logo
Why Barcelona's Lamine Yamal has been in Madrid all week

Why Barcelona's Lamine Yamal has been in Madrid all week

Yahoo21-05-2025

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has spent the bulk of the week to date in the Spanish capital of Madrid.
That's according to El Chiringuito TV, who have on Wednesday provided an insight into the latest movements of the 17-year-old.
The name of wide-man Lamine took its place centre stage in the headlines in Catalunya's capital once more early this week.
This came after word was forthcoming that the Spanish international was a surprise absentee from a Barcelona team dinner, organised to celebrate the club's season achievements.
Lamine is of course in the midst of nothing short of a spectacular campaign to date, with his complete absence from the get together having therefore turned heads.
As alluded to above, though, on Wednesday, an explanation for as much has come to the fore online.
The info comes courtesy of El Chiringuito TV, who have confirmed that:
'Lamine has been in Madrid since Monday for advertising commitments.'
💼 "LAMINE está en MADRID desde este LUNES por temas PUBLICITARIOS".‼️ @10JoseAlvarez explica la ausencia de Yamal en la cena de celebración del Barça.📺 #ChiringuitoBarcelona 📺 pic.twitter.com/dlcY0UHWwh
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) May 20, 2025
Conor Laird – GSFN

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Thierno Barry Villarreal transfer stance shared as Everton set for £34m talks - 'We want the player'
Thierno Barry Villarreal transfer stance shared as Everton set for £34m talks - 'We want the player'

Yahoo

time42 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Thierno Barry Villarreal transfer stance shared as Everton set for £34m talks - 'We want the player'

Villarreal appear open to negotiations over Everton target Thierno Barry but club chiefs believe they are operating from a position of strength. The France Under-21s forward is of interest to David Moyes this summer. He has a release clause of around £34m but the Blues are understood to be exploring whether the Spanish club is open to a lower fee. Advertisement According to comments made by the side's sporting director, Fernando Roig Nogueroles, they may be willing to countenance a compromise, particularly if Barry were to push for the move. But, he insisted: 'We want the player, and if he were to leave, it would have to be, if not for the release clause, something very close to it. If not, he won't leave." READ MORE: Everton sent encouraging message after luring key figure from Manchester United READ MORE: Hill Dickinson Stadium set for dramatic changes with Everton working to key date at new home On the future of the 22-year-old, Nogueroles said amid the interest from Everton: "In the end, it seems there's a shortage of forwards, and now we've been selling our centre forward for two years, and now it seems there's interest. Advertisement 'But at the moment, we have no proof of that, and we're counting on Barry for next season.' Barry struck 11 times in La Liga and provided four assists in his debut campaign in eastern Spain. He secured a move from Swiss side FC Basel 12 months ago - a deal Nogueroles acknowledged was a 'gamble' at the time. Moyes wants to revamp his attacking options amid a major summer rebuild ahead of the move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium. With Dominic Calvert-Lewin leaving and questions over the lack of senior minutes experienced by Youssef Chermiti, interest has grown in Barry. Should the club wish to bid for the forward then the pathway appears to be opening up . The new football financial year will start on Tuesday, a key landmark in Everton's progress away from regulatory problems. Barry's involvement in the U21s Euros culminated with France's semi-final exit at the end of the last week, removing another potential hurdle. Advertisement With his club boss Marcelino having publicly acknowledged he may lose his forward this summer, Nogueroles' comments to Radio Vila-Real, in an interview covered by the website Futbol Fantasy (H/T Sport Witness), suggest the side would not reject approaches out of hand. On the interest of clubs in several of his key players, he said: 'You should never be closed off, and you should always listen. It's another matter if an agreement isn't reached, or if the negotiations aren't enough, and no matter how much a player's will is, sometimes you have to say no. But hey, you always have to listen, and you always have to negotiate.' Reports have claimed Barry is interested in a move to the Premier League and should he express a desire to leave, that would influence Villarreal's position, Nogueroles said. But, he added, that does not mean he would become available at a cut price. He said: 'These aren't real estate deals. What you're selling here is a person with a strong will. When it comes to defending the club's interests, you have to listen to their will, always listen. You don't always reach an agreement, and sometimes you have to say no, but you always have to listen and negotiate. "Yes, the player's will is very important when it comes to any type of transfer, but, well, we're relaxed. We want the player, and if he were to leave, it would have to be, if not for the release clause, something very close to it. If not, he won't leave."

Adrian Quesada steps into his star power in new LP ‘Boleros Psicodélicos II'
Adrian Quesada steps into his star power in new LP ‘Boleros Psicodélicos II'

Los Angeles Times

timean hour ago

  • Los Angeles Times

Adrian Quesada steps into his star power in new LP ‘Boleros Psicodélicos II'

Speaking with musician and producer Adrian Quesada elicits a calming effect, as if a salve has been applied to the people conversing with him. His voice moves and bounces with intrigue and interest, but never catapults itself upward in decibels. The soothing and entrancing qualities of his disposition mirror that of his latest album, 'Boleros Psicodélicos II,' a 12-track sonic field trip through Quesada's Latin American influences — and a testament to teamwork — that dropped on Friday. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the mellow Austin-based musician prefers to kick it in the background, fancying himself more of an Izzy Stradlin than a Slash — despite having his name splashed across his imminent record. 'I always consider myself more of a producer than an artist. Being a solo artist is a very recent thing for me,' Quesada told The Times on a recent sunny day by Echo Park Lake. 'It's really raw and kind of a weird thing for me because it's not my style to be in the forefront. I just like to make the music. I try to move in silence.' He managed to maneuver the music industry by flying under the radar up until a few years ago by playing in large ensembles. His former band, Grupo Fantasma, had 10 members; his mid-2000s Latin-funk group Brownout was also a dectet; and his Grammy-winning group, Black Pumas, had seven (sometimes eight) members. While he obscured himself physically, his musicianship and production skill always stood out. Grupo Fantasma's 'El Existential' won a Grammy for Latin rock or alternative album in 2011. Black Pumas were nominated in the new artist category in 2020, then received three more Grammy nods in 2021 — which included record of the year for the track 'Colors' and album of the year for the group's eponymous album. Black Pumas also nabbed two Grammy nominations in 2022 and another one in 2024. Quesada embarked on his journey as a solo artist with 'Boleros Psicodélicos' — the spiritual precursor to his latest album. It featured covers of boleros from across Latin America, as well as original material, with Quesada enlisting artists such as iLe from Calle 13, Mireya Ramos and Gaby Moreno to lend their voices to the project. The Times called that 2022 album a 'tropical mystery-thriller of a record,' imbued with a 'crispy, 1960s psych-rock feel [that] ... sets the scene for Latin indie's best and brightest vocalists to truly sparkle.' 'Boleros II' finds Quesada as aurally slick as ever as he tackles the oft-covered romantic Spanish standard 'Cuatro Vidas,' plus Los Pasteles Verdes' 'Hoy Que Llueve' and brand-new tracks — all while integrating his signature three-over-two rhythms. Born and raised in the border town of Laredo, Texas, Quesada always felt he was 'at the crossroads of a crossroad.' 'It's not quite Mexico, but it's not quite Texas and it's not quite the Rio Grande Valley,' Quesada said. 'Laredo is completely bilingual, everybody just speaks Spanglish. I didn't have a distinction between English and Spanish and it was a couple of different cultures together. Now with music, people seem really caught up on genres — this is in Spanish and this is in English. And none of that really fazes me.' Like most American kids of the '80s and '90s, Quesada's biggest source of musical consumption came from binge-watching MTV, with a sprinkling of recommendations from friends. 'I was home a lot by myself and I would just watch MTV, so I used to watch all the shows: 'Yo! MTV Raps,' 'Headbangers Ball,' 'Alternative Nation' and '120 Minutes,'' he said. 'That was where I was discovering stuff. And then friends had an older cousin who used to make me cool tapes, and other friends would pass around hip-hop tapes.' Quesada says he finally became curious about what a music producer does after listening to N.W.A in his teen years. He recalls sitting in front of his Casio keyboard with its pre-programmed drum machine and trying to dissect the intricacies of what producer Dr. Dre was able to craft. Revealing the arbitrary nature of self-imposed borders — of both countries and genres — is one of Quesada's artistic goals, opting to build bridges and not walls. 'There's a thing called the narcissism of small differences, which means we can't get over our differences that we have with other people that are so minuscule, we have to differentiate ourselves,' Quesada said. 'And I'm starting to finally feel a responsibility for showing people nothing is that different. Latin rhythms are not that different from soul rhythms, or funk rhythms, or rock 'n' roll. That's probably the biggest [impact] my upbringing has on me.' Despite his deeply Texas roots and sensibilities, Quesada's 'Boleros II' and his recent life experiences have been immensely L.A.-coded. Quesada was nominated for original song at this year's 97th annual Academy Awards, for writing the track 'Like A Bird' with Abraham Alexander, as featured in the Colman Domingo-led film 'Sing Sing.' 'I had fun with that. I was catching key things in the movie, seeing what they did visually, and what I could do musically on the song,' he said of working on the piece. That process led to him spending more time in L.A. than anticipated. 'The Oscars kind of flipped my world upside down,' he said. 'I had to be here a lot between the nomination being announced and Oscars night. That was the first three months of the year.' Carrying the L.A. momentum from the Academy Awards to 'Boleros II' is the notable presence of Angelenos on the album, including Hawthorne's perpetual sadboi Cuco, El Monte native Angélica Garcia and Carson soul singer Trish Toledo. (L.A. producer Alex Goose may not be Latino, but his intrepid hip-hop production chops blend seamlessly with Quesada's eclectic sensibilities.) 'L.A.'s such a predominant Latino town,' said Quesada. 'All the references I was showing Angelica, Trish and Cuco, they were very familiar with all that stuff. It came really natural to them. So I do think there's something with L.A. where they get it culturally here. I leaned on a lot of L.A. artists.' Quesada is currently touring as part of Trio Asesino, in support of Hermanos Gutiérrez on their U.S. tour. Quesada will perform songs from 'Boleros II' at L.A.'s Grand Park on Aug. 2, as part of a free summer concert series by Grand Performances. (Editor's note: De Los will be a co-presenter of Quesada's performance.) ''Sing Sing' was about rehabilitation through the arts and how it can change people's lives, not just reaching people as a fan, but also reaching more kids who can take up art,' Quesada said of the mission of the Grand Performances series. 'I believe in the power of art. Everything from a song inspiring a whole movement to a song just making you smile for the day, that's the power of music.'

Who are the Illuminati?
Who are the Illuminati?

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Who are the Illuminati?

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Faith in a secret society known as the Illuminati is one of the longest-running and most widespread conspiracy theories of our time. It has become a "byword for a corrupt elite" influencing the world, said indy100, and supposedly boasts Beyoncé, Madonna, Jay-Z and Donald Trump among its members. The name is "so powerful that it has begun to rule TikTok", becoming last year's "most talked-about counter-mainstream idea". It can be "pretty compelling" to believe the story that the "establishment is ruled by a corrupt elite and that we are but innocent pawns in their sinister game". But "that's all it is, a story". And it is one that the "stars themselves have shrugged off or even mischievously fuelled". While most of the rumours surrounding the Illuminati and its members are fiction, the group was at one time real – though its influence was not nearly as vast and enduring as modern conspiracists claim. The idea of an "illuminati", meaning "enlightened" or "illuminated", has been around since the 15th century, said author and academic Chris Fleming. Early groups included the Spanish Alumbrados (the "illuminated"), who believed people could "attain direct communion with God" and so could gain spiritual enlightenment without the need for traditional worship or the sacrament. Alleged sympathisers were said to include St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, who was questioned by the Inquisition in 1527 over possible links. It was more than two centuries later that the illuminati as people understand it today began. In 1776, Adam Weishaupt, a professor of natural and canon law at the University of Ingolstadt, Bavaria, and a former Jesuit, founded a secret society that came to be called the Orden der Illuminati – the "Order of the Illuminati". To the outside world, Weishaupt appeared a "respectable professor", said National Geographic, but he had always had a "restless" mind. He was educated at Jesuit school and was an "avid" reader at home, "consuming" the latest books by French Enlightenment philosophers. Like many at the time, Weishaupt came to believe "the monarchy and the church were repressing freedom of thought", and that religious ideas were "no longer an adequate belief system to govern modern societies". He wanted to find "another form of 'illumination', a set of ideas and practices that could be applied to radically change the way European states were run". At first, he thought about joining the Freemasons, which was expanding across Europe, but became disillusioned. Instead, he decided to found his own society, "handpicking" five of his "most talented" students to become members, said the BBC. The original name was Bund der Perfektibilisten, or the "Covenant of Perfectibility", before he changed it to the Order of the Illuminati (literally the "Illuminated Ones"), to reflect the enlightened ideals of its educated members. The group's first meeting was in a forest in Ingolstodt, where they established the rules of the order. Rituals included the use of aliases for anonymity and the adoption of symbols, including their insignia: the Owl of Minerva, symbolising wisdom, sitting on top of a book. They also had three levels for members: novices, minervals and illuminated minervals, in reference to the Roman goddess of wisdom Minerva, "reflecting the order's aim to spread true knowledge, or illumination, about how society, and the state, might be reshaped", said National Geographic. From just a handful of members in 1776, the order quickly grew, numbering between 2,000 and 3,000 members by 1784, with lodges in Italy, France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Switzerland. Members included doctors, lawyers and intellectuals, with notable names said to include the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, although this is disputed. But the society didn't last long. In 1785, Karl Theodor, Duke of Bavaria, outlawed secret groups, including the Illuminati. Two years later, the Duke declared an edict with harsher punishments for members, including the death penalty. From 1785 onwards, the "historical record contains no further activities of Weishaupt's Illuminati", said Britannica. Yet, the order has continued to figure "prominently in conspiracy theories for centuries". Conspiracy theories about the Illuminati began almost from the moment they were forced to disband, with its enemies claiming the group wanted to overthrow monarchs and priests and transform society. In what was "perhaps the world's first conspiracy theory", said the BBC, in 1797 Jesuit priest Abbé Augustin Barruel wrote a four-part history of the French Revolution, which he attributed to the secret work of the Illuminati and Freemasons. Because of this Barruel is "generally regarded as one of history's most famous conspiracy theorists", according to The Conversation. Across the Atlantic, the order was the "bogeyman" of the fledgling US republic, said The Associated Press. George Washington himself wrote a letter saying that "no one" was more "truly satisfied" than him that the threat of the Illuminati had been avoided. Third president Thomas Jefferson was also accused of being a member. While the conspiracy theory has partly survived due to its links to the mythology of the founding fathers in America, it was the Russian Revolution that led to the Illuminati being the 'monster' theory it became, illuminati expert Michael Taylor told the BBC. The Russian empire and monarchy were replaced by their "polar opposite" and like the French Revolution, it was an "equally traumatic, dramatic event". Since then, the idea of a "world-dominating" secret society has "never really left people's minds", said History Extra. However, today's idea of the Illuminati is far removed from its Bavarian origins, author and broadcaster David Bramwell told BBC Future. The "totally unsubstantiated" modern image of the group mostly comes from the "era of counter-culture mania, LSD and interest in Eastern philosophy" that dominated the mid-1960s. "It all began somewhere amid the Summer of Love and the hippie phenomenon, when a small, printed text emerged: 'Principia Discordia'." "Principia Discordia" preached a form of anarchism and promoted civil disobedience ranging from practical jokes to hoaxes. It was, said the BBC, a "parody text for a parody faith" called "Discordianism". Some of the main proponents of this new ideology were writers Robert Anton Wilson and Kerry Thornley, who wanted to bring chaos back into society by spreading "misinformation through all portals – through counter-culture, through the mainstream media", Bramwell said. Wilson and Thornley then turned their theories into a book, "The Illuminatus! Trilogy", which became a "surprise cult success". It was even transformed into a play, "launching the careers of British actors Bill Nighy and Jim Broadbent". But it was the arrival of the internet that truly turned the idea of a global elite conspiring to rule the world from a niche belief to a global conspiracy theory – making it "the least secret secret society in the universe", wrote philosopher Julian Baggini in The Guardian. If there is "one thing social media likes even more than conspiracy theories, it's Easter egg hunts: searching for hidden clues", said indy100. "The Illuminati has those in abundance, most notably the so-called 'Eye of Providence' – an eye set within a triangle, which happens to feature on the reverse of the American one-dollar bill". Other associated symbols include pentagrams, goats and the number 666. Conspiracy theorists often analyse public events for "evidence" of Illuminati influence. This has given birth to an entire cottage industry. The number of books available on the Illuminati is "staggering" said V13, running to the thousands. Some of them "assert the Illuminati are the progeny of lizard-like aliens; others maintain the Illuminati are part and parcel of a vast Jewish conspiracy; a few say the Illuminati no longer exist; and still others present their group as the true Illuminati and provide written manifestos and instructions on how to join." It is "basic human nature" to believe in secret groups such as the Illuminati, said Baggini in The Guardian. "We are constantly on the lookout for both patterns and agency", as both are essential for our survival. Politicians are not immune, either. In 2018, Canada's former defence chief Paul Hellyer told the Lazarus Effect podcast there was a "secret cabal that's actually running the world". Four years later, then US president Joe Biden unwittingly fanned the conspiracy theory flames when he referred to a coming "new world order" during a speech. "He was referring to the shifting sands of geopolitical relations in response to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine", said The Independent. However, for conspiracy theorists, such comments are seen as further evidence that there is a "puppet-master overlord, hell-bent on global domination and busy manipulating international events to achieve his villainous ends". Illuminati believers also tout theories about the "New World Order", "a shadowy elite force" which, they claim, wants to bring about a "totalitarian world government", said the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) think tank. This "grand ongoing conspiracy" to exert control over the media, civil society and democracy is often blamed for global events and disasters. Supporters of the New World Order theory believe "even the powerful US government is now just a puppet government", overshadowed and overpowered by the Order, said Modern Diplomacy. The New World Order is "not so much a single plot as a way of reading history", said New York Magazine. "Suspicions surrounding a shadow Establishment" can be traced all the way back to the rise of Freemasonry in the 1700s, but it was "the past century's global wars, political realignments, and media innovations that gave new purchase to this age-old paranoia". The New World Order theory has resonated with right-wing extremist and militia groups – some claim that increased gun control in the US is proof that the Order is forcing the government to restrict individual freedoms, said the ISD. With its "language around elites", the theory is often mixed with antisemitic tropes, reinforcing the "narrative of Jewish people controlling global agendas". Not long after Barruel's history of the French revolution was published, he was "sent a letter by a man called Jean Baptiste Simonini, who alleged that Jews were also part of the conspiracy. "This letter – the original of which has never been found – continues to shape antisemitic conspiracy thinking to this day," said history professor Claus Oberhauser on The Conversation. The belief that the Illuminati had "infiltrated the ranks of European Jewish bankers in the nineteenth century" fed into the creation of the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", the "transcript" of an invented meeting of Jewish leaders plotting world domination published in Russian in 1903, said the UCL historian Michael Berkowitz. This hoax document in turn led to the idea that "bankers/Jews/Illuminati were behind the Bolshevik Revolution – as well as the creation of the Federal Reserve system in the US". These conspiracy theories became particularly prevalent in the interwar years, said the American Jewish Committee, when "fascist propaganda claimed the Illuminati were a subversive element which served Jewish elites who were behind global capitalism and Soviet communism and were plotting to create a New World Order". Numerous pop-culture icons have been accused of having links to the Illuminati over the years, including Madonna, Kim Kardashian and LeBron James. Beyoncé was accused of being a member after making a diamond shape – a so-called Illuminati sign – with her hands during her performance at the 2013 Super Bowl. Her husband Jay-Z is also said to be part of the order and allegedly hides its symbols in his videos. Even Taylor Swift's love for the number 13 is seen as proof that she is a member. Some musicians seem to enjoy deliberately playing with symbols connected to secret societies. For instance, Rihanna has incorporated Illuminati images into her music videos and even jokes about the theories in the video for "S&M". It featured a montage of fake newspaper headlines, with one declaring her "Princess of the Illuminati". David Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger, Jacob Rothschild and Queen Elizabeth II were all rumoured to be members. Katy Perry once told Rolling Stone the theory was the preserve of "weird people on the internet", but said she was flattered to be named among supposed members: "I guess you've kind of made it when they think you're in the Illuminati!"

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store