Naomi Ackie cast as Whitney Houston in biopic

Naomi Ackie has been picked to play Whitney Houston in I Wanna Dance With Somebody, an upcoming biopic of the legendary singer.

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  • The Masked Dancer unmasks Cricket as a Grammy-nominated superstar

    Another celebrity has been unmasked.

  • Lindsey Graham refuses to apologise for peddling Trump election lies

    Senator says he wants to 'look forward’ and work on common goals for nation

  • The Chase's Anne Hegerty has on-air tiff with Bradley Walsh over cheating

    Are you Team Anne or Team Bradley?

  • Coronavirus R Rate Drops Below 1 For First Time Since Early December

    It comes almost three weeks after Boris Johnson ordered lockdown.

  • Politics latest news: Ease lockdown now R rate has fallen, senior Tory demands

    Boris Johnson to give press conference at 5pm - watch live Ministers consider £500 payment for positive Covid test Boris Johnson suggests lockdown could last until summer Fraser Nelson: Vaccines may usher in Fortress Britain Coronavirus latest news: R-rate falls below 1 across the UK Subscribe to The Telegraph for a month-long free trial Boris Johnson must “show some ankle” and set out when restrictions will be eased, senior Tories have said as the country’s R-rate dropped below one. The UK's reproduction rate is now estimated to be 0.8-1.0, suggesting a decline in the number of new infections. Last week, it was between 1.2 and 1.3. The rates are lowest in London and the East of England, although still thought to be above one in parts of the North. Sir Desmond Swayne told the Telegraph: “Given that the Government itself has selected and put so much store on the R rate, you would expect there to be some reaction, a payback, a recompense in terms of the lifting or the promise of lifting of restrictions.” He added: “That is why we need some sort of urgency and plan from the Government as to when and how they’ll start restricting decisions.” Instead he accused ministers of “mission creep”, saying this would result in “imprisonment forever”. Some Conservative colleagues suggested that while the R-rate might not be the trigger point, the Prime Minister would be under pressure to give a clear exit plan as cases continue to fall. One former minister said it would be “difficult to justify” lifting restrictions until the pressure on the NHS started to ease. “But we need a plan for getting out,” the senior Tory added. “He needs to show some ankle.” Follow the latest updates below.

  • Lockdown could last until summer, No 10 warns as experts warn relaxation of rules could trigger new Covid wave

    Scientists call for gradual and prolonged transition out of lockdown, arguing rules should not be eased until May at earliest

  • Lincoln Project co-founder says committee will go after Cruz now Trump has left office

    ‘You either hate him or you hate him,’ says Rick Wilson

  • EU leaders consider banning travellers from UK to control new coronavirus variant

    UK travellers could be locked out of continent

  • Ministers could pay £500 to everyone with Covid in England

    Ministers could pay £500 to everyone with Covid in EnglandExclusive: universal payment is ‘preferred position’ of DHSC in effort to help people self-isolate * Coronavirus – latest updates * See all our coronavirus coverage

  • Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene files articles of impeachment against Joe Biden

    Lawmaker’s stunt destined to go nowhere with Democratic controlled House and Senate

  • Barnier warns government to be ‘very careful’ amid row over EU’s diplomatic status in UK

    Former head of the diplomatic service describes move as ‘wholly unnecessary’

  • Trump reveals company’s multi-million dollar losses in final financial disclosure

    On the plus side, a $5,999 Mac Pro was personally gifted from Apple CEO Tim Cook to the ex-president

  • Patient dog waits for days outside hospital for owner

    A devoted dog has spent days outside a hospital where her beloved owner was being treated. Boncuk has returned every day to a hospital in the Turkish city of Trabzon, to wait for her owner, Cemal Senturk. Senturk’s daughter, Aynur Egeli, said she would take Boncuk home but the dog would repeatedly run off and return to the hospital to continue her vigil. Watch the touching moment where an excited Boncuk and Cemal are reunited.

  • Boris Johnson to hold Downing Street press conference at 5pm as vaccine roll-out gathers pace

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold a Downing Street briefing later this afternoon as the UK continues its battle with the Covid-19 pandemic. Number 10 said the PM will appear alongside England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific officer Sir Patrick Vallance at 5pm. Mr Johnson this week refused to rule out even tougher lockdown restrictions as hospitals come under growing strain from rising Covid-19 cases.

  • Germany coronavirus death toll tops 50,000 despite decrease in infections

    Germany passed the grim milestone of 50,000 coronavirus on Friday, days after Angela Merkel confirmed an extension of the county’s lockdown despite a recent drop in infections. The  Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the government agency tasked with disease control,  said 859 more people had died from the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 50,642. The RKI figures are based on people who died directly as a result of the illness caused by the virus and those who contracted Covid-19 but whose exact cause of death could not be confirmed.

  • WandaVision episode 3 ending lines up new Avengers film

    Seeds have been sown for future team-up

  • Capitol rioter who allegedly stole Pelosi’s laptop to sell to Russia released from jail

    She’ll be back in (virtual) court on Monday

  • Thousands demand prominent evangelist Franklin Graham’s sacking over Trump support after riots

    The former president and the Graham family have a long history

  • Schools could open before Easter, says Gavin Williamson

    Schools could open before Easter, Gavin Williamson has suggested, saying he will give a two-week warning to headteachers. The Education Secretary said he "would certainly hope" that children would be back in the classroom by early April, adding that he wants this to happen at the "earliest possible opportunity". It is the first time Mr Williamson has hinted at a possible timeline for the reopening of schools, and comes after Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer, suggested schools in some parts of the country will reopen sooner than those in others. Primary and secondary schools were ordered to close at the start of the month to all but the children of key workers and the most vulnerable youngsters. Announcing the latest national lockdown on January 4, Boris Johnson said schools would need to remain shut until the February half-term at the earliest. On Thursday, Mr Williamson said a key factor in determining when schools could reopen would be whether pressures on the NHS had eased sufficiently. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that headteachers will be given "absolutely proper notice" about when they need to prepare to reopen, adding that a "clear two-week notice period" will be factored in so schools have time to prepare for pupils' return. "Schools were the last to close, schools will be the first to open," the Education Secretary said. "I want to see that as soon as the scientific and health advice is there to open at the earliest possible stage, and I would certainly hope that that would be before Easter. "Any decision to reopen schools to all children – as all decisions in terms of schools – will be based on the best health advice and the best scientific advice."

  • 13 best fitness apps and online training programmes

    We sweated our way through a lot of workouts to bring you the programmes that really deliver results