaked from pipes, and metal fencing and red plastic barriers cordoned off a particularly dismal passageway.

He continued: “It wasn’t all this bad. Burgess Hill has a number of shops operating in its actual high street, and an amazing Creative Community Hub, which is run by volunteers and puts on skill-sharing activity sessions, including sewing and pottery.”

Run by volunteers, the hub hosts skill-sharing activities such as sewing and pottery. However, the locals he chatted with seemed somewhat embarrassed and disheartened, feeling their hometown was being eclipsed by more prosperous areas like Horsham.

“One woman, Susan Truran, 68, a retired revenue analyst, asked if I was lost when I explained who I was. People added that they have been let down by promises to improve the area,” said Adam.

The latest proposal aims to revamp the shopping district into a contemporary, lively retail and leisure hotspot, while also creating new homes and jobs. Developer New River is collaborating with Mid Sussex District Council on this project.

Planning permission has been granted for 50,000 square feet of fresh retail space, including a 21,000 square foot food store, 172 new residences and a 102-room hotel.

Jo Homan, a volunteer at the creative hub, stressed that Burgess Hill isn’t the only UK town facing challenges. She commented: “It’s pretty much the same everywhere, isn’t it? A lot of towns are like it.”

This is certainly accurate, and numerous other local authorities are pledging to spruce up their areas. Adam said that he has also visited Margate and Weston-super-Mare, where locals spoke of their towns’ urgent need for regeneration.

Folkestone in Kent presented a unique scenario, with businessman Sir Roger De Haan sharing details of his £100million investment that’s rejuvenating the area. And over in Hampshire, locals expressed their disappointment at the current state of Aldershot.

Back in Burgess Hill and Andrew Griffin, 56, an employee at an insurance firm, highlighted to Adam that it has room for growth, being home to major employers like American Express.

Last week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer discussed Labour’s Pride in Place plan, announcing that around 40 new areas across England will have the power to decide where up to £20million is invested in their localities: “It is the same story in towns across the country. Youth clubs that have been abandoned, shops boarded up and high streets decimated,” he said.

“We must reverse the devastating decline in our communities and give power, agency and control to the very people who want to improve their community – those who have skin in the game. Through the Pride in Place Programme, communities – backed by the state and fired up by pride – will join the fight for national renewal and a Britain built for all.”