The high-profile legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has come to an abrupt and unexpected end after a year and a half, with both sides agreeing to settle just weeks before they were due to face each other in court.

The pair, who starred together in It Ends with Us, had been locked in a bitter back-and-forth since late 2024, after Lively, 38, filed a lawsuit accusing Baldoni, 42, of misconduct on set and alleging a coordinated effort to damage her reputation.

Baldoni denied the claims and launched a countersuit of his own, drawing in his production company Wayfarer Studios as the dispute escalated into one of Hollywood’s most closely watched legal sagas.

The production of the pair’s 2024 adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel came under the spotlight when tensions first emerged between the two co-stars during the film’s publicity tour.

While both starred in the film, Baldoni also directed, while Lively was an executive producer.

A trial had been scheduled to begin in New York later this month, with both actors expected to testify, but that will no longer go ahead following Monday’s agreement.

The terms of the settlement have not been made public.

In a joint statement, lawyers for both sides said they hoped the resolution would allow everyone involved to ‘move forward constructively and in peace’, while emphasising a shared commitment to respectful and safe working environments.

They also pointed to the film at the centre of the dispute as something they remain proud of, adding that raising awareness around domestic violence — a key theme of the story — continues to be an important goal.

The legal fight had already been narrowed before the settlement. A judge had dismissed the majority of Lively’s claims, including those relating to sexual harassment, while allowing a smaller number, including breach of contract and retaliation, to proceed.

She had originally alleged that Baldoni is liable for at least $161million (£117million) in damages and lost income arising from what she claimed was a smear campaign levelled against her during the movie’s release.

Baldoni denied all claims and then sued The New York Times for libel over their siding with Lively’s account of events, and sued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloane for civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy.

The ruling that dismissed many of Lively’s claims hinged in part on her status as an independent contractor, meaning certain workplace protections under US law did not apply in the same way as they would for employees.

However, the judge indicated that allegations around a retaliatory campaign could still be examined in court, noting the potential reputational impact in an industry where public image is closely tied to career prospects.

The dispute first became public in December 2024, though rumours of tension had already begun circulating during the film’s promotional run, when the co-stars notably appeared separately.

Despite all the drama, It Ends With Us proved a major commercial success, taking more than $350million at the global box office despite mixed reviews.

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Wu Yize claimed a 18-17 win over Shaun Murphy at the Crucible Theatre to win the World Snooker Championship

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Wu Yize has won the deciding frame against Shaun Murphy to win the World Snooker Championship.

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Thierry Henry said he would put faith in Myles Lewis-Skelly for Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid after his performance against Fulham.

Lewis-Skelly was afforded a first ever-start in his preferred central midfield role as Mikel Arteta rung the changes against Fulham at the weekend.

And the teenager rewarded his manager’s faith with an all-action display in the middle of the pitch to help his side claim a vital 3-0 home win.

Martin Zubimendi, who was the man replaced by Lewis-Skelly, has shown signs of fatigue in the last few weeks after a gruelling campaign, which has seen the Spaniard already make 52 club appearances in all competitions.

And analysing Arsenal’s win over Fulham, Henry was quick to highlight the added intensity and physicality that Lewis-Skelly brought to the Gunners’ midfield.

‘Miles was just different,’ the former Arsenal striker told Sky Sports on Monday.

‘I didn’t see Zubimendi do that often – the legs, anticipation, stopping someone, boom, making someone feel that you that you are there; he was there all the time.’

Zubimendi will still be expected to return to the starting lineup on Tuesday, as Arsenal bid to reach their first Champions League final since 2006.

And while adamant that the Spaniard would bring more ‘security’, Henry said he would lean towards giving Lewis-Skelly another chance to impress from the start.

‘Because of the magnitude of the game, he’s going to think to be a bit more secure,’ Henry said. ‘But Lewis-Skelly showed that that might be a new position for him in terms of next season.

‘He did extremely well. I wouldn’t mind if he starts him but then I can understand because of the magnitude of the game and how Zubimndi plays, sometimes you need to be a tiny bit more secure. We will see. But in this game, he was brave.’

Henry continued: ‘It’s one thing to be patient. It’s one thing to maybe be upset about the situation. But he was ready.

‘He didn’t look like he didn’t play for a very long time. He controlled the game. He went forward. He buzzed the game at times. That’s outstanding.

‘Do not underestimate experience in this type of game. But would I like to see him on Tuesday or tomorrow, obviously? Yes. Why not?’

Earlier on Tuesday, Arteta confirmed that Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz are back available for selection, but Jurrien Timber remains out with injury.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

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A federal judge reportedly apologized on Monday to accused White House Correspondents’ Dinner attacker Cole Tomas Allen for how he has been treated in jail.

After his April 25 arrest, Allen was temporarily put on suicide watch in restrictive conditions, according to his attorneys. They said this meant being confined in a padded room in straitjacket-like restraints, while being subject to visitation limits, around-the-clock lighting and repeated strip searches.

“At a minimum, I should be apologizing to him,” Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui reportedly said during a hearing on Monday. “We are obligated to make sure he’s taken care of. Mr. Allen, I’m sorry that things have not been the way they are supposed to.”

“To me, it’s extremely disturbing that he was put in five-point restraints, a person with no criminal history,” the judge reportedly added, arguing that even people accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, hadn’t faced such conditions. “It’s troubling. I never heard of one Jan. 6 defendant who was put in five-point restraints or in a safe cell. If the only way to keep him safe is the most punitive thing, that’s a problem.”

Over the weekend, Allen, 31, was taken off suicide precautions, according to his attorneys. Still, Judge Faruqui demanded the parties return to court on Monday to address the detention conditions, writing in a Sunday order of his “grave concerns” about Allen’s “seemingly unprompted solitary confinement for days.”

A jail psychiatrist evaluated Allen and initially concluded that he posed a potential risk to himself, Tony Towns, acting general counsel for the Washington, D.C., corrections department, told the court on Monday.

“Every case is different, your honor,” he said.

Allen, who is accused of attempting to storm the dinner while armed with multiple guns, told FBI agents he didn’t expect to survive the attack, a Justice Department prosecutor said in court on Monday.

The 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California, is charged with attempting to assassinate the president and multiple weapons charges. He has not yet entered a plea.

The court has ordered an update regarding Allen’s jailhouse conditions by Tuesday morning.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.

People hoping for wetter conditions in Wales may be disappointed this week

Whilst it may not be good news for gardeners, many people in Wales will be glad with the Met Office’s forecast for Wales this week with the dry spell set to continue. After a dry April, those hoping for some rain to help their garden grow may be waiting a bit longer as while there are showers around some areas could miss them completely.

The Met Office has said that any rain in the week ahead will be in the form of showers which are “hit or miss” and it may stay entirely dry for some in Wales.

The forecast for Tuesday, May 5, predicts dry weather with sunny spells and cloud building through the afternoon, perhaps with the odd spot of light rain. Temperatures around average with a maximum temperature of 15 °C. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

Whilst the weather will remain cool and rather cloudy on Wednesday, with some showers, especially in the west. Thursday will see warmer temperatures with ” a mix of sunny spells and occasional showers.”

The long range forecast for the UK shows the potential for wetter conditions with more widely unsettled conditions.

The forecast from Saturday, May 9 until Monday, May 18 states: “Initially, slowly-evolving weather patterns are expected in the vicinity of the UK, with low pressure over western Europe and high pressure building across or to the north of the UK.

“Whilst largely settled conditions are likely in northern areas, there may be some rain or showers across portions of England and Wales, which could be heavy and locally thundery. However, there is a slight chance these wetter conditions could remain over the nearby Continent.

“Deeper into next week and beyond, there may be a tendency for more widely unsettled conditions across the UK, with some rain or showers at times.

“Whilst some occasional warm days are possible, temperatures overall are likely to be near or below average, especially in the north, with an ongoing risk of overnight rural frost.”

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Schools across the country have taken action to ban student cellphone use in recent years, with the hope of stopping bullying and improving America’s increasingly poor academic performance.

Now, new research examining the practice at over 40,000 U.S. schools between 2019-2026 shows there have been benefits – but maybe not as many as lawmakers had hoped.

While locking phones in pouches throughout the day helped kids cut back on phone time, test scores did not rise and there was “little evidence” that it helped with online bullying, attendance or attention in class, the paper, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, showed.

Within the first year of bans, suspension rates also increased by 16 percent and student well-being fell, the researchers wrote in the largest study of its kind.

However, over time, students saw their well-being rebound: reinforcing the idea that getting kids off phones may improve mental health. The researchers compared the improvement to a past study showing similar benefits from deactivating Facebook for four weeks.

The schools used magnetic cellphone pouches made by the San Francisco-based company Yondr, which has provided pouches for some workplaces, too. The research relied on data collected by Yondr, test scores, discipline reports, GPS data and surveys from both students and their teachers.

Phones were put into the lockable pouches upon arrival at schools. Students could keep the pouches but were unable to unlock them at a magnetic port until the bell to go home rang or unless there was an emergency.

“At lunch you will see all these kids, they’re talking to one another,” Brice Beck, the deputy superintendent in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, told The New York Times. “It’s a lot louder, but the good kind of loud.”

The effects on the Yondr students were compared to schools which employed less stringent rules.

Ultimately, cellphone pings from school grounds fell by 30 percent in the first three years for students using the Yondr pouches, according to the GPS data.

And the percentage of students using their phones for nonacademic reasons plummeted from 61 percent to 13 percent.

“Together, these results indicate that Yondr adoption meaningfully reduces in-school phone use, even if enforcement may be imperfect and the exact magnitude of the reduction cannot be read directly from any single measure,” the researchers wrote.

The researchers said their findings complimented a 2025 paper that showed short-term suspensions and improvements to test scores and unexcused absence numbers after cellphone bans in Florida.

It also builds on previous research showing that teenagers with higher screen use for non-schoolwork things were more likely to have bad mental and physical health, which can negatively affect performance at school.

U.S. kids aged 8-18 spend an average of 7.5 hours a day watching or using screens, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

And they may get hundreds of disruptive notifications a day, about a quarter of which occur during school hours, a 2023 student survey by Common Sense Media found.

That’s part of why 90 percent of teachers said they supported a cellphone ban during teaching hours, according to a 2024 National Education Association poll.

Obviously, his love of nature and championing the animal kingdom has been kind to him.

But let’s be honest, Britain’s number one national treasure deserves it more than anyone.

David Attenborough’s 100 Years on Planet Earth will be hosted by the BBC’s Kirsty Young, who said. “Sir David’s gift to the world has been a life spent exquisitely revealing Earth’s wonders to us all.”

“The very least he deserves is a big 100th birthday bash at the Royal Albert Hall! I’m very happy indeed, as the host, to be able to invite everyone to the party.”

But now, a leading longevity expert has revealed the five simple lifestyle changes that could help Brits live longer, healthier lives.

We’re celebrating Sir David Attenborough ahead of his 100th birthday on the 8th May with a very special tribute 💚🌍 #DavidAttenborough #SirDavidAttenborough pic.twitter.com/jc3Bkk8GKh

— PETA UK (@PETAUK) April 30, 2026

Doctors say many people unknowingly slip into habits that accelerate ageing – from blood-sugar spikes and muscle loss to poor sleep and chronic stress.

But new evidence shows that small, consistent daily rituals can dramatically slow the ageing process.

Dr Asiya Maula, GP and functional & lifestyle medicine specialist at The Health Suite , says most people focus on lifespan – “how long you live” – but ignore healthspan: the number of years you live without disease, frailty or dependence.

“People think longevity is about genetics or expensive supplements,” she said. “But your daily habits are more powerful than anything you can buy.

“The right tweaks can genuinely add years of healthy life.”

How to live to 100 years of age:

1. Keep blood sugar stable – especially in winter

Cold weather makes people crave carbs and comfort foods, but big glucose spikes speed up ageing.

“When your blood sugar rollercoasters all day, inflammation rises and cells age faster,” Dr Asiya explained.

“She recommends protein with every meal, walking after you eat, and swapping sugary snacks for slow-release carbs like oats, beans, lentils and potatoes.

2. Build – and protect – your muscle

After 35, muscle loss accelerates, raising the risk of diabetes, falls and frailty. “Muscle is your longevity organ,” she said.

“It controls metabolism, blood sugar, posture and even immune function.”

Two strength sessions a week plus daily movement can make a “dramatic” difference.

3. Prioritise sleep like a prescription

Poor sleep drives weight gain, inflammation and dementia risk. “Sleep is when your brain cleans itself,” Dr Asiya said.

“Seven to nine hours is non-negotiable if you want to age well.”

4. Reduce chronic stress 

Stress hormones erode immune resilience and accelerate biological ageing. 

Dr Asiya recommends breathwork, daylight exposure, boundaries with phones and evening wind-downs: “Your nervous system needs recovery the same way your muscles do.”

Recommended reading:

Thousands of UK gardeners issued health warning for April

Dr Michael Mosley: 5 foods key to reaching 100 years of age

Urgent health warning issued for millions of ChatGPT users

5. Stay socially connected 

Loneliness increases the risk of early death by 30%. “Strong friendships, community and purpose keep people alive longer than any medication,” she said.

“Connection is the heartbeat of longevity.”

Dr Asiya added: “These aren’t extreme hacks. They’re realistic habits anyone can build.

“And the evidence is clear – stack them together, and you genuinely could add up to a decade to your healthy life.”

Do you think you could reach David Attenborough’s grand old age? Let us know in the comments

Thankfully, we don’t have to wait too long for the next one!

We hope everyone made the most of their May Day Bank Holiday weekend!

Whether you were taking part or watching the Belfast City Marathon on Sunday, enjoying a day out with the kids or however you spent your day, it is hard not to already look ahead to the next day off when heading into work this morning.

If you are the type to keep on top of your Bank Holidays to maximise your annual leave, we have rounded up the remaining Bank Holidays in Northern Ireland for the rest of the year so you don’t have to.

READ MORE: Brothers set to smash £1m dementia fundraising goal during marathon challengeREAD MORE: Community rallies to save Ballymena’s ‘celebrity carpark cat’ in critical condition

There are five Bank Holidays left this year to work with – including two substitute days.

Here is the list of the remaining Bank Holidays in Northern Ireland for 2026:

• 25 May – Spring bank holiday
• 13 July – Battle of the Boyne (substitute day)
• 31 August – Summer bank holiday
• 25 December – Christmas Day
• 28 December – Boxing Day (substitute day)

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

It might look like a random string of numbers and letters, but getting it wrong could mean you’re paying too much tax – or not enough and facing a surprise bill later.

Your tax code is used by your employer or pension provider to work out how much Income Tax to deduct from your wages or pension.

It’s issued by HM Revenue and Customs and applies automatically – meaning many people never question whether it’s correct.

But errors do happen.

The most common code explained

For most people, the standard tax code is 1257L.

This is based on the Personal Allowance – currently £12,570 – which is the amount you can earn before paying Income Tax.

In simple terms, the number reflects your tax-free allowance, while the letter relates to your personal circumstances.

How you could be losing money

If your tax code is wrong, you could:

• Pay too much tax, reducing your take-home pay
• Pay too little tax, leading to an unexpected bill later

And with finances already stretched, even small errors can add up over time.

Why mistakes happen

Tax codes can change for several reasons, including:

• Starting a new job
• Having more than one income
• Receiving benefits or company perks
• Changes to your personal allowance

If HMRC doesn’t have the correct information, your code may not reflect your situation.

How to check your tax code your tax code

You can find your tax code:

Wondering if you’re paying the right Income Tax? 💼 Check online for this year or past years, and avoid surprises. Let us help you keep your taxes on track! #TaxCheck
👉🏻 https://t.co/NHooSq9Flk pic.twitter.com/fJVSZmKvjm

— Barter Durgan (@BarterDurgan) September 12, 2025

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If you check your tax code online or in the HMRC app, you can also:

• find your tax code for previous tax years
• sign up for paperless notifications – this means HMRC will email you when your tax code changes

HMRC tax code letters and what they mean

The full list can be found on the GOV.UK website, but these are the most common, and what they mean:

• L – For an employee entitled to the standard tax-free Personal Allowance
• S – For an employee whose main home is in Scotland
• BR/ SBR – For a second job or pension
• M – For an employee whose spouse or civil partner has transferred some of their Personal Allowance (through Marriage Allowance)
• N – For an employee who has transferred some of their Personal Allowance to their spouse or civil partner (through Marriage Allowance)
• T – When HMRC needs to review some items with the employee

Recommended reading:

Check what your tax code means

You can use the HMRC  tax code checker  to find out:

• what the numbers and letters in your tax code mean
• how much tax you will pay
• what you may need to do next

What the numbers mean in your HMRC tax code

The numbers in your tax code tell your employer or pension provider how much tax-free income you get in that tax year.

HMRC works out your individual number based on your Personal Allowance and income you have not paid tax on (such as untaxed interest or part-time earnings). They also consider the value of any perks you get from your employer (such as a company car).

The PSNI had earlier issued a stern warning that “anti-social driving, or reckless driving will not be tolerated”

A Belfast MLA has slammed the “disgraceful scenes” appearing to show a large car cruise event in the west of the city on Bank Holiday Monday evening, May 4.

Footage shared on social media by Danny Baker, MLA for West Belfast, showed a diffing event on the Stewartstown Road.

The PSNI had earlier issued a stern warning that “anti-social driving, or reckless driving will not be tolerated”.

READ MORE: Two people taken to hospital after separate Bank Holiday Monday crashesREAD MORE: Police officer struck by bike as six arrested in overnight road safety blitz

Mr Baker condemned the scenes, writing on Facebook : “Disgraceful scenes on Stewartstown Road; shame on those who brought this to our community. PSNI were well warned, and I asked for preventive measures.

“They didn’t listen and failed in their duties. They didn’t prepare and left our community to pick up the pieces. Shameful and unacceptable.”

Earlier, Mr Baker said: “Our community does not want cars traveling across the city for so called ‘meet ups’! The Dairy Farm Complex is a vital resource for our community.

“It serves the people of the Colin. The car park is there for local businesses and local people and not for spinning wheels or drifting.

“People are going about their daily lives, and should not be being stuck in a convoy along the Stewartstown Road. It is the last thing we need or want.

“Our community is not the place for this type of gathering. Over the years too many have lost their lives along this road through speeding and dangerous driving.

“This proposed gathering is simply not acceptable.”

The PSNI has been contacted for a response.

In an earlier Facebook post, a spokesperson for Police West Belfast said: “We are aware of a planned cruise/diffing event tonight on the Stewartstown Road, and that any anti-social driving, or reckless driving will not be tolerated, and will met with swift action and enforcement.

“This kind of driving behaviour where large crowds may gather is dangerous, and those keen on taking part are advised not to.

“We would ask all road users to ensure their vehicles are road worthy, follow the rules of the road and drive with care and attention always.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.