Latest news with #Cumming
The Hill
4 days ago
- Health
- The Hill
Non-profit director in Gaza: ‘Children are literally starving'
Gaza humanitarian director for Save the Children Rachael Cumming said that the situation for people in Gaza is 'catastrophic,' emphasizing that children 'are literally starving.' 'The situation in Gaza is catastrophic for children and increasingly now for adults. There is no food available in the market. Children are literally starving,' she told Jonathan Karl during an interview on ABC's 'This Week.' She noted that her team is 'seeing an exponential line in the number of children attending our clinic,' adding that the number is expected to increase. 'The number of children who are malnourished, very concerningly, pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding are also malnourished,' she continued. Cumming said the clinic in Deir Al-Balah, located in the center of Gaza, 'was absolutely packed, and it was a scene I had never witnessed before.' 'I've been working in this sector for over 20 years in the whole of Africa, in various places around the world,' she said. 'And every child in the health center today was malnourished, but also every adult was extremely thin, gaunt-looking, exhausted. The situation is absolutely terrible here.' 'For months I've said, how can it get worse for children? It cannot get any worse for children, but apparently, yes, it can get worse for children,' she later added. Cumming noted that mothers went from 'eating less than three meals a day to two meals a day, to one meal a day.' 'Now, they're not having a meal a day,' she said. 'And this is very, very concerning. And this is at scale.' While she praised the recent aid airdrops in Gaza, which the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said included 'flour, sugar, and canned food,' she noted that the air drops need to be done 'in a controlled manner.' 'Airdrops are not in a controlled manner and one airdrop is equal to around one truck,' she said. 'So we need to bring in humanitarian supplies, supplies over land through the recognized routes. We need the U.N. system to be enabled to manage the distributions.' 'We welcome the fact that now the U.N. is allowed to bring in humanitarian supplies, including food, including medicines, including nutrition commodities, and including hygiene supplies,' she added. Her comments come amid Israel's 'tactical pause' in fighting in Gaza amid mass starvation concerns. While leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, say that Hamas is to blame because they stole food, reports from the Israeli military indicate that there is no proof that the Palestinian militant group had systematically stolen aid.
The National
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Alan Cumming hits out at Donald Trump over trans attacks
In his opening monologue while presenting the late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live, the star asked, "America, how are you doing?" to which the crowd cheered, but he added: "No really, how are you doing?". He went on to point towards recent policies by Trump, including his administration ordering federal agencies to ban transgender workers from single-sex facilities that match their gender identity by Friday and fire any employees working on 'gender ideology". The memo sent to agencies comes as part of an executive order from Trump declaring the government will recognise only male and female sexes, which 'are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.' READ MORE: Man arrested at pro-Palestine protest for holding sign breaks silence The president is due to visit Trump International Golf Links Aberdeen and Trump Turnberry in Ayrshire during his stay in Scotland this weekend, with Cumming also referred to Trump's relationship with Israel and his aggressive actions against immigrants, telling the audience he was an "immigrant from Scotland," to which the crowd cheered. He added: "Are you scared of me? I am taking an American's job right now." Later, Cumming said that "there are superheroes who walk among us and they are called trans people". 'Just like superheroes, trans people are born with something special and magical about them, and they often have to hide what's special and magical about them from other people. "Like superheroes, they grow up in a society that doesn't understand them, makes them the other, and often hits them. "Like superheroes, trans people just want the world to be a safer place and they believe we should protect each other and live our lives in peace. Like superheroes, evil billionaires want to get rid of trans people for no fucking reason whatsoever. 'And just like superheroes, trans people are not new. They've been around forever and they're not going anywhere, no matter how much this administration tries to make you fear them.' Wake up, America! He added: "There is no evidence trans people are a threat to women. There is, however, ample evidence that the president of the United States publicly brags about barging into beauty pageant dressing rooms and grabbing women by their pussies. Wake up, America!' 'Why on earth would a rapist go to the bother of pretending to be trans in a country that actually treats rapists better than trans people?' he asked. The actor went on to highlight that reports of anti-trans hate incidents have seen a clear increase over the past year. READ MORE: US military aircraft spotted over Aberdeen ahead of Donald Trump visit 'Another surprising statistic? Our sitting president is a million percent more likely to be on the Epstein list than any trans person,' Cumming said. 'So let's not pretend that we've got our eye on the ball when it comes to sexual violence, OK, America? And how dare this president make random, unfounded accusations of sexual criminality against trans people when he was literally ordered to pay $83 million to a woman who accused him of sexual assault.' He continued: 'It's the pot calling the kettle black after trying to grab its handle in the changing room of a T.J. Maxx.'
Otago Daily Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
All-rounder selected
Zac Cumming. Photo: supplied Zac Cumming turned 20 last week and he has been rewarded with another Otago Volts contract. Cumming, who has played two Plunket Shield games for the Volts, was yesterday announced as the 16th and final Otago men's cricketer to get a domestic contract for the 2025-26 season. The New Zealand under-19 all-rounder joins bother Jacob, newcomers Jack Boyle, Mason Clarke, Danru Ferns and Troy Johnson, and incumbents Matt Bacon, Max Chu, Luke Georgeson, Jake Gibson, Andrew Hazeldine, Llew Johnson, Ben Lockrose, Jarrod McKay, Thorn Parkes and Jamal Todd on the contracted list. Leading Otago players Jacob Duffy and Glenn Phillips are both on Black Caps contracts. — APL
The Herald Scotland
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Will Alan Cumming help Pitlochry become new culture capital?
A new contender suddenly emerged last September when Pitlochry Festival Theatre unveiled one of Scotland's best-known stage and screen stars as its new figurehead. Read more: Alan Cumming's appointment as artistic director was a breathtakingly bold move made at a time when the Scottish theatre world was very much in the doldrums. The combined impact of prolonged pandemic restrictions, more than a decade of standstill funding, soaring costs and Scottish Government cuts had driven many of Scottish theatre's most senior figures to the break of despair and out the door, in some cases. Pitlochry Festival Theatre wants to become 'a cultural beacon locally, nationally and internationally' by 2029. Last summer's Edinburgh festivals ended in acrimony over the sudden shutdown of a vital Scottish Government fund for artists, with actors protesting on stage at the targeting of the arts for cuts again. The actor's appointment weeks later offered more than a glimpse of an optimistic future ahead for the industry, which has finally been able to plan ahead for the first time in years in January when new Scottish Government funding was confirmed up to 2028. Sunshine on Leith has been among the biggest hits at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in recent years. Pitlochry arguably trumped the Edinburgh International Festival's undoubted coup in landing violinist Nicola Benedetti as both its first female director and first Scottish director. It certainly highlighted the level of ambition of Pitlochry's board and executive director, Kris Bryce, who launched a search for a 'truly visionary leader" last year. Nessie has been among the most recent productions staged at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. The key goal they set out in the artistic director's job description was to established the theatre as "a cultural beacon locally, nationally and internationally" by 2029. Pitlochry has a lot to thank Cumming's successor, Elizabeth Newman for. She 'planted the seed' that he could potentially take over the running of the theatre when he visited to film his railway travel show and left firm foundations for him to build on. Pitlochry Festival Theatre has been hosting productions since 1951. (Image: free) Newman's hugely successful tenure saw the theatre battle through the pandemic with imaginative programming and new partnerships forged with other venues, the opening of an outdoor amphitheatre and an indoor studio theatre, and the launch of acclaimed new versions of the musicals Sunshine on Leith, The Sound of Music and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. But what can audiences expect from the Cumming era? He immediately promised to 'bring the world's best theatre artists here and showcase the best of Scotland's thrilling theatrical legacy.' It will be intriguing to see how Cumming plans to deliver on the first pledge given the relatively tight budget he has to play with. Although the theatre's annual Scottish Government will have doubled by next year since Cumming was appointed, it will still only amount to £850,000 a year for what has become Scotland's leading venue for in-house theatre productions. However it seems almost certain that Cumming's star power will see his theatre attract more commercial backers than ever before. With Cumming extremely well connected after decades of working in Broadway and Hollywood, the possibilities of which stars and companies he may be able to lure to Pitlochry, and the potential spin-offs for the Perthshire town and Scottish tourism, are endless. Scotland's theatre actors, writers and directors will, of course, be intrigued to see how Cumming's second pledge is realised. He has already said he wants to 'counter' what he felt Pitlochry's theatre had stood for in the past, recalling how he was told 'not to bother' auditioning for shows there when he graduated from drama school in Glasgow, and suggesting it had traditionally favoured English actors instead of Scots. Cumming recently suggested he would look to revive 'some of the great plays that have been written in Scotland in recent decades, and often only had very short first runs.' He already has a long-standing working relationship with the National Theatre of Scotland, which will continue next year with the long-awaited reboot of the TV sitcom The High Life as a stage musical, which has seen him return to working with Victor and Barry sparring partner Forbes Masson. Although The High Life tour will not be visiting Pitlochry, Cumming has suggested he will be taking to its stage in at least one major show next year. It will be no surprise if his debut programme features a strong mix of well-known Scottish actors and home-grown talents. Pitlochry's theatre, which has attracted an audience in excess of 100,000 in recent years, boasts a fiercely loyal following, many of whom are drawn from around Perthshire and return to the venue at least once a year. Even without knowing what Cumming has up its sleeve, his arrival in Pitlochry seems certain to attract a much bigger audience from across Scotland, including many of have never previously set foot in the town.
The Herald Scotland
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Degree award for Alan Cumming in recognition of service to the arts
In his address to graduating students, Cumming said: 'You must never stop learning, you must never stop being curious. It's so important to stay open to the possibility of life and this was only the beginning of your education. This maybe have been your formal education, but learning never stops, so embrace it. Embrace curiousity.' Multiple award-winner Cumming, who presents the US version of hit TV show The Traitors, was recently appointed as Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre and will next year bring a musical version of his much-loved sitcom The High Life to theatres across Scotland. The actor, who attended with his husband Grant Shaffer, mum Mary Darling, and his Costa-Rican rescue dog Lala, is co-writing the the show with long-time friend and collaborator Forbes Masson, and playwright Johnny McKnight, who is also Reader in Creative Writing at the University. Earlier in the day the University honoured Professor Philip Rees with a Doctor of Science (DSc) for his contribution to research into migration and demography. Receiving his honorary degree, Professor Rees told students: "International, intergenerational, and interdisciplinary collaborations in university research and teaching are vital for producing innovative ideas and projects. St Andrews follows that mantra; appreciating that societies that think intelligently about the future, provide the best future for their members." "In your new jobs or roles, whether in academia or elsewhere, please remember what you learned here about the need for honesty, rigour, and proper citation in your work." Alan and Philip were joined by graduates from the School of Art History, School of Chemistry, School of Computer Science, and School of Mathematics and Statistics.
