Ethel Barrymore theatre, New York Debbie Allen’s revival of the 1984 drama boasts a compelling cast, led by Taraji P Henson and Cedric the Entertainer, but too many notes are off Earlier this year, Viola Davis excitedly quoted August Wilson’s play, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, while announcing Michael B Jordan’s Oscar win. “You are shining, Herald Loomis,” she beamed, “shining like new money!” It was a touching acknowledgment of the actor’s long-awaited recognition, and the glory that awaits him. For most of Wilson’s 1911-set piece, Loomis is a man weary from an endless walk through the shadow of the valley of death, his spirit all but broken by systemic racism. Salvation is hardly guaranteed, but flickers in the distance. So it goes in Debbie Allen’s uneven Broadway staging, the play’s third since its 1984 premiere. Part of his monumental Century Cycle of 10 plays representing each decade of the 20th-century Black American experience, Wilson’s play has undeniable lyricism but needs pitch-perfect direction to make its magical realism sing. Its Pittsburgh boardinghouse setting is suitably liminal – halfway between north and south, stability and transience – and none who pass through are more than a generation removed from the horrors of slavery. Wilson reflects on this dizzying flashpoint by refracting his characters’ mysticism, religion and worldliness, honoring each even as they collide. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump and other top leaders evacuated from the annual dinner after an unspecified threat The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was interrupted by loud bangs on Saturday evening, followed by immediate commotion. Donald Trump and Melania Trump were evacuated immediately as many journalists and their guests across the room ducked under tables in the Washington Hilton ballroom. While the situation continues to develop, there were reports that the Secret Service had guns drawn as they rushed the White House pool reporters out of the room and mentioned “shots fired”. Continue reading...

The event was interrupted by loud bangs and immediate commotion as the president and first lady were escorted out The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was interrupted by loud bangs on Saturday evening and Donald Trump and Melania Trump were evacuated immediately as many journalists and their guests ducked under tables in the Washington Hilton ballroom. There were reports that the US Secret Service had guns drawn as White House pool reporters were rushed out of the room and Secret Service agents mentioned “shots fired”. Continue reading...

Ukrainian leader said agreement related to military-industrial co-operation; Russia pounds city of Dnipro with missiles and drones. What we know on day 1,523 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed deals on security and energy cooperation with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Saturday, he said, as Kyiv seeks to leverage its experience in defending its airspace from Russia. After the latest wave of conflict in the Middle East that began with US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran in late February, multiple nations have sought Ukraine’s assistance and expertise in downing Iran’s long-range drones. Zelenskyy said the two countries had signed an agreement relating to military-industrial cooperation. Aliyev said military-industrial partnerships between the two countries had “wide-ranging perspectives” and that the two leaders had discussed joint defence production. He did not specify that he had signed any deals. Zelenskyy has also sought to reinvigorate peace talks with Russia, which were being mediated by the US until it became more focused on its campaign against Iran. The Ukrainian leader said he had discussed with Aliyev the possibility of having a meeting between Ukraine and Russia in Azerbaijan.“We are ready for the next talks [to be] in Azerbaijan if Russia will be ready for diplomacy,” he said. Ten people have been killed in Russian attacks on the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro and other regions. Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said eight people were killed and 49 injured in Dnipro, a repeated target in more than four years of war with Russia. “For more than 20 frightening hours, the Russians attacked Dnipro in waves,” Hanzha wrote on Telegram. “They hit with missiles and drones. They hit deliberately. They hit residential areas.” Two more were killed in northern Ukraine. A Ukrainian drone attack on Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea killed one man and wounded three other people, the city’s Moscow-installed governor said on Sunday. “43 UAVs (drones) were shot down in total. Unfortunately, there are fatalities,” Mikhail Razvozhayev wrote on Telegram. He said a man born in 1983 was killed while inside a vehicle, and three people were hospitalised. The speaker of Russia’s parliament, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, arrived in North Korea on Saturday to attend an event to commemorate Pyongyang’s deployment of troops to help Moscow in the Ukraine conflict, the Tass news agency reported. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s Duma, was welcomed by Jo Yong-won. North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 troops to fight with Russian forces against Ukraine. More than 6,000 of them have been killed, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and western officials. A drone crashed in Romania on Saturday after Russian strikes in neighbouring Ukraine near a river separating the two countries, authorities said, adding that more than 200 people had been evacuated. Romania, a Nato member, has repeatedly seen its airspace violated and drone fragments fall on its territory since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But this was the first time that debris from Russian drones has caused material damage on its territory, according to local media. “A drone crashed in a populated area,” with a “possible explosive charge,” emergency services said in a statement. No casualties were reported, but an electricity pole and an outbuilding of a house were damaged, authorities said, adding that gas supplies in the area had been cut as a precautionary measure. Continue reading...

Chief property and security officer Ian Collard set to submit written answers to foreign affairs committee questions A key figure in the row over Peter Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to Washington will not appear before a parliamentary committee of MPs to give evidence. Dame Emily Thornberry had requested that Ian Collard speak to the foreign affairs committee (FAC) on Tuesday, but confirmed on Saturday that he would submit written answers instead. Whether he felt under pressure to deliver Lord Mandelson’s clearance, after Sir Olly said there was an “atmosphere of pressure” and “constant chasing” from Downing Street. Whether he had seen the cover form for Lord Mandelson’s vetting by UK Security Vetting (UKSV), the agency responsible for checks on candidates for sensitive posts, in which it had ticked two red boxes – meaning they had “high concern” and recommended “clearance denied or withdrawn”. If he was asked by anyone in the Foreign Office, Downing Street or the Cabinet Office for advice about whether Lord Mandelson required vetting for the post given he was a member of the House of Lords. If he advised on how Lord Mandelson should be treated during the period between his appointment being announced and his clearance coming through. Continue reading...

‘It’s a red card today. It’s a red card in Manchester’ Arsenal return to top of table with win at Emirates Mikel Arteta has claimed that everything would be different for his Arsenal team in the Premier League title race if Manchester City had been reduced to ten men in last Sunday’s pivotal game at the Eithad Stadium. The Arsenal manager insisted that the City defender, Abdukodir Khusanov, should have been sent off for a last-man foul on Kai Havertz in the 53rd minute with the score at 1-1. City went on to win 2-1. Arteta said nothing afterwards about an incident that did not generate much controversy, the consensus being Khusanov had defended his position fairly. Continue reading...

Al-Qaida-linked group JNIM claims responsibility for strikes on airport in capital, Bamako, and four other cities Islamic militants and separatists attacked several locations in Mali’s capital and other cities on Saturday in one of the largest coordinated attacks in the country in recent years. The al-Qaida-linked militant group JNIM claimed responsibility for the attacks on Bamako’s international airport and four other cities in central and northern Mali on its website Azallaq. It said the attacks were carried out jointly with the Azawad Liberation Front, a Tuareg-led separatist group. Continue reading...

The star on his famous acting family, wrestling Chris and Liam, the best advice from Anthony Hopkins and being traumatised by The Exorcist Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email In Beast, your new film about an MMA fighter, you play Gabriel: a dirtbag guy with a dirtbag goatee. Did you base him off any dirtbags you’ve met? Oh, that’s all me. I’m channelling my inner dirtbag. He has some inadequacy issues. He’s like a used car salesman; he looks fair and feels foul. But there are parts of me in him – I’m wearing my own snake skin boots for the whole film. I ended up actually keeping one of his suits, which I might have worn to a couple of premieres, which is pretty funny! [Laughs] Continue reading...

Gillian Kennedy met Wade Freeman while working in a remote desert community. She was impressed by his playlists, and his generous spirit Find more stories from the moment I knew series In 2007 I’d been single for a few years and had just returned from a year volunteering in a village in Bangladesh. Six months after arriving home in Sydney I decided to take up a teaching job in Mulan Aboriginal community in the Kimberley, halfway between Broome and Alice Springs, population 120. The first term was difficult. I got along well with my housemate, Kylie, and we’d met friendly nurses and people from the surrounding communities. But we didn’t have access to a vehicle so spent our weekends working. I felt quite lonely and isolated. Continue reading...

Pair, believed to be mother and son, recovered from water but died at scene in Elthorne Park, Ealing A woman and her young child have died after getting into “difficulty” in the water at a west London park, police said. Police were called to Elthorne Park in Ealing just before 4.30pm on Saturday, where a woman and child were recovered from the water, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

A fourth consecutive FA Cup final has been reached but Guardiola’s selection against Southampton suggests priorities lie elsewhere It’s happening again. Another Manchester City treble will be a short price on the prediction markets, even if City were defeated in the last two FA Cup finals. The club’s dominance of English football asks existential questions of those attempting to compete. Yet again, this season written off by those foolish enough to underestimate them, City loom menacingly over the rest, threatening a level of success others can only reach for. The key question remains without its answer. Is this Pep Guardiola’s last dance? The rumours, unsubstantiated as they are, have bubbled under all season, his weekly responses to enquiries opaque and diversionary. Anyone looking for clues at Wembley in his team selection would deduce the Premier League title, rather than repeating the domestic treble of 2018-19, was the priority for any big send-off. Such speculation is folly when the likelihood is that Guardiola himself may even not know his own mind. Continue reading...

French president cites joint military aid to Cyprus as proof of Europe’s ability to defend itself during trip to Athens Emmanuel Macron has spoken up for Europe’s ability to defend itself, saying a mutual assistance clause, enshrined in the EU treaty, was unambiguous and “not just words”. The French president said the pact had already been proved in action when several member states sent military aid to Cyprus after a drone attack against a British airbase on the island on 28 February. Continue reading...

German and French clubs are showing in the Champions League they can make the most of the benefits of not having to play in a gruelling domestic competition Paris Saint-Germain have won 11 of the past 13 French league titles and, going into this weekend, stood four points clear of Lens at the top of Ligue 1. Bayern Munich have already wrapped up this season’s Bundesliga title, their 13th in 14 years. According to Deloitte, Bayern are the third-richest club in the world by revenue, PSG fourth. They meet in the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday as two modern super-clubs. The idea of a top-five European league feels outmoded. Rather there are the best Premier League clubs, plus perhaps five or six others of whom PSG and Bayern are the outstanding two still left in this season’s competition. Continue reading...

Northampton 41-38 Bath Fin Smith clinches win with last kick If only these two could play each other every week. Having wowed the rugby world a fortnight ago with their Champions Cup quarter-final at the Rec, scoring 11 tries between them, here they went one better and scored 12. Six each, obviously. The scores were level as the clock ticked red. The crowd were as breathless as the players. And then, alas, the winning moment came not from a moment of brilliance – although Fin Smith tried it with his dummy and drop-goal attempt. He missed that, but the television match official had spotted one of those agonising high tackles by a tall man on a dipping, slightly shorter one. Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi it was who clipped the bustling Henry Pollock on the chin. Smith did not miss the subsequent penalty, the first penalty taken at goal, the last kick of the match. Continue reading...

It has come down to a straight shootout, similar to five rounds of penalties, the equation plain yet loaded with complications. Score or miss. With Manchester City otherwise engaged in the FA Cup semi-finals, it was Arsenal who took first. For them, the metaphorical walk to the spot, the moment of truth, began in the aftermath of last Sunday’s defeat at City. It was long and treacherous, the self-doubt gnawing away, the outside noise at fever pitch. Score or miss. With a draw very much into the latter category. Arsenal scored. Continue reading...

Solanke and Simons were taken off injured at Wolves Tottenham still in relegation zone because of West Ham win Robert De Zerbi is waiting on the fitness of two more players, after Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons were forced off injured at Molineux on Saturday, but he is optimistic that Tottenham’s 1-0 victory at Wolves “can change something in our mentality”. The Spurs head coach celebrated his first win in charge of the relegation-threatened Europa League holders with the visiting fans in the Steve Bull Stand, exchanging fist pumps and belief. Continue reading...

What a barnstorming finish to this FA Cup semi-final that featured three goals in eight minutes and ended with Nico González as the hero who swept Manchester City to a historic fourth consecutive final. The Spaniard’s winner came in the 87th-minute. Bernardo Silva, only just introduced by Pep Guardiola, tapped to Jérémy Doku, who fed González. From outside Southampton’s area, to the left, the midfielder let go a rising shot that smacked the net and left Tonda Eckert’s team heartbroken, after taking the lead only moments before. Continue reading...

Klaudia Zakrzewska, 32, was hit at about 4.30am six days ago in Soho in incident that left 58-year-man with life-changing injuries A social media influencer has died six days after a car hit her and other pedestrians outside a nightclub in London, police said. Klaudia Zakrzewska, 32, was injured in Argyll Street, Soho, at about 4.30am on 19 April and was pronounced dead on Saturday. Continue reading...

The men’s game thrives on big rivalries but with the world No 2 missing through injury, the prospects of another top-10 player stepping up appear bleak Jannik Sinner is not a man for great displays of emotion, but not even the world No 1 could maintain his poker face this time. In the aftermath of an arduous opening win in Madrid on Friday, Sinner learned of the most significant news of the year – Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal from the French Open due to a right wrist injury – during his on-court interview. Sinner’s face immediately fell and he was clearly still processing the information after delivering his answer. Later, in his press conference, the Italian lamented Alcaraz’s absence with sincerity: “Tennis needs Carlos,” he said. “Tennis is a much better sport when he’s around.” Continue reading...

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were to travel to Islamabad to attempt to revive ceasefire negotiations Donald Trump said he has told US envoys not to go to Pakistan for more talks with Iran, shortly after Tehran’s top diplomat left Islamabad late on Saturday. Trump added to Fox News: “They can call us anytime they want.” The White House on Friday said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would travel to Pakistan’s capital to attempt to revive ceasefire negotiations. Continue reading...

Enzo Bettamio alleged to have stabbed Kamonnan Thiamphanit in April 2024 at a property in Bayswater A teenager has been charged with murder over the death of a 27-year-old woman after his extradition from the United Arab Emirates to the UK. The charge relates to the stabbing of Kamonnan Thiamphanit, which took place at a property in Bayswater, west London, on 6 April 2024. Continue reading...

Roberto De Zerbi had said he wanted no crying in his camp after Brighton scored their late equaliser last week, and it was just as the Wolves fans had started chanting “You’re going to cry in a minute” that the substitute João Palhinha struck the goal that briefly helped Tottenham climb out of the relegation zone and avoid a club record of 16 consecutive league games without a win. The Spurs manager ran on to the pitch, pumping his fists, after the Portugal midfielder, played onside by the former Spurs defender Matt Doherty, slid in to score after Richarlison had scuffed a shot goalwards when Pedro Porro’s corner fell his way in the 82nd minute. Continue reading...

Liverpool finally lifted the curse of Crystal Palace on a sun-kissed, restorative afternoon at Anfield where Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz scored, third choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman took the acclaim of the Kop and Arne Slot’s side climbed to fourth in the Premier League. Of course, this season being what it is for the champions, there had to be a sting to a third consecutive league win. Mohamed Salah hobbled off with an apparent hamstring injury that could threaten his involvement in the remainder of his final season with Liverpool. It certainly appeared that way as the Anfield great applauded all four sides of the ground before heading straight down the tunnel. There were also mass protests inside and outside the stadium against Liverpool’s decision to increase ticket prices for the next three seasons. “You greedy bastards, enough is enough,” reverberated around Anfield as the vast majority of fans showed yellow cards to Liverpool owners, Fenway Sports Group. Continue reading...

Vitalii Mykolenko crossed from the left, James Tarkowski headed the ball down, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall lashed it into the back of the net and for a moment it felt as if West Ham were sliding towards the Championship. It was 1-1 at the London Stadium, Tomas Soucek’s opener on his 250th appearance for the east Londoners cancelled out. But added time is proving crucial in this relegation battle. Last week it was Georginio Rutter shattering Tottenham with a late equaliser for Brighton. This time it was Callum Wilson popping up in the 92nd minute to score his ninth goal in his last eight games against Everton and maintain West Ham’s two-point advantage over Spurs, who remain in 18th place despite their win over Wolves. Continue reading...

Bundesliga champions score four second-half goals to stun Mainz Substitute Kane’s 33rd goal of the season earns ninth straight win Bayern Munich fought back from three goals down to clinch a 4-3 win over Mainz 05 on Saturday as substitutes Harry Kane and Michael Olise led a second-half comeback for the Bundesliga champions. Dominik Kohr, Paul Nebel and Sheraldo Becker scored for Mainz in the first half while Bayern, who had made eight changes to the starting line-up that beat Bayer Leverkusen in Wednesday’s German Cup semi-final, had no shot on target until the break. The Bayern coach, Vincent Kompany, brought on Kane and Olise after the break and their renewed aggression paid off with Nicolas Jackson scoring in the 53rd minute and Olise finding the net 20 minutes later. This story will be updated Continue reading...