An exhibition at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, titled "Freedom, Equality, Humanity" and running until September 2023, is honouring the work of American dancer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker. Born in St Louis in 1906, she began her stage career at the age of 16 and first appeared in Paris in 1925, where her famous Charleston dance and "danse sauvage", in which she wore a skirt made of artificial bananas, assisted her rise to fame as a "Black Venus". A celebrated star in Europe, she faced racist hostility during a tour in the US. During World War II, she worked for the Red Cross before becoming a spy for the French resistance movement. General Charles De Gaulle awarded her the French Legion of Honour in recognition of her efforts. Post-war, Baker lived at Les Milandes, a 15th-century castle in southwestern France, where 12 children of different origins whom she adopted over the years lived. She died 12 May 1975 aged 68.
Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge, known as “the philosopher” for his strategy and concentration in running, has been awarded the 2023 Princess of Asturias Award for sports. He is widely recognized not only as the greatest marathon runner of all time, but also the only athlete in history to run a marathon in under two hours, although the timing does not count officially. Kipchoge holds the world record for marathon distance, which is 2:01:09.
Llop, an upscale fashion and design store in Madrid's picturesque Las Letras area, is telling the story of modern Spanish design and crafts. The founder, Alex Llop, began the journey after he was inspired by a chequered scarf, a farcell cloth that was a beloved family heirloom. The shop's products include playful glass vases, globular wax candles, pastel-hued geometric ceramics, and concrete art pieces. The owner is especially focused on showcasing the craft-textiles of the Catalan Empordà and the Balearic Islands. Llop's pared-back style and harmonious colour palette unite his store's luxury offerings but with an honest commitment to the material.
Tennis star Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the French Open after suffering a left hip flexor injury at the Australian Open, sparking questions about his future in the game. It marks the first time he has relinquished his title in the tournament since taking part in it in 2005, with Nadal admitting that if he is able to recover from his injury, 2024 will likely be his last year as a professional player. Since the injury he's had to cancel events in Madrid, Monte Carlo and Rome to give himself the best chance of being fit for the French Open.
Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from this year's French Open, saying his persistent injury is not healing as he had hoped. The 14-time French Open winner had a hip flexor injury at the Australian Open in January and missed five weeks of the circuit in that month. The 36-year-old now says 2024 is his intended retirement date. “I need to put a full stop to my tennis career for the moment,” Nadal said. “I won't play Roland Garros, I won't play for a few months and if I come back, next year will be my last year.” As well as his hip problem, Nadal has also suffered from wrist, back and knee issues during his professional career.
Real Madrid dethroned as ‘Kings of Europe’ as the club looks to usher in new generation of stars
CNN
23-05-18 23:48
Real Madrid must rebuild in order to stand a chance of competing for silverware next season following their elimination by Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals, according to this report. Los Blancos will be helped by the presence of young midfielders Aurélien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga, plus potential signings like Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham and even Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappé. However, the likes of Luka Modric, 37, and Toni Kroos, 33, may have to play bit-part roles in any fresh revival.
The Italian Open women's semifinals feature some unexpected players, with the upcoming French Open made more intriguing as a result. In the lead-up to the women's play, Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko will come up against each other, with Rybakina favoured to win based on her first victory against Ostapenko. The other match is between Veronika Kudermetova and Anhelina Kalinina; Kudermetova appears to be the solid choice to emerge victorious.
Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the French Open after his hip injury failed to heal, and has said he expects 2024 to be his final year in professional tennis. As a result of his injury, Nadal is taking a few months off, without training, meaning he will miss not only the French Open, but also Wimbledon, and most likely the US Open before returning to action. Nadal has so far won 22 Grand Slam singles titles on his career and won 14 French Open titles, a record in the tournament's history.
Hundreds evacuated as suspected intentional wildfire hits western Spain
The Toronto Star
23-05-19 15:23
A wildfire fanned by strong winds has led to the evacuation of some 700 people from four small towns in western Spain. The blaze has razed almost 20,000 acres and officials suspect it was started intentionally as two separate blazes erupted almost simultaneously. The hilly area, known as Las Hurdes, is west of Madrid, and was difficult to extinguish due to 60 kph (40 mph) winds and numerous pine trees, described as “cans of gasoline, flame throwers”. Spain experienced its worst fires in 2022 since 1994, with 267,000 hectares burned. Last month's record temperatures have led to an emergency drought in the country.
Bongonda scores 2 as Cadiz moves away from Liga relegation zone
The Toronto Star
23-05-19 21:14
Cadiz beat Valladolid 2-0 in a Spanish football match between teams attempting to avoid relegation from La Liga. Forward Théo Bongonda scored both goals for Cadiz, with the second coming from a penalty following a foul on Anthony Lozano. Cadiz is now 14th in the La Liga standings, four points ahead of 18th-placed Getafe. Valladolid is 17th, one point ahead of Getafe ahead of a match against relegated club Elche.
Hernan Losada, head coach of CF Montreal, has said that the team plans to remain positive despite losing 3-0 against FC Cincinnati. On Saturday, they will play against the New York Red Bulls on the road. Red Bulls pose an intense competition with their defensive play. Montreal has not been playing well on the road, winning only two in eight games played. Losada is focused on improving his team's goal creation on the road. Montreal is currently positioned 12th in the standings, with the Red Bulls just one point below 14th place.
The Independent has gathered some of the most eye-catching and thought-provoking images from culture, news, politics, sport, and lifestyle. The images include striking shots of the Popocatepetl Volcano in Mexico, and cattle grazing in front of the German Parliament building in Berlin, as well as photographs from events such as the closing ceremony of Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and the Brussels Pride parade. Some of the images in the collection are oddly bewildering, like a raven perching on the roof of a barn in the midst of smoke from a nearby wildfire in Canada.
A documentary about the acrimonious legal battles between film star Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, will air on UK television network Channel 4 on Sunday. The three-part series, called Depp Vs Heard, was directed by Bafta-nominated filmmaker Emma Cooper, and covers Depp’s unsuccessful 2020 libel case against the publisher of The Sun and a separate defamation trial he initiated against Heard earlier this year. It is billed as the first “in-depth” examination of the case. The related legal battle, which included allegations of domestic violence, was dubbed the world’s first “Tik Tok trial” as it was streamed live and generated widespread public interest. Depp won the later defamation case on 2 June, receiving $15m in damages. Heard also won $2m in damages in a counter-claim.
Animal rights activists protested in Madrid against the Spanish archipelago, the Canary Islands next year where a €7m large-scale octopus farm aiming to confine millions of the solitary predators in pools is due to be built. Nova Pescanova, the seafood company supporting the project successfully bred five captivity-born generations of octopus in a pilot project in northern Spain. Farming octopus is regarded as a first step towards sustainable food production as global demand for the Mediterranean delicacy has expanded. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization state the United States recognised a 23% increase in exports, as China experienced a 73% surge between 2016 and 2018.
Andy Murray has withdrawn from the 2019 French Open, starting next week, as he prioritises his busy grass-court schedule in the build-up to Wimbledon. The former world number one recently lost out to Stan Wawrinka at an ATP Challenger event in Bordeaux, adding to his struggles in finding form on clay this season. Murray is said to be considering tournaments including Surbiton and Surrey's Queen's Club event, prior to Wimbledon, which begins on July 3.
Spain achieved a new milestone last week when renewable energy sources, including wind, solar and water, met the country's electricity needs for nine hours. The Iberian peninsula is among the world's leaders in renewables adoption, as such energy accounts for a third of electricity generation worldwide. The shift is also profitable and reduces costs, according to El País: in Spain, the addition of solar panels reduces demand for other types of energy when the sun is out, cutting costs and adding power to the grid.
Andy Murray has pulled out of the French Open to focus on the grass-court season after a disappointing clay-court swing. The former world No1 and three-time Grand Slam champion reached the final in Paris in 2016 and made it as far as the semi-finals in 2017 but has played in only one event at Roland Garros since then. Rafael Nadal has also withdrawn from the event due to a hip injury and has said that he intends to retire from the tour in 2024. Carlos Alcaraz will lead the men’s rankings when the competition starts later this month, while Iga Swiatek heads the women’s seeds, although she may have to pull out due to an injury.
Real Madrid coach says Vinicius Jr. didn't want to continue playing in game after racist chants
CBC
23-05-21 20:46
Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior was subjected to racist abuse by Valencia fans during a Spanish league game on Sunday. Valencia fans appeared to shout racist comments toward the Brazilian forward after the game was temporarily stopped. As this is not the first time Vinicius has been subjected to this type of abuse, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti considered replacing the player immediately. Vinicius called out a fan during the 70th minute and players had to restore calm. After the match resumed, Vinicius was involved with some pushing and shoving with Valencia players and was eventually sent off.
Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior was subjected to racist abuse during a Spanish league game against Valencia, with some fans appearing to chant "monkey" at the Brazil forward. Vinícius called to the referee around the 70th minute and pointed toward a person sitting among Valencia supporters behind one of the goals, eventually confronting the fans while players from both teams tried to restore calm. The match was stopped for nearly 10 minutes and Vinícius was sent off not long after it resumed for pushing one of his opponents away with a hand to his face. He made a "going down" gesture over relegation as he left the field which upset players on the Valencia bench and caused them to charge toward him.
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior was allegedly subjected to racist abuse from the stands and then sent off following a scuffle during a 1-0 defeat to Valencia on Sunday. The game was halted for ten minutes in the second half as Vinicius pointed out fans to the referee who he said had racially abused him. Vinicius carried on playing but was sent off a few minutes later after he became involved in a brawl with Valencia players. Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, said: "For me Vinicius is the most important player in the world. LaLiga has a problem, these episodes of racism have to stop the match".
The match once again highlighted the issue of racism in Spain’s top flight. In recent weeks there have been reports of racist chanting aimed at Athletic Bilbao players Inaki Williams and Ibai Gomez and Espanyol’s Wu Lei. The Valencia captain, Dani Parejo, said of Vinicius’s sending off: “Vinicious is a great player. I’m against any kind of racism. I think we have to punish these people in every possible way.” Valencia coach, Salvador Gonzalez “Voro”, who had seen his side win for the first time in 12 games to move clear of the relegation zone, said that he hoped measures could be taken to rid the sport of racism.
Real Madrid exited the Champions League following a 4-0 thrashing at Manchester City on Wednesday in their semi-final, second leg. They are currently third on 71 points, 14 behind champions Barcelona, who secured the title last week with four games to spare. Valencia, however, are still fighting to avoid the drop. With three games to go, they are 13th in LaLiga on 40 points, five clear of the relegation spots.
