In this week's Pagan Community Notes, Pagan Spirit Gathering has been canceled, indigenous shaman and actor Antonio Bolivar joins the Ancestors, Sacred Well announces changes in leadership, and more!

Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: PSG 2020 canceled, leadership change within Sacred Well, indigenous shaman and actor Antonio Bolivar crosses Veil, and more! at The Wild Hunt.

We want to see your photos, videos and audio of what it is like doing your job on the frontline

Staff working for the NHS have expressed concern about the lack of protective personal equipment, with photographs circulating on social media of staff creating their own makeshift items, including with clinical waste bags.

We want to see healthcare workers’ photos, videos and audio of what it is like doing their job.

About 2m Britons have paused payments in the coronavirus crisis. Readers share their concerns

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

Almost one in five UK mortgage holders have now been granted a payment holiday, it was estimated this week – but people’s experiences of the process have been very different. Some struggled to get a holiday while others say it was almost too easy. And while for some it will add just a few pounds to their monthly mortgage bill, others say their outlay will rise by a lot more.

The Guardian asked readers who had applied for a mortgage payment holiday, or help with other debts, how they got on. Almost 200 people contacted us to tell us their stories.

The actor on Derek Jarman, his wife’s right eye and the birthday party he wasn’t invited to

Born in Yorkshire, Sands, 62, studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He had a role in Derek Jarman’s Broken English and went on to appear in The Killing Fields, A Room With A View and Arachnophobia. His latest films are Yeh Ballet, available on Netflix, and The Painted Bird, out later this year. He is married, has three children, and lives in Los Angeles.

When are you happiest?
Close to a mountain summit on a glorious cold morning.

(Atlantic)
This solo debut from the frontwoman of pop-punk stadium stars Paramore is a riot of lust, funk and femininity

Maturity is an often derided concept in a youth-facing art form. But when Simmer, a song about repressed feminist rage buoyed by creepy electronics – the lead track from Hayley Williams’s debut solo album – was released in January, it signalled an intriguing sea change in an artist previously known as a bouncy, flame-haired emo cheerleader.

The story of how Hayley Williams, now 31, went from leading angsty emo shoutalongs in the Tennessee pop-punk band Paramore to releasing these startling songs about rage, femininity and suicidal thoughts is one of the knottier yarns in contemporary American guitar music. Her trio-of-EPs album is now complete, with the final EP – and a physical album uniting all three – released last Friday.

As lockdown continues, Owen Jones speaks to private renters about how the pandemic has affected them. From activists in tenants' unions and NHS workers struggling to find accommodation to students who’ve had their final terms disrupted and are left unsure about what to do with their accommodation, he asks them if they are worried about what comes next 

Lebanon’s coronavirus lockdown has sent an economy already in deep trouble into freefall, and many are struggling to survive. Gino Raidy is an activist who was prominent during the October 2019 anti-government corruption protests. Now, with many fearing hunger and believing there is nothing left to lose, he is helping to keep demonstrators safe as they demand real and lasting change

• You think we care about masks?': anger and poverty grip Lebanese city

When a group of schoolboys were marooned on an island in 1965, it turned out very differently from William Golding’s bestseller, writes Rutger Bregman

• Interview: ‘Our secret superpower is our ability to cooperate’

For centuries western culture has been permeated by the idea that humans are selfish creatures. That cynical image of humanity has been proclaimed in films and novels, history books and scientific research. But in the last 20 years, something extraordinary has happened. Scientists from all over the world have switched to a more hopeful view of mankind. This development is still so young that researchers in different fields often don’t even know about each other.

When I started writing a book about this more hopeful view, I knew there was one story I would have to address. It takes place on a deserted island somewhere in the Pacific. A plane has just gone down. The only survivors are some British schoolboys, who can’t believe their good fortune. Nothing but beach, shells and water for miles. And better yet: no grownups.

They believed insurance would cover the pandemic but have received demands for thousands

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

Couples who have been unable to get married because of the coronavirus lockdown have had their wedding insurance claims rejected – in some cases despite being assured they were covered before buying their policy.

The Guardian has heard from people who have lost thousands when claims were turned down by provider WeddingPlan Insurance.

Belarus leader holds parade prompting safety concerns as other nations curb WW2 events; Russia records 10,000 new Covid-19 cases; Spain’s daily death toll continues to fall. Follow the latest updates

• Global report: Trump says Covid-19 will ‘go away without vaccine’
• Mike Pence press secretary tests positive to Covid-19
• Brazil’s Bolsonaro must ‘drastically change course’, says The Lancet
• Coronavirus at a glance
• Australia – live news

3.54pm BST

A child was among sixteen migrants rescued four miles off the coast of France when their makeshift vessel bound for Britain ran into difficulties in the middle of the night, authorities said.

The group was picked up 3.8 miles off the French port of Calais after calling for help, French maritime authorities confirmed to AFP. A French maritime surveillance vessel rescued the migrants at around 5am and transported them to the Channel port of Dunkirk, where they were handed over to border police.

3.21pm BST

Vladimir Putin has told Russians they are invincible when they stand together, as he sought to send a message of unity after the country’s tally of Covid-19 cases reached the fifth highest in the world.

Addressing the nation in a speech as he presided over Victory Day celebrations, a sombre Putin invoked the memory of the country’s veterans who fought in the second world war.

We are united by our shared memory, hopes and aspirations, as well as a sense of shared responsibility for the present and the future. We know and strongly believe that when we stand together, we are invincible.”

Our pets are our children, and they deserve to be spoiled as such.

That's why we had to share with you these tiny crochet cat couches created by the crafty people on the subreddit r/crochet.

Sure, you could go and just buy a cat bed without exerting much effort, but they're not as fun or cute as this too cute to handle cat couch.

So, if you're looking for a new crochet project to tackle, this has got to be it! 

The couches are shaped with thick foam and polyester filling to really give it that comfy sofa look.

There are a few craft stores online who are offering the crochet patterns if you like. 

Remake of Monolith Software's Wii game launches on May 29

A news post has been posted at Sluggy.com!

Many studies suggest coronavirus has low transmission rates among children, but there are still risks to reopening schools that were closed due to social distancing policies

The workers fell asleep on the tracks while trying to make their way home during India's lockdown.

President Xi Jinping expresses concern about the threat to its neighbour, and offers to help.

Are dentists open for emergency care, and other questions answered by BBC experts.

Ministers have set targets for testing, medical equipment and hospital beds. Have they delivered?

In response, Boris Johnson suggested a "bigger and more expansive" Tube service in London would help people travel more safely.

The Labour leader says the UK's coronavirus death figures are “not success or apparent success“.

The Foreign Secretary says the prime minister will outline what steps the UK "can responsibly take over the following weeks."

Vulnerable children and victims of domestic violence and modern slavery will get extra support.

The experiment is part of the government's track and trace strategy aimed at limiting a second wave.

Rail union leaders have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson with "severe concerns".

Banks see stampede for bounce-back loans within hours of the new government scheme going live.

Boris Johnson says doctors had planned what to do if his coronavirus treatment went "badly wrong".

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says it could help maintain social distancing on public transport.

Reduced hot-desking, staggered shifts and continued home-working form part of a draft government plan.

The leader of the TUC says she cannot recommend the government's draft advice "in its current form".

About 8,000 job centre staff have been redeployed to process claims for financial help, minister tells MPs.

With the Lords conducting most of its business remotely, fees for attending are set to be reduced.

The moves could include a gradual reopening of schools and allowing people to spend more time outside.

Their letter says services can be held with "proper measures in place", amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

Ann Clwyd argues against "blanket ban" on over-70s involvement in easing of virus restrictions.

Labour's Dr Rosena Allin-Khan questions Health Secretary Matt Hancock in the House of Commons.

Sir Keir Starmer urges politicians, employers and unions to work together to address public "anxiety".

The UK's chief scientist tells MPs mass testing is "part of the system that you need to get right".

The figure of 29,427 deaths is "a massive tragedy", the foreign secretary says, but steers clear of comparisons.

Countries have "gone their own way" rather than working together, the ex-prime minister says.

UK government advisors say post-pandemic recovery funds should go to firms reducing carbon emissions.

Scotland Yard says Prof Neil Ferguson's behaviour was "plainly disappointing" but rules out fining him.

The NI Executive says agreeing how to relax measures is the most crucial decision it will ever make.

The historic move will be temporary to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, says Commons speaker.

Demand for milk has dropped with the closure of cafes and restaurants during the coronavirus crisis.

The UK records a further 649 deaths, taking the total number of coronavirus deaths to 30,076.

The PM says government is "working hard" to tackle it - and sets 200,000 test aim by end of month.

Nadia Whittome claims she was "sacked" but the care employer says she was no longer needed.

Almost half a million people are at "high risk" of homelessness, local councils warn government.

People will be allowed to exercise outside more than once a day, First Minister Mark Drakeford says.