Latest news with #TheEdge
Scoop
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Chart-topping, Record-breaking Corrella Are Bringing Their Sun-soaked Reggae Vibes To A City Near You
After winning over the southern hemisphere with their sun-soaked reggae-inspired sound, Corrella is back on the road this August for the band's biggest headline tour yet. Following a massive summer of playing festivals and touring across Aotearoa and Australia with L.A.B, Corrella will take their award-winning and chart-topping sophomore album SKELETONS to the stage for the very first time. Presented by Loop, The Edge and Mai FM, with thanks to Mānuka Phuel, Corrella's SKELETONS Winter Tour kicks off at the Tuning Fork in Auckland on Friday, August 1 and continues on to The Factory in Hamilton on Saturday, August 9 and San Fran in Wellington on Friday, August 16, before heading further south to The Church in Christchurch on Thursday, August 21, followed by Erricks in Dunedin on Friday, August 22. Following the Aotearoa dates, Corrella then head over the ditch with shows in Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne. Corrella continue to go from strength to strength, last year winning Te Tohu Rōpū Māori Autaia – Best Māori Group at the Waiata Māori Music Awards, as well as Breakthrough Single of the Year' and ' Best Roots Artist' at the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards. This year, following the success of their second album SKELETONS, which spent 15 weeks on the NZ Top 20 Albums Chart, the band is up for multiple awards at the AMAs, including ' Best Māori Group ', ' Best Group ' and ' Best Roots Artist'. Featuring the songs ' How Will I Know ' and ' Cookie', SKELETONS further helped to establish Corrella as one of Australasia's hottest new acts. Now the band is taking SKELETONS on the road for the first time and fans can expect to hear their favourite waiata from the record, alongside songs from their debut album ROAD FROM 26. This includes ' Skankin ', ' Lady Divine' and the smash hit ' Blue Eyed Māori Girl', which now holds the record for the most weeks ever spent at #1 on the NZ Singles Chart. Don't miss your chance to catch one of Aotearoa's most loved bands live in a city near you this winter. Corrella: SKELETONS Winter Tour Presented by Loop, The Edge and Mai FM, with thanks to Manuka Phuel Friday August 1 - Tuning Fork, Auckland Saturday August 9 - The Factory, Hamilton Friday August 16 - San Fran, Wellington Thursday August 21 - The Church, Christchurch Friday August 22 - Erricks, Dunedin
Time Out
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
‘Stories of Surrender': 8 Things We Learned About Bono From His New Documentary
World, meet Bono. In Bono: Stories of Surrender, a new doc directed by Andrew Dominik (best-known for two excellent films about Nick Cave), the U2 singer born Paul Hewson bares his soul in front of an intimate audience, in a lively stage show based around his memoir. The candour is punctuated with stripped back versions of his band's mega-hits. He's backed by a handful of young, mostly classical musicians; his U2 bandmates, as well as his parents and his wife, are all represented simply by chairs. The whole thing is captured in stunning, cinematic black and white. Here are eight things we've learned about a man usually seen leaping about a giant, effects-heavy stadium stage in front of thousands. 1. His dad was dismissive of his son's talents The film leans heavily with humour (and pathos) into the difficult relationship the singer had with his father, Bob, who begrudged his son having the musical career he'd wanted for himself. Cue a series of putdowns ('You're a baritone who thinks he's a tenor!') and only a begrudging acknowledgement when Bono plays him Pride (In the Name of Love) for the very first time. Even when Pavarotti called personally asking for a song from Bono, Bob didn't believe it. 'I craved my father's attention,' Bono admits. 2. He met his future wife Ali and joined U2 in the same week It turns out The Edge had his eye on Ali first, but Bono soon put a stop to that. Ali and Bono married at 21 and have been together ever since – as have the band. As Bono says, all the important adults in his life he has known since he was a teenager. To say they are tight is an understatement. 3. He once nearly died at Christmas It turns out a rock 'n' roll lifestyle can catch up with you. During the festive season, Bono collapsed at home with his 'lifeline' (aorta) about to burst in 2016. He was wheeled off to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York for emergency treatment. He describes in vivid detail staring up at the ceiling as the surgeons worked frantically to save him. 4. Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen once hid from Pavarotti in a cupboard Originally a punk outfit, Bono had a hard time convincing his bandmates to get excited about the world's greatest tenor visiting them for a major collaboration. When the great man brought a film crew with him, only Bono and Edge were there to greet him. 5. Bono lost his mum at 14, and his father never spoke of her again With heartbreaking honesty (and lashings of Irish charm), Bono recounts the trauma of losing his mother from an aneurysm on the same day they buried his grandfather. His father refused to talk about it – or her – ever again, and Bono never visited her grave. 6. Bono met up with his dad once a week at a bar in Dublin and they barely spoke to each other 'Anything strange or startling?' is all Bob had to say to his young son as they supped their pints in silence. Bob's dying words were also suitably opaque ('Fuck off!'). In his younger years, Bob liked to sing and conduct classical music at home with his wife's knitting needles. Punk was not his thing. 7. Bono is fine with being seen as a hypocrite when it comes to money He admits he has his faults. He also explains why he doesn't accept that people should be starving, or that countries in Africa should still be paying interest on debt to the big banks of the world from dodgy loans from the Cold War. He's still a man of the people, then, who can get a good table at a fancy restaurant. 8. U2 came up with their first big hit with two strings and two chords A massive punk fan, Bono always believed in the immediacy and directness of music. In an early rehearsal one day, he grabbed Edge's Gibson Explorer and began playing what he describes as the 'sound of an electric drill on the brain'. When the band joined in, the classic I Will Follow was born. And despite wanting to quit after one album, they went on to become the biggest band in the world.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Anwar not seeking legal immunity, says political secretary
KUALA LUMPUR: Claims that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is seeking legal immunity in a civil suit filed by his former aide, Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, are misleading, says his senior political secretary. Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin said that Anwar's application to the Federal Court is a lawful process to seek clarity from the court on his position in carrying out official duties when facing a civil suit based on claims that precede his appointment as prime minister. "There is no attempt in the application to seek absolute immunity. Rather, the issue raised is whether such civil action could interfere with the efficiency of a prime minister in carrying out the executive functions of the state. "This is a legitimate and lawful matter to be referred to the Federal Court, the highest judicial institution in the country with the jurisdiction to interpret the Constitution fairly and objectively. "It is irresponsible to equate this legal application with authoritarianism. In fact, in countries that uphold democracy, the concept of qualified immunity is often discussed to balance the needs of state administration with individual rights," he said in a statement. Earlier today, The Edge reported that Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) has called on the attorney-general to intervene in Anwar's application to have questions of law referred to the apex court — on whether "a sitting PM enjoys a qualified immunity from civil suit", and whether a civil suit would impair the effective discharge of his executive functions and undermine the constitutional separation of powers. In a statement, LFL director Zaid Malek described the questions posed by Anwar's new lawyers last week, in their application in the ongoing sexual assault civil suit as preposterous. Shamsul Iskandar said while the prime minister is not above the law, neither should he be subjected to politically motivated legal actions that could disrupt the stability of national governance. "If the allegations are true, our judicial system functions transparently and independently to hear and decide based on facts and the law—not perception or media pressure. "I urge all parties to respect the principle of the rule of law and not to misuse legal avenues for the sake of political narratives. "Let the courts decide. This country has gone through too many episodes of legal manipulation for political gain. All disputes should be resolved through legal channels, not through the manipulation of public emotion," he said. Between May 23 and May 27, Anwar's new lawyers filed applications to refer constitutional legal questions to the Federal Court and requested a postponement of the civil trial, which had been scheduled for June 16 to 25, he said. The High Court convened a case management meeting via Zoom on May 28, where the judge ordered both parties to submit immediate legal arguments on the applications. The hearing for both applications has been fixed for June 3.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Jennifer Horgan: Bono was right to criticise Hamas along with Israel - peacemakers are rarely popular
To think people used to see this absolute fraud as some sort of beacon of hope for humanity. Bono's not even the greatest front man in Dublin, never mind the history of the world... Bono is an opportunist who sold his soul long ago... Free Palestine! The criticism has been rolling in against Bono online, in response to his recent speech when receiving one of songwriting's highest honours – Fellowship of the Ivors Academy. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr are the first-ever Irish songwriters that the academy has inducted into fellowship during its 81-year history. You'd think we'd be happy to celebrate with them, but this criticism of Bono's speech has overshadowed any possibility of national pride. It's nothing new given that plenty of Irish people find him irritating – superior or something…We've never been all that good at pinpointing our disdain. So, what was it that he said that was so wrong this time? Well, he began his speech by asking Hamas to release their hostages. "Hamas, release the hostages. Stop the war. Israel, be released from Benjamin Netanyahu and the far-right fundamentalists that twist your sacred text." The words after Hamas focus on criticism of Israel. No mind. None of that counts. He shouldn't have mentioned Hamas – so the criticism goes. These critics have a point, of course. The actions of Hamas now, if not in October 2023, shrink into insignificance when compared with the current actions of Israel. We all carry a deep pain, knowing there are thousands of innocent babies, children and adults starving to death in Gaza as we go about our daily lives. There are trucks stuffed with supplies that are not being let in to help these poor people. These are the darkest of days. We know it is happening and yet we can do so little. And so, people are understandably filled with rage that Bono mentioned Hamas, the word seeming to equalise both sides, as if both are similarly culpable, comparable in their cruelty. I understand the feeling. At a gut level, I agree with it. Bono's words felt wrong; they landed discordantly. But our outrage brings us no closer to peace. It helps nobody. If anything, it pushes peace further away. Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip at the Kerem Shalom Crossing in southern Israel last are trucks stuffed with supplies that are not being let in to help the poor people in Gaza. File photo: AP/Maya Alleruzzo The Israeli state has lost all humanity. Their genocidal assault proves their inability to see Palestinian people as human beings. Israel has ignored Ireland's protests for months. It is continuing to ignore the wave of criticism rising against them now – from hitherto silent nations. Condemnation of Israel will always be heard as antisemitism by Netanyahu and his government. So, what is to be done? I would argue that as things stand, only consequences matter. Anything we can do to stop this genocide is worth trying. Bono's criticism of Netanyahu means more, carries more weight, following at least an acknowledgement of Hamas. He understands the Israeli mindset - that since October 7th – anything goes. If he were to have omitted the mention of Hamas, no Israeli or Israeli sympathiser would have listened to the rest of his speech. He understood fully what he was doing. He knew that the most committed campaigners for Palestine would hate him for it. He knew he would be attacked, ripped to shreds online, and yet he did it. He mentioned Hamas. He mentioned Hamas because his concern is primarily for the 'children in the rubble'. It is a truly rebellious act, as he put it, – calling for peace. Peace is rarely a popular word. To so many people it sounds like cowardice. We are natural side-takers. Our side-taking fuels our passion for support. It also increases the likelihood and longevity of war. Peacekeepers don't have the privilege of taking sides – even when the 'right' side is blatantly obvious. In his speech at the Ivors Academy Bono said: 'Hamas, release the hostages. Stop the war. Israel, be released from Benjamin Netanyahu and the far-right fundamentalists that twist your sacred text.' File photo A genuine call for peace must drain itself of all side-taking to have any real impact. Even when one side is clearly the victim and one side clearly the perpetrator. None of those matters, only peace does. I have no doubt where Bono's heart resides. He is fully horrified, as we all are, about what is happening to human beings in Gaza. Speaking to Brendan O'Connor last weekend he made it clear however, that he is not interested in "competitive empathy", something I have written about for this paper. How right he is. We have become obsessed by the "look" of our actions, regardless of their consequences. Bono is interested in consequences. During the RTÉ interview, he recalled being egged for standing beside a Republican president and being heavily criticised for accepting a medal of freedom from Joe Biden. He countered the criticism by reminding listeners that his work with Biden saved lives. It's quite the understatement. Through ONE, Bono has lobbied heads of state and legislatures worldwide, ensuring the implementation of global health and development programs, including the PEPFAR AIDS program, which has saved approximately 25 million lives. Commentators criticising Bono for mentioning Hamas need to remind themselves that typing something online in itself is not an act of heroism. Sometimes we need to quiet our own emotions, even our own just allegiances, no matter how powerful, to get the consequences we want. This is exactly what Bono is doing. Bono's criticism of Netanyahu means more, carries more weight, following at least an acknowledgement of Hamas. He understands the Israeli mindset - that since October 7th – anything goes. File photo: AP/Jens Kalaene/dpa Is the man perfect? No, I'm certain he is not. He's walking around like the rest of us – full of his own demons no doubt, on his own journey, failing and learning all the time. He has an awful lot of money, and he likes to keep it. But he is committed to peace. If Bono is out in the cold, Kneecap are warming themselves by the rosy fire of our adoration. The Irish people have fallen in love with their absolute devotion to Palestine. Like most people, I agree with their commitment to an absolutely devastated, ravaged people. But their rhetoric won't get us anywhere. It will simply make them increasingly popular. Yes, they are on the right side of history, but side-taking is antithetical to peace. I've been discussing the nature of peace in school this week. On Tuesday I found myself in a quiet classroom discussing Eavan Boland's Poem Child of our Time with a Leaving Cert student. Written in the 70s, it's one I've been reflecting on since. The poem was written in response to a photograph of a firefighter carrying the body of a dead child from the debris of the Dublin bombing in May 1974. It addresses the deceased, acknowledging that adults' 'idol talk' has cost him or her their life. 'Our times have robbed your cradle' she says to the imagined body. She prays that we, the adults, can find a 'new language' to prevent future deaths. We have not found that language. However morally right we are in condemning the Israeli state, our unwillingness to hear any mention of Hamas by Bono is ineffective. It forgets what we are trying to achieve – peace. An end to killing. Kneecap are doing the right thing but that is different from doing the most effective thing. We need people like Kneecap to speak out. But for effectiveness, we need Bono and all peacemakers like him. My hope is that Bono is in a room somewhere reminding himself of the criticism peacekeepers receive in their time. Certain unionists and nationalists despised Hume. I have no doubt that as someone who lived through the discrimination against Catholics in Northern Ireland, he found it harder to reach across one side of the divide than the other. But reach across he did – not because he thought both sides were necessarily equal but because he knew his opinion, and indeed right and wrong, no longer mattered. Any words that might stop Israel now are worth uttering. Alongside that one all-important one. Peace. Read More Tánaiste urges other countries to recognise Palestine as a state
CNBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
This start-up is lowering the chances of passing on life-threatening diseases to your children—but it will cost you
Biotech start-up Orchid is one of the few companies offering in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) patients the option to screen their embryos for severe genetic diseases before their pregnancy begins. "This technology is going to totally reshape how people have children," Orchid's CEO Noor Siddiqui told CNBC's The Edge in an interview. "I think it's going to become an option that more and more people will choose because there's just the opportunity to avoid a lot of catastrophic outcomes, and they don't want to roll the dice on their child's health," Siddiqui added. During IVF, a woman takes fertility hormones to suppress her natural menstrual cycle and increase the number of eggs in her ovaries. Once her eggs are collected, they are mixed with the sperm and fertilized in a lab. The viable embryos are then transferred to the uterus. Siddiqui says that Orchid has developed a new technology that sequences 99% of an embryo's entire genome before implantation in the womb and screens for over 1,200 monogenic conditions, as well as some polygenic diseases. "When you have an embryo sample, you have about 125 cells on day five, and the embryologist at the IVF lab sends us about five of those cells, and in those five cells, you only have about 10,000 times less than the amount of DNA that you would have in a blood or saliva sample. So, what we had to invent is a new amplification protocol, as well as a new computational pipeline," Siddiqui said. The embryo screening process takes between two and three weeks, after which patients receive a whole genome embryo report. Orchid's counselors go through the report and help patients decide which embryo to move forward. Despite having been cleared by the Federal Drug Administration as a laboratory developed test (LDT) and backed by geneticists like George Church and Carlos Bustamante, Orchid's procedure has failed to convince some. "These tests, in general, cost money, often not covered by insurance. And so increasingly, breast cancer, for instance, is becoming more a disease of the poor because people can afford to undergo IVF and screen out breast cancer mutations when they've had a family history of breast cancer. I think that raises a problem ethically," bioethicist and Columbia University professor Robert Klitzman told The Edge in an interview. Orchid currently charges $2,500 per embryo screening. That's in addition to the IVF process which, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ranges from $15,000 to $20,000 for a single cycle and sometimes requires several attempts. To mitigate the costs, the company has a philanthropic program that patients on low incomes can apply for. Orchid's technology is now available nationwide in the U.S. except in New York state, where Orchid had applied for a license to operate at the time of the interview. Learn more about Orchid's technology by clicking the video above. IVF was conceived as a reproductive method for people with infertility issues, but over the past decade, other patient groups have turned to it to prevent passing on genetic conditions to their child.
