A Russian Soprano Charts a Return to the Top After Ukraine Backlash
Under the gold-embossed ceiling of the Berlin State Opera house, concert-goers sip champagne as ushers in black suits direct patrons to their seats. Two ladies in sequins confer over their programs; nearby, a man in a satin bow tie grins for a photo.
Outside, the scene is less genteel. On the boulevard in front of the opera house, around 30 protesters — many of them draped in Ukrainian flags — chant slogans decrying Russian propaganda and argue with arriving ticket-holders. One holds a sign that reads in English: 'Among dozens of world-class opera voices, you choose the voice of a Russian who supports Putin.' An ambulance from Ukraine, damaged by shrapnel, is parked nearby for the occasion.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bulgaria could break the euro. EU leaders will only have themselves to blame
Its inflation was in double digits only a couple of years ago. It has had seven elections over the last two years. Corruption is endemic and it has few major industries. Bulgaria is hardly anyone's idea of a stable economy. But, hey, never mind any of that. The European Central Bank (ECB) has had a great idea. Let's merge its currency with that of Germany, Belgium and France. What could possibly go wrong? Well, quite a lot, as it happens. As Greece showed 15 years ago, hustling a country into the eurozone before it is ready can bring the entire currency crashing down. The euro survived the Greek crisis, just about – but that doesn't mean it will necessarily survive Bulgaria. It certainly marks another major step forward for the euro. On Wednesday, both Brussels and the ECB confirmed that Bulgaria had finally met all the criteria for joining the euro. The formal decision is expected in July and the replacement of the lev will take place on Jan 1 next year. We can expect a ponderous speech from Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, about how the European family is expanding. There'll be some grand claims from Christine Lagarde,the ECB president (assuming she hasn't quit to run Davos instead by then) about how the euro is finally taking its place on the world stage. And there'll be some fireworks as well, as the old currency is quietly buried and the new notes and coins are introduced. Of course, on one level that will be a victory for the single currency. Bulgaria will be the 21st nation to adopt the euro, and the fact that new countries keep joining is certainly a sign of its strength, even if the really successful economies in central Europe, such as the rapidly growing Poland, show absolutely no interest in having anything to do with it. And initially it won't actually make a huge difference to the economy. The lev is already tied to the euro by a currency board, meaning it can neither appreciate or devalue. The trouble is, it is very hard to see how Bulgaria can be seen as part of a natural currency zone with Germany and France. One problem is that many of the electorate don't seem to want the euro very much. There was a rally in Sofia last weekend protesting against the decision, and the country's independent president Rumen Radev has already proposed a referendum on the issue, a demand criticised by the government as 'sabotage'. You might hope for a bit more of a settled consensus on an issue as important as adopting a new currency. Still, leaving aside that point, it is the fundamental economics that are more worrying. To start with, Bulgaria is one of the poorest countries in the EU, with a GDP per capita of $15,800 (£11,700) according to World Bank data, compared with $54,000 in Germany and $44,000 in France. It is not exactly a minor gap to put it mildly. It has continually missed its inflation targets, with the rate hitting 16pc as recently as 2022. And it has bitterly divided politics, with a bewildering succession of elections, having had eight prime ministers since 2020, if we include caretaker administrations. Even worse, it is not as if Bulgaria even has a great record of paying back its creditors. For much of the post-war period it was of course part of the Soviet bloc, but before that, it defaulted on its debts in 1915 and 1932. Admittedly, that is a better record than Greece, which has defaulted on its debts six times over the last couple of hundred years, but for much of the 19th century Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire which was hardly known for its financial stability either. Over any reasonable time frame, it does not look like a very good bet for bond investors. Likewise, the lev has been through four incarnations since Bulgaria became an independent country, with the latest re-denomination in 1999, when one new lev replaced 1,000 of the old ones. Again, it is not a currency that has been a great place to store your life savings. Fifteen years have now passed since the Greek financial crisis erupted, rocking the eurozone, which is probably long enough for most of its main lessons to have been forgotten. It had multiple causes, but the nub of it was this. Greece was hustled into the zone before it was ready and before its economy had merged with its more developed neighbours, encouraging its politicians to borrow recklessly in a currency that was as good as Germany's and running up debts that turned out not to be sustainable. Eventually, the whole house of cards came crashing down, threatening the stability of the banking system right across the continent. It triggered a cascading series of crises that caught up Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland from which it took years to recover and forced the ECB to launch a bailout that everyone had assumed was ruled out by the treaties. In reality, Bulgaria is Greece on roller skates. Sure, the zone managed to recover from the Greek crisis, and has put itself back on a firmer financial footing. But it was a long hard slog, a decade was lost, and Greece suffered the worst collapse in output of any developed nation since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The zone may get lucky and Bulgaria may integrate seamlessly into the wider European financial system. And yet the blunt truth is this. Admitting Bulgaria into the zone is a very big risk, and a decision that has been made on purely political grounds. It may well end up crashing the system all over again – and the leaders of the zone will only have themselves to blame. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'It's dangerous right now': Roughly 100 turn out to Spokane VA Medical Center to support VA workers, veterans amid planned cuts to federal agency
Jun. 6—Holding signs that read, "Hands off vets care" and "Impeach Trump, deport Elon," about 100 people stood Friday afternoon on the sidewalks outside Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center to rally against the planned elimination of more than 80,000 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The cuts are part of President Donald Trump's administration's efforts to reduce federal spending. "It's dangerous right now, the way everything's getting cut back or slashed completely," said Dianne Denenny, who worked as a nurse at the Spokane VA Medical Center for five years before retiring one year ago. "We will be seeing deaths from polio to lack of services at the VA. Some of it will be a matter of time before we see the true consequences, and everybody deserves to be taken care of. These men and women sacrificed a lot, and they deserve all the care we can give them." Besides supporting the VA and its workers, Denenny, who wore a black shirt that said, "V.A. Nurse" in red letters, held signs that supported education funding and opposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Denenny and the men and women beside her Friday along Assembly Street carried an array of signs and American flags. They received several honks from drivers during the afternoon commute home. The Spokane protesters were joined by rallies across the country that voiced their displeasure with the Trump administration's planned VA cuts. The cuts would slash employment by more than 17% at the federal agency. More than 25% of the VA workforce is made up of veterans. Friday also marked the 81st anniversary of the D-Day invasion, when Allied Forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, from the sea and parachuted into the countryside from the air. Kim Montoya and Petra Hoy coordinated the Spokane VA rally, called "Federal Friday — Hands off the VA — Defend the Constitution." Hoy, of the grassroots organization Be the Change 509 — East Side Gladiators, said they put on a rally for a different cause every Friday. She said they delivered cookies, treats and thank-you cards to VA workers before Friday's event to show them their appreciation. "I think they were really touched," Hoy said. "It was really nice." Montoya, a U.S. Army veteran, said she wanted to support veterans and federal workers and all the work they do for people across the nation. "We're supporting them and hopefully keeping our democracy intact," said Montoya, who held a "Honk for democracy" sign. Hoy said the Federal Friday events build "community" and friendships. "That's really important, too, I think, especially when things get tough," Hoy said. Jerry Smith, a U.S. Marine Corps and Army reserve veteran of 33 years, said he volunteered for eight years for Disabled American Veterans, an organization that helps veterans, by picking up veterans and bringing them to their appointments at the Spokane VA. Holding a sign supporting the hands-off-veterans' benefits theme, Smith called the VA cuts and other federal government cuts "ridiculous." "It's pretty damn sad to do that to America — to have (Elon Musk) come in and just, not an elected official, and start making cuts," said Smith, who wore a camouflage Army hat and camouflage shorts. "I mean, thousands of people are unemployed now because of him." Smith, who was joined by his wife, Susan Smith, said veterans need support. "They need their benefits," Jerry smith said, "they earned 'em,"
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
X post of Clarkson's Farm fans baffled over split-second 'weird editing mistake' in series 4 finale
Clarkson's Farm fans were left 'confused' over an apparent editing error in the series four screen, which had been showing a tractor slowly travelling across a field, suddenly flashed to a smiling woman holding a red briefcase, before cutting back to the were baffled by the 'weird' moment, wondering if it was 'symbolic' or an 'editing mistake'.
