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British actor Tom Holland, best known for his role of Spider-Man in the MCU, is facing homophobic backlash after a scene from his Apple TV+ series, The Crowded Room, went viral. The scene from Episode 8 “Reunion” depicts Holland receiving anal sex from another man that he meets up with in a gay nightclub bathroom. As the scene gained attention on Twitter, many viewers decided to air their homophobia on social media: Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Many said they either Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield were now their favourite Spider-Man actors, however fans were quick to point out that both actors have portrayed gay characters in the past, and both are supporters of the LGBTQ+ community. Holland has made efforts to diversify his acting credits and move away from his superhero character, and The Crowded Room is no exception to this. Holland also acted in graphically violent scenes in The Devil All The Time in 2020. Speaking of his experience filming The Crowded Room, Holland stated that it had been a “tough” and “emotional” experience, and as a result he would be taking a hiatus from acting. Despite the Apple TV+ series only have a critics score of 30 per cent of Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score is drastically different with a positive 90 per cent. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The waiting game for some of the riskier emerging-market borrowers is coming to an end. With higher interest

Federal Reserve policymakers are primed to resume raising interest rates this month and remain open to a further

Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia has a “sufficient stockpile” of cluster bombs and reserves the right to use them in retaliation against Ukrainian forces, after Washington supplied Kyiv with the widely banned munitions. The Russian president’s threat, during an interview with state TV, came as an Estonian intelligence chief claimed that Ukraine was on the brink of a major breakthrough in its counteroffensive, after destroying Kremlin command posts and making gains near Bakhmut. Meanwhile, pro-Russian authorities in Crimea claimed to have thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack overnight at the port of Sevastopol, which houses Moscow’s Black Sea fleet, as Ukrainian officials said one civilian had been killed and eight wounded in Russian attacks in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. Elsewhere, Ukrainian and Polish officials said that a large convoy carrying fighters from the Wagner private army was spotted entering Belarus from Russia, as Minsk’s defence ministry released footage showing what it claimed were Wagner fighters instructing Belarusian soldiers at a military camp. Polish deputy minister Stanislaw Zaryn said Warsaw believed there “may be several hundred” Wagner fighters currently in Belarus. Read More Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘dead or in prison’ after Putin meeting, former US commander claims Russian general says he has been fired for telling truth about dire situation on Ukraine frontlines What to know about the harrowing Ukraine war doc '20 Days in Mariupol'

Iraq’s prime minister held talks Sunday with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus during the first trip of its kind to the war-torn country since the 12-year conflict began. Iraq and Syria have had close relations for years even after many Arab countries withdrew their ambassadors for Damascus and Syria’s membership in the 22-member Arab League was suspended because of the crackdown on protesters in 2011. Assad received Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who was heading a high-ranking delegation, at the presidential palace in Damascus. They discussed mutual relations and cooperation between the two neighboring countries among other issues, according to the office of Syria’s president. Al-Sudani’s office said in a statement that talks revolved around ways of expanding cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, transportation, tourism, how to combat climate change and collaboration to fight terrorism. Security cooperation against extremist groups was likely to be on top of the two-day visit's agenda. The two countries, where Iran enjoys wide influence, have a joint 600 kilometers-long (373 miles) border. In June 2014, the Islamic State group declared the establishment of a self-styled “caliphate,” a traditional model of Islamic rule, in wide areas under its control in Iraq and Syria. After a yearslong campaign that left tens of thousands dead in both countries, IS was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in March 2019 in Syria. Over the past years, Syrian government forces regained control of much of Syria with the help of Russia and Iran. Earlier this year, Syria’s membership in the Arab League was reinstated and Assad attended the Arab summit that was held in Saudi Arabia in May. Al-Sudani was invited to visit Damascus during a trip by Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad to Baghdad last month. The U.S. has a presence in both Syria and Iraq and Syrian officials have been calling for the withdrawal of American troops from the country who first arrived in 2015. On any given day there are at least 900 U.S. forces in Syria, along with an undisclosed number of contractors attempting to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State group. U.S. special operations forces also move in and out of the country but are usually in small teams and are not included in the official count. U.S.-led coalition forces have officially ended their combat mission in Iraq, but continue to play an advisory role to Iraqi forces in the fight against the Islamic State extremist group. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

Russia has a stockpile of cluster munitions and will consider using them against Ukraine "if they are used against us," President Vladimir Putin said.

Harry Kane has “clearly signalled” his decision to leave Tottenham and join Bayern Munich, according to the German club’s honorary president Uli Hoeness. Kane has attracted interest from Bayern amid reports the Bundesliga champions have lodged a formal bid, with Hoeness insisting Spurs will “buckle” over selling the England captain should he “keep to his word” about leaving. “Harry Kane has clearly signalled in all conversations that his decision stands – and if he keeps to his word then we’ll get him, because then Tottenham will have to buckle,” Hoeness told German TV channel Sport1. “Kane wants to play internationally and luckily for us Tottenham will not be active internationally next year. “He now has another opportunity to come to a top club in Europe. “Up to now, the father and the brother have always stood by what they promised. If it stays that way, that’s OK.” Record Tottenham scorer Kane, who turns 30 later this month, is currently in Australia on the club’s pre-season Asia-Pacific tour. Kane wants to play internationally and luckily for us Tottenham will not be active internationally next year Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness On Kane’s future, new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglu said at his first press conference this week: “I haven’t had any assurances and I wouldn’t expect any assurances. “What I know right now is that Harry is part of this squad. He’s a very important part. He’s one of the premier strikers in the world and I want him involved.” Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen reportedly met in London on Thursday, with Kane now in the final year of his Tottenham contract. Hoeness said: “Levy is clever, he doesn’t name a number. First we have to get him to name a number. “Of course he plays for time. I think he’s a savvy, super professional, I appreciate him a lot – but I don’t think there are people on the other side who have been doing it since yesterday.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Kim Clijsters offers Ons Jabeur advice after third grand slam final defeat England not worried about lack of goals ahead of World Cup, says Ella Toone Republic of Ireland defender Louise Quinn confident they can shut down Sam Kerr

With six weeks until the first 2024 Republican presidential debate, some hopefuls are finding creative ways to boost their donor numbers and ensure they make it on stage

England have no concerns about their attacking ability despite failing to score in each of their last two matches, midfielder Ella Toone insists. The Lionesses, fourth in the FIFA world rankings, kick off their World Cup quest on Saturday against Haiti in Brisbane, just over a week after playing out a goalless draw in a behind-closed-doors training fixture with Canada on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. It was the same result as their pre-tournament home send-off against Portugal in Milton Keynes on July 1, but Toone has barely heard the subject raised during team training sessions in Australia. She said: “I don’t think it’s been spoken about as much as other people have. We’ve had a lot of games under Sarina (Wiegman), we’ve had a lot of different goalscorers who have scored so many goals, so I don’t think it’s anything that we’re worried about. “Like I say, we’ve had time off, we’ve come back together, we’re learning how to play with each other again, we’re finding those connections on the pitch and we’re having those chances. “I think I’d be more worried if the chances weren’t coming. It’s now about us putting them away, but I don’t think that’s had a massive effect on us. I don’t think that we’re dwelling on that. “We’re very confident and we know we’ve got a lot of goalscorers in the group as well, so we’re definitely creating those chances. It’s now about making sure we put them in the back of the net.” Friday’s match-up against seventh-ranked Canada was not for official records and not a formal fixture. Almost all of Wiegman’s 23-woman squad saw some action, save goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck and forward Bethany England. The decision not to play England, who was in Wiegman’s European Championship-winning squad but did not see any game time – started the social media rumour mill swirling, but the Tottenham striker appeared to be in good health as she fully trained with the squad on Saturday. A total of 19 Lionesses were out on the pitch at the Sunshine Coast Stadium session, while Millie Bright, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Lauren James, Rachel Daly, Esme Morgan and Keira Walsh had a recovery day. On Monday the team will swap seaside for city when they move into their Brisbane hotel ahead of their meeting with Haiti, who sit 53rd in the world rankings. It seems Toone, who scored the first of England’s two goals in the 2-1 Euro 2022 final, will be especially sorry to say goodbye to the Sunshine Coast after a personally transformative time here. I've actually started reading so that's nice. I'm reading Jamie Vardy's autobiography at the minute Ella Toone She added: “I’ve been doing amazing things in Australia. I’ve really found myself here. I never normally wake up early, I’m a proper sleeper. “But I woke up early the other day – six o’clock – I went and saw the sunrise. I absolutely love walking along the beach. And the other day I went into the sea as well. Luckily the girls got me some goggles as I can’t go in with my eyelashes (on). “I was under the waves every single day and I thought, ‘Wow, this is me’. Going in the sea has definitely, really made me a changed woman. It’s got me trying different things. “I always say (I’d do) it, but I’ve actually started reading so that’s nice. I’m reading Jamie Vardy’s autobiography at the minute. I don’t actually read novels, just autobiographies and they’ve got a few pictures in, so that helps!”

Gordon Ramsay is known as the expletive-loving Michelin-starred chef with a hot head and an even hotter kitchen. Yet, his award-winning food has been met with pretty frosty receptions by some. Now, genuinely, we’re not usually ones for schadenfreude, but we can’t help but relish seeing one of the world’s most celebrated gourmets being roasted for his cooking abilities. And that is, indeed, what happened back in 2009 when Ramsay tried to whip up a feast for a group of those notoriously harsh critics… Buddhist monks. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The clip from The F Word (which still sporadically does the rounds on social media), follows the restauranteur as he prepares an iconic dish for worshippers at a Thai temple in south-west London. In the intro to his mission, he explains: “I love Thai food, I love cooking it, and I love eating it. But this has to be the most daunting task so far.” He explained that his diners – a “small and revered group of Buddhist monks” – are forbidden from cooking by their religious teachings. “So it's up to the local Thai community to offer the one meal the monks are allowed to eat at 11 o'clock each day,” he said – adding that now, he would be offering his own contribution. “Helping me fulfil this honour and privilege is Chang, executive chef of the Blue Elephant, one of London's top Thai restaurants,” he continued. Joining Chang in his kitchen (not without a quick dig at its “tight” layout), Ramsay acknowledged that the “pressure [was] on.” “Are they fussy eaters?” the Hell’s Kitchen star asked Chang, to which he replied: ”No, they are really nice, they're really kind.” Asked if they “ever send food back”, the Thai expert reassured his fellow chef: “No, never.” Ramsay then explained that the Blue Elephant “prepares the very best dishes to offer to the monastery, and every dish has to be perfect”. Clearly, he expected his own efforts to fulfil these high standards, but was soon left with egg (and fish sauce) on his face. Gordon tries to make Pad Thai | The F Word www.youtube.com The celeb chef got to work preparing his “take” on Thailand’s national dish, pad thai, explaining his method to the viewer before adding nervously: “I’ve never cooked for monks before [...] I hope they’re going to be happy with this.” However, before he was able to send his steaming plates of noodles out, Chang demanded to “test” the food first. As he chewed thoughtfully on his forkful, it swiftly became clear that the chef was unimpressed by Ramsay’s “quick and easy” version of his nation’s most beloved meal. "How is it?" the anxious cook asked his judge. “This is not pad thai at all,” Chang replied brutally. Explaining his assessment, he continued: “No, pad thai has to be sweet, sour, and salty." Clearly not used to receiving such damning critiques, Ramsay gave it a try himself. "I think that doesn't taste too bad,” he announced. “It's not perfect... " But Chang wasn’t having it, and interjected: "For you, but not for me." “You’re a tough cookie,” the defeated Ramsay replied. Well, takes one to know one, and all that. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Liev Schreiber and Taylor Neisen married in a small ceremony over the Fourth of July weekend in their picturesque ocean-front Montauk residence

Ben Platt and Noah Galvin reportedly 'just sort of enjoying doing this' as they both gleefully showed their engagement rings