Dench says she can no longer act or read
Dame Judi Dench has told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that her worsening eyesight means she is no longer able to read or take roles in theatre and film. The actor discussed the impact that her eye condition has had on her life.
Open letter supports Rooney and Faber
Hundreds of figures from literature, music and acting have joined an open letter backing Irish author Sally Rooney and publisher Faber, according to an Anadolu account published by Middle East Monitor. The report says the campaign wants UK law amended, arguing that current restrictions have stopped Rooney’s books from being sold in the country.
The letter, published by the New Statesman, connects the interruption of UK distribution to the government’s designation of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation and presents the issue as one of free expression. Those reported to have signed include Zadie Smith, Patrick Ness, Paul Mescal, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Tilda Swinton and Kate Nash.
Brand contests charges as accusers give evidence
Six women have given evidence at Russell Brand’s trial in London, according to the Associated Press. They accuse the actor and comedian of rape or sexual assault in separate alleged encounters from 1999 to 2009. The claims concern incidents said to have occurred at workplaces, a hotel, Brand’s home and a bar toilet. British legal protections prevent publication of the women’s identities.
Brand, 51, has entered not-guilty pleas to seven charges: three alleging rape, three alleging sexual assault and one alleging indecent assault. He rejects all of the accusations and, in police interviews, denied participating in sexual activity without consent. His barrister, Ian Winter, has disputed the accusers’ accounts and is expected to contend that earlier encounters have since been portrayed differently. Brand had not taken the witness stand at the stage described by the AP, and whether he would testify remained uncertain.