Latest news with #EasternEuropean
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
The Pillowman review: Martin McDonagh's dark tale gives plenty to ponder
The Pillowman, Gate Theatre, Dublin, ★★★☆☆ It's been a sunny time in Dublin, but things have taken a dark turn at the Gate Theatre in the shape of this Martin McDonagh revival. Audiences used to McDonagh's usual mix of stage-Irish sendup and black comedy will recognise the outrageous irreverence, certainly, but here, the world is more Kafkasque than sub-Synge. Not a Gothic west of Ireland, then, but a totalitarian, vaguely Eastern European police state, even if the accents remain mostly Northern Irish. And if you want thigh-slappers about infanticide, this is the place to be this summer. It all unspools from an interrogation room, in which we find Katurian Katurian (Fra Fee, who brings charisma to a role that can feel like the author's mouthpiece). He's a writer of tales of child murder and maiming, and some of those bearing a striking similarity to some recent real-life child killings. His damaged, intellectually challenged brother, Michael, (called 'retarded' here, of course, in McDonagh's usual non-PC way) can be occasionally heard screaming in another room as he's being tortured. Or is he? A couple of twists and turns reunite Katurian with Michael, played with a blithe innocence by Ryan Dylan, who, it seems may indeed have taken the stories a tad too literally. Julian Moore-Cook, Fra Fee and Aidan McArdle in The Pillowman. Picture: Ros Kavanagh The play is always engrossing, due in large part to the compendium of grimmer-than-Grimm fairy tales throughout. Some of these are mimed out stylishly in Sinead McKenna's design, thanks to a raised stage-within-stage. Lit up, it fills with silent adults and the child victims of their ghastly intent. Director Lyndsey Turner keeps the multiple narratives under tight control, but is not too interested in emphasising the plot's main McGuffin: a race against time to save a child who may or may not be alive. Adam McArdle and Julian Moore-Cook do well as the two cops, Tupolski and Ariel. Ultimately, The Pillowman is a little too self-aggrandising about the writer and his art, and its totalitarian world feels too piecemeal and derivative to truly startle and terrify. But there's a lot more to the play than just that. It gives much to mull about stories, narratives, who controls them, who gets to write them, and why they come to be written in the first place. Plenty to ponder, too, about reactionary politics, censorship and the policing of art: things which hardly need a bright, flashing arrow to point towards the contemporary resonances. Until September 7
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump says he's ‘disappointed' in Putin, but ‘not done with him'
President Trump said he is 'disappointed' in Russian President Vladimir Putin after threatening Moscow with sanctions over its war with Ukraine, but added that he is not 'done with him.' 'I'm disappointed in him, but I'm not done with him. But I'm disappointed in him,' Trump said in an interview with the BBC that was published Tuesday morning. Trump's comments came after the president announced he forged a deal with NATO to send more weapons, including Patriot missile systems, to Ukraine, while also warning of 'severe' tariffs on Russia's trading partners if a ceasefire deal is not reached within 50 days. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Trump's remarks are 'very serious.' 'Some of them are addressed personally to President Putin,' Peskov said. 'We certainly need time to analyze what was said in Washington. And if and when President Putin deems it necessary, he will definitely comment.' When asked by the BBC if he trusts Putin, Trump said: 'I trust almost no one.' Under the new agreement, weapons for Ukraine would be sourced from NATO allies in Europe, nations that have recently pledged during the alliance's summit to invest more in defense spending. Trump has in recent weeks ratcheted up his rhetoric against Putin, saying the Russian leader has not been making progress on getting to a ceasefire in the Eastern European war that has lasted for over three years. 'I always hang up and say, 'Well that was a nice phone call,' and then missiles launch into Kyiv or some other city,' Trump said Monday during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. 'That happens three or four times, you realize the talk doesn't mean anything.' Trump offered similar insight during his phone call with the BBC. 'We'll have a great conversation. I'll say, 'That's good, I'll think we're close to getting it done,' and then he'll knock down a building in Kyiv,' the president told the news outlet. Russia has continued its military strikes in Ukraine in recent weeks, firing record-breaking drone attacks on various cities, including the capital Kyiv, earlier this month. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Russia blows off latest Trump threat
Russian leaders responded flippantly Tuesday to the Trump administration's threat of 'severe' tariffs if Moscow doesn't quickly come to a peace agreement with Ukraine. 'Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences,' Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, wrote in a post on the social platform X. 'Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care,' Medvedev, who also previously served as president and prime minister of Russia, added. President Trump has upped his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent days, saying Monday he was 'very unhappy' with the leader's continued onslaught in Kyiv. Trump has sought to pressure Russia to come back to the negotiating table through the threat of potential sanctions — including a 100 percent tariff on countries that trade with Moscow — and by arming Ukraine. 'We're very, very unhappy with [Russia], and we're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in about 50 days,' the president said during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House. 'I will tell you that Ukraine wants to do something,' Trump said later, arguing the Eastern European conflict has been one of the few he has not been able to help settle. 'It's all talk, and then missiles go into Kyiv and kill 60 people,' he continued. 'It's got to stop. It's got to stop.' Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) took a victory lap Monday after Trump threatened tougher sanctions on Russia. The duo cosponsored legislation earlier this year to impose 'primary' and 'secondary' penalties on Moscow if it does not agree to long-lasting peace. Investors, however, have also largely brushed off the ultimatum. The Moscow Stock Exchange grew by 2.7 percent as of Tuesday morning, signaling a lack of concern that Trump will follow through on his threat. The nations likely to be hit hardest by an increase in tariffs are China, Brazil and India, which rely heavily on Russian oil. Graham lauded Trump's moves as the administration's commitment to defund Putin's 'war machine.' 'If you keep buying cheap Russian oil and gas to fund Putin's war machine, President Trump is going to put a 100 percent tariff on all of your products coming in the United States if you don't change your behavior,' the South Carolina senator said during a Monday appearance on Fox News. 'And I'm going to make a prediction, they will,' he added. 'They're going to go to Putin and say, enough, get to the table.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
a day ago
- Business
- The Hill
Russia blows off latest Trump threat
Russian leaders responded flippantly Tuesday to the Trump administration's threat of 'severe' tariffs if Moscow doesn't quickly come to a peace agreement with Ukraine. 'Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences,' Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, wrote in a post on social platform X. 'Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care,' Medvedev, who also previously served as president and prime minister of Russia, added. President Trump has upped his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent days, saying Monday that he was 'very unhappy' with the leader's continued onslaught in Kyiv. Trump has sought to pressure Russia to come back to the negotiating table through the threat of potential sanctions — including a 100 percent tariff on countries that trade with Moscow — and by arming Ukraine. 'We're very, very unhappy with [Russia], and we're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in about 50 days,' the president said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House. 'I will tell you that Ukraine wants to do something,' Trump said later, arguing that the Eastern European conflict has been one of the few he has not been able to help settle. 'It's all talk and then missiles go into Kyiv and kill 60 people,' he continued. 'It's got to stop. It's got to stop.' Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) took a victory lap Monday after Trump threatened tougher sanctions on Russia. The duo co-sponsored legislation earlier this year to impose 'primary' and 'secondary' penalties on Moscow if it does not agree to long lasting peace. Investors, however, have also largely brushed off the ultimatum. The Moscow Stock Exchange grew by 2.7 percent as of Tuesday morning, signaling a lack of concern that Trump will follow through on his threat. The nations likely to be hit hardest by an increase in tariffs are China, Brazil and India, which rely heavily on Russian oil. Graham lauded Trump's moves as the administration's commitment to defund Putin's 'war machine.' 'If you keep buying cheap Russian oil and gas to fund Putin's war machine, President Trump is going to put a 100 percent tariff on all of your products coming in the United States if you don't change your behavior,' the South Carolina senator said during a Monday appearance on Fox News. 'And I'm going to make a prediction, they will,' he added. 'They're going to go to Putin and say, enough, get to the table.'
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump says he's ‘disappointed' in Putin, but ‘not done with him'
President Trump said he is 'disappointed' in Russian President Vladimir Putin after threatening Moscow with sanctions over its war with Ukraine, but added that he is not 'done with him.' 'I'm disappointed in him, but I'm not done with him. But I'm disappointed in him,' Trump said in an interview with the BBC that was published Tuesday morning. Trump's comments came after the president announced he forged a deal with NATO to send more weapons, including Patriot missile systems, to Ukraine, while also warning of 'severe' tariffs on Russia's trading partners if a ceasefire deal is not reached within 50 days. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Trump's remarks are 'very serious.' 'Some of them are addressed personally to President Putin,' Peskov said. 'We certainly need time to analyse what was said in Washington. And if and when President Putin deems it necessary, he will definitely comment.' When asked by the BBC if he trusts Putin, Trump said: 'I trust almost no one.' Under the new agreement, weapons for Ukraine would be sourced from NATO allies in Europe, nations that have recently pledged during the alliance's summit to invest more in defense spending. Trump has in recent weeks ratcheted up his rhetoric against Putin, saying the Russian leader has not been making progress on getting to a ceasefire in the Eastern European war that has lasted for over three years. 'I always hang up and say …'Well that was a nice phone call,' and then missiles launch into Kyiv or some other city,' Trump said on Monday during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. 'That happens three or four times, you realize the talk doesn't mean anything.' Trump offered similar insight during his phone call with the BBC. 'We'll have a great conversation. I'll say: 'That's good, I'll think we're close to getting it done,' and then he'll knock down a building in Kyiv,' the president told the news outlet. Russia has continued its military strikes in Ukraine in recent weeks, firing record-breaking drone attacks on various cities, including the capital Kyiv, earlier this month.
