Council chiefs calls for '£500 thank you bonuses' to be given to local government workers

EXCLUSIVE: Sky and Peacock are behind a drama based on the notorious 1988 Lockerbie disaster from Academy Award-nominated writers Jim Sheridan and Kirsten Sheridan, Deadline can reveal.

EXCLUSIVE: Ukrainian news organizations are busily enacting contingency plans that have been in place for many years and are reporting through-the-roof news ratings, as local citizens and the international world tune in for updates on the escalating situation.

“Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain,” told The Post. “I think the idea of the wedding in a church … I couldn’t imagine that happening in a billion years.”Blessed by the grunge gods, it was a union that would go down in music history. Sadly, their romance would end in tragedy when Cobain committed suicide slightly over two years later, on April 5, 1994.

The Academy Awards are doing things differently this year, and TV’s late-night hosts are sounding off.

Dave Grohl wasn’t impressed with James Corden’s “Late Late Show” game Wednesday.

Ellen Pompeo has starred in “Grey’s Anatomy” since 2005, so it’s not surprising she doesn’t remember every single episode.

Backstreet Boys are hitting Las Vegas once again to kick off their new tour, and the guys are opening up about what it means to return to Sin City, and who might drop in during their big shows.Nick Carter and Howie Dorough recently joined ET's Lauren Zima to talk about the upcoming DNA World Tour 2022, which kicks off in April with four shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

K.J. Yossman Britain’s monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has postponed further engagements following her COVID-19 diagnosis, according to reports.On Thursday, Feb.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery, Inc. hit 22 million paid streaming subscribers worldwide by the end of 2021, with the vast majority being Discovery Plus customers, the company revealed Thursday.The company reported last November that it grew to 20 million paid direct-to-consumer subscribers by the end of Q3.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe shares of Alibaba crashed by nearly 7% on Thursday to an all-time low in Hong Kong ahead of publication of the company’s October-December third quarter results. The company is one of a small handful of entrepreneurial tech giants that have remade everyday life for a billion Chinese consumers and facilitated tens of millions of small businesses. But it remains in the crosshairs of the Chinese government’s regulatory quest to remake things again in a more controlled and top-down socialist manner.

Naman Ramachandran The European Film Academy has pledged support to its members in Ukraine and is looking for practical ways to help them. “We need to immediately move beyond ‘thoughts and prayers’ and start to concentrate on what practical help can be given to our membership and community,” European Film Academy chair and board member of the International Coalition for Film makers at Risk, Mike Downey, told Variety.

Jamie Lang Bollywood actress and fitness buff Shilpa Shetty is lined up to host a new wellness-themed chat show, produced by Mirchi, an Entertainment Network India Limited company, and presented by Pintola Peanut Butter with Sofit. Focusing on physical and mental wellness, “Shape of You” will invite a wide range of India’s most popular celebrities to share their best tips for caring for their physical and mental wellbeing.

K.J. Yossman Thieves have stolen over $200,000 worth of props from the set of Netflix series “The Crown” while the production was shooting nearby.Over 350 items were taken during the heist, including a replica Fabergé egg, a grandfather clock clockface, a dressing table, crystal glassware and silver and gold candelabras.South Yorkshire police are investigating the theft, which took place in a lorry park in Mexborough in Yorkshire while a unit were shooting nearby.Although the incident will not affect production, Netflix have issued a plea to help recover the items.“We can confirm the antiques have been stolen and we hope that they are found and returned safely,” a spokesperson for Netflix told Variety.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDiscovery said profit tumbled in the fourth quarter as the owner of Food Network, Discovery Channel and Eurosport contended with expenses related to the Discovery Plus streaming hub and a group of one-time items related to expenses. Even so, the company saw revenue increase as its streaming efforts helped boost advertising and distribution revenue.Discovery said fourth quarter net income fell to $38 million, or 8 cents a share, compared with $271 million, or 42 cents a share, in the year-earlier period.The company released details of its performance as it prepares to acquire WarnerMedia, a move that will elevate its standing in the media sector.

Jamie Lang Netflix has shared details on its next Brazilian original series, “O Cangaceiro do Futuro,” a comedy caper starring Edmilson Filho (“O Shaolin do Sertão,” “Cine Holliúdy”) and Chandelly Braz (“Now Generation,” “Sparkling Girls “) which will hit the platform later this year.Glaz, which previously collaborated with Netflix on “Get the Goat,” produces the series, which was created by Halder Gomes (“O Shaolin do Sertão,” “Cine Holliúdy”), a writer-director-producer who has worked many times with “O Cangaceiro do Futuro” lead Filho, achieving popular success in both theatrical features and TV.Filming has already wrapped on the series, which shot in the rural town of Quixadá, in Ceará, Northeast Brazil, before wrapping in São Paulo. The show’s shoot and incorporation of talent such as Gomes, from Caerá capital Fortaleza, are examples of Netflix’s “goal to expand to all regions of Brazil,” as Elisabetta Zenatti, VP, Brazilian Content, announced last November.  The series turns on Virguley (Filho), a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none who is struggling to make ends meet in the big city, every day farther away from his dream of becoming rich and returning to his home in the Northeast.While between jobs, Virguley gets by thanks to a striking resemblance to Lampião, likely the twentieth century’s most successful bandit leader and the face of the Cangaço era.

direct to your inboxA national lockdown is needed to curb the latest strain of the coronavirus, scientists have warned.Boris Johnson is facing increasing pressure to take tougher measures after the new fast-spreading variant was identified.It comes as more than 40 countries have banned arrivals from the UK over concerns about the virus strain, which is up to 70pc more infectious.Tier 4 measures, similar to the rules in the November lockdown, have been introduced in parts of London and the South East.But in a briefing on Monday, scientists warned the government needed to go even further to mitigate the growing threat.

During his Monday news conference, California Governor Gavin Newsom said that the state was monitoring a new, potentially more infectious strain of Covid-19. British officials have indicated that the variant on the virus could be up to 70% more transmissible.

direct to your inboxThere are tonight calls for an extension on the EU transition period as a deadline for a Brexit deal set by European Parliament passed with no sign of progress.Brexit trade talks may now grind on through Christmas until December 31.The deadline to reach a deal tonight was set by the European Parliament.The UK will continue in its efforts to persuade Brussels to agree on key points of contention.In a tweet this evening the Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was among many who urged Boris Johnson to seek an agreement to extend the Brexit transition period.She wrote: "It’s now imperative that PM seeks an agreement to extend the Brexit transition period."The new Covid strain - & the various implications of it - means we

Nicola Sturgeon tonight called on Boris Johnson to extend the Brexit transition period. The First Minister took to Twitter with no breakthrough in negotiations between the UK and the EU in sight.

direct to your inboxPeople living in Tier 4 have been banned from foreign travel and urged to “stay local” as the Government works to curb a new fast-spreading strain of Covid-19.Those living under the toughest restrictions will only be permitted to travel overseas in limited exceptions, such as for work.Meanwhile, people across England are being asked to carefully consider whether they need to travel abroad.The Prime Minister has also urged people in all tiers to “stay local”.It comes as scientists warn of a new variant of coronavirus that can spread more rapidly.Although the new strain of the virus is concentrated in the Tier 4 areas - predominantly London and the South East - Boris Johnson has warned that it is present at lower levels

Bolton on Friday morning - a day after millions across the region learned they would remain under Tier 3 restrictions over Christmas. Making the announcement yesterday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock called on people living in Tier 3 areas to 'pull together' to get out of the measures.

Reece James has called on the public to “try to put an end to this crisis” after endorsing our Help the Hungry campaign. The Chelsea football star made the comments as he joined The Independent and its largest shareholder Evgeny Lebedev at a West London school to give out hot meals from our food truck alongside our charity partner With Compassion.

direct to your inboxThe UK Government has urged families to have a 'smaller' and 'safer' Christmas this year.Speaking at a Downing Street conference on Wednesday, Boris Johnson, said the four devolved government's had reached an agreement on rules over the festive period.It comes after scientific experts called for the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions to be scrapped or scaled back, amid a rising number of cases.The Prime Minister said that whilst the four nations would be sticking to the Christmas bubble measures agreed two weeks ago, the infection rate across Britain has changed since then.Families across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will still be able to meet up from December 23 to 27, and will be allowed by law, to