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Italy’s restaurants reopen after 70 days, but customers stay away

For a country devastated by coronavirus, the reopening of businesses is just a small step towards a return to normal life – and struggling business owners tell Alessio Perrone they ‘don’t expect good times soon’

40 years on music

Joy Division on the death of Ian Curtis: ‘Listening to Closer, you think, f***ing hell, how did I miss this?’

Mark Beaumont talks to bandmates Peter Hook and Stephen Morris plus Tim Burgess, Grian Chatten, Orlando Weeks and Jon Savage about the man, the artist and his legacy

Independent Premium

Kevin Childs Boccaccio’s Black Death tales will take your mind off coronavirus

When forced to think about the unthinkable, we need a diversion – and the need for entertainment or outrage is normal in the time of a pandemic. As Kevin Childs explains, the way we react to a crisis hasn't changed much in 700 years 

Behind the veil of The Black Keys’ beloved Brothers, 10 years on

The Ohio duo’s sixth LP still stands out as their greatest creative output. On its 10th anniversary, Alex Pattle looks at why Brothers remains as captivating today as it was on its release

World
Business Comment

James Moore Declining royalties? Postponed weddings a bigger issue for musicians

The legendary Captain Ska made just £20k from its top 10 hit ‘Liar Liar’. A regular supply of wedding receptions would provide more revenue. But then Covid-19 happened 

Why I'm ditching disposable razors

Truly ethical and sustainable beauty brands aren't easy to find. Can Jessica Jones go a whole year without using anything else?

Sean O'Grady I predict Boris Johnson will be out by Christmas. He has let us down

All the insincere promises and the hasty U-turns serve only to show we have somehow contrived to place a clown with the emotional maturity of a toddler in charge of dealing with the worst pandemic in 100 years

‘He was in another league’ – Joy Division on the death of Ian Curtis

Forty years on from the day the singer took his own life, Mark Beaumont talks to bandmates Peter Hook and Stephen Morris plus Tim Burgess, Grian Chatten, Orlando Weeks and Jon Savage about the man, the artist and his legacy

Behind the veil of The Black Keys’ beloved Brothers, 10 years on

The Ohio duo’s sixth LP still stands out as their greatest creative output. On its 10th anniversary, Alex Pattle looks at why Brothers remains as captivating today as it was on its release

Everything you need to look after your mental health

Managing it is more important than ever while in lockdown

The best virtual escape rooms to lose yourself in

Tired of the same zoom pub quizzes? Go to Hogwarts or find the killer on a private jet 30,000 feet up in the air with one of these games instead

30 birthday quarantine isolation

Lockdown has put celebrations on hold for people across the globe, but for Sara-Ella Ozbek it led her to reconsider the milestone moment she had been worried about

Burglar caught hiding in cupboard wearing just his underpants

Man pleads guilty to burglary after attempting to break into shop cigarette cabinet