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Sony vetoed live-action 'Spider-Man' cameos in 'Into the Spider-Verse'

Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire were conspicuous by their absence from 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'.




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Andy Serkis delighted by response to live Hobbit charity reading

His fundraising target has now been increased to £250,000.




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Locked-down Churchill impersonator uses social media to mark VE Day

Derek Herbert had been due to appear at Hever Castle in Kent but will instead perform on social media.




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'Hercules' live-action remake won't be shot-for-shot as Russos want to 'bring something new'

The new 'Hercules' may not even be a musical, according to the Russo Brothers.




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Florence Pugh says it was 'daunting' to join the MCU in 'Black Widow', and do a Russian accent

Pugh said she was worried that the passionate Marvel fans would "hate" her and her accent.




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Robert De Niro wants to play New York governor Andrew Cuomo in a coronavirus movie

Robert De Niro has heaped praise on Andrew Cuomo's response to the coronavirus pandemic, while also taking the chance to attack Trump, too.




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Val Kilmer reveals incident that led to him quitting as Batman

Val Kilmer has opened up about his decision to quit as Batman after just one movie.






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How technology is getting golfers -- Tour pros and regular hackers -- through a pandemic

In times that have kept golfers away from courses and ranges, players had to get creative.




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50K bags of Masters chips donated to food bank

Augusta National helped supply around 2,000 pounds of food that would have been sold at the postponed Masters Tournament.




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JJ on NASCAR's return: 'Nutty, to say the least'

Jimmie Johnson has been logging virtual practice laps for what should be an unpredictable first race back.




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Sources: Some NBA teams OK'd to test players

Some NBA teams opening facilities for voluntary workouts will be allowed to administer coronavirus tests to asymptomatic players and staff, provided there is enough testing available for at-risk health care workers, sources told ESPN.




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From the Archives: Can't touch the Warriors now

Playing with no overt agenda and no chip on their collective shoulders, the Warriors changed the game en route to the 2015 NBA title.




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How to watch: Reliving Don Shula's memorable moments

The Hall of Fame coach presided over the golden era of Dolphins football, and highlights from his biggest victories will be featured on ESPN2.




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Sources: MLB shortens draft from 40 rounds to 5

Team owners have long discussed shortening the draft from its usual 40 rounds, and it was expected to be a point of discussion heading into the winter 2021 expiration of the labor agreement between the league and players' union.




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Inside Justin Gaethje's journey from a mining town to MMA stardom

Gaethje's family heritage was forged in Arizona copper mines, but a fighting spirit charted his path to a UFC title shot.




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Apple borrows on the cheap to fund buybacks, dividends

Apple capitalized on the Federal Reserve's emergency measures in response to the coronavirus outbreak to issue its cheapest bonds in year




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Apple to hold virtual developer conference June 22, later than usual

Delay likely also pushes back Apple's software testing cycle, which could be another indicator of this year's iPhones launching later than usual




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Sidewalk Labs pulls out of Toronto smart city project after 3 years, citing ‘unprecedented economic uncertainty’

'It has become too difficult to make the 12-acre project financially viable'




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As Shopify passes RBC to become No. 1, the Canada market curse gets put to the test

Those that leapfrogged the value of Canada's largest bank in the past have faltered — think Valeant, BlackBerry and Nortel




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Google, Facebook tell staff to plan to work from home for the rest of the year

The edicts from the internet giants come as states and corporations grapple with ways to reopen as the virus pandemic rages on




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Coronavirus: NHS doctor returning to help during pandemic cheers up colleagues by singing opera

Dr Alex Aldren has returned to the NHS after leaving to become an opera singer




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Coronavirus: NHS hospitals using Amazon Wish Lists to ask for donations of basic items

NHS hospitals are asking for basic items such as toothbrushes and sanitary products




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Dentists warn 'desperate' people will try 'DIY dentistry' if the government doesn't give access to emergency treatment

'It's inevitable many desperate patients will resort to 'DIY dentistry'




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Coronavirus: Increased alcohol consumption during lockdown could lead to 'second health crisis', warn researchers

It is feared that daily drinkers could be most at risk




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Coronavirus: Miss England who returned to work as NHS doctor 'concerned' about lack of PPE

'Nurses are constantly in contact and unwittingly the virus can be spread to other parts of the hospital due to this appalling lack of PPE'




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'We don't do apart': Elderly couple who fought coronavirus together in hospital heap praise on NHS staff

'We've never been apart for sixty plus years, we don't do apart,' says Sidney Moore




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Coronavirus: Do I need to start taking vitamin D during lockdown?

Public Health England has updated its advice on vitamin D




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Coronavirus: Apple and Google update plans to let phones track whether people have been exposed

Without integrating into phones' operating systems, performance of contact-tracing apps is likely to be limited




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'Call your GP': Women displaying new gynae cancer symptoms during lockdown urged to seek medical advice

Some hospital trusts have seen a dramatic drop in cancer referrals from GPs in recent weeks




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Disabled people struggle to get food and essential items during lockdown

'I'm worried about running out of food,' says Charles Bloch




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Jodie Foster: ‘I make movies to figure out who I am’

Directing a new Black Mirror film gives Jodie Foster the chance to look back at her own upbringing. The Hollywood titan talks to Tim Adams

Last week Charlie Brooker was recalling for me the moment he learned Jodie Foster would direct an episode of Black Mirror, his inspired series of one-off dramas about the ways our gadgets are colonising the idea of “human”. Brooker had written a script for the new series in which a neurotic single mother uses technology to spy on her young daughter and keep her safe from the world. The Netflix people suggested they tried the script out on the two-time Oscar-winning actor.

Brooker has had considerable global success with Black Mirror but still, the thought of working with Foster, “an actual icon”, made him come over, he says, “all British and starstruck”. He turned to his co-showrunner for the series, Annabel Jones. “We were like: ‘You’re kidding, right? You are going to try Jodie bloody Foster? Yeah right, of course you are.’”

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Samantha Fox on fame at 16, stalkers and David Cassidy: ‘I kneed him and told him where to go’

One of the most photographed British women of the 1980s talks about feminism, her abusive father and how she battled her fears to come out as gay

In a small, unloved hotel, the receptionist greets me and Samantha Fox with pursed lips: “There will be no interview here,” she says. I feel as if I’ve wandered into the pages of Fox’s new autobiography, Forever, which is littered with bizarre anecdotes of best-laid plans going awry. From her ill-fated presenting partnership with a spaced-out Mick Fleetwood at the 1989 Brit awards, to a secret naked horseback photo shoot in Antigua – during which her steed galloped off with her to a busy tourist beach – not much has gone as expected in Fox’s life. Not least the day she worked with her childhood idol David Cassidy, who died earlier this month, which she says culminated in being sexually assaulted by him. Despite these, and many other setbacks, she says she is a “lucky girl”.

Fox was just 16 when her mother entered her for the Sunday People’s Face and Shape of 1983 competition – her wholesome, girl-next-door image made her the most popular Page 3 girl ever, and one of the most photographed women of the 1980s, alongside Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher. By 21, she had made her first pop record and retired from modelling, going on to break the US and sell 30m records worldwide.

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A letter to… the teacher who inspired my young son

‘I take comfort in the knowledge that, even though you are not here, your work continues to make children happy’

I was so worried about handing my little boy over during his first week of school, but you made it easier. You smiled at him like a mother would at her own child. You radiated warmth and your hugs were always on offer.

After a day in class with you, C would come home singing. Whenever I hear Do Your Ears Hang Low or see him stretching to the sky when singing about the days of the week, I will think of you. I didn’t tell you at the time, but I loved your morning song so much that I implemented it in my own class (I’m a teacher too). The first time we sang it after losing you was hard but, as time passes, I take comfort in the knowledge that, even though you are not here, your work continues to make children happy.

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Artists find fans and creative outlet as they flock towards crowdfunding sites

Coronavirus crisis has forced musicians and others to adapt, says founder of platform

Musicians, artists and writers have turned to crowdfunding sites to make up for lost opportunities in lockdown, and their audiences have followed them, leading to a rise in contributions through platforms such as Patreon.

Since mid-March more than 70,000 extra creators have joined Patreon, which allows fans to give monthly payments to artists in exchange for exclusive content or simply out of a desire to support someone whose work they appreciate.

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20 apps to up your skills

Want something to show for the weeks you have spent in lockdown? These apps will help you achieve your aims

In early April, one bullish American consultant suggested on Twitter that if people didn’t emerge from coronavirus quarantine having learned a new skill, gained more knowledge or having started something they’d been putting off, then “you didn’t ever lack the time, you lacked the discipline”.

As the tweet was widely shared, it met mockery and anger in equal measure, as people noted that home schooling, financial worries, stress and/or illness are making this period anything but a delightful self-improvement holiday.

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Tom Hunt's recipe for tin-can curry: five-minute dal | Waste not

Tinned food is an invaluable back-up, and can be transformed into a nutritious meal at the drop of a hat

Tinned food has a best-before date of about three years, but is still likely to be good to eat decades later, making it an invaluable back-up. It also helps you prevent food waste by letting you be more sparing with perishable purchases – though, as with fresh food, it’s a good idea to rotate the cans in your cupboard, bringing short-date items to the fore, so you can build them into the week’s meals.

As well as helping to reduce food waste, tinned food is a good choice compared with other packaged food, because cans are made from a relatively low-impact material that actually gets recycled, unlike most plastics and Tetrapak. It’s also worth noting that, no matter how new it is, if a tin has a dent or is rusty, it is safest to compost the contents to avoid the deadly bacteria Clostridium botulinum.

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From album dressing to Percy Pig ice-cream: this week's fashion trends

What’s hot and what’s not in fashion this week

Kaia As in Gerber, who joins the likes of Alexa and Jane Birkin – she now has a bag named after her, by Saint Laurent. Style icon status: confirmed.

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How to dress in lockdown | Jess Cartner-Morley

The latest trends may not matter any more, but there is a whole new set of influences on what we wear

I know, I know – there are more important things to think about than clothes at the moment. I get that. On the other hand, I don’t see that me squinting at graphs or scrolling through headlines is going to make a vaccine come any quicker. So thinking about clothes is no less constructive than pondering logarithmic scales or contact tracing approaches, really.

I have pretty much checked out of fashion, in the sense of trends, during the period universally known as This Difficult Time. For those of us fortunate enough not to be at the sharp end of the crisis, lockdown is a little like living in a freeze-frame, and the “spring trends” that were scheduled to be happening in our wardrobes now – Bermuda shorts, crochet dresses, waistcoats – feel like outfits for a party that got cancelled. Fashion in the this-week’s-must-have sense feels like a radio station that’s still broadcasting, but with no one tuning in.

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Lionsgate Sues Starline Over ‘La La Land’ Branded Tour

Here’s to the fools who dream — and to the mess they make. Three years ago, Starline Tours dreamed up a branded tour of the locations in “La La Land,” the musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. But now, the Hollywood tour company has ended up in litigation. Lionsgate, which produced the film, filed […]




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Sudan to outlaw female genital mutilation

Campaigners welcome move to criminalise those carrying out FGM, but warn it will take time to eradicate practice entirely

Sudan looks set to outlaw female genital mutilation (FGM), in a significant move welcomed by campaigners.

Anyone found carrying out FGM will face up to three years in prison, according to a document seen by the Guardian.

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World cities turn their streets over to walkers and cyclists

From Berlin to Bogotá there are new footpaths and bike lanes – but not in London

A growing number of cities around the world are temporarily reallocating road space from cars to people on foot and on cycles to keep key workers moving and residents in coronavirus lockdown healthy and active while socially distancing.

Limited urban park space and leisure trails are under increasing pressure, with many closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, further limiting urban dwellers’ access to outdoor space. While traffic has dropped around the world, and with it nitrogen dioxide levels, there are widespread concerns over a rise in speeding drivers endangering those walking and cycling.

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'Bicycles are the new toilet paper': bike sales boom as coronavirus lockdown residents crave exercise

Australia’s peak representative body for cyclists has called on governments to transform roads into cycleways to ease traffic on bike paths

Australian bike retailers are struggling to keep up with the boom in sales since coronavirus restrictions came into force last month.

“We’re the new toilet paper and everyone wants a piece,” Grant Kaplan, manager of Giant Sydney, a bike store in Sydney’s CBD, tells Guardian Australia.

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Ten reasons now is a great time to start cycling

As lockdown eases, travelling by bike will be a safe, healthy and potentially addictive option

There are many reasons you might want to think about cycling for commuting or other transport when the coronavirus lockdown starts to ease, particularly if you live in a city.

With physical distancing remaining in place for some time to come, capacity on public transport will be limited. If more people drive it will create gridlock.

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I told my ex I would never be a swinger. Now he won’t stop texting me

I am not that kind of person and have made it clear I don’t want to hear from him. What more can I do?

Before the lockdown, I had a boyfriend with whom I had been for 16 months. He said he wanted to experiment sexually with another couple, which I found shocking. I am not that kind of person, so I broke up with him. Despite the breakup, he is still constantly texting me, even though I stopped texting him a while back and made it clear I don’t want to see him. The situation hurts me so much, and any help you could offer would be much appreciated.

Joining another couple for erotic fun is not uncommon; many people enjoy it. In fact, there are many communities of people who regularly participate in this sexual style. But it is not for everyone, and jealousies and insecurities can arise no matter how sexually open a person is. “Swinging” is advanced sexual play that requires a couple to be well bonded and requires each partner to be psychologically stable as well as sexually mature.

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I am used to living alone. Why has lockdown made me feel invisible? | Annalisa Barbieri

When life is necessarily small, the more negative feelings we’ve managed to keep in abeyance can loom large, says Annalisa Barbieri

I had adjusted to living alone after I was widowed six years ago, and since the lockdown friends have telephoned frequently and I chat to neighbours at a distance.

Although I feel I am one of the lucky ones and should be fine, I miss, above all, hugs and physical closeness. I have also started to resent people with partners, children or cuddly pets (which I have not done before).

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Patterns of pain: what Covid-19 can teach us about how to be human

We can expect psychological difficulties to follow as we come out of lockdown. But we have an opportunity to remake our relationship with our bodies, and the social body we belong to. By Susie Orbach

When lockdown started, I was confused by bodies on television. Why weren’t they socially distancing? Didn’t they know not to be so close? The injunction to be separate was unfamiliar and irregular, and for me, self-isolating alone, following this government directive was peculiar. It made watching dramas and programmes produced under normal filming conditions feel jarring.

Seven weeks in, the disjuncture has passed. I, like all of us, am accommodating to multiple corporeal realities: bodies alone, bodies distant, bodies in the park to be avoided, bodies of disobedient youths hanging out in groups, bodies in lines outside shops, bodies and voices flattened on screens and above all, bodies of dead health workers and carers. Black bodies, brown bodies. Working-class bodies. Bodies not normally praised, now being celebrated.

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How to have fun during lockdown | Oliver Burkeman

Ask yourself Carl Jung’s question: what did you do as a child that made the hours pass like minutes?

I hesitate to suggest what anyone else ought to be doing to stay on an even keel, psychologically, in these frightening times – partly because I don’t always manage it myself, but also because any such advice tends to turn into yet another item for the to-do list. You’ve noticed, for example, how quickly all those online yoga classes and Zoom cocktail gatherings, intended to add some lightness to lockdown, began to feel vaguely like a chore. (You’re not imagining “Zoom fatigue”: experts say video conversations really are more tiring.) Likewise, “self-care” practices easily turn into new duties, so people end up forcing themselves to be kind to themselves, which doesn’t make much sense.

This is why what I think we probably ought to be doing, to whatever extent possible, is having more fun. Not meditation or gratitude journalling or jogging (unless you find those fun). Not things you think are supposed to be fun. I mean the things you actually find fun. This distinction matters, partly for the aforementioned reason that self-care, however important, isn’t synonymous with fun. But it’s also because in the modern attention economy, all sorts of things – celebrity memoirs, bad new TV dramas, expensive consumer goods – want you to believe they’re the funnest thing you could be doing. Conceivably, for any given person, they might be. But true fun – “deep fun”, as the fun scholar Bernie De Koven called it – is a subtle and personal thing, and not necessarily in anyone else’s commercial interests.

Related: No spare time in lockdown? That's not such a bad thing

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  • Life and style
  • Health & wellbeing

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One For The History Books: 14.7% Unemployment, 20.5 Million Jobs Wiped Away

U.S. employers shed a record number of jobs in April, as the unemployment rate climbed to the highest since the Great Depression. The coronavirus crisis has locked down much of the economy.