Rob Laakso of Kurt Vile And The Violators dies aged 44

Lise Pedersen Award-winning US producer and distributor Karin Chien (“Robot Stories,” “Circumstance”), whose latest co-production, “Man in Black,” is one of two films by Chinese director Wang Bing running in Cannes’ official selection, shared her experience with the crowd during a masterclass at Cannes Docs, the Film Market section dedicated to documentary films. “Man in Black” premiered at a special screening in Cannes on May 22. Wang’s other film selected in this year’s edition is main competition title “Youth.” In the talk, moderated by Documentary Association of Europe co-founder Brigid O’Shea, Chien put on her distributor’s hat to talk about a job she said was “not pitched enough but [represented] some of the most meaningful work she [had] ever done.”

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Netflix landed North American rights for “May December,” a soapy romantic-drama directed by Todd Haynes and starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, which debuted at Cannes Film Festival. It sold for $11 million, marking the first big sale of this year’s festival. Several bidders, including Neon, were in the mix before Netflix emerged victorious. The streamer hopes to position “May December” as an Oscar contender in the fall. A scandalous age-gap relationship plays out at the center of “May December,” which debuted on Saturday to raves and earned a six-minute standing ovation. Moore plays the “December” to Charles Melton’s much-younger “May,” who was just 13 when the two fell in love. Given their 20-year age gap, their marriage inspired a national tabloid scandal. Decades later, their relationship is put to the test as an actress (Portman) travels to Georgia to study the life of Moore’s character, whom she’s set to play in a film.

Good Morning Britain viewers were left feeling a bit 'sorry' for Gary Lineker as he appeared on the programme for the first time since his debacle with the BBC earlier this year.

Riots erupted in the streets of a Cardiff suburb on Monday evening (May 22) after police were called to the scene of a fatal car crash.

Jamie Carragher believes Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will go down as one of the greatest managers of all time after he lifted his fifth Premier League title on Sunday.

Emmerdale fans couldn't believe what they were seeing as three potentially new couples emerged during the first trip of the week to the fictional village. Things turned saucy on-screen in the ITV soap Liam Cavanagh and Wendy Posner gave into temptation and shared a steamy kiss at the doctor's surgery.

Everybody likes a freebie and a new deal from Sky means you can score the company's TV service and Netflix in one fell swoop.

When Kate Middleton was recently asked by a schoolgirl what life is like in the Royal family, the Princess of Wales gave an honest five word reply.

Naman Ramachandran “Lioness,” an official Indo-U.K. co-production being made under the 2008 bilateral treaty, will star Aditi Rao Hydari (“Jubilee”) and Paige Sandhu (“Emmerdale”), it was revealed at the Cannes India pavilion on Tuesday. Written and to be directed by Kajri Babbar (“Khoj”), the film is inspired by the research of Peter Bance, the historian who wrote about Princess Sophia Duleep, one of the key leaders of the suffragette movement in the U.K., the Princess of Punjab, granddaughter of Maharajah Ranjit Singh and the goddaughter of Queen Victoria. The film will tell the story of two British Punjabi women living in the U.K., a century apart. While Sophia’s story is rooted in history, the second story is a fictional tale of Mehak Kaur an educated, married immigrant woman living in 1990’s Southall.

More than 8 million households received the £650 means-tested cost of living payment last year as part of the UK Government’s £37billion financial support package. The payments were made automatically in two instalments, the first for £326 and the second for £324.

A small independent bakery in Lanarkshire is offering customers the opportunity to enjoy a bundle of its tasty wares for the princely sum of 1p.

Christopher Vourlias On a recent morning in Cannes, Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan sat over coffee at the Hotel Martinez and recalled a phone call he received nearly 60 years ago, not long after he’d made a splash on the British folk scene. On the other end of the line was a rising screenwriter and director called Ken Loach. “He said he was making his first feature…and would I help him with the music?” Donovan told Variety. The film, a kitchen sink drama called “Poor Cow,” based on a novel by British playwright and author Neil Dunn, tells the story of a working-class single mother leading a hard-luck life in the slums of London. It’s a movie that set the tone for the type of social drama that propelled Loach throughout a remarkable, prolific career.

A man has died following a crash on a Renfrewshire road in the early hours of the morning.

Naman Ramachandran CNN has launched CNN Fast, a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel. CNN Fast is set up as a curated channel of short-form videos that will feature international stories across major news events, business, entertainment, sport and the environment. It launched on Tuesday across several European countries on Rakuten TV, and will also be available on LG Channels from May 24, followed by Samsung TV Plus in June. “Using a schedule of swift, informative and entertaining videos, the channel is designed to appeal to younger audiences that prefer shorter form content. With stories delivered in three-to-six-minute clips, the new succinct and easily digestible format will keep viewers updated and engaged,” CNN said in a statement.

K-pop boyband BOYNEXTDOOR have dropped a new music video ahead of their official debut next week.Today (May 23), the six-member group dropped a music video for ‘But I Like You’, one of three tracks from their upcoming debut project ‘WHO!’. Three of the group’s members – Jaehyun, Taesan and Woonhak – are also credited as songwriters on the track.In the new music video, the BOYNEXTDOOR members are in a playful rivalry as they all crush on the same girl.

MONSTA X member Joohoney has released a music video for his solo single ‘Freedom’.The K-pop idol recently dropped his debut solo mini-album ‘Lights’ alongside a music video for its title track ‘Freedom’. In the new visual, Joohoney breaks free from a dark cage, later finding his way to a flight of stairs towards the open sky.

A man with Down's Syndrome died after choking on leftover sausage rolls in a care home.

Police in Portugal have started searches today (May 23) as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Officers are searching an area near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, around 50km from Praia da Luz where Madeleine went missing in 2007.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Mainland Chinese star Wang Luodan (“The Dead End,” “Struggle,” “The Continent”) and Hong Kong-born Bosco Wong (“Lives of Omission,” “Triumph In The Skies”) head the cast of “My Dearest Stranger.” The high-end suspense drama series is a production fronted by mainland Chinese distributor-producer Hishow Entertainment, which announced the production at the Cannes Market, adjacent to the Cannes Film Festival in France. Based on the best-selling novel “Secret Love,” by Fan Shu and adapted by renowned screenwriter Cao Xueping (“Game Changer”), “My Dearest Stranger” tells a compelling story of Yu Xiao, a housewife who realizes her seemingly perfect husband may have a dark side. Yu decides to cooperate with policeman Song Cheng to find out the truth, while trying to keep her own secrets from the world.

A spark is reignited between Chloe and Mackenzie in Emmerdale later this month as they bond over their baby son, Reuben.The new parents have grown closer again after Rueben’s health scare where he contracted meningitis. Luckily, he’s given the all clear and Mackenzie promises to make more of a commitment to spending quality time with Rueben. Chloe’s touched when Mackenzie confirms he’ll take on a more fatherly role and she goes in for a kiss.

Amy Childs has revealed that her recent engagement to Billy Delbosq was a huge "shock" and "a bit of a blur". In an exclusive chat with new!, Amy, 32, who announced the happy news last month, said: "It was a complete shock - even though we have spoken about an engagement before. It is so lovely we have it on camera, but again, it’s a bit of a blur!" Revealing details on how Billy, originally known for his stint on First Dates, popped the question to the former The Only Way is Essex star, Amy continued: "We were having a newborn shoot for the show.The pictures looked beautiful.

It's a special time for Gemma and Chesney as they prepare to tie the knot in Coronation Street. Paul still refuses to go, but when Joseph pays him a visit, he convinces Paul to attend the wedding despite the weight of his MND diagnosis hanging over him. Gemma’s thrilled when her twin brother makes it in time to walk her down the aisle in her light up tangerine wedding dress.

Dermot O'Leary is said to be the "favourite" to replace Phillip Schofield on This Morning, after the latter announced his departure over the weekend, after 21 years of fronting the show. Dermot's Friday co-host Alison Hammond is also said to be in the running, after striking up a firm friendship with Holly Willoughby, who is remaining on the show without Phillip.

In scenes that air at the end of the month in EastEnders, Lola’s nurse has devastating news for Jay, his wife only has days left to live. After being diagnosed with a brain tumour last year, the time has come for Lola's family to say their goodbyes. Billy doesn't cope with the news well and attempts to get Lexi, Will and Janet away from the situation.

Joey Essex has reunited with rarely-seen TOWIE star Tom Pearce after moving to Dubai and embarking on a new life. Joey, 32, moved to Dubai to start afresh earlier this month, following his stint on Dancing on Ice, after thieves reportedly broke into his home in January. He was said to have been left "horrified and shaken" when he discovered that thieves had broken in to his home in the countryside.

Loose Women star and OK! columnist Judi Love has issued her thoughts and prayers onto Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after news emerged last week that the couple had been involved in a car incident after being chased by paparazzi in New York. Writing in her weekly column, the stand-up comedian also reflected on her recent endeavour to the TV BAFTAs - giving her verdict on the best looks from the evening. She also congratulates first-time-parents-to-be Joel and Hannah Dommett and discusses Beyoncé's ongoing Renaissance tour.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large NBC’s coverage of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games and Fox’s FIFA World Cup telecasts were the big winners Monday night at this year’s 44th annual Sports Emmy Awards, winning three Emmys each. ESPN, meanwhile, was the night’s biggest winner among outlets, pulling 13 Emmys. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded this year’s Sports Emmys at a ceremony at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall. Bryant Gumbel will receive the lifetime achievement award for his role in sports journalism. The Sports Emmys took place even as the writers strike has led to the postponement of NATAS’ premiere Daytime Emmys telecast next month. “While we gather together, other parts of our television community stand divided tonight,” Adam Sharp, president & CEO of NATAS said during the ceremony. “You’ll note most of the typically scripted elements of our ceremony have been pared back in acknowledgment of, and respect for, the WGA-represented writers out on strike.”

Guy Lodge Film Critic On the mean streets of Casablanca dartingly navigated in “Hounds,” all life is shown to be casually disposable; an actual human body, however, is another matter. Taking place over one sleepless night of mounting misfortune in the Moroccan metropolis, writer-director Kamal Lazraq’s first feature is a trim, unsparing crime tale that pits social desperation against a nagging spiritual conscience. Its gig-economy gangsters may follow almost any grisly orders for a quick buck, but are equally bound to Muslim creeds and customs, glumly shrugging off any disparity between these two authorities. Following an impoverished father-son duo as an ostensibly rote criminal errand goes bloodily awry, the film is briskly told and humidly atmospheric, though a little tonal variation wouldn’t have gone amiss amid an overriding air of hardscrabble, stomach-knotted discomfort. As its central crisis deepens and darkens, Lazraq’s script keeps teasing a gear-shift into mordant farce to which it never quite commits, leaving both the characters and the drama a bit stymied. Still, this is a notably punchy debut, both visceral and confidently cavalier in its depiction of everyday underworld brutality, with a sharp, streetlit sense of place — and just enough genre-film vigor to hook distributor interest after its Un Certain Regard premiere at Cannes.

Naman Ramachandran Current COO Fatima Djoumer has been appointed CEO of the Europa Cinemas network. Djoumer succeeds founder Claude-Eric Poiroux, who is stepping down from his role as general director after 30 years. Poiroux has been awarded the title of honorary president, recognizing his contribution to the creation and development of the network, which now includes more than 3,000 screens in 744 cities across 38 countries. The network was set up in 1992 to provide operational and financial support to cinemas that undertake to give a significant part of their screenings to non-national European films and to put in place activities for young audiences.

Nelly Furtado is getting back in the saddle!

We went to the heart, or the stomach, of Coronation Street in Monday night's episode as the hour-long episode began with a tale of two breakfasts. PC Craig Tinker took time out from being a bent copper to make fiancee Faye Windass breakfast 'à la Craigy' - tomato, bacon, scrambled egg 'with a secret ingredient.'

EXCLUSIVE: France tv distribution has launched sales on French director Benoît Jacquot’s upcoming crime thriller Belle starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Guillaume Canet.

Historical feature film Lioness, starring Aditi Rao Hydari (Jubilee) and Paige Sandhu (Emmerdale), has been set as the first official India-UK co-production under a treaty signed in 2008. 

A dad was tragically killed while trying to help a family of ducks cross a busy road as his children watched on in horror. The man was attempting to herd the birds to the safety when he was suddenly struck by a car in Rocklin, California.

Blair Spittal knows people will label Motherwell as a one-man team... and doesn’t care.

Glasgow City goalkeeper Lee Gibson insists their dramatic last-gasp title win on Sunday in the SWPL is the sweetest of her career.