The US and China have agreed to a 90-day pause on punitive trade tariffs, with both sides also set to reduce proposed levies by 115 percentage points, following trade talks in Geneva over the weekend. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng stressed the importance of resolving issues through equal and respectful dialogue.
If stressing about poor ticket sales wasn’t enough, it looks like Beyoncé now has to worry about sharing the stage with someone – or something – trying to ruin the Cowboy Carter tour.
During her epic, nearly three-hour concert, which boasts a 36-song setlist, Beyoncé pulls out all the stops with a high-tech stage show; straddling mechanical bulls and singing mid-air atop a car for 16 Carriage. The mum-of-three is also joined by her daughters, Blue Ivy and Rumi, for certain songs and been watched by stars like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
However, while Beyoncé’s offspring are welcome additions to the music icon’s routines, the Texas Hold ‘Em hitmaker may want to rethink her non-human stage mates. Beyoncé was caught on fan footage during the final night of her five-show stint in Los Angeles over the weekend, as an on-stage robot failed to perform its task correctly.
During one segment of the concert at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, Beyoncé, 43, took a breather, perched on a large golden throne. A factory-like robotic arm attempted to pour a bottle of liquor into her glass, situated on one of the throne’s arms.
However, the robot tipped the bottle just a tad too early, spilling the liquid all over the golden chair she was seated in, instead of her glass.
The plan was for Beyoncé to follow this extravagant display by taking a sip from her drink and reaching for a remote control on the other armrest, as if to switch on the TV and unwind.
But the ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ singer – donned in a sequin and tassel adorned white Western suit that accentuated her curves – appeared taken aback and embarrassed as she briefly lifted her glass only to find it empty.
A smile began to form on her lips as she swiftly placed the empty glass back onto the armrest. However, Beyoncé managed to suppress her grin and carried on with the act, picking up the remote and pretending to switch on a television.
“THE ROBOT MISSING BEYONCÉ’S CUP?!! THAT BITCH IS FIRED. HER FACE,” one fan mused on Twitter (X) as footage from the slip-up went viral. “Beyoncé wanted to laugh so bad… she looked up at the robot like it wasn’t a robot,” another noted, with third adding: “the robot arm missing the pour and beyoncé looking at it like ‘girl what the hell?'”
This isn’t the first time a rogue robot has pulled focus during the Cowboy Carter tour. Earlier this month, Beyoncé kicked off her mammoth stint across the world and showed her thrifty side to fans as she brought back her robotic arm props for the Renaissance portion of her act, a memorable feature from her previous tour.
However, on the second night of her tour, there was a slight hiccup involving these robot arms when stagehands apparently missed placing Beyoncé’s mark on the stage to ensure she wasn’t in harm’s way.
Viral footage showed Beyoncé scanning the floor before cautiously positioning herself between the two arms as a stagehand rushes to assist her. The mechanical arms swung close by Beyoncé, who narrowly avoided being struck and carried on with her show like a pro.
But fans online were quick to spot the near-miss. “They didn’t put a mark on the floor for her to know where to stop. She could’ve been wacked by the machines had she not stopped herself,” one fan pointed out, while another remarked: “They didn’t put her mark down. She didn’t know where to stand. It could’ve hit her in the face.”
Heart of Midlothian are looking for their third manager of the season following the exit in October of Steven Naismith and Neil Critchley’s departure six months later.
Derek McInnes is the hot favourite for the role, with the Tynecastle club poised to make contact with Kilmarnock on Monday.
We asked Hearts fans if they felt the 53-year-old former Aberdeen boss is the right man for the job – and the responses came flooding in.
Joey Martin: It’s a no-brainer. What we need is a period of stability. To rebuild. And Derek has that ability and experience.
Terry Dobson: McInnes should’ve been in the door years ago at Tynecastle but instead we’ve mucked about with risks such as Ian Cathro, Daniel Stendel and Critchley. McInnes would be the best gaffer and the biggest statement at the club since the appointment of Graham Rix.
Bruce Wishart: To me he is a top manager. Plenty of experience. Will bring stability to the club. Critchley never had what it takes to run a club the size of Hearts.
David S: Hearts can’t afford another project manager. McInnes, if appointed, will be the sensible appointment and bring much-needed stability to the club. With Jamestown Analytics and McInnes’ experience, next term will see us restore natural order.
Michael Gallagher: McInnes is a no-brainer for the Hearts job from a Hearts point of view! Knows Scottish football, gets the best out of players, can set a team up tactically, players would be fit and motivated and he won’t accept slackers. With McInnes in charge we’ll get standards set and he won’t be a yes man for [chair] Ann Budge and her ‘yes’ cronies. It makes absolute sense but there still needs to be change in the boardroom as well as an overhaul of the playing squad.
Jason Brownhill: Hearts should have appointed McInnes some time ago. He’s always been a strong, reliable manager with a great knowledge of the Scottish game and he is a manager who commands respect. Hearts have a great infrastructure in place and with Jamestown Analytics on board, I really think this could become a successful combination.
Jimbo: I have to admit to hoping for the best with Critchley but we were obviously going nowhere; anyone with a football brain knows Lawrence Shankland will score if given enough chances, he was wasted playing deep. I think McInnes will be good for Hearts and I look forward to next season now after this disastrous one. He’ll also buck up one or two players taking home tidy wages but barely pulling their weight. This guy’s a different kettle of fish and won’t take prisoners.
Colin Allison: Why would Hearts want to appoint a manager solely on the basis that as a safe pair of hands, he would be good enough to produce a regular third place in the league? Where is the ambition? Just look at McInnes’ personal trophy cabinet – it speaks volumes. Surely there is an exciting, talented manager out there to take over the reins at Tynecastle?
Bruce Aitchison: Not for me, sorry. Would rather see the club show a bit ambition and try and hire someone that’s been in the Premier League before. Alan Curbishley, Kevin Keegan, Steve Bruce etc. Someone who has played at the highest level and also managed there too.
Ray Stevenson: Why are Hearts even considering McInnes? He is managing a team two places below us and we have had a shocking season. Surely we must have ambition rather than a stabilising manager. Brighton’s last two managers have done really well and both were left-field selections .
David Cluness: McInnes? Absolutely not. One trophy as a manager. Style of football not what I want. I want to be entertained. Have not heard one Jambo say that they want him. Ann Budge’s record on managers is a joke.
Heart of Midlothian are looking for their third manager of the season following the exit in October of Steven Naismith and Neil Critchley’s departure six months later.
Derek McInnes is the hot favourite for the role, with the Tynecastle club poised to make contact with Kilmarnock on Monday.
We asked Hearts fans if they felt the 53-year-old former Aberdeen boss is the right man for the job – and the responses came flooding in.
Joey Martin: It’s a no-brainer. What we need is a period of stability. To rebuild. And Derek has that ability and experience.
Terry Dobson: McInnes should’ve been in the door years ago at Tynecastle but instead we’ve mucked about with risks such as Ian Cathro, Daniel Stendel and Critchley. McInnes would be the best gaffer and the biggest statement at the club since the appointment of Graham Rix.
Bruce Wishart: To me he is a top manager. Plenty of experience. Will bring stability to the club. Critchley never had what it takes to run a club the size of Hearts.
David S: Hearts can’t afford another project manager. McInnes, if appointed, will be the sensible appointment and bring much-needed stability to the club. With Jamestown Analytics and McInnes’ experience, next term will see us restore natural order.
Michael Gallagher: McInnes is a no-brainer for the Hearts job from a Hearts point of view! Knows Scottish football, gets the best out of players, can set a team up tactically, players would be fit and motivated and he won’t accept slackers. With McInnes in charge we’ll get standards set and he won’t be a yes man for [chair] Ann Budge and her ‘yes’ cronies. It makes absolute sense but there still needs to be change in the boardroom as well as an overhaul of the playing squad.
Jason Brownhill: Hearts should have appointed McInnes some time ago. He’s always been a strong, reliable manager with a great knowledge of the Scottish game and he is a manager who commands respect. Hearts have a great infrastructure in place and with Jamestown Analytics on board, I really think this could become a successful combination.
Jimbo: I have to admit to hoping for the best with Critchley but we were obviously going nowhere; anyone with a football brain knows Lawrence Shankland will score if given enough chances, he was wasted playing deep. I think McInnes will be good for Hearts and I look forward to next season now after this disastrous one. He’ll also buck up one or two players taking home tidy wages but barely pulling their weight. This guy’s a different kettle of fish and won’t take prisoners.
Colin Allison: Why would Hearts want to appoint a manager solely on the basis that as a safe pair of hands, he would be good enough to produce a regular third place in the league? Where is the ambition? Just look at McInnes’ personal trophy cabinet – it speaks volumes. Surely there is an exciting, talented manager out there to take over the reins at Tynecastle?
Bruce Aitchison: Not for me, sorry. Would rather see the club show a bit ambition and try and hire someone that’s been in the Premier League before. Alan Curbishley, Kevin Keegan, Steve Bruce etc. Someone who has played at the highest level and also managed there too.
Ray Stevenson: Why are Hearts even considering McInnes? He is managing a team two places below us and we have had a shocking season. Surely we must have ambition rather than a stabilising manager. Brighton’s last two managers have done really well and both were left-field selections .
David Cluness: McInnes? Absolutely not. One trophy as a manager. Style of football not what I want. I want to be entertained. Have not heard one Jambo say that they want him. Ann Budge’s record on managers is a joke.
Amid recent defections and deepening internal rifts, a former Senate President, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is also the chairman of the reconciliation committee set up by the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has expressed hope that the committee will meet the expectations.
The committee was set up during a meeting by PDP governors and other leaders of the party on Sunday night to reconcile aggrieved members of the party ahead of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on May 27.
“I just left a meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum, attended by its serving and former governors, at the Bauchi Governor’s Lodge. We had a fruitful deliberation on the party’s present challenges and its future.
“As part of the decisions taken to chart a way forward, the meeting set up a seven-man committee charged with preparing for a rancour-free NEC meeting scheduled for May 27 and the forthcoming national convention.
“We hope to do our best in delivering on the assignment given to us,” Saraki said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday night, shortly after the crucial meeting.
Other members of the committee are Governor Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Governor Caleb Muftwang (Plateau), and Governor Peter Mba (Enugu).
Other members are Senate Seriake Dickson, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, and a former governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu.
READ ALSO: PDP In Dilemma As Three Kebbi Senators Defect
The meeting came amid the PDP’s recent grappling with a wave of defections and leadership tussles following its performance in the 2023 general elections.
The situation was heated by the recent defection of the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, and other state officials to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Three Kebbi senators — Adamu Aliero (Central), Yahaya Abdullahi (North), and Garba Maidoki (South) — also recently joined the APC after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
The Sunday night meeting, held at the Bauchi Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, was convened by the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed.
In attendance were several governors, including Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Mutfwang, Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), and Mbah (Enugu).
Also present were notable figures like the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who declined to speak with journalists, along with former governors Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Achike Udenwa (Imo), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun), Ikpeazu (Abia), and Dickson (Bayelsa).
The Acting PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagun, a former caretaker committee chairman, Ahmed Makarfi, and members of the party’s National Working Committee were also in attendance.
China and the United States have agreed to suspend some of the heavy trade tariffs imposed against one another as they prepare to extend negotiations aimed at lowering trade war tensions.
The two countries issued a joint statement on Monday, following two days of trade talks in Geneva, Switzerland. They described the negotiations, which came after US President Donald Trump’s nationalist agenda prompted a spiral of increasingly heavy duties, as positive.
Global markets reacted positively to the news, with stock markets in Hong Kong, the US and Europe rising.
In the statement, Beijing and Washington said they recognise the importance of their bilateral economic and trade relationship to both countries and the global economy.
They said they would move forward “in the spirit of mutual opening, continued communication, cooperation, and mutual respect”.
As part of the agreement, the US will suspend its additional ad valorem rate of duties – tax based on the value of goods – by 24 percent for an “initial” period of 90 days. This will leave a 10 percent tariff rate in place.
China will reduce its duties on US imports by a similar amount, also retaining a tariff of 10 percent.
Washington will also roll back tariffs imposed by two executive orders signed by Trump in early April, affecting a wide range of US imports of goods from China, including Hong Kong and Macau.
Beijing will suspend tariffs imposed in response and “suspend or remove the non-tariff countermeasures” taken against the US.
The world’s two largest economies also agreed to establish a mechanism to continue discussions on economic and trade relations, and named officials to lead the talks.
Vice Premier of the State Council He Lifeng will be China’s top negotiator. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will lead the talks for the White House.
“These discussions may be conducted alternately in China and the United States, or a third country upon agreement of the Parties. As required, the two sides may conduct working-level consultations on relevant economic and trade issues,” the joint statement reads.
Bessent told reporters in Geneva that “both sides will move down reciprocal tariffs” by up to 115 percent on some goods after successful meetings during which the two delegations exhibited “great respect” for each other.
“The consensus from both delegations is neither side wants to be decoupled,” Bessent said, adding that the tariffs were the equivalent of an embargo, something neither side favoured.
Global markets had fallen considerably amid the trade wars launched by the Trump administration as uncertainty grew over the potential impact of the tariffs.
However, signs of a pullback have been seen in recent weeks.