U.K. Government Increases COVID-19 Emergency Arts, Culture Funding to $80 Million

animals.In 2019 she wrote that anyone who bought fur was sick’ and fur belongs on animals only’.Fashion designer Stella McCartney has previously offered to create a `cruelty-free’ alternative for the MoD but this offer is believed to have been declined.Animal rights group Peta — which named Carrie as their Person Of The Year in 2020 — want the furs’ use banned as does the Canadian-American actress Pamela Anderson, who wrote to the PM urging him to act.Tourists visiting London flock to see the Guards in their traditional hats worn since the 1815 defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.The ceremonial headdress can only be worn by foot soldiers in certain regiments, including the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards and the Welsh Guards.To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.An Army spokesman has said: “The bearskins worn by the Guards are part of our proud military history and identity.“There are no suitable alternatives.“These bearskins, like leather, horn and sheepskin are by-products of other purposes and should not be confused with fur farming.“Guards bearskins are sourced from the by-product of a necessary cull of black bears in Canada.“The bears are not bred for the purpose of fur.”

family who became known for their powerlifting in 2013 look completely different now - but have kept their strength up. The Best family, who were dubbed the "strongest family in the world" back almost a decade ago, would spend 140 hours a week training and have managed to keep up the momentum nine years on.

Russia. Kravets dropped the bombshell on Radio Marca as Russian troops reportedly surround the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Russia started its invasion of Ukraine during the early hours of Thursday morning, and an outpouring of support for Ukraine has emerged from the footballing world.

The Guardian reports, when a member of the group (labelled as Moshtagh, his actual name redacted for safety) reached out to Wu in hopes of strengthening their international presence. But when the Taliban launched an offensive on Afghanistan in 2021, Moshtagh’s group made the snap decision to flee the nation’s capital of Kabul.Wu told The Guardian that such a decision was “based on complete fear”, noting that Moshtagh and his cohort were driven by an “overwhelming sense of survival” because “they felt so threatened by the Taliban based on their western practices”.She explained that Moshtagh pleaded for Wu to help them out: “He said, ‘I feel like you guys have an obligation to help us,’ and I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ And he said, ‘Well, you know, we’re all just hip-hop family.’ And … the more and more we spoke, the more and more I realised that much of what he was saying was true.”Wu – who runs the LA-based non-profit No Easy Props, which runs hip-hop classes and events for the city’s marginalised communities – said the exchange “awoke [her] thought process”.

Content warning: this article discusses allegations of sexual assault.Snoop Dogg has asked a federal judge to dismiss a sexual assault lawsuit brought against him earlier this month, claiming the allegations are “implausible and false”.In a new 17-page dismissal filed on Thursday (February 24) and obtained by Rolling Stone, the rapper (real name Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.) has denied that he cornered an unidentified woman in a recording studio bathroom nearly nine years ago and forced her into a sex act.Snoop also claims that the allegations are too “threadbare” to support a claim under the federal sex trafficking statute listed in the complaint and too old to prosecute under state law.“Nothing remotely resembling plaintiff’s story about defendant Calvin Broadus ever happened. He vehemently denies ever engaging in any sex act with plaintiff or assaulting or battering her,” the new filing states.“She provides no allegations of any statement by defendant that he would help her career, and no allegations of any statement about how defendant might advance her career,” the filing continues.

Dear all, as we write this text, for the moment, each member of JINJER and our families are safe and unhurt. We truly…Posted by Jinjer on Thursday, February 24, 2022Since Jinjer’s post last night, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that 137 people had been killed, with 316 more wounded.Troops from Russia crossed the Crimea border into Ukraine on Thursday after President Vladimir Putin gave the order for his invasion to begin.The actions of Putin, who has claimed that Russia does not intend to occupy Ukraine and that his country’s actions amount to a “special military operation”, have drawn widespread condemnation from across the globe.Reactions to the situation in Ukraine from prominent figures in the worlds of music, entertainment and politics have been posted on social media, with the likes of Foals’ Yannis Philippakis, Bring Me The Horizon‘s Oli Sykes, Franz Ferdinand‘s Alex Kapranos, Yungblud, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Taika Waititi and Amanda Palmer all speaking out in support of Ukraine.Russian rapper Oxxxymiron has cancelled a series of shows in Moscow and St.

Hollywood actress, 35, has been under a long-running conservatorship which has seen her mother Lynn act as her legal conservator for nine years.It comes following the legal success of Britney Spears who managed to break free from her own conservatorship last November.Bynes filed court documents to end her conservatorship on Wednesday (February 23) - in a petition submitted at the Ventura County Superior Court in California - Page Six reported.The outlet revealed Amanda asked judges to terminate the conservatorship of her person and estate, and filed a 'capacity declaration' on Tuesday.According to her attorney, Amanda has requested for her conservatorship to end as she feels her condition has "improved" and she no longer needs "the protection of the court".A court hearing has been scheduled for March 22.The former Nickelodeon child star's legal representative, David A. Esquibias, issued a statement to People magazine on Friday.He said: "Amanda wishes to terminate her conservatorship.

Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Gogglebox introduced its first Scottish cast members in six years - and fans were delighted to see the new cast mates appear on the sofa.Smitten Scots couple Roisin and Joe, who live in Glasgow, made their debut on the Channel 4 show during Friday's episode (February 25).The pair have lived at Joe's family home since the start of lockdown, and have been together for four years.It's clear they made a fantastic first impression on the viewers at home too, because fans on Twitter were thrilled to see them chat about the latest shows on television.One fan wrote: "So glad to finally have a Scottish family on #Gogglebox - and Glasgow representing! #roisinandjoe - love it."A second said: "About time they had a scottish family on 'Gogglebox, I would have loved to apply but my family would get cancelled lmao"A third wrote: "Love to see a Scottish couple on #gogglebox. There are both fans and haters of every family, I'm sure they will be no different.

British Airways has suffered its second major outage in the last 10 days this evening (February 25) as passengers claim their flights have been grounded at Heathrow.The company's website has been completely inaccessible tonight, but the airline says it is working to overcome the issues that are affecting operations. A BA spokesperson said: "We're investigating and working hard to resolve a technical issue and apologise for the inconvenience.

ITV’s Good Morning Britain has come under fire from viewers as their chief correspondent Richard Gaisford reported live from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard were presenting the show when they cut to their colleague Richard reporting on the current conflict situation.On location in the capital, Richard began to discuss the ongoing conflict with his colleagues.He began solemnly: “As we talk, the air raid sirens are going off here in Kyiv. It’s becoming something of a regular pattern now, just letting the population know that there is a threat.”“[Telling them] to take shelter where they can, if necessary, and to obviously make an assessment for themselves and their own security,” he continued to inform as the sirens rang eerily in the background.Kate Garraway looked concerned as she asked Richard about his own safety: “Richard, when we hear those air raid sirens, I know our viewers worry for you.

Amanda Bynes just took a huge step and filed to terminate her nearly nine-year conservatorship!

Staying close. Kanye West and Kim Kardashian aren’t together anymore, but they’re still keeping each other nearby.

The 12th annual Governors Awards has been postponed due to Covid-19.As the Omicron variant surges, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday that it would hold off on the event.A statement released by a spokesperson said, 'We have made the difficult decision to change our plans in hosting the Governors Awards in person on January 15.' News: The 12th annual Governors Awards has been postponed due to Covid-19The announcement continued, 'Given the uncertainties around the variants, and the impact this could have on our community, we feel this is the best and safest decision for our honorees and guests.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is making a big announcement amid the latest COVID-19 surge.

Angelique Jackson The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has postponed the 12th annual Governors Awards ceremony as COVID-19 cases surge.“We have made the difficult decision to change our plans in hosting the Governors Awards in person on January 15,” an Academy spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. “Given the uncertainties around the variants, and the impact this could have on our community, we feel this is the best and safest decision for our honorees and guests.

Beyonce and Jay-Z, won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video in March 2021. And nine months later, the nine-year-old has added another award to her collection, this time for Best Voiceover at the Voice Arts Awards.

Blue Ivy Carter, the eldest daughter of Beyonce and Jay-Z, won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video in March 2021.And nine months later, the nine-year-old has added another award to her collection, this time for Best Voiceover at the Voice Arts Awards.The star, got the award for her work narrating the audiobook Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry.

Keanu Reeves opened up about his love for his Asian identity and presenting martial arts in a 'respectful way' while promoting The Matrix: Resurrections.The 57-year-old actor reprises his role as Neo in the fourth installment of the film franchise and promoted the movie in a recent interview with NBC Asian America that also included his new co-stars Jessica Henwick, 29, and Priyanka Chopra, 39.Reeves, who has a Chinese Hawaiian ancestry on his father's side, rarely speaks about his Asian identity.

Melania Trump has launched a new venture selling NFTs (non-fungible tokens). The office of the former first lady announced on Thursday that NFTs will be released “in regular intervals exclusively” on MelaniaTrump.com.“I am proud to announce my new NFT endeavor, which embodies my passion for the arts, and will support my ongoing commitment to children through my Be Best initiative,” Melania, who rolled out her Be Best initiative in 2018, said in a statement.

Liverpool have reportedly slapped a price tag of £15m on former Bolton Wanderers defender Nat Phillips who could well be on the move in the January transfer window.