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The proposed legislation would require companies like Meta to undertake what the government calls a digital duty of care as it steps up efforts to tackle online harm.

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“A lot of Australians appreciate the algorithm, both for the enjoyment they get out of it or the utility they get out of it,” Anika Wells said.

“A lot of Australians will want to choose the algorithm, but we think that Big Tech should offer them the choice in the first place, and they should respect that choice.”

Australia’s opposition leader, Angus Taylor, told the ABC that the Coalition had not seen the Labor government’s bill.

“I am deeply sceptical. I fear that this is going to be an attempt by the government to censor social media, but as I say, we haven’t seen it. Let’s see what the government comes forward with,” he said on the ABC.

Social media firms have long faced scrutiny over their use of allegedly addictive algorithms and stand accused of directing users to sensational or extreme content to keep them scrolling.

In December, Australia banned under-16s from accessing social media platforms as part of a world-first crackdown designed to protect children from online bullying and “predatory algorithms”.

The United Kingdom, France and others have since followed suit.

Data last month found that Australian children were increasing their use of social media apps, such as Instagram and TikTok, despite the ban. %!s()

The outlet said the move "will help further enhance their sound operating capabilities, risk resistance capabilities, and ability to serve the real economy".

It marks the latest move in Beijing's attempts to reinvigorate the world's second largest economy as it faces issues including trade tensions with the West, the impact of the Iran war and an aging population.

The package will boost the finances of three big lenders and five insurers including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the Agricultural Bank of China and China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation.

State news outlet Global Times said this "will give banks and financial institutions more resources to channel into credit for the real economy, while strengthening their ability to withstand external shocks at a time of global financial uncertainty".

President Xi Jinping has long seen financial stability as key to China's national security.

This weekend's announcements come as Beijing is aiming to reshape the economy in the face of a number of challenges such as a shrinking workforce, a years-long property market slump and ongoing trade and technology rivalry with the US.

China's economic growth slowed sharply between the start of April and end of June as weak domestic demand and the Iran war's impact on oil prices overshadowed the country's strong exports.

Official gross domestic product (GDP) figures released in July showed China's economy grew in the second quarter by 4.3%, below Beijing's annual target, and after a 5% rise in the first quarter.

In March, Beijing cut the growth target to a range of 4.5%-5%, its lowest economic expansion goal since 1991, a move some analysts say has given Beijing space to acknowledge pre-existing economic weakness. %!s()

At Sunday’s Creative Arts Emmys, the series took home five awards — stunt coordination for comedy programming, sound editing for a one-hour comedy or drama series, title design, special visual effects in a single episode and cinematography for a series. Supervising stunt coordinator Freddy Bouciegues and stunt coordinator Hugh Aodh O’Brien spoke with press backstage about the winning despite the cancellation, joking that it wasn’t their department when asked if they hope Prime Video will reverse their cancellation decision. “Tell me who to call, I’ll ask them,” Bouciegues said, cheekily.

Spider-Noir told the story of Cage’s Ben Reilly, a down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York. Reilly is “forced to grapple with his past life following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city’s one and only superhero,” according to the show’s logline.

Spider-Noir was the first stage in Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios’ plan to expand the stories of Marvel Characters under the Sony Pictures mantle. Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Abraham Popoola, Jack Huston and Brendan Gleeson starred alongside Cage to round out the cast.

Oren Uziel (The Lost City, 22 Jump Street) and Steve Lightfoot (Marvel’s The Punisher, Shantaram) served as the show’s co-showrunners and executive producers. Harry Bradbeer (Fleabag, Killing Eve) directed and executive produced the first two episodes. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller executive produced for Lord Miller, alongside Aditya Sood and Dan Shear. Amy Pascal executive produced for Pascal Pictures. Cage and Pavlina Hatoupis also served as executive producers.

The Creative Arts Emmys take place over two days, usually a week ahead of the Primetime Emmys show. This year, the typically below-the-line-centric portion of the awards featured five categories that were previously given out during the Primetime ceremony. Among those were best supporting actor and actress in a limited or anthology series. Sunday’s awards were not televised live. Instead, Saturday and Sunday’s awards ceremony will air together on Saturday, Sept. 12. The 78th Emmy Awards, hosted by Mariska Hargitay, will air live on NBC on Sept. 14. %!s()

It’s slightly ironic that a show about Manhunters is taking some inspiration from 1986’s Manhunter (and its literary inspiration, Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon). Sinestro is clearly being cast as the Hannibal Lecter figure in this particular investigation, providing his former protege with some much-needed advice and also taking the opportunity to screw with him psychologically. Thomsen really shines in this opening scene. He conveys a clear menace, but you also get a real sense of the history and camaraderie between Sinestro and Kyle Chandler’s Hal. As readers of Geoff Johns’ seminal Green Lantern run will know well, Sinestro ultimately sees himself as nothing more or less than Hal’s friend. He may have ulterior motives in this show, but he seems to be genuinely trying to help Hal out of a dangerous predicament.

My main complaint here, again, is that the Hal/Sinestro reunion is over too soon. Sinestro is too key a character to the Green Lantern mythos to be treated as such a small supporting player. I would have loved more of this sci-fi-flavored spin on the classic Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter dynamic, whether that consists of flashbacks to their pre-uprising relationship or simply more scenes of the two conversing in the prison. Later on, Hal recounts what Sinestro told him about Manhunters struggling to replicate human hearts. Why couldn’t we have seen that portion of their conversation? We can only hope the series finds room to bring Thomsen back in a more substantive role in the back half of Season 1, but right now, it seems just as likely this is all we’re going to see of the character.

I feel similarly about the other key GL villain introduced in Episode 4, Jason Manuel Olazábal’s Hector Hammond. We basically get one good, solid sequence out of Hector and that’s it. The standoff between Hector and Hal/John (Aaron Pierre) is tense and stressful in the best way, but it’s also over very quickly. At that point, we learn that Hector is really just Hector Gutiérrez, another fakeout used by the Manhunter to throw our heroes off their scent. And unlike Sinestro, there’s not even any prior history between Hal and Hector in this universe. This is a major DC villain who’s being effectively wasted as a one-off misdirection.

So there’s definitely a newfound element of frustration to Lanterns in Episode 4. Up till now, I haven’t minded the series’ decision to downplay some of the franchise’s more fantastical trappings. It’s necessary from a practical TV-making perspective, and it suits the story being told. But seeing such major GL characters being introduced and then whisked off the board so unceremoniously is harder to stomach.

Fortunately, Lanterns still has its biggest selling point to fall back upon - the eternal friction between cantankerous veteran Hal Jordan and ambitious rookie John Stewart. That strength remains fully on display in Episode 4, which manages to deftly balance the inherent comedy of this pairing and the simmering tensions within Rushville. In the case of the former, we get a lot of fun banter between the two characters, and even some good jokes regarding John’s dour, stoic demeanor. Plus, there’s the heightened nature of their latest, very awkward meeting with a proudly naked Will Macon (Garret Dillahunt). Investigating Macon’s Weenie indeed.

Episode 4 is at its best when it highlights the growing friction between Hal and John. Both men are increasingly at odds with one another. Each is hiding things from the other. Moreover, each has been given clear advice to betray the other and elevate their own station. The question of whether John will backstab Hal and claim the ring hangs over every scene that follows his conversation with the Guardian Lianna (Laura Linney). We’ve seen that years of abusive parentage and single-minded training have molded John into a man who follows orders without question. Is that blind obedience what the Guardians crave, more than fearlessness? What happens when John is inevitably forced to choose between his desire for the ring and his loyalty to Hal? Does that loyalty even still exist following this episode’s dramatic final scene? A lot to ponder heading into Episode 5.

Also of note is that we seem to have our answer regarding the mystery of the undercover Manhunter. Despite the giant red herring that was Zoe’s “death” scene, she’s been revealed as Macon’s mysterious benefactor. As far as twists go, this one is pretty obvious, so it’s just as well the writers didn’t drag things out any longer. Predictable or not, it’s a reveal that works, and I’m excited to see where things go now that the Lanterns (and Antaan’s crew) know who their quarry is. We may be only halfway through the season, but the 2016 conflict sure is heating up.

One final sidebar - I didn’t really hone in on this before, but it’s certainly interesting that Sheriff Kerry (Kelly Macdonald) is a former Gotham City native whose last name is Kane. Is she somehow related to Kate Kane (and by extension, Bruce Wayne himself)? I can’t imagine the Kane/Gotham connection is mere coincidence. Presumably, we’ll get more on Kerry’s backstory before Season 1 is finished.

Verdict

The fourth episode of Lanterns takes a somewhat frustrating turn. Even though this episode features some major Green Lantern villains, it doesn’t do nearly enough to take advantage of those characters. Luckily, the series still has the core Hal Jordan/John Stewart dynamic to fall back upon. “The Weenie” succeeds both in highlighting their amusing banter and in building a real sense of tension as the two men pursue their competing agendas. All signs point to a very exciting and dramatic Episode 5. 

This is the first time a British Commonwealth state will use this legal route “for the cause of reparatory justice”, the Jamaican delegation said, as the visit to London kicks off Monday.

Jamaica’s Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport said its minister, Olivia Grange, will lead the delegation “to advance Jamaica’s push for reparations for the African ancestors who suffered under hundreds of years of enslavement”.

The ministry added that it will meet with the British Museum to discuss “the repatriation of cultural artefacts taken from Jamaica”.

The petition will ask the king, Jamaica’s head of state, to answer three questions on the transatlantic slave trade to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the Caribbean island’s highest court of appeal based in London.

Under the Judicial Committee Act of 1833, the UK monarch has the authority to refer legal matters to the court for an advisory opinion.

The questions include: whether the enslavement of Africans in Jamaica was legal under English common law, whether it violated international law, and whether the UK has a legal obligation to provide a remedy for the harm caused by slavery.

Grange said she would not speculate on whether Jamaica was asking the UK to pay reparations for the slave trade.

“We want the answers. Once we get the answers, or once we get a response to those questions, then the next steps will be determined,” she said.

“We understand the Jamaican government is seeking a petition to be heard before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in response to Jamaica’s inquiry.

The palace acknowledged the king’s constitutional role in the petition as Jamaica’s head of state but said he had no role in deciding the substance of the claim.

British merchants enslaved and forcibly transported 600,000 to 1 million Africans to Jamaica between the 17th century and the early 19th century.

Shortly after abolishing slavery in 1833, the UK paid slave owners $27m in compensation, amounting to 40 percent of the Treasury’s annual income. To raise the cash, the government took out considerable loans, finally paying off its debts in 2015.

The Jamaican government estimates that the country is owed about $10bn, but the UK has repeatedly refused to pay for historical slavery. %!s()