Lizzo made history by becoming the first person to play a 200-year-old crystal flute, once owned by former US President James Madison, during her concert in Washington DC on Tuesday. The US singer and trained flautist was granted permission by The Library of Congress to play the instrument, which arrived on stage with a police escort. Inspecting it on stage, she said: “It’s like playing out of a wine glass.” The star then played a few notes while simultaneously shaking her lower
The EU has slammed “illegal” annexation votes Russia held in four occupied regions of Ukraine and their “falsified” results. “[The] EU denounces holding of illegal ‘referenda’ and their falsified outcome,” the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Twitter. “This is another violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, amidst systematic abuses of human rights,” he said. Kremlin-installed authorities in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson,
A village in the eastern Indian state of Bihar is celebrating after a resident got a government job – its first in 75 years. Rakesh Kumar, 30, has been appointed as a primary teacher in a public school. Residents distributed sweets and smeared coloured powder in joy when they heard the news last week. Government jobs are highly sought after in India for the security and benefits they offer. Mr Kumar will teach students in Barkurwa, which is located in the same district as his own village
A chess commentator has been sacked by the International Chess Federation for making sexist comments. Ilya Smirin was broadcasting live during the ninth round of the Women’s Grand Prix on Tuesday. The Israeli grandmaster admitted on air he had said chess is “maybe not for women” – and also seemingly praised a woman for playing like a man. The federation apologised and called Mr Smirin’s comments offensive and embarrassing. Belarusian-born Mr Smirin – who was
China’s yuan has hit fresh record lows against the surging US dollar. The internationally-traded yuan fell to its lowest level since data first became available in 2011. China’s domestic currency also reached its weakest point since the 2008 global financial crisis. It comes as the dollar continues to rise in value against other major currencies, after the US central bank increased interest rates again earlier this month. Meanwhile on Wednesday, major stock market indexes across Asia
The Bank of England has said it will step in to calm markets after the government’s tax-cutting plans sparked a fall in the pound and caused borrowing costs to surge. It warned that if the market volatility continued there would be a “material risk to UK financial stability”. The Bank will start buying government bonds at an “urgent pace” to help restore “orderly market conditions”. The pound tumbled to $1.0586 after the news, down 1.4% against the dollar.
Poland’s foreign minister, Zbigniew Rau, has said Nato’s response to any use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine should be non-nuclear but “devastating”. Speaking on a visit to Washington, Rau said the alliance was in the process of delivering that message to Moscow. The Russian military debacle in Ukraine, where its forces are being pushed back in the east of the country, has increased concerns that a desperate Vladimir Putin could resort to using a nuclear weapon, possibly a lower-yield
You don’t need to see a doctor for quick ways to ease your itching and pain, or for ongoing fixes to keep the discomfort from getting worse. The best treatments for hemorrhoids are often things you can do at home. Many of these tips will help you avoid constipation and make it easier to go. That can stop hemorrhoids before they form, too. Ease Pain and Itching Take warm baths. Soak in a bathtub filled with a few inches of warm water for about 15 minutes at a time. Do it two or three times
Nkrumahist socialists, Marxists, social democrats and progressives have attacked the ideas of freedom and liberty —- the rule of law, individual rights, property rights free press, etc. —, before and after independence in 1957. They still do. These ‘progressives’ blame the downward trend of the economy on external forces, inequality, and free market capitalism and insist that poverty and corruption is because of capitalist greed, and social injustice. The ‘progressives’ get
Deontay Wilder was considering hanging up his gloves for good after suffering a devastating 11th-round KO defeat to Tyson Fury during their trilogy bout in October last year. The American boxer said he needed some time away from the ring to process the back-to-back defeats in 2020 and 2021 as they were the only losses of his professional career. He was expected to walk away from boxing for good but the Olympic bronze medalist changed his mind after witnessing the public’s reaction to
After the big cry came the big cry-off, with Rafael Nadal joining Roger Federer on Saturday in withdrawing from singles play at the Laver Cup. This followed the extraordinary late night scenes at the 02 Arena, which saw the two legends in tears following their final appearance together. It was approaching 2am when the two of them came in to reflect on being a part of Federer’s valedictory match, which had sparked a remarkable outpouring of emotion. By then Nadal was on the brink of confirming
Just weeks away from the start of a World Cup like no other, the poor form of Europe’s powerhouses suggests there could be a changing of the guard in Qatar. European nations have won every World Cup since Brazil lifted the last of their five titles in Japan and South Korea in 2002. Europe has supplied 13 of the 16 semifinalists at the past four World Cups, with Italy, Spain, Germany and France coming out on top. But reigning European champions Italy have failed even to qualify for Qatar,
Italy’s Serie A is set to have its first match officiated by a woman after the country’s referee association AIA confirmed on Wednesday that Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi would take charge of a game this weekend. In July Ferrieri Caputi was promoted to the top rung of Italian football’s match officials and local media report that she will be assigned Sassuolo’s home clash with Salernitana on Sunday afternoon. “This isn’t any old day, I’m pretty emotional,”
Rio Ferdinand says it is “disheartening” that racism remains a problem in football after Richarlison had a banana thrown at him in Brazil’s 5-1 friendly win over Tunisia. The Tottenham striker was celebrating a goal when the incident occurred in Paris. Former Manchester United defender Ferdinand said authorities must do more to combat racism in the sport. He described it as “another day racism is OK and welcomed in football”. “I’m not saying football
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