Four testing sites to close in shake-up of Covid-19 response

Jamie Lang Series Mania unveiled the fifteen projects set to pitch at this year’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions with the hopes of scoring the €50,000 ($56,821) grand prize. Among the impressive list of participants is Israeli thriller “The Accident,” written by celebrated filmmaker Mata Yair (“Scaffolding,” “One on One”) and produced by Maya Fischer at his long-time collaborators Green Productions.“The Accident” is the story of the Alegba family and their efforts to get away from their life in a downtrodden neighborhood dominated by criminals.

Sinead O’Brien has announced that she will release her debut album, ‘Time Bend And Break The Bower’, this summer. She’s also released a new single called ‘Holy Country’ and announced a load of tour dates.“The story of the album is built up in layers; one song giving context to the next”, says O’Brien. “I thought about becoming undressed; testing my ideas, my voice.

Scott Robinson captured the hearts of teenagers across the country during the 90s as part of boyband 5ive. After beating 3,000 wannabes, one of which was Russell Brand, Scott embarked on his path to stardom in 1997 when he was just 17.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock has marked six months since she gave birth to her twins with an adorable Instagram post as she called the little tots her "miracles" as she continues her family holiday in Jamaica.The Little Mix singer, 30, who is engaged to footballer Andre Gray, also 30, looked stunning as she took her babies on a stroll along the seashore. Wearing a super short green jacquard dress and a matching jewel around her neck, the band member beamed as she posed next to her children - her dark curly locks loose and cascading down her shoulders.The babies were sat in matching sage green pushchairs and Leigh-Anne chose to keep their privacy intact as she placed two large baby head emojis over their faces and upper bodies.

Stevie Nicks has said that she once advised Katy Perry to end her “ridiculous” feud with Taylor Swift. And Perry did eventually heed that advice. About six years later.

DEALSGirl In Red has signed to Sony’s Columbia label. Her 2021 debut album, ‘If I Could Make It Go Quiet’, was released under licence to AWAL.Kobalt has signed Moli, Vito Kovach, and Johannes Roemer. Moli is “so excited”, Kovach is “looking forward to the future” and Roemer is “really excited”.

Celebs Go Dating star Ulrika Jonsson has opened up about her experience on the E4 series, admitting the lowest point was when she was friendzoned by toyboy Jad. During one of her final moments in the agency, Ulrika discussed in depth what she had learnt from her time on the dating show and how she hoped it would help her quest for love in the future.The 54 year old went on to confess that hearing 31 year old Jad say there was no spark between them was hard to take, as she relived the awkward moment for the first time.

Amanda Holden is making the most of her time off as she celebrates her 51st birthday with her loved ones in Dubai.MORE: Amanda Holden struts in sheer top and leather hotpants to mark 51st birthdayTaking to her Instagram page on Wednesday, the Heart FM radio presenter gave fans a glimpse inside her celebrations - which included a meal with her two daughters and husband at a swanky restaurant.A post shared by Amanda Holden (@noholdenback)WATCH: Amanda Holden shares cute clip with her lookalike daughters"My babies [heart emojis] #familytime," she remarked alongside a clip of herself posing with her daughters Lexie, 16, and Hollie, ten – both of whom she shares with husband Chris Hughes.MORE: Amanda Holden celebrates anniversary with husband ChrisREAD: Amanda Holden honours heartbreaking milestone - friends rally around to comfort herFriends and fans of the star were quick to comment, with one post reading: "I love this so much! What a beautiful family you are." Another commented: "Your daughters are lovely, but what a beautiful young lady your eldest is, model in the making."A third person wrote: "You must be so proud of yourself all the work you do, your beauty, your dress sense and two stunning daughters not forgetting your handsome hubby."A post shared by Amanda Holden (@noholdenback)The TV star celebrated her 51st birthday with her loved onesEarlier on, the family headed on to the beach for some water sports where Amanda was handed several balloons. "Feeling very spoilt," she stated.The following day, Amanda continued to share more snippets into their family holiday which also involved paragliding.

Brooklyn Beckham has once again proved his dedication to fiancée Nicola Peltz by getting a new tattoo in her honour. The lovebirds, who are set to tie the knot this spring, are gearing up for their big day with their friends and family.MORE: Brooklyn Beckham's fiancée Nicola Peltz smoulders in intimate bed selfie after big announcementAhead of the wedding, Brooklyn unveiled a bold new inking of the word, "Peltz," across his chest between his cherub tattoos.

Alison Hammond sported yet another incredible outfit on Thursday's This Morning as she sat beside co-host Dermot O'Leary. This comes as no surprise, as the 47-year-old has been ticking all of the style boxes this week while she and Dermot have been standing in for usual presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. Whilst the Dancing On Ice duo enjoy their half term break from the show, viewers have loved seeing Alison and Dermot step up to the plate.

Kanye West has hit the follow button to keep tabs on his ex Kim Kardashian's boyfriend Pete Davidson on Instagram.The comedian, 28, who has seemingly been dating the KUWTK star since October 2021, relaunched his social media account on Wednesday 16 February after four years but is yet to post anything onto his feed. Despite the lack of content, the Saturday Night Live star has already got over 663,000 followers – including Kim, 41, and her 44 year old ex. Kanye's move comes after he revealed he was waging a civil war against his ex-wife and her beau alongside a string of stars he's also fallen out with recently.

Vicky Pattison has given her social media followers a sneak peek into her lavish getaway to Dubai.The 34 year old former Geordie Shore star jetted off to the sun-soaked location with her boyfriend Ercan Ramadan.The couple recently celebrated Valentine’s Day together as they headed out for a romantic night out in London. But now Vicky has been sharing glimpses of her luxury trip to the United Arab Emirates with her 4.9million followers, as well as on her travel Instagram account.The TV personality took to her Instagram Stories to reveal that she was heading on the trip after waiting for two years.

Coronation Street icon Eileen Derbyshire landed her role as Emily Bishop on the cobbles in 1961 before she left in 2016. The legendary actress, 90, who spent 55 years in Weatherfield as Emily Bishop which made her the longest-serving female cast member in a British soap, devastated fans where she departed to travel to Peru for charity work and reunite with her nephew Spider. At the time, Kym Marsh, who plays Michelle Connor, revealed that Eileen hadn't left the show for good but had taken a sabbatical.

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s a strong first English-language trailer for director Rama Burshtein’s (Fill The Void) anticipated TV debut Fire Dance, which has just been announced for Series Mania’s main competition.

Al Roker has had some momentous occasions in his career and in his family life too, and he and his wife Deborah Roberts are ready for another. The Today show host reminded fans on Friday, that his son Nick is about to embark on a life-altering challenge and it appears he can't get it off his mind. MORE: Al Roker deemed 'inspirating' by fans after health revelation in hilarious video Because 19-year-old Nick will soon be headed off to college after being accepted at the end of 2021. WATCH: Al Roker's son receives incredible news and his parents are thrilledAl is clearly relishing every moment with his youngest as he shared a photo of his breakfast - made for his boy - on social media and it sparked an emotional response. Alongside the simple snapshot of an egg and bacon croissant, the weatherman wrote: "When your #collegebound kid asks you to make #breakfast."A post shared by Al Roker (@alroker)Even Al's breakfasts are making him nostalgic about his son going to collegeIt turns out that it's not just Al and Deborah who are noting how quickly Nick is growing up as fans commented: "Al, I’ve been watching you for years and it’s hard to believe that Nick is college bound this year," and another added: "Such a great dad."Al is incredibly proud of Nick and shared the moment he found out he had been accepted to college on Instagram too. MORE: Al Roker and son Nick open the doors into their never-ending living room as they watch the Super BowlMORE: Al Roker majorly divides fans as he shares Today Show change for 2022 OlympicsThe 30-second clip showed Nick Wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a vaccinated sign, he smiled and admitted he was excited at the news as his mom hugged him and dad congratulated him too.

Jack Smethurst, best known for starring in sitcom Love Thy Neighbour, has died aged 89. The actor was surrounded by his family when he died peacefully, according to the Daily Star. Jack played the bigoted Eddie Booth in the controversial 1970s comedy, alongside EastEnders star Rudolph Walker.

Emmerdale viewers were left scratching their heads over Manpreet Sharma’s (Rebecca Sarker) bizarre reaction to hearing her murdering sister Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu) was back in the village. On Wednesday 16 February’s episode of the ITV soap, news got around that Meena had returned to get her revenge on the Emmerdale residents, including newlyweds Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) and Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle). But rather than surround herself with the safety of people, Manpreet, who was recently held hostage by her evil sibling, decided to go out for a walk alone.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentOnly six months after its 2021 edition, Series Mania will be back with a sprawling selection, including the world premieres of Michael Hirst’s “Billy The Kid” (pictured), the Israeli series “Fire Dance” and rap music-themed French show “Le monde de demain.”Underscoring the large presence of streamers within the roster, Series Mania will kick off with Netflix’s “Standing Up,” a new comedy series from “Call My Agent” creator and showrunner Fanny Herrero; while Disney Plus’ “Oussekine,” about a tragic case of police brutality in France, will close the festival.The lineup boasts 58 series spanning 21 countries. These were chosen from 331 series.

Jessica Kiang Perhaps you know the feeling, the strange tingle of vertigo you get when you’re having an entirely normal conversation with an acquaintance, and you suddenly realize that for seemingly no reason — and often about the most inconsequential things — they are lying to you. Jöns Jönsson’s “Axiom,” a standout in this year’s Berlinale Encounters section, is physically set in a comfortably well-educated, middle-class Austrian environment. But its psychological terrain is discomfort.

On Saturday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released new data on Covid-19, reporting 40 new deaths and 839 new positive cases.

Ayrshire towns and villages are suppressing coronavirus cases.