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How 'The Testaments' Ties Into Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale'

When Margaret Atwood announced she planned to write a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale many wondered how it affected the current TV show on Hulu. Atwood’s sequel is called The Testaments and Hulu recently bought the rights to the book to adapt it to the screen. The Testaments came out on Sept. 10, 2019 and includes some connections to Hulu’s adaption of The Handmaid’s Tale. Beware, anything past this point includes spoilers for both The Testaments and The Handmaid’s Tale.

Aunt Lydia is one of the narrators of ‘The Testaments’

The Testaments has three narrators. One of those narrators is someone viewers of The Handmaid’s Tale know very well, Aunt Lydia. In Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale and Hulu’s adaption, Aunt Lydia is a villain to June. She comes across as a true believer in Gilead and can be shown to be very cruel.

Aunt Lydia’s backstory in The Testaments is very different than her backstory in the TV show on Hulu. In the show, Aunt Lydia was a teacher before Gilead and was shown to be very religious. In The Testaments, Aunt Lydia was a judge who was forced into the Gilead regime.

To readers’ surprise, Aunt Lydia is not actually a true believer in The Testaments. Instead, she has a plan to bring Gilead down. Aunt Lydia is a complex character in The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Testaments makes her even more complex.

“‘The Testaments’ might actually be better than ‘the Handmaids Tale.’ I’m such a sucker for a well-written bad guy, and Aunt Lydia is my new love,” wrote a Twitter user.

“Couldn’t help feeling guilty for liking Aunt Lydia throughout The Testaments,” wrote another.

June’s children from ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ are the other narrators

The two other narrators also have a connection to June. One is Hannah, her daughter with Luke. In The Testaments, Hannah goes by the name given to her in Gilead, Agnes.

The third narrator in The Testaments is June’s daughter with Nick. In The Handmaid’s Tale, their daughter’s real name is Holly but she goes by Nichole. In The Testaments, her real name is Nicole but she goes by Daisy. Nicole does not live with June, Nick, Luke, or Moira in the book and instead lives with another adopted family in Canada.

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A fucking hero.

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The epilogue of ‘The Testaments’ reveals the fate of some of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ characters

In Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale, the ending is ambiguous. Even though there is an epilogue that lets readers know Gilead did eventually fall, the fate of most of the characters are left completely unknown. Readers do not know if June actually makes it out of Gilead to Canada or England.

The Testaments reveals that June, who is only known as Offred in the books, does not go to Canada but instead goes underground. In Gilead, she is known as a terrorist and survived two assassination attempts. This seems to fit in with The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu as June joins the resistance in the third season.

The epilogue of The Testaments is a lot more hopeful and concrete than the epilogue in The Handmaid’s Tale novel. While Moira, Emily, and the Waterford family are not mentioned at all in the book, other characters are. The epilogue reveals that June, Nick, and Luke all reunite with Agnes and Nicole.

“Loved reading that the girls were reunited with all their parents so we know that June, Luke, and Nick are all alive and well. Would have loved more info about them too, but this wasn’t their story,” wrote a Reddit user.

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Iran demands Trump stays out of the Gulf as US tensions with Tehran skyrocket

Iran President Hassan Rouhani took aim at the Republican and accused foreign forces of bringing nothing but “pain and misery” to the middle-eastern nation. He also said Iran should not be used in an “arms race”. Speaking on the anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war he said: “Foreign forces can cause problems and insecurity for our people and for our region.”

He told them to “stay away” and added the deployment of troops in the past had ended in “disaster”.

He added: “If they’re sincere, then they should not make our region the site of an arms race.

“The farther you keep yourselves from our region and our nations, the more security there will be.”

He also said Iran was now “ready to let go of the past mistakes”.

He continued: “In this sensitive and important historical moment, we announce to our neighbours, that we extend the hand of friendship and brotherhood to them.”

His words come after President Trump approved the deployment of US forces to the Middle East following the attack on two Saudi Arabian oil facilities of which Tehran claimed responsibility for.

Sky News reported US troops and military equipment will also be sent to the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, a Saudi Arabian ally.

US Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said personnel would not be in the thousands but he was not more specific.

READ NOW: Trump strikes right tone in face-off with Iran, says TIM NEWARK

Defence Secretary Mark Esper said troops and equipment were being sent in response to a request from the Saudis and UAE for help improving their air and missile defences.

Mr Esper claimed sending in troops was a first step but he is not ruling out additional future moves.

President Trump claimed restraint “shows far more strength” as he outlined new sanctions on the Iranian central bank.

General Dunford said military experts were still considering the best way to help the Saudis defend themselves and highlighted the difficulty in combating a drone attack.

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He commented: “No single system is going to be able to defend against a threat like that, but a layered system of defensive capabilities would mitigate the risk of swarms of drones or other attacks that may come from Iran.”

The Abaqaiq facility and the Khurais oil field were attacked in the early hours of last Saturday.

The attacks caused a reduction of more than half in Saudi Arabia’s daily oil experts, more than five percent of the world’s daily production.

Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, initially said they were responsible for the attack.

In recent days, the finger has been pointed directly at Iran.

Iran denies any involvement in the attack on the oil facilities.

Tensions between the US and Tehran surged after Trump withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal last year.

This month, Iran signalled to the EU is was ready to tear up the nuclear deal unless Europe rebelled against President Trump’s crippling sanctions.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart in Moscow: “It is meaningless to continue unilateral commitments to the deal if we don’t enjoy its benefits as promised by the deal’s European parties.”

Foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi added: “The third step has been designed and will be stronger than the first and second steps to create a balance between Iran’s rights and commitments to the JCPOA.”

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Mike Johnson Says That Demi Lovato Is the Only Woman He's Talking to RN

Hello friends! Let’s start our morning with a little update on Mike Johnson’s relationship with Demi Lovato, because this is a couple that we can all get behind.

So last week it was reported that after much flirtation on Instagram, Demi and Mike had been “hanging out” and “talking privately.” And on Friday, Mike himself opened up about the romance with E!, saying, “I’m just getting to know Demi. I think she’s absolutely fantastic and I don’t want no pressure on her, no pressure on me, we’re just trying to get to know each other. That’s all.”

Mike was also asked if he is seeing any other women, and he replied, “No, it’s just Demi. That’s the only person I’m talking to.” Ugh, a guy who knows what he wants and focuses on it? Dream man! And eeeeeeeek, I’m sorry, I know that he doesn’t want any pressure, but I really hope that it works out with them because Mike is just too cute and sweet and only deserves the best!

And if you’re wondering how Mike feels about not being picked for the Bachelor, he seems like he’s made his peace with it, saying:

And like, he’s now dating a pop star, so whatever, have fun *not* dating Demi Lovato, Peter!!

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Ashley Iaconetti on Peter Weber Being the Bachelor: 'I'm Actually a Little Disappointed'

Count Bachelor in Paradise alums Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon among those who are surprised that Peter Weber got the leading man nod over fan-favorite Mike Johnson.

“I’ll be honest, I feel like I have not for quite some time felt so detached from a choice for the Bachelor,” Iaconetti, 31, told PEOPLE. “He was very nice on his season, but I don’t know that I know him very well. He’s just been sweet and lovely, but I don’t know him.”

She and Haibon, 30, were in Las Vegas over the weekend attending the iHeartRadio Music Festival with a slew of Bachelor and Bachelorette alums, including Johnson.

“I’m a little shocked that he’s not the Bachelor,” Haibon said about Johnson, but added, “I’m not doubting the choice.”

Iaconetti quickly added, “I’m not doubting either. I’m sure it’s going to be a fantastic season.”

The duo admitted that, like Weber, they didn’t really know Johnson either, but they got to know him over the weekend. Needless to say, they’re now fans. “I’m actually a little disappointed, but like, that’s no offense to Peter,” Iaconetti said.

Many in Bachelor Nation were somewhat disappointed (others were outright shocked) when Chris Harrison announced that the Los Angeles-based pilot would helm the upcoming season of the hit ABC show.

“It’s interesting because there was so much talk about Mike potentially being the first black Bachelor, and he seemed like a good choice. And on TV we saw nothing but great things from him,” Haibon said. “I also think that Peter’s gonna be great. That’s the thing. It’s not like I don’t think Peter’s going to be a bad Bachelor. I think he’ll be a great Bachelor.”

While Iaconetti and Haibon still pay close attention to the show and all its spinoffs, they are also still focusing on themselves — after all, they are still technically newlyweds after getting married on Aug. 11.

“For me, as a new husband, I want to try to integrate more quality time into our lives. Not just spending time together, but making sure that we’re spending quality time together,” he said.

And Iaconetti said married life “hasn’t felt much different.”

“We lived together for the entire year. We’ve just been so busy,” she said. “We haven’t been able to settle into married life at home cause we’ve been like, we went on our honeymoon, which was two weeks. We were back for nine days and then we were on the move. So it’s just like we cannot wait to like go home and like have like a nesting period.”

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Keira Knightley Gives Birth to Second Child with James Righton (Report)

Keira Knightley and her husband James Righton have reportedly welcomed their second child!

No official statement has been made by the couple, but the Daily Mail says that they’ve chosen the name Delilah for their newborn!

The publication continued that, “James was overheard telling friends all about the baby at a Hugo Boss yacht party on Thursday.”

The couple married in 2013 and they share a 4-year-old daughter, Edie.

We’ve reached out to Keira‘s reps for comment. Congrats to the happy couple on the wonderful news – if this news is true!

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Chelsea boss Frank Lampard starts Kante and Mason Mount for Liverpool clash after both stars recover from injury – The Sun

CHELSEA boss Frank Lampard has picked N'Golo Kante and Mason Mount to start in the clash against Liverpool.

French World Cup winner Kante is making his first start in over a month owing to an ankle injury.

Mount took a horror tackle on the ankle from ex-Arsenal man Francis Coquelin in the midweek Champions League defeat to Valencia.

Emerson also returns, allowing Lampard to go back to his initial formation of four defenders, three midfielders, two wingers and a striker.

But both are now back and ready to take on Jurgen Klopp's men at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea fans were loving having the dynamic midfield duo both fit.

One said: "Mount went from 'who?' to an important Chelsea player pretty quickly. Even getting more reaction than Kante and Emerson."

Another posted: "Kante and Mount. Let get this dub boys!"

A fellow fan wrote: "Kante is back! Mount fit and starts. He's been immense and we need him."
"It's the ideal line-up and the formation suits the game."

Another comment read: "So happy to see Kante and Mount in the line-up, just disappointed at not seeing Pulisic."

And one person wrote: "Kante and Mount starting. Oh boy this is gonna get intense."

Liverpool make just one change from the side that was beaten 2-0 by Napoli in midweek with Georginio Wijnaldum taking back his spot from James Milner.

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Arsenal wonderkid Saka starts as Ozil left on bench for Villa clash – The Sun

BUKAYO SAKA has been handed his first Premier League start for Arsenal in their clash with Aston Villa.

The highly-rated 18-year-old was rewarded for his brilliant display against Eintracht Frankfurt by keeping his place in Unai Emery's side.

Saka produced a stunning performance in the Europa League won over the German side, capped by his first senior goal for Arsenal.

And that was enough to convince Emery to unleash him from the off in the Premier League for the first time in his career.

Saka starts in a three-man attack along with Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the Gunners look to build on their midweek win in Europe.

But Mesut Ozil had to be satisfied with a place on the bench as a result of the youngster coming in.


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When does the new series of Towie start? The Only Way Is Essex series 25 start date, cast and spoilers

IT'S the moment all Towie fans have been waiting for – the latest series of our favourite reality show is back on ITVBe.

Dan Edgar tried to convince Chloe Sims that they can remain friends following his shock reconciliation with on-again, off-again girlfriend Amber Turner. Here’s what we know so far…

When is Towie returning to ITVBe?

Towie series 25 returned to ITVBe on September 1.

The show kicked off  at 9pm and continues on a weekly basis for approximately 10-11 weeks.

Towie's 24th run consisted of a whopping 11 episodes, so it’s unlikely that there will be any change to the total number of weeks we’ll get to watch Towie.

If you happen to miss any episodes, you can always catch up online via ITV Hub.

Who is in the cast of season 25 of Towie?

The full line-up for The Only Way Is Essex is constantly changing.

However the following cast members will be taking part:

  • Olivia Attwood
  • Pete Wicks 
  • James 'Diags' Bennewith
  • Liam 'Gatsby' Bakewell
  • Chloe Brockett
  • Clare Brockett

  • Clelia Theodorou
  • Ella Rae Wise
  • Kelsey Stratford
  • Harry Lee
  • Tommy Mallet
  • Georgia Kousoulou

  • Courtney Green
  • Chloe Meadows
  • James 'Lockie' Lock
  • Yazmin Oukhellou
  • Chloe Sims
  • Joey Turner

  • Gemma Collins
  • Bobby Norris
  • Demi Sims
  • Dan Edgar
  • Shelby Tribble
  • Tom McDonnell

  • Charlie Sims
  • Terri Gradley
  • Saffron Lempriere
  • Jayden Beales
  • Chloe Ross
  • Sam Mucklow

What will happen on season 25 of Towie?

In the glamorous teaser, Chloe Sims is heard asking: “Are you a liar?”

The question is asked just moments after Amber says: "He's been dishonest to her and dishonest to me."

And to make matters worse, it appears Dan’s love triangle had been interfering with his close friendships as he begs one of his close pals not to fall out with him over the situation.

The trio will certainly be the key focus of the series, as Chloe is also heard moaning: "I hate that people are talking about my personal business."

Elsewhere, Gemma Collins is dipping in and out after missing a lot of last season due to her involvement in ITV’s Dancing On Ice.

It’s believed that Gemma will be seen cheering up her friend Chloe while involving herself back in the Essex gossip.

What happened in the last season of Towie?

Last season things got awkward between Sam Mucklow and Shelby Tribble after he awkwardly ditched her to pursue Demi Sims just one day after having sex with her in Thailand.

Shelby was left in a difficult position when she had to choose between Sam and new boy Tom McDonnell – in the last episode, she seemed to have chosen Tom, but days later appeared all loved up with Sam on Instagram.

And it goes without saying that the two have not stopped flaunting their romance on social media ever since, so what’s going on between them now?

Meanwhile, Bobby Norris managing to get his bill to combat homophobic trolling on social media debated in Parliament.

The TV star has worked tremendously hard to raise awareness on matters concerning his sexuality, having received an incredible amount of love and support from viewers at home.

“I’m so proud of what I’ve achieved,” the handsome hunk is heard saying in the trailer. Is there more to be achieved in this series?

And of course there was the love triangle between Chloe Simms, Dan Edgar and Amber Turner and all the drama that came with it.

At the end of the series it seemed like Dan had decided he needed some time to be single.

However if Instagram is anything to go by he's performed another u-turn and is back with his ex. What will Chloe think?

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Spain floods: Eighth victim of horror weather drowns in Costa Brava garage

The police, fire brigade and divers rushed to the scene in Platja d’Aro, about 30 miles from Girona, following reports that a someone was trapped but it took four hours to locate his body because of the atrocious conditions. Water had to be pumped away before it was safe for divers to begin their search and rescue mission but there was nothing which could be done to save the man’s life. The victim was 30 years of age and described as “foreign”.

It is understood the owner of the garage had given him permission to sleep there because he was going through tough economic times and needed somewhere to stay.

The alert was raised in the mid-afternoon and an investigation is underway to find out why the man did not get out. Reports say the garage door was closed and the flood water seeped underneath it until the unit was completely flooded.

The emergency services in the area were inundated with calls to do with flooding which has also affected Barcelona and and Tarragona where numerous events were cancelled, including a circus.

The man who died in the garage is is the eighth victim of Spain’s worst storms for 140 years which have plagued a huge part of the mainland for the last ten days, as well as Mallorca and Ibiza.

A Dutch citizen washed away by a torrent of water in Alicante. 

The first two victims of the floods were a brother and sister in Albacete whose vehicle was washed away and overturned.

Another man drowned after he accidentally drove into a tunnel in Almería that had been closed off due to flooding. Later that same day another man lost his life in a ravine in Baza, Granada.

A man aged 58 was found dead in an area of Orihuela (Valencia), while the body of a 41-year-old man was located in La Matanza (Valencia), all victims of the flooding.

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Woman filmed ‘hanging’ dog before offering it to witness who asked her to stop

A woman has been filmed choking and kicking her dog while out for a walk before offering the animal up to a witness who asked her to stop.

Michelle Sieber, 26, of Tarpon Springs, Florida, US, was arrested on Friday after witness Vincent Minutello saw her abusing the pooch.

In the clip, filmed by Vincent, the dog owner is seen walking the animal through a parking lot before kicking it in the chest.

She continues to yank the dog’s collar violently, seeing its two front paws lifting off the ground, despite the mutt appearing to have been well-behaved.

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As she approaches her vehicle, she yanks the dog up again, seeing the helpless animal handing by its neck.

The dog then steps up to smell the back of the woman's van before the woman aggressively pulls the lead again.

After lowering the animal back down, the dog can be seen chocking and coughing.

Infuriated by the attack, Vincent drove up to Sieber and confronted her while still recording.

He said: “Hey, can you be a little easy on that dog please?”

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She replied while laughing: “You want him?”

Vincent adds: “No, but you can't do what you're doing.”

“Pull on his collar?'" she asks.

Vincent replied: “You're choking him, you're hanging your dog.”

However, the woman didn't appear to care and stated if the "dog stays there, then he doesn't get pulled".

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She asks again: "You can have him if you want him?"

After suggesting Michelle put the dog up for adoption, she told him it always is.

Vincent posted the footage online and reported the incident to cops resulting in Sieber being charged with one count of animal cruelty, reports Fox 35 .

Cops were able to identify Sieber and detained her in Clearwater, Florida, later that day.

According to IONTB.com, in her arrest affidavit she claims she was “training the dog” and “that is why the choke collar was on for.”

However, Vincent’s girlfriend told police that she had seen the woman abusing the dog in a similar manner the previous evening.

She claims Sieber “threw” the pet “sideways” until it hit her camper van.

Police said the dog – believed to be an Australian Cattle Dog – was not injured and is being cared for by authorities along with another mutt that the woman-owned.

Sieber is being held on a $5,000 bond and is awaiting trial, according to legal documents seen by local media.

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