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SNL at Home: Season wraps up in typical kooky fashion with third remote episode

Watching 'Saturday Night Live' adapt to the lockdown era has been a fun and joyful respite. This third episode of 'SNL at Home' suggests the show will be missed even more than usual until its return in the fall




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Brazilian court lifts restrictions on gay and bisexual men giving blood

Supreme court decision hailed as victory for LGBT community

Brazil’s supreme court has overturned rules that limit gay and bisexual men from donating blood in a decision considered a human rights victory for LGBT+ people in the country.

The move came as more nations review restrictions on blood donations imposed during the 1980s HIV/Aids crisis, with some countries applying blanket bans, some have waiting periods after gay sex, and others – like Italy – having no limitations.

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Anatomy of a cruise: how the Ruby Princess came to dock and disembark with coronavirus

The inquiry into the management of the ship’s arrival in Sydney in March has revealed a detailed timeline of who knew what and when

A special commission of inquiry has held five days of hearings into the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which has so far has been linked to 21 deaths and almost 700 cases of Covid-19 across Australia.

The inquiry, overseen by Bret Walker SC, had two days of hearings on 22 and 23 April, and then three days of hearings this week.

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Pass judgment on Adele's talent, not on how much she weighs | Barbara Ellen

It’s depressing that the singer’s new skinny look matters more to some than her extraordinary voice

It seems that Adele’s weight is fast becoming a feminist issue, although not in the way people usually mean. Last year, images of the singer’s extreme weight loss rocked the world. When she released a photo to mark her 32nd birthday last week, the internet exploded all over again. Some people thought her new look was great; others considered it a (whisper it) betrayal. Some accused her of having a gastric band; others bitched that she would soon pile it all back on again. “She looks good.” “She looks bad.” “She looks weird.” And on it goes.

Adele isn’t new to this: her weight was also discussed (admiringly, critically, endlessly) before she lost it. In the modern musical landscape, where female artists specifically are viciously pressured to be perma-slim, the message seemed to be that she was one of those rare talents who were “allowed” to be bigger. At other times, the focus on her weight verged on patronising and reductive, as though her BMI-based “relatability” was the main draw and her talent a poor second.

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Covid-19: isolated and alone, Britain has become the sick man of Europe

The disasters of Trump, Brexit and coronavirus have been made all the worse by our weak and incompetent leaders


Britain is in a lonely place right now. It resembles the scene of a bad traffic accident where shocked passers-by look away with pity and horror in their eyes. Alarmed by what they see, governments around the world practise their own form of social distancing. Once again, Britain is the sick man of Europe.

Lethal mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic is not the sole reason for this un-splendid isolation. The disease’s sudden onslaught is the third national disaster in almost as many years. The first was the decision to walk away from Europe. The second was the advent of Donald Trump and his anarchic America First agenda.

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How we stay together: 'We’ve been quite heavy risk-takers in some ways'

Celia and Richard Craig moved to the other side of the world for each other – twice – and after 30 years have no plans to slow down

Names: Celia and Richard Craig
Years together: 30
Occupations: Musicians

When Celia Craig travelled to Australia in 1989, her plan was to call things off with Richard, the clarinetist she’d met while they were studying music at the University of York two years earlier. She was English, he was Australian and they’d been exchanging letters in the time they’d been apart – ostensibly just as friends but with “a lot of flirting going on”.

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Apropos of Nothing review – Woody Allen's times and misdemeanours

Dropped by the original publisher after a staff protest, the film-maker’s autobiography can be brutally honest but also a bore, and neither he nor Mia Farrow come out of it well

Though I see what he was getting at, I don’t quite agree with Hilaire Belloc, who once wrote that just as omelettes are either admirable or intolerable, and nothing in between, so it is with autobiography. Most memoirs, alas, struggle over the same things: fame, for instance, is often less interesting (or perhaps simply harder to describe) than the struggle to achieve it; the central irony of autobiography is that it’s far easier to be truthful about other people than it is to be honest about oneself. Such books tend, then, to be patchy: utterly delicious at times, but at other moments, stodgy and in need of seasoning.

If Woody Allen’s Apropos of Nothing was an omelette, you’d scoff down two-thirds of it pretty smartish, I think, after which – sated, to a degree – you’d mournfully scrape what remained on your plate into the bin. Later, you might be troubled by a hint of indigestion; even a little light queasiness. But in the morning, contemplating the Alka-Seltzer, I’m not sure you would be full of regret, let alone inclined to avoid omelettes for life. What I’m trying to say is that Allen’s autobiography is a mixed bag. If he can write (obviously, he can), and if he is, at points, surprisingly honest (eye-poppingly so, on occasion), then he can also be a bore and a self-deceiver. Of course, if you’re one of those who, disgusted by what you regard as his moral failings, has vowed never to watch Annie Hall or Manhattan again, then you’re unlikely to want to embark on Apropos of Nothing in the first place – and fair enough, that’s up to you. But I’m not in that camp. Nor can I comment on Allen’s alleged abuse of his adoptive daughter, Dylan, a crime of which he was first accused in 1992 (two police investigations into this have come to nothing). What I will say, however, is that I regard it as both disgraceful and alarming that Hachette, his original publisher, gutlessly dropped his book following a walkout by some of its staff – and that though I was sometimes repulsed by it myself, I was also fascinated, even entertained. So, shoot me. Again, that’s your choice.

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Factional flareup: can Gladys Berejiklian keep her unruly ministers focused on the main game?

The NSW premier is trying to project a sense of order during Covid-19 but the men in her team are indulging in a kind of sabotage

Since well before Christmas the New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has been dealing with crises: first the drought, then bushfires that ravaged her state, then the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected everyone.

Every morning at 8am Berejiklian fronts the media for her Covid-19 briefing, trying to project a sense of calm, order and empathy, urging the people of NSW to stick with the restrictions.

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Global report: Anthony Fauci and two other White House Covid-19 taskforce members to self-quarantine

Fauci and heads of CDC and FDA potentially exposed to coronavirus; Boris Johnson to announce UK lockdown changes

Three members of the White House coronavirus taskforce have placed themselves in self-quarantine after contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19. It comes as the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, prepares to unveil his “roadmap” to a new normality in a national broadcast and global infections pass four million.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn, are all expected to work remotely due to potential exposure to Covid-19.

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'Time to click reset': coronavirus offers chance to end Australia's welfare wars

The doubling of jobseeker was the biggest change to social security in decades. Now experts want the government to push aside ideology and establish a permanent equitable safety net

This is the third in our series on Life after lockdown, which looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic could change Australia for good

What does Australia owe Racheal Wellman, just 23? What are her chances in this country now, and as Australia begins to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic?

Wellman worked as a barista 25 to 30 hours a week in a St Kilda cafe. It was a casual job, so no paid holidays, no sick pay, no job security. But it was “fantastic”, she says, especially after being unemployed for a time, couchsurfing at friends’ houses and sometimes sleeping rough at Flinders Street station.

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Coronavirus Australia updates live: anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne as NSW and WA set to ease Covid-19 restrictions – latest news

Cafes and restaurants will reopen for limited numbers of people as part of a relaxation of Covid-19 rules in both states. Follow all the latest news, live

We will leave our live Australian coverage there for the day. You can follow our rolling global coverage here or read a summary here.

Here’s how things stand in Australia:

South Australia has established a rapid response team to deal with any coronavirus outbreaks in nursing homes.

Twenty-seven of the 97 people to die in Australia after testing positive to Covid-19, died in nursing homes.

The dedicated SA Pathology team has been assembled to provide greater protection for some of the state’s most vulnerable citizens.

If an outbreak occurs, the team will immediately test everyone in the facility, helping to quickly identify cases, limit the spread and protect both residents and staff.

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Claire Hughes of Didcot is completing a bucket list in memory of her sister

IN 1993, 12-year-old Zoe Hitchman passed away after falling ill with meningitis.




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Costa Coffee: Full list of open UK stores - plus new rules for customers

THE boss of Costa Coffee has announced the new rules for customers following the reopening of a number of branches.




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Twitter reacts to new 'stay alert' slogan as Government criticised for ditching 'stay at home' message

The Government's new "stay alert" slogan for the next stage of the UK's fight against coronavirus has divided opinion.




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Creator Rob Liefeld blames Marvel for 'Deadpool 3' delay

Comic-book creator Rob Liefeld blames Marvel for the delay to Deadpool 3.




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Ruthie Ann Miles Welcomes Baby Girl Two Years After Tragic Accident

It's a girl! And her name is Hope Elizabeth. Tony-award-winning Broadway star Ruthie Ann Miles and her husband Jonathan Blumenstein welcomed a new member to the family recently,...




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One&Only's banana wholemeal pancakes with cranberry-apricot sauce

Brunch, sorted




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Trump drafts everyday Americans to adopt his battlefield rhetoric

Trying to revive a devastated U.S. economy, Trump is expanding his wartime metaphors to draw in just about everyone across the nation.




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How plot to overthrow Venezuelan regime lacked everything - except 'cojones'

Ever since he fled Venezuela last year, opposition senator Hernan Aleman has dreamed of toppling President Nicolas Maduro.But, like many of the exiles now holed up in next-door Colombia, he knew that those who talked of doing it...




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Covid 19 coronavirus: Anti-lockdown protesters clash with police in Melbourne

Dozens of anti-lockdown protesters swarmed the steps of Victoria's Parliament House today with several people being arrested.More than 200 people flouted social distancing restrictions to furiously demand an end to the coronavirus...




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Facebook, Google Extend Work-At-Home For Employees Until End Of Year

Working from home is fast becoming the new normal for many. Now add Facebook and Google employees to that list. The tech giants have extended their previous work-from-home orders to employees. Previously, both gave earlier dates for return. Now, both have extended that to the end of the year. Facebook will not reopen most of […]




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Coronavirus In L.A. County: 44 More Deaths And 1,011 New Cases Confirmed

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 44 additional deaths related to COVID-19 and 1,011 new cases in the county on Saturday. These latest figures bring the coronavirus toll to 31,197 cases and 1,512 fatalities, according to the health department website. The numbers were released as hiking trails and parks reopened today, although […]




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‘Saturday Night Live’ Opens With Alec Baldwin Making America Great Again By Drinking Bleach

Saturday Night Live kicked off its season 45 finale this weekend with a tip of the hat to the Class of 2020. The cast members appeared on-screen remotely in the cold open as graduating seniors, with Alec Baldwin joining them as President Donald Trump. Wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cap, Baldwin offered a […]




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How To Watch Byron Allen’s Star-Studded ‘Feeding America Comedy Festival’

Some of the biggest names in comedy are coming together tonight on NBC for a Byron Allen-driven special to raise money for COVID-19 relief. The two-hour broadcast titled the “Feeding America Comedy Festival” will be co-hosted by Allen, Tiffany Haddish, Billy Crystal, and Kenan Thompson. The special will feature pre-recorded comedy segments from Kevin Hart, […]




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Happy Mother’s Day: Actor share their memorable moments with their moms




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Happy Mother’s Day: Actor share their best memories with their moms




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This Mother’s Day meet your favourite mother-child duos on &TV!




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Taarak Mehta actress Jennifer Mistry aka Roshan makes a short film in the midst of lockdown




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Nora Fatehi: Insomnia be creeping on me every time I try to sleep




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Rishina Kandhari: Trolls crack me up




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You aren’t a Bollywood Buff if you haven’t watched these films a thousand times




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Bhumi Pednekar: How I represent women on screen is important for me




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Karan Tacker: Lockdown has almost turned me into a chef




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Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk says coronavirus shutdown offers look at football retirement

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has compared the uncertain feeling during football's coronavirus shutdown to that of retirement.




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Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos backed to shine when football returns by former boss Unai Emery

Former Arsenal boss Unai Emery has backed Dani Ceballos to play a key part for the Gunners in their push for Europe if the football season resumes.




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Euro 96 shirts ranked: Will hosts England come out on top as we rate Europe's kits

Football is, it turns out, coming home after all this summer as ITV plan to show Euro 1996 in its entirety.




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Transfer news LIVE: Arsenal given Aubameyang deadline, Saka to Liverpool, Tottenham want talented US brothers

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




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Jose Mourinho backed to win trophies at Tottenham by former Spurs midfielder Gustavo Poyet

Former Spurs midfielder Gustavo Poyet says he will be 'very surprised' if Jose Mourinho does not win trophies during his time at Tottenham.




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Prince Harry surprises fans with special video message from his LA home

The Duke of Sussex is due to send a message any moment now, which has been recorded...




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Inside Britain's Got Talent host Declan Donnelly's London home




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Royal baby: Prince Guillaume and Princess Stephanie welcome baby and reveal name

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg have...




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NBA commissioner met with players to discuss locations, details on ways to finish season, sources say


Adam Silver reportedly said the league does not have to make a decision on playing or cancelling the 2019-20 season this month and can wait until sometime in June.




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Joey Cora, Terry Francona recall ‘impressive’ and ‘awesome’ moments from Michael Jordan’s baseball stint


Jordan would hit .202 that season in Class AA Birmingham with 114 strikeouts (most on the team), 51 RBIs (fourth) and 30 stolen bases (second). But former colleagues are still in awe when reminiscing about MJ’s competitive spirit and stage presence.




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Gregor Chisholm: Inside the trade of Blue Jays batting champion John Olerud, a deal former GM Gord Ash would like to have back


In the latest instalment of our Hindsight In 2020 series: The first baseman had one of the prettiest swings in baseball, but manager Cito Gaston and hitting coach Willie Upshaw wanted Olerud to generate more power.




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Three members of White House coronavirus task force in quarantine




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Boris Johnson's lockdown speech: what time is it, what will he say, and how can I watch it?




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Ask Amy: Gay servicemember worries about family bond

Adult child struggles with relationships with parents who don't accept sexuality.




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‘They're making it up as they go along’: confusion dilutes lockdown message

With picnics tolerated and even a pub doing takeaway drinks, it seems few in Hackney are obeying the stay-at-home rule

As the mounted police approached, the group leapt up from their picnic, clearly fearing the worst. They were wrong. Grinning, the officer encouraged them to enjoy the sun and suggested that if the park became too crowded they should consider leaving.

For people sunning themselves in London Fields, Hackney, the incident signified another unheralded shift in the UK’s coronavirus lockdown strategy. “Two days ago, police were confiscating beer from drinkers’ hands,” said media consultant Gavin Jamieson, 34. “Weeks before that, they were turning up in vans and telling people to leave the park.”

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UK Weather Forecast: Turning colder overnight with cloud and some rain pushing southwards into tomorrow.

Turning colder overnight with cloud and some rain pushing southwards into tomorrow.




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UK Weather Forecast: Overnight turning colder with cloud and some rain pushing southwards into Sunday

Things are cooling down after a few days of warmer weather.