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A jury was selected Monday to hear a long-anticipated libel lawsuit Johnny Depp filed against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, whom he accuses of falsely portraying him as a domestic abuser. Depp sued Heard over an op-ed piece she wrote in The Washington Post in 2018 in which Heard refers to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” The article doesn’t mention Depp by name, but he says it clearly refers to allegations Heard made in other forums that she suffered physical abuse at his hands. Depp denies the accusations.

Source: apnews.com

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi says agreement is a significant step in Italy’s drive to reduce its dependency on Russian energy imports.

Source: aljazeera.com

In a recreation center pool in Nicaragua, novice swimmers stand waist-deep in two rows and churn up the water to recreate the choppiness of a turbulent river. Darling Molina battles through the artificial waves, training to illegally cross the Rio Grande, which looms large between her and a dream of a better life in the United States. Molina and her daughter are hoping to make the north-bound voyage by road via Honduras and Guatemala to Mexico, then wade and swim several dozen meters (yards) across the Rio Grande to American soil.

Source: france24.com

Tish Cyrus has filed for divorce from her husband of 28 years, country star Billy Ray Cyrus. According to legal documents obtained by CNN on Monday, she filed last week in Williamson County, Tennessee, citing "Irreconcilable differences." The filing states that the couple, who married in 1993, have not lived together in more than two years. The pair are the parents of five adult children: sons Trace (33) and Braison (27) and daughters Brandi (34), Miley (29) and Noah (22).
 

Britney Spears has announced she is pregnant, months after she escaped the legal arrangement that gave her father control over many aspects of her life. The singer told her 40 million Instagram followers she was having a baby with partner Sam Asghari. The 40-year-old, who has two teenage sons, also revealed she suffered depression during a previous pregnancy.

Source: bbc.com

Shanghai eased restrictions on some neighbourhoods Monday after mounting outcry over inflexible Covid-19 rules that have locked down 25 million people, caused food shortages and left thousands in quarantine. Authorities said they would gradually begin to allow those in areas with the least number of virus cases to leave their communities, although it was unclear how many people will be allowed out of their homes or when.

Source: france24.com

The tomb where the biblical figure Joseph is said to be buried has been vandalised by Palestinians amid spiralling tensions with Israel. The site in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, was attacked in what Israel's prime minister called a "frenzy of destruction". There has been a spate of Israeli and Palestinian deaths in recent days, including deadly attacks which have caused shock across Israel. Israel has promised a strong response.

Source: bbc.com

The iconic blue guitar Kurt Cobain rocked out with in Nirvana’s seminal 90s "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video is expected to fetch up to $800,000 when it goes up for auction next month. With "Smells Like Teen Spirit" racking up more than 1.4 billion views on YouTube, the 1969 blue Fender is arguably one of the most famous in rock, said Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions. The Cobain guitar is the star lot in the auction house’s Music Icons auction, taking place in New York and online from May 20-22.

Source: reuters.com

Spain’s Civil Guard says it is investigating a businessman in the eastern Valencia region who owned a private taxidermy collection with more than 1,000 stuffed animals, including just over 400 from protected species and at least one specimen of a North African oryx, already extinct. The collection would fetch 29 million euros on the black market, the Civil Guard said Sunday in a statement, adding that its owner could be charged with trafficking and other crimes against the environment.

Source: apnews.com

The Philippines has recorded at least 21 deaths from landslides caused by tropical storm Megi, a local disaster agency said on Monday. The bodies were recovered on Monday and 16 more people were injured, as heavy rains triggered landslides in 10 mountainous communities, according to the disaster agency of Baybay City in Leyte province, eastern Philippines.

Source: reuters.com

The Queen of the United Kingdom has revealed Covid left her "very tired and exhausted" after she caught the virus earlier this year. The monarch, 95, was taking part in a virtual hospital visit when she described her experience to a former virus patient, whose father and brother had died with the illness. The call to the Royal London Hospital last week marked the official opening of its Queen Elizabeth Unit.

Source: bbc.com

The manufacturing hub of Guangzhou closed itself to most arrivals Monday as China battles a major COVID-19 surge in its big eastern cities. No such lockdown has yet been announced for Guangzhou, a metropolis of 18 million northwest of Hong Kong that is home to many top companies and China’s busiest airport. Just 27 cases were reported in the city on Monday. However, primary and middle schools have been switched to online after an initial 23 local infections were detected last week.

Source: apnews.com

Nine out of ten Mexicans voting on Sunday in an unprecedented recall election engineered by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador backed him to stay in office, underlining his domination of a polarized political agenda. Both critics and supporters alike had viewed his victory as a foregone conclusion in a ballot that had fed speculation it could open the door to extending presidential term limits, now limited to a single six-year period.

Source: reuters.com

Elon Musk is no longer joining the board of Twitter, the CEO of the social media company said late Sunday, in a reversal less than a week after announcing the Tesla chief would be appointed. Musk was named to join the Twitter board after buying a major stake in the firm and becoming its largest shareholder. "Elon has decided not to join our board," Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal tweeted.

Source: france24.com

Abramovich will attempt to buy Spanish club Valencia once the sale of Chelsea is completed, a rival bidder in the process has claimed. Abramovich confirmed last month that he was selling the Blues but there is now a suggestion that he may re-enter football immediately with a hope of buying the struggling La Liga club, amid reports that Singaporean businessman Peter Lim has put Valencia up for sale. There has now been a claim from Miguel Zorio that Lim has attempted to sell the club to Abramovich and has accused the current Valencia owner of leaking the news to the media.

Source: mirror.co.uk

A Palestinian woman was shot near the city of Bethlehem, the Palestinian health ministry said on Sunday. The woman, aged in her 40s, died after she suffered a torn artery and massive blood loss, the ministry said. She was identified as Ghada Ibrahim Sabatien, a widowed mother of six. In the southern city of Hebron, a Palestinian woman stabbed and lightly wounded an Israeli border police officer before she was killed by Israeli forces, according to a statement by Israeli police.

Source: aljazeera.com

Henry Patterson, the best-selling author of The Eagle has Landed, has died aged 92, his publisher has said. Patterson, who began writing when he was a teacher, penned 85 novels between 1959 and 2017. HarperCollins said Patterson died at his Jersey home surrounded by family. The Eagle has Landed, about a Nazi plot to kidnap Sir Winston Churchill in World War Two and written using the pseudonym Jack Higgins, sold more than 50 million copies and became a film.

Source: bbc.com

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are ready to get married! The pair — who rekindled their romance last year — is engaged, a rep for Lopez confirms to PEOPLE. Lopez shared the news in her On the JLo newsletter days after she was photographed wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring earlier this week. She revealed the exciting update in a Friday evening email to her inner circle.