The Royal Mint is set to manufacture nearly two million medical visors to help protect NHS staff from the coronavirus across England and Wales.

Royal Mail has stopped Saturday letter deliveries across the UK until further notice to "ease the additional burden" on staff caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Members of the Commander's crew were filmed dancing to techno music behind a DJ set on deck

Ryanair has said it expects up to 3,000 jobs to be lost as part of a restructuring of the airline.

Postboxes have been painted blue to thank NHS workers for their efforts during the crisis.

Royal Mint to mark landmark anniversary of end of Second World War in Europe

Thousands have tuned in to watch Katherine Jenkins' stunning performance in front of an empty Royal Albert Hall as she marked the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

The Queen has addressed the nation to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, saying veterans would have recognised the "love and care" of people during the coronavirus pandemic.

A new paper analyzes what we know about the sample the probe grabbed last year.

The US believes Russia is working with Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, to send militia fighters and equipment to Libya, according to senior officials. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, US special envoy for Syria, Jim Jeffrey, said Libya’s increasingly shadowy battlefield could get even more complicated. “We know that, certainly, the Russians are working with Assad to transfer militia fighters, possibly third country, possibly Syrian, to Libya, as well as equipment,” he said. His comments came a day after a leaked UN report confirmed the presence of Russian and Syrian mercenaries operating in Libya in support of renegade military commander, Khalifa Haftar. The report revealed that Russian private military contractor, Wagner Group, has up to 1,200 mercenaries operating in Libya in support of General Haftar’s forces, which are already backed by the UAE, Russia and Egypt. The report, seen by Reuters, is one of the first indications of the scale of Wagner’s military operation in Libya’s messy battlefield, as well as the first time the UN has confirmed the presence of the shadowy Russian mercenaries. Since 2014, the oil-rich North African country has been split between areas controlled by the internationally recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli and the northwest, and territory held by Gen Haftar’s eastern-based forces in Benghazi. For almost six years Gen Haftar’s forces have been at war with a coalition of militias from the west of the country who support the government in Tripoli. Turkey is the only military backer of the Tripoli government that is currently trying to stave off Haftar’s year-long offensive on the capital. The UAE and Egypt have long strengthened Haftar’s forces with military equipment, including aircraft and helicopters, while Moscow provided private contractor forces. As the conflict has drawn on and involvement has increasingly become the stage for a struggle for power in the region, diplomats say both Turkey and the UAE have deployed drones and the use of mercenaries has increased, now seemingly including forces from Russia and Syria. Libya has been mired in chaos since a 2011 NATO intervention helped topple Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, and its battlefields increasingly populated with foreign fighters in a shadow-war. Russian mercenaries were first reported fighting alongside General Haftar’s forces in Libya in 2018. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, however, insisted that those mercenaries do not represent the Russian government. Yet when General Haftar visited Moscow in 2018, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman with long-standing ties to Mr Putin and suspected owner of Wagner, was seen in the footage of the meeting, sitting near the Russian defence minister. Russia, which also backs Assad’s government in Syria, has maintained a delicate balancing act in Libya, forging ties with both the UN-recognised government and with the rebel commander. But Moscow’s patience with General Haftar began to run out earlier this year when he and his entourage in January abruptly left the much-anticipated cease-fire talks in Moscow mediated by Russia and Turkey without signing the deal. Henry Wooster, deputy assistant secretary at State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs also expressed increasing concern over the ties between the Libyan commander and Syria’s president, who are both bitter enemies of Turkey and fighting Turkish-backed militant groups on their soil. “Haftar’s establishment of so-called diplomatic relations with the Assad regime...is very much a part of the piece of the question of Syrian mercenaries, at least on his side of the equation,” he said. While the leaked report also confirmed the presence of Syrian mercenaries in Libya fighting alongside Haftar’s forces, Pro-Turkish Syrians are also known to be fighting with the Tripoli government, against General Haftar.

Kenyans are afraid that money set aside to tackle the virus is being misspent, writes Waihiga Mwaura.

Posted this to collector's edition topic, but figured I'd give everyone a heads up:

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/playstation-4/games/products/persona-5-royal-phantom-thieves-edition/11098855.html

Since its launch on April 2 this year, over 96 million people have registered with the Aarogya Setu health care application, which has become the fastest mobile app to reach 50 million users globally . The Aarogya Setu has helped the government with its twin objective -- "whom to test" and "where to test more" in its battle against COVID-19.

Britons marked the 75th anniversary of WWII victory with a speech by Queen Elizabeth II, the only British leader left who was there on May 8, 1945.

Sahirr Sethhi’s short film 'Zoya' spotlights wildlife conservation and man's disconnect with nature

Flamboyant singer-instrumentalist Little Richard, whose high-voltage, keyboard-shattering R&B singles supplied lift-off for the ’50s rock ‘n’ roll revolution, has died. The musician, whose birth name was Richard Penniman, was 87, although some sources say he was older. His death was confirmed by his son, Danny Jones Penniman, who told the New York Times the cause […]

Scotland Yard has said Professor Neil Ferguson's behaviour is "plainly disappointing" but officers do not intend to take any further action.

Canadian actors, musicians and public figures came together on Saturday night for a televised special to support frontline and essential workers, and to raise funds for Food Banks Canada.

The unfavorable comparison between the current president and his predecessor is one of the clearest signs to date of an emerging dynamic that will define the remainder of Trump’s term and the presidential election.

Asked whether they plan to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if and when a vaccine arrives, a majority of Americans say yes. But a significant minority say they won’t get vaccinated or they’re not sure. And that, more than anything else, is what the Yahoo News/YouGov poll found — that Americans are afraid.

The popular battle royale video game category led by 'Fortnite' has some company: the free 'Call of Duty: Warzone' for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PCs

Free-to-play online games such as "Fortnite" will probably earn about $88 billion globally in 2020. Activision's new "Call of Duty" enters the fray.

Free-to-play online games like "Fortnite" will earn about $88 billion globally in 2020, as Activision's new "Call of Duty" enters the mix.

Drag queen Aiden Zhane impersonated Patricia Quinn during the "Snatch Game" challenge

Former 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' contestant also branded original host Tarrant a 'liar'

Actor also spoke about how she feels the traditional image of the Hollywood movie star has faded in recent years

Comedy sketch also saw Stephen Fry reprise one of his most famous Blackadder characters

It's unknown which of its many stars will play show's iconic figure

Actor shared two recent fan encounters that left him furious

NBA star filmed scenes weeks before his tragic death in January

Archive footage shows Jordan tell Bryant 'I'll see you down the road' after first match together

Trump took time away from coronavirus crisis to call Kimmel 'wacko' in a social media rant

Murphy pitched the role to the 'Home Alone' star over the phone

(Orchid Classics)
Natalya Romaniw (soprano), Lada Valešová (piano)
The on-the-rise soprano excels in this deeply personal Russian-Czech recital

Born in Swansea of Ukrainian descent, the outstanding young soprano Natalya Romaniw was singing – stunningly – the title role of Puccini’s Madam Butterfly at English National Opera when Covid-19 restrictions forced the abrupt termination of the run. She should also have performed the title role of Dvořák’s water nymph, Rusalka, at Garsington Opera this summer, where she made an impact in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin in 2016 and Smetana’s The Bartered Bride last summer. Disappointing for her at this turning point of her career, and for her growing number of fans.

Romaniw’s new album, Arion: Voyage of a Slavic Soul – dedicated to the memory of her Ukrainian grandfather, “my great musical inspiration”, explores repertoire by the Russians Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Rachmaninov, and the Czechs Dvořák, Janáček and Novák. The pianist Lada Valešová captures the varied colours of the piano writing expertly, an equal and supportive partner. These 28 songs, especially the folk-rich examples by Janáček and Novák, suit Romaniw’s generous, big-toned voice, its timbre flecked and speckled with character and emotion. The eight songs by Dvořák grouped as Love Songs, Op 83, melancholy and lyrical, make us even more impatient to hear her Rusalka when the time comes.

O'Porter and Flack were good friends

The actor was best known for his Bollywood fame and roles in films like Slumdog Millionaire and Life of Pi

Katherine Jenkins will sing at an empty Royal Albert Hall tomorrow in a concert being streamed online

An audience with the man in charge of the Duchess of Cambridge's favourite hotel

The stars were close to wrapping the Netflix film, which also features Gal Gadot, when they were forced to shut down in March.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been warned by a former Gunner than moving to a club like Manchester United at this stage of his career is a riskier prospect than staying at Arsenal.

Welcome to the Evening Standard's live blog covering the latest transfer news and rumours from the Premier League and beyond.

Victor Wanyama says he was "p***** off" to be dropped for Tottenham's Champions League Final defeat last season and accused the club of a lack of support following a serious knee injury in 2017.

April 14 is a date blessed with an abundance of spectacular football goals, with three particularly notable efforts coming against Arsenal - but which did one did Twitter pick as the best strike?

Charlie Nicholas says the Gunners should cash in given their "abysmal" contract failings

Former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel has lavished praise upon the club's Dutch duo Georginio Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk.