Trump attends 'Les Misérables' as anti-ICE protests continue across country
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Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Kilmarnock sisters will share the stage at The King's Theatre new production Shrek the Musical
For Niamh and Freya Lee, October will mark not just another show, but a shared milestone in their young careers Kilmarnock sisters are set to share the stage for the very first time in a major musical production this October. A 10-year-old Niamh Lee and 16-year-old Freya Lee have been double cast in Shrek the Musical at The King's Theatre in Glasgow, as Young and Teen Fiona. For Niamh, this year has delivered three remarkable stage triumphs, all on the historic stage of the King's Theatre. In January, she captivated audiences and critics alike in the title role of Annie, earning standing ovations and glowing industry and press coverage. By April, she had swapped the plucky optimism of America's favourite orphan for the poignancy and purity of Little Cosette in the UK amateur premiere of Les Misérables. Her performance was hailed as "breathtaking" by audiences and industry watchers alike and even caught the attention of London-based talent agents. Now, Niamh is set to return to the King's Theatre once again in October, stepping into the emerald world of Shrek the Musical as Young Fiona. In an extraordinary twist, she will share the stage with her older sister Freya, who has been cast as Teen Fiona in the production by Pantheon Theatre Company. Niamh said: "Young Fiona is such a fun character to play, she's full of energy and dreams, and I can't wait to bring that to life on stage. I feel really lucky to have been given this opportunity. "It's amazing to be playing Young Fiona, and to be doing it alongside my sister makes it even more special. "We've grown up watching each other perform, so to be in the same show, and playing the same character, is amazing. Freya has been helping me, and I've been encouraging her too. It's really nice to share the experience and the excitement with someone who knows exactly how it feels. "I'm really grateful to Pantheon for this opportunity and I can't wait to work again with some of the fantastic directors and producers I've had the chance to perform with before. The cast is full of incredibly talented people. I think audiences are going to love it." Freya, who will be balancing rehearsals with starting her fifth year at the prestigious Dance School of Scotland's Musical Theatre course, added: "The training I've received at the Dance School has been incredible, the teachers really push you to be your best and give you the skills to succeed on stage. "Being cast as Teen Fiona is such an exciting challenge, and getting to share the experience with my little sister is just the icing on the cake. "We've never performed together in a show like this before, so to both be playing Fiona at different ages is special." Theatre Company is promising a production packed with energy, colour, and show-stopping performances. The show will take place from Tuesday, October 7 until Saturday, October 11 and will bring all the beloved characters from the Oscar-winning smash hit film to life on stage. Freya shared: "I really hope people leave feeling uplifted and happy. Shrek is such a feel-good show with a brilliant message about being yourself and accepting others for who they are. There's a lot of humour, great songs, and some really touching moments too. If people go home humming the tunes and feeling a bit more joyful than when they came in, then we've done our job! "Seeing all the different elements, the music, the choreography, the costumes, start to click into place is great. "I like the scenes where the different versions of Fiona are on stage together, Young, Teen, and Adult Fiona. It's a clever way to show her journey, and also one of the moments that makes me smile the most because I get to share it with Niamh." Niamh added: "I love getting to know the cast and seeing how talented everyone is. Every rehearsal feels like so much fun. Marina Kelman who plays Princess Fiona was previously the star of Evita and her voice is just incredible. I love working with her, she is so talented and looks after us all. So many of the cast are so funny, and David our Producer always makes it so enjoyable." Ticket demand for Shrek the Musical has been phenomenal, with the Saturday matinee performance already sold out well ahead of opening night.
Spectator
an hour ago
- Spectator
Putin hasn't made any real concessions yet
After the jaw-dropping spectacle of the Putin-Trump summit in Alaska, there was another full day of theatre on Monday as Trump hosted European leaders and President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. Yet the results of this three-day diplomatic pageant are embarrassingly modest. One of Trump's trumpeted achievements is Russia's alleged agreement to western security guarantees for Ukraine. It was President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff who first announced this breakthrough, with some fanfare, in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper. 'We sort of were able to… get an agreement,' Witkoff said, 'that the United States could offer Article 5 protection [for Ukraine], which was the first time we had ever heard… the Russians agree to that.' The word 'sort of' does a lot of heavy lifting here because Russia's unprecedented concession is not a concession at all, or certainly not Russia's concession. It is the United States that, ignoring Zelensky's pleas, has refused to provide tangible security guarantees to Ukraine for fear that doing so could lead to a direct conflict with Russia. But, ever the salesman, Trump has managed to sell a US concession to Ukraine as Russia's major concession and an indication that Putin is willing to talk peace. As for Putin, it remains to be seen what he has actually agreed to. During his joint press conference with Trump, the Russian President referred vaguely to the importance of assuring Ukraine's security. 'Of course, we are willing to work on this,' he offered. But it is important to remember that already in the spring of 2022, during the ill-fated talks in Istanbul, the Russians provisionally agreed to a security mechanism for Ukraine that would involve the United States and other western powers. However, Putin made it clear then that he expected to have the right to veto any collective action to help Ukraine. It is unclear whether this expectation was brought up during his brief interaction with Trump in Anchorage. Thus constrained, any US security guarantee would not be worth the paper it's written on. The other major uncertainty pertains to Russia's willingness (or not) to permit Western contingents in Ukraine as part of a peace settlement. Moscow has repeatedly rejected the idea of troops on the ground in Ukraine if these troops are from Nato member states. The latest rebuttal came even as Trump was meeting European leaders in Washington in the form of a scornful comment by the eccentric spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova who criticised Great Britain – which, along with France, has been one of the leaders of the so called 'coalition of the willing' and has broached the subject of sending contingents to Ukraine – for 'risky and ill-thought-through geopolitical gambits' and for trying to 'obstruct the careful work of the Russian and American negotiators.' Helping Maria Zakharova's case, President Trump has not been very forthcoming with concrete details of US participation. His message – as he put it in a joint press conference with President Zelensky – is that Europe would be 'the first line of defence… but we're gonna help them out also.' What that 'help' may amount to remains to be seen. For now, at least, Trump's security promise sounds rather hollow. So, the big question – what kind of security guarantees Russia has agreed to, and what kind of security guarantees the United States might be willing to offer – remains completely obscure. In the absence of a breakthrough on this important question, Trump's diplomacy is little more than a fireworks show: it offers a momentary distraction from the gruelling reality of war. Trump has now kicked the ball back over to the Russians and the Ukrainians. He expects Putin and Zelensky to meet in person and just work it out among themselves. In a middle-of-the-night phone call with Trump, Putin promised – per Russian readout – to 'consider the possibility of raising the level of representatives of Ukrainian and Russian sides… participating in direct negotiations.' In the meantime, Russian forces continued pummelling targets across Ukraine. Putin has offered no concrete evidence that he is willing to make a deal on terms that would fall short of Ukraine's capitulation. 'If there aren't concessions, if one side gets everything they want, that's called surrender,' Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on August 17, shortly after Alaska. But he has failed to show what concessions Putin has made. By all indications, Putin has promised nothing in the way of substance, yet just enough for Trump to drop all talk of 'severe consequences' for Russia if he continued to drag his feet. Shortly before his meeting with European leaders, Trump was caught in hot mic moment: 'I think he wants to make a deal for me,' he said. 'Do you understand? As crazy as it sounds.' Trump may be crazy to believe Putin's good intentions, but he has had us all glued to TV screens in the hope that somehow, against all evidence to the contrary, he will in the end pull a rabbit out of the hat and finally deliver peace. There has been nothing in the hat so far.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Switzerland moves to strengthen its competitiveness after US tariffs
ZURICH, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Switzerland is intensifying efforts to strengthen its attractiveness as a business location, its government said on Wednesday, after being hit with some of the highest U.S. tariffs worldwide. Efforts will focus on regulatory relief for Swiss companies, and new rules incurring high costs for businesses could be pushed back, the government said in a statement. U.S. President Donald Trump this month imposed U.S. import tariffs of 39% on Swiss goods, though pharmaceuticals and some other sectors have so far been spared the duties. "(The government) wants to decisively press ahead with its economic policy agenda and is focusing on reducing the regulatory burden on companies," the government said. Geographical diversification and Swiss companies' access to alternative international markets should also be strengthened, the statement said. The new U.S. levies currently affect around 10% of Swiss goods exports, and could have potentially severe consequences for some companies, the government said. Switzerland does not anticipate a recession akin to the global financial crisis or the pandemic, it added.
