'She exists out of time': Umm Kulthum, Arab music's eternal star

 Posted on June 8, 2024  |  10 minutes  |  1946 words  |  Merlyn Hunt

Pop and rockWith a voice adored by Bob Dylan, Robert Plant and millions across the Arab world, Umm Kulthum rejected gender norms with her powerful, political music. But can her 90-minute songs work in a new stage musical? You hear the Umm Kulthum cafe before you see it. Violins swoon and a monumental voice surges from a doorway in Cairo’s Tawfiqia neighbourhood. Outside, couples smoke shisha on plastic chairs, dwarfed by two immense golden busts depicting the singer known variously as “the star of the east”, “mother of the Arabs” and “Egypt’s fourth pyramid”. [Read More]

From loyal Trump lawyer to his mortal enemy: who is Michael Cohen?

 Posted on June 8, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  856 words  |  Merlyn Hunt

Michael CohenOnce the ‘guy who would take a bullet’ for the ex-president, the 57-year-old is now a key witness in the New York fraud trial Cohen testifies – live updates He was the “guy who would take a bullet” for Donald Trump. “If somebody does something Mr Trump doesn’t like … If you do something wrong, I’m going to come at you, grab you by the neck and I’m not going to let you go until I’m finished,” Michael Cohen told ABC News in 2011. [Read More]

Jerry Sadowitz on his Edinburgh ban: Cancel culture isnt a culture. Its a diktat thats b

 Posted on June 8, 2024  |  9 minutes  |  1821 words  |  Delta Gatti

Jerry SadowitzInterviewJerry Sadowitz on his Edinburgh ban: ‘Cancel culture isn’t a culture. It’s a diktat that’s been imposed on us’Brian LoganWhen his show was pulled this summer over reports of nudity, sexism and racism, it caused a furore. In his first major interview since, the comedian explains why he will never tone down his splenetic act When it comes to cancel culture and comedy, we know the routine. A standup boasts on Netflix about “saying the unsayable”. [Read More]

Spectator who caused Tour de France pile-up goes on trial | France

 Posted on June 8, 2024  |  2 minutes  |  375 words  |  Merlyn Hunt

France This article is more than 2 years oldSpectator who caused Tour de France pile-up goes on trialThis article is more than 2 years oldWoman tells prosecutors she feels ashamed of her ‘stupidity’ after obstructing cyclists during race in June A spectator whose attempt to get noticed by TV cameras while cheering the Tour de France caused one of the biggest pile-ups in the race’s history has gone on trial charged with injuring dozens of riders. [Read More]

Texas executes Tommy Lynn Sells with compounded pentobarbital | Capital punishment

 Posted on June 8, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  880 words  |  Barrett Giampaolo

Capital punishment This article is more than 9 years oldTexas executes Tommy Lynn Sells with compounded pentobarbitalThis article is more than 9 years oldAppeals fail in latest case of a state using version of drug from unnamed source because of boycott by official suppliers Texas executed a convicted killer using a new batch of drugs on Thursday night after the US supreme court rejected a last-minute appeal from his lawyers, who argued that the state's refusal to disclose details about the supply put him at risk of enduring a painful death that was tantamount to torture. [Read More]

 Posted on June 7, 2024  |  7 minutes  |  1310 words  |  Christie Applegate

Pop and rockInterviewJudy Collins on Stephen Stills: ‘I said, it's such a beautiful song, but it's not winning me back’Jim FarberThe singer-songwriter’s romance and breakup with Stills inspired classic songs including Suite: Judy Blue Eyes. Almost 50 years on, they are releasing an album and touring together Nearly five decades ago, Judy Collins and Stephen Stills sparked a romance that was passionate and volatile enough to enter rock’n’roll lore. Their private connection became public after Stills, rejected by Collins, put his pining into classic songs such as Suite: Judy Blue Eyes and Helplessly Hoping, both of which turned up on the first Crosby Stills and Nash album in 1969. [Read More]

An abortion abolitionist became an Oklahoma senator. The fringe is celebrating its big victory

 Posted on June 7, 2024  |  6 minutes  |  1230 words  |  Barrett Giampaolo

AbortionThe hardline fragment of the anti-abortion movement is gaining traction in the wake of Roe v Wade’s fall When Dusty Deevers won his race to become an Oklahoma state senator on Tuesday night, he wasted no time in making sure his new constituents knew what he stood for. “Here in Oklahoma, it’s time to abolish abortion, abolish pornography, abolish the state income tax and give power and equal representation back to the people! [Read More]

Emmys red carpet fashion: Sarah Snook, Jenna Ortega, Pedro Pascal and more in pictures | Televis

 Posted on June 7, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  865 words  |  Brenda Moya

Emmys red carpet fashion: Sarah Snook, Jenna Ortega, Pedro Pascal and more – in pictures Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Delayed by last year’s Hollywood strikes, the 75th Emmy awards are finally on, with television’s biggest stars going for neon shades and dramatic gowns Succession, Beef and The Bear win big at delayed 2023 Emmy awards The full list of winners Sian Cain and Pamela Rontziokos [Read More]

Show off the melanin, show off the curves : Bridal Babes boutique centers brides of color

 Posted on June 7, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  689 words  |  Delta Gatti

The New Face of Small BusinessWedding dressesAshley Young’s company fills a gap in the $57bn wedding industry: ‘We want to be an example’ Three years before co-founding Bridal Babes – a bridal e-commerce boutique that caters to Black and brown wedding parties – Ashley Young was just another Black bride trying to find the perfect bridesmaid dresses. “My girls were of all shapes and sizes, and they wanted to show off the melanin and show off the curves,” Young, the company’s CEO recalls. [Read More]

The hidden underwater forests that could help tackle the climate crisis | Oceans

 Posted on June 7, 2024  |  7 minutes  |  1309 words  |  Christie Applegate

A kelp forest off Anacapa Island, California. Researchers have found that underwater forests cover an area comparable to the Amazon basin. Photograph: Douglas Klug/Getty ImagesKelp absorbs carbon dioxide and has high nutritional value, but it is under threat from rising temperatures, pollution and invasive species by Lucy Sherriff in Los AngelesBubbles stream furiously behind Frank Hurd as he gently parts the curtains of giant kelp. Green and gold ribbons reach upwards through the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean towards the sun. [Read More]