Culture

Friends of a Whitehall cleaner who died of suspected Covid at the height of the pandemic have criticised Downing Street’s “party culture” while they were working without masks on low wages. Emanuel Gomes died with coronavirus symptoms in April 2020 after he continued working as a cleaner at the Ministry of Justice despite feeling ill, for fear of having his pay cut. Although most civil servants had been sent home, Emanuel Gomes and his colleagues were told that, as essential workers, they should keep coming into work. His colleagues have now hit out at Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, over what they said was the disrespectful attitude of some senior Whitehall workers towards Downing Street cleaning staff and security guards, highlighted in Sue Gray’s report. They say they had to carry on working on low wages during lockdown, without face masks or PPE being provided and no sick pay. Cleaners 'disrespected on a daily basis' Colleagues and friends of Emanuel Gomes, who … [Read more...] about Friends of Whitehall cleaner who ‘died of Covid’ criticise Downing Street ‘party culture’

The first time it happened, she said, she thought it was a joke. On the stand in her defamation trial a few weeks ago, the actor Amber Heard shared her account of the first time her now-ex-husband, Johnny Depp, allegedly hit her. She’d asked him about one of his tattoos: the one on his bicep (the one he’d famously had edited ) that to her looked like a muddle of black ink. The tattoo spelled out wino , she said he told her. Thinking he was kidding—Depp had publicly struggled with substance abuse, and Heard claimed he’d been drinking that night—she laughed. And then, she alleged: “He slapped me across the face.” Her response, she testified, was to laugh some more. “I didn’t know what else to do. I thought, This must be a joke . This must be a joke . Because I didn’t know what was going on.” Depp has denied ever hitting or assaulting Heard. And the trial is not directly ligitating whether he did so. Instead, the proceedings center on a Washington Post op-ed that Heard … [Read more...] about The Amber Heard–Johnny Depp Trial Is Not a Joke

Princess Beatrice , the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson most known for her outlandish choice of hat for the royal wedding in 2011, seems now to be following the fashion lead of cousin-in-law Kate Middleton . Beatrice, tenth in line to the British throne, was present at a Buckingham Palace garden party on Wednesday presided over by Kate and Prince William , who acted as hosts in place of Queen Elizabeth II . The princess and her sister Eugenie are both granddaughters of the queen and have in recent years been undertaking increased charity work—though both do not officially undertake duties on behalf of the queen and are not considered "working royals." To the garden party on Wednesday, Beatrice wore a check patterned midi dress in pale pink and black from Self-Portrait, with a white belt and black accessories. The brand is closely associated with Kate who has been patronizing the designers often over the course of her married life. Most recently … [Read more...] about How Kate Middleton’s fashion inspired Queen’s granddaughter at garden party

Jimmy Kimmel's opening monologue was abruptly cut short Wednesday by a local TV station in Texas after he had called out "cowardly" senators for "listening to the NRA ." Kimmel called out the ABC affiliate station in Dallas, WFAA, on Twitter and vowed to understand why it happened. A representative from the station replied to Kimmel on Twitter and explained that it was a mistake. Kimmel addressed Tuesday's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas which left 19 children and two adults dead. The suspect, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos was shot and killed by law enforcement. The incident has once again sparked the gun control debate as Ramos reportedly bought the firearm on his 18th birthday after a Texas gun law change. Politicians have once again been pressed on the subject, and Kimmel intended to pile the pressure on them too. "Here we are again, on another day of mourning in this country, once again, we grieve for the little boys and girls whose lives have been ended and whose … [Read more...] about Texas TV Network cuts away from Jimmy Kimmel’s NRA monologue

Amber Heard's alleged fight with a former partner more than a decade ago was detailed in court by a witness on Wednesday as her defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp draws to its conclusion. The actress, 36, is battling it out in a Virginia court with Depp, 58, after he sued her for $50 million over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post , in which she stated that she was a domestic abuse survivor. While Heard, who is countersuing for $100 million, did not name Depp in the article, his lawyers have argued that it was obvious she was referring to the actor. During the trial, both denied the other's allegations of domestic violence . As proceedings at Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse on Wednesday, police officer Beverly Leonard testified via live video link that she had allegedly witnessed Heard get into an altercation with her then-partner Tasya van Ree at a Washington airport. According to Leonard, the alleged incident took place in 2009 at Seattle-Tacoma … [Read more...] about Amber Heard, ex Tasya Van Ree “altercation”: What witness revealed

Obi-Wan Kenobi marks the return of its titular Jedi Master (played by Ewan McGregor) who has to contend with The Empire's wrath following the events of Revenge of the Sith. But it's not just his former padawan Anakin Skywalker, now Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen), that Obi-Wan will have to contend with, there are other foes that are hot on his heels namely Inquisitor Reva and the Grand Inquisitor. Here is everything you need to know about the two characters. Who Are Reva and the Grand Inquisitor from 'Obi-Wan Kenobi'? Reva and the Grand Inquisitor are portrayed on the Disney+ show by Moses Ingram and Rupert Friend, respectively. Obi-Wan Kenobi marks the Order of Inquisitors debut in live-action but they actually aren't new to the universe as they appeared in the animated series Star Wars Rebels, which aired from 2014 to 2018. The Order of Inquisitors is a group of former Jedi who turned to the Dark Side and were governed by Darth Vader, and the Grand Inquisitor is … [Read more...] about ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ explained: Who are Reva and the Grand Inquisitor?

Winnie the Pooh : Blood and Honey is the latest horror movie whose very title alone has got film fans on the internet excited. Pooh, Piglet and most of the Hundred Acre Wood gang created by AA Milne fell into the public domain in January 2022, explaining why this very un-Disney movie was able to get made. Blood and Honey remains fairly mysterious, with only a few images and details publicly revealed. Here's what we know so far about the Winnie the Pooh horror movie. What Is Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey About? All we have to go on for that is a dozen-or-so images posted by the film's production company onto IMDB. However, these images seem to reveal that the movie has the classic horror set-up of a group of young people in a house being attacked by a group of killers. One image, for example, sees a character called Zoe (played by Danielle Ronald) heading down a staircase to a window. That window has "get out" written on it with blood. What sets Blood and Honey … [Read more...] about What we know about the Winnie the Pooh horror movie ‘Blood and Honey’

Andrew Neil describes BBC licence fee as a 'Straitjacket' Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Tim Davie, the director-general of the BBC , is due to address staff on Thursday after saying earlier this week he would have to look at the volume of material produced by the corporation – a move, it is understood, designed to weather the licence fee freeze at £159 for two years. Related articles BBC licence fee warning as Nadine Dorries wields AXE on hated levy BBC licence fee on brink: Execs admit 'existential' crisis The settlement will cost the BBC £285million in funding by 2027, Mr Davie said when the decision was … [Read more...] about BBC4 faces AXE: Arts channel bleeding funds as Netflix and £285m black hole hammer Beeb

Miniature railway figurines were used to create surreal images inspired by dreaming of sunny holidays in these stunning snaps. David Gilliver, 42, of North Lanarkshire, Scotland, has used his pioneering art form to do work for commercial campaigns including 3, Sony, and Adobe - but his main passion is making his own images, using props. He collects miniature railway figurines from as far away as Japan and Singapore and sends them to an artist to be painted to his own specifications. They are then posed with other props, including shortbread biscuits to create a version of Stonehenge, and a plastic avocado to resemble a sunbed, and photographed. Gilliver, who studied at Glasgow School of Art, said the technique has been copied by others trying to imitate his unique take on modern life, and prints have been sold in John Lewis . He often uses fruit to create a landscape, including oranges sliced in half, and grapes, which look giant in comparison to the tiny figurines. … [Read more...] about Artist uses miniature railway figurines to create lifelike images

Morgan Tremaine, a former employee of TMZ, testified during the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial on Wednesday and shed some light on the Aquaman star's relationship with the outlet. Tremaine worked for the entertainment site—best known for its celebrity exclusives—back in 2016. While on the stand this week, he discussed an assignment he was given relating to Heard in May of that year. "Ms. Heard was filing a restraining order at a courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, so I dispatched camera people to that location," he told the court. "It's not by any means a celebrity hotspot. We would only ever send people there if we had been tipped off that something was occurring and there was somebody present there. "We were trying to capture Amber leaving the courthouse and an alleged bruise on the right side of her face." Depp 58, is suing ex-wife Heard for defamation over an op-ed published by The Washington Post in 2018, in which she said she was a victim of domestic abuse. While … [Read more...] about What Morgan Tremaine revealed about Amber Heard’s relationship with TMZ