Latest news with #HayFestival
Powys County Times
04-07-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
Young Welsh chef to compete at EuroSkills 2025 in Denmark
A young Welsh chef is set to represent the UK on the international stage. Gabi Wilson, a 20-year-old chef from Hay-on-Wye and a member of Team UK, will compete at EuroSkills Herning 2025 in Denmark following her success in national skills competitions. She said: "The apprenticeship helped me a lot because working in a professional kitchen is much different to being a college student. "My advice to anyone wishing to become a chef is to opt for an apprenticeship at a place where there are skilled professionals because you will always learn from the best. "It's a recipe for success. "Graduating was a proud moment for me because my mum and dad attended the ceremony and Cambrian Training staff were praising me." Ms Wilson recently completed her Apprenticeship in Professional Cookery through Cambrian Training Company and was the first winner of the Green Chef Challenge at the 2024 Welsh International Culinary Championships. She began working at Chapters in February and praised the support of head chef Mark McHugo and his team. Ms Wilson said: "It's going really well and I am learning a lot. "We have just finished Hay Festival which was super-busy for 10 days. "I want to learn a wide range of skills before possibly specialising in patisserie. "In the future, I would also like to do stages at different restaurants to learn from other chefs." To prepare for EuroSkills Herning 2025, she will receive support from Andrew Addis-Fuller and Craig Holly, Cambrian Training Company training officers, in fish preparation and butchery. She is also completing a City and Guilds Level 3 Patisserie qualification at NPTC Group of Colleges in Newtown. Ms Wilson, who lives in Rhayader, previously worked at Chartists 1770 at The Trewythen in Llanidloes before moving to Chapters after the former restaurant closed last year. More than 100 apprentices from across Wales attended the Cambrian Training Company graduation ceremony at the Royal Welsh Showground in Llanelwedd.
BBC News
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
What's Up Docs? Doctors' Notes: Smiling Special at Hay Festival
In this 'uncut' special episode, recorded before an audience at the Hay Festival in Wales, Chris and Xand discuss the anatomy of the smile, explore its evolutionary origins and examine some of the health claims about the power of the smile. Can a smile really give your brain the same reward as two thousand bars of chocolate? Will putting a pencil in your mouth make you feel happy? And how do you fake the perfect smile when realising you've failed to win a BAFTA for the eighth time?! Expect some science and some silliness and a dog that looks like a loaf of bread. Featuring Professor Ben Garrod from the University of East Anglia, Dr Magdalegna Rychlowska from Queen's University, Belfast, Sinead Rushe from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and jack the African street dog. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@ or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123. Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Professor Ben Garrod, Dr Magdalegna Rychlowska, Sinead Rushe Producer: Rami Tzabar Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree Editor: Kirsten Lass Assistant Producers: Maia Miller-Lewis and Grace Revil Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.
The Guardian
19-06-2025
- The Guardian
Letter: Duncan Campbell obituary
In 2010, Duncan Campbell wrote the obituary of my brother Martin Beales, a lawyer and crime writer. He took great care to capture Martin's detailed work on the case of Herbert Rowse Armstrong, executed as a murderer in the 1920s, in his book Dead Not Buried. When it was being debated at the Hay literary festival in 1995, Armstrong's daughter Margaret was able to assert that her father was vindicated, and that he was a victim of injustice and a 'hanging judge'. Duncan understood the importance of truth and justice to Martin, and was a tremendous support to the family.
Newsweek
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Mary Trump Makes 'Fundamental Danger' Prediction About What Uncle Will Do
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Mary Trump issued a prediction about the "fundamental danger" about the way President Donald Trump is approaching the conflict between Iran and Israel. Newsweek has reached out to the White House and Mary Trump for comment via email. Why It Matters The Iran-Israel conflict has continued to escalate after Israel launched strikes at Iran last week with the goal of diminishing its nuclear capabilities. Trump has mulled options about how, or whether, the U.S. should be involved in the conflict, though polls suggest a majority of Americans oppose the U.S. becoming directly involved. The president has urged people to evacuate the Iranian capital, Tehran, and has demanded Iran's unconditional surrender. On Tuesday, he met with his national security team after leaving the G7 summit early this week. Iran, however, has warned of "irreparable damage" if the U.S. joins Israel. What To Know Mary Trump, the president's estranged niece, addressed the conflict in a Substack post published on Wednesday, predicting a "fundamental danger" in how he handles the situation. She questioned Trump contradicting testimony from Tulsi Gabbard, his director of national intelligence, who told Congress in March that there was no indication Iran was building nuclear weapons. The president on Tuesday said he believes Iran was "very close to having it." She wrote that Gabbard is "not scrambling to make it seem as if she and Donald are on the same page." Gabbard, a former Democrat known for her anti-interventionist ideology, has not made public comments about whether she would support U.S. involvement in the war, or addressed Trump's comments that appeared to contradict her earlier testimony. Mary Trump questioned how the two are on the same page "if intelligence says one thing and Donald says the opposite thing." Mary Trump at the Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, on May 26, 2025. Mary Trump at the Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, on May 26, 2025."I find it deeply troubling that we even have to take such things into consideration, but one fundamental danger we face in this situation, is that the more we have to worry about this, pushback Donald gets, the more likely he is to double down on his threats," she wrote. "As often is the case, he may escalate his threats to wage war to make himself feel better and to make sure that everybody else looks wrong, even if they're not." The president has stood by Israel, but has not commented on if he plans for the U.S. to join the conflict. He has said Iran should have accepted a previous deal and reiterated that he believes the nation cannot have a nuclear weapon. Many conservatives who are usually closely aligned with the president have urged him to not bring the U.S. into the war, and some members of Congress have sought to reassert their authority to declare war. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and conservative pundit Tucker Carlson are among those who have said the U.S. should not become directly involved in the war as the party remains split on some foreign policy issues. What People Are Saying The White House wrote in a statement on Tuesday: "President Donald J. Trump has never wavered in his stance that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon—a pledge he has made repeatedly, both in office and on the campaign trail." Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded to the president: "We warn America of the consequences of engaging in war, because it will suffer severe damage if it decides to do so. War is met with war, bombing with bombing, and strike with strike." Political activist Charlie Kirk said: "There's a major schism in the MAGA online community. Our people do not want war. They want their president focused on fixing this country—not fighting someone else's." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether U.S. forces will join Israel in the conflict in the coming days or weeks.
The Herald Scotland
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Edinburgh Festival shows the power of culture in our fractured world
Peter Florence, the former Director of Hay Festival, put it simply: 'When politics and society pull people apart, festivals are invaluable places to bring people together.' This belief is in the DNA of the Edinburgh International Festival. It was our founding purpose in 1947, when a Jewish refugee and opera director named Rudolf Bing, alongside civic leaders and artists, envisioned a way to heal post-war Europe – not through politics or hard power, but through culture. The idea of that original festival – which still resonates in our meeting rooms, green rooms, theatres and concert halls today – was to use the arts to transcend division and bring people of disparate nations together. Edinburgh still maintains that purpose, and as Tereza Raabová, from Culture Matters, a platform for creative businesses in the Czech Republic, claimed, 'Edinburgh is indeed the city of festivals'. Alongside the Czech Republic we had truly international representation from Ukraine, Bosnia, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, and dozens of other nations. Some are working in contexts of censorship or underfunding. Others face different pressures – shrinking resources, climate volatility or changing audience behaviours. But the sense of shared purpose was palpable. Haris Pašović from East West Centre Sarajevo said, 'You could literally see the satisfaction and joy on the shining faces of the participants.' The important thing now though, is that those conversations move beyond rooms of the like-minded and into more mainstream public and political discourse. The Edinburgh International Festival is uniquely placed to lead this kind of international cultural dialogue. As the original festival – the one that sparked a global movement – it sits at the heart of what has become one of the world's great cultural ecosystems. Every August, alongside our sister festivals the Festival Fringe, the International Book, Art and Film Festivals, and the Tattoo – we help transform Edinburgh into a truly international meeting place where ideas and perspectives are exchanged, business is conducted and friendships formed. Together, each year, we form the largest cultural gathering outside the Olympic Games, right here in the capital. We welcome thousands of artists, producers, diplomats and millions of visitors, every August, putting Scotland on the map and generating more than £600 million for its economy each summer. The chance to host such an event once in a lifetime is something many cities would gladly bid for; that Scotland gets to host it every year is truly a windfall. What became clear during the summit is that this collective effort – across festivals, borders, and disciplines – can be both insightful and strategic. Festivals, in their very nature, are built on the act of welcoming. As Raabová reflected: 'Festivals seek to blur boundaries and differences between people, seeking common interests and understanding.' This is not just sentiment – it is a form of soft power. Showing that our country is a welcoming and open place for the exchange of ideas, is critical in a world where democratic institutions are being tested, and global crises require long-term, human-centred thinking. A particularly resonant moment from the summit came in a session titled 'Being Good Ancestors'. It asked not just what festivals can do now, but what kind of world we want to leave behind. That question echoed with Llaria Laaghi, from Lugo Music Festival, Romania, she had 'never thought of [her] work in those terms before… to think of festivals as a way of spreading peace, to leave something to the next generations.' But that's exactly what the best of gatherings do. They create space to seek different truths. That sentiment underpins our programme this year, with the theme The Truth We Seek. This year, and indeed every year, we will support artists in telling complex and difficult stories, sharing with us a perspective on the world that we cannot hope to glean from the internet or TV alone. They give audiences the chance to connect across differences by being in the same physical space – and, through that, to encourage new or deeper thinking. The Edinburgh International Festival will continue to do just that. We will present the highest quality art for the broadest possible audience. But more than that, we will convene and spark conversation, with an unshakeable belief in the role festivals can play in our future. Francesca Hegyi is Chief Executive, Edinburgh International Festival
