In their first meeting since 2019, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump discuss tariffs and trade.
For the time being, China and the United States have come to an agreement to end their trade dispute.
Both parties have made concessions, with some of the most agonizing ones being put off for a year.
What strategies did each side employ in the conflict between the world’s two largest economies? Do they actually work? And what will the future hold: agreement or more trouble?
Presenter: Nick Clark
Guests:
Andy Mok, Senior Research Fellow at Beijing’s Center for China and Globalization, is
Neil Thomas, a fellow on Chinese politics at the Center for China Analysis at the Asia Society Policy Institute in Washington, DC
Paul O’Grady’s friend and producer, Malcolm Prince, has a remarkable new book about him, which brings fresh perspective to his life with gripping new testimony from his friends, family, and famous friends.
5 images to be viewed
Malcolm Prince has opened up about life with Paul O’Grady in a fascinating new book(Image: PA)
Even when faced with a life-saving heart operation, Paul O’Grady’s first thought wasn’t for himself – it was for everyone else. His close friend and producer Malcolm Prince has revealed how in the final months of his life, the star refused an implantable defibrillator because he didn’t want to let anyone down.
“He’d signed up to do the musical Annie, he signed up to do the dog show, “ Malcolm tells the Mirror. “He didn’t want to go back into hospital to have another procedure and then spend time recuperating. He wanted to get on and live his life but also work. He didn’t want to let people down.” Ultimately, the device could have saved his life.
Paul, who had a history of heart problems, eventually died from a sudden cardiac arrhythmia on March 28, 2023. But the TV star had been adamant he didn’t want the medical intervention. A few months earlier, Paul had spent a week in William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent, and the thought of being sidelined again was unbearable.
He simply wants me to have a defib, he wrote in a text message to his daughter Sharyn. But I’m having none of them in any way. He’s being too cautious, and I’m not even close to as bad as he was.
His manager and close friend Joan Marshrons had a lengthy explanation of the procedure to Paul. But he couldn’t be persuaded. He worried about his own body let him down in the past few years, according to Joan. He would have felt embarrassed about it all because he didn’t want to be in front of the camera or in front of the audience when the pacemaker kicked in, and I believe that’s why he wouldn’t have the pacemaker.
The final few months of Paul’s life are featured in Malcom’s extraordinary new book Paul O’Grady – Not The Same Without You which is being serialized by the Daily and Sunday Mirror. It was written with the blessing of Paul’s daughter Sharyn and features candid testimony from his family, as well as Paul’s friends, colleagues, and celebrity friends.
Remarkably, for a man who was so open about many facets of his life, the book sheds fascinating new light on the star, who held a special place in the heart of the public. “It would have been his 70th birthday this year, and I feel ready to tell his story, and I hope I’ve done him justice,” says Malcolm who sat alongside Paul for 14 years on his BBC Radio 2 show.
Paul frequently used humor to lighten the storm’s path. Malcolm recalls how he joked that using a defibrillator would prevent an electronic garage door from opening automatically when walking past.
However, it seems as though his mind was made up, Malcolm writes. Paul also gave the impression that his time was limited. Moira Stewart, Paul’s lifelong friend, recalls a conversation that occurred in the car on the way home following his hospital visit.
He told me, “I’m not going to be here for much longer as we were driving along the lanes back home.” I pressed him to explain what the doctors had said to him after speaking with him and asked what he meant. He just responded, “That’s it. That’s it,” as I placed my arm around him while he was contemplating. I believe I won’t stay here for very long. He made a similar statement to Malcolm in a subsequent phone call.
Because he calmly ended our conversation, “I won’t make old bones, Malcolm,” I’ll never forget it.
Paul was referring to “not knowing what was around the corner” in a conversation about the passing of a close friend of Malcolm even weeks before his passing.
According to Malcolm, “Paul joked about his own age and how he wouldn’t be surprised if his own exit was “earlier than later.” Paul and Paul discussed their will at their final meeting on Paul’s death, saying it “seen just hanging in the air.”
Paul may have had an eating disorder, the book explores for the first time. I probably hadn’t noticed it until some of the people I’d spoken to expressed it, Malcolm says. “But it makes sense.
Incredibly, it may have stemmed from trying to remain slender as his alter-ego Lily Savage. His make-up artist Vanessa White recalls: “I think it all stemmed from his days with Lily, when he was wearing corsets, and he had to be slim.”She adds: “He was a very tricky eater, and on filming trips with him, I would always take a box of Weetabix, just in case, because often he just wouldn’t be able to eat anything.”
Similar patterns were observed by other friends. According to Amanda Mealing, “Food was a necessity, and he didn’t particularly like] having to eat it.” “There was something about food that was difficult for him,” Morera continued. He claimed that Chrissie, his aunty, was probably anorexic, a significant influence in his early years. And Paul either ate too much or ate too little. Paul O’Grady’s Great Elephant Adventure, one of his final TV appearances, came out in 1992 as evidence of his declining health. Vanessa vividly recalls that trip.
“Paul was literally and literally gray, and he was unable to walk from the plane to the lounge, where we had to wait for another six hours while we waited for the connecting flight to Laos. She said that he was “so thin and looked so sick.”
TV star friend Alan Carr recalled seeing him not long after, and shortly before he began rehearsals for Annie. “I had seen him recently for dinner and he looked frail and, for once, he looked his age. I mean, his wit was still intact, and he was funny, joking and quick as a whip as always, but I did think he looked a bit fragile… his spark had gone, so I was shocked to hear he was doing Annie,” Alan says. “But it was a calling for him, and I know how much he enjoyed getting out there and entertaining; getting that response from a live audience was his lifeblood.”
However, during their final meeting, Paul was eagerly planning his upcoming projects after seeing that spark again. That was amazing to see. And I was there pondering, “Well, I was wrong.” He enjoys working with Annie. I was like, “Wow, he has more energy than I do.”
On November 6th, Malcolm Prince’s Paul O’Grady: Not the Same Without You (HarperCollins, £22) releases.
Survivore describe fleeing under gunfire and leaving bodies in the streets of El-Fasher, Sudan as the Rapid Support Forces forces advance there. The UN advises that North Kordofan could become a target of the violence. During the course of two years of war, millions of people have been forced to relocate, enduring hunger, assault, and siege conditions.
More than 200 illegal shanties have been destroyed by the Lagos State government, as well as several criminal hideouts beneath Costain, Ijora, and Apapa Road.
Sola Giwa, the Special Adviser to the Governor for Transportation, coordinated the extensive operation with the support of numerous organizations.
The enforcement sought to stop criminal activity along important transportation corridors, restore public spaces, and promote environmental harmony.
A dummy gun and other weapons were discovered hidden under the bridges by Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) employees during the clearance process.
Adebayo Taofiq, the director of public affairs and enlightenment at LASTMA, confirmed the finding in a statement released in Lagos.
He claimed that the items were discovered beneath the Costain Bridge inside impromptu structures used by suspected criminals.
Giwa criticized the state of the affected areas, calling them “a monumental affront to public order and decency.”
He claimed that “no responsive and accountable government would tolerate such blatant lawlessness in vital infrastructure areas.”
READ MORE: One Person Was Killed In A Second Car Accident On the Otedola Bridge Hours After The Accident in Karachi.
He claimed that the operation was a part of an ongoing campaign to stop traffic robberies, drug trafficking, and environmental nuisance.
Giwa also confirmed that the Ijora Bridge area was free of long-abandoned trucks and unlicensed garages that had been turned into criminal dens.
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Lagos Police Force, and others participated in the exercise.
Teams worked together to clean up abandoned cars and wreck abandoned structures in Apapa Road, Ijora, and Costain’s exit from Iponri.
Giwa reaffirmed the state’s commitment to keeping Lagos’ urban renewal pace.
He warned of “swift and decisive sanctions” against any illegal occupants who attempt to travel back to the designated sites.
Giwa continued, “The Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration is committed to a safer, cleaner, and more habitable Lagos.”
Wembley and the newly renovated Camp Nou are both competing for the 2029 final, according to UEFA, while Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena is the only one of the two competing for the 2028 Champions League final.
Munich was the only city to advance to the 2028 final after hosting it in 2025 when Paris Saint-Germain defeated Inter Milan 5-0.
Munich also hosted the Olympic Stadium’s 1979, 1993, and 1997 finals, as well as the Allianz Arena’s 2012 and 2025 editions.
The Budapest Puskas Arena will host the final of the season in 2027, while Madrid’s Metropolitano will host the Metropolitano.
A TV legend joined him on stage as he belted out the Beach Boys classic “God Only Knows” at the glitter-studded event at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead.
5 images to be viewed
Sting on stage(Image: PA)
Pop superstar Sting was joined on stage by Jimmy Nail at a glittering party to help raise £10m for the arts on their native Tyneside. Sting, 74, and Jimmy, 71, belted out the Beach Boys classic ‘God Only Knows’ at the £1,000-a-head star-studded do at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead. Artist Jim Moir, aka Vic Reeves, his wife Nancy Sorrell, Alan Shearer, and Sting’s siblings Angela and Philip were on the guest list to hear a collection of his hits. Artists Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley and Anish Kapoor donated their work for a charity auction. There was also a holiday up for grabs at Sting and his wife Trudie Styler’s home in Tuscany, Italy, which raised tens of thousands of pounds at auction.
Vic Reeves, 66, aka the artist Jim Moir, told the Mirror: “I am going to butter him up so I get an invite and see if we can go to his place in Italy. I’ve got some Lurpak in my back pocket.”
Before performing the songs, Sting explained the origins of the songs, including his hits “Englishman in New York” and “Every Breath She Takes,” which Sting eluded as inspiration for his romance with Trudie.
He persuaded him to perform as he introduced Jimmy Nail, who had also been ill with a bug, and made fun of the fact that he had “been around to see a mate who was on his deathbed.”
Sting’s voice is still incredible, according to a customer who spoke to the Mirror. It’s amazing to experience being so close and personal.
“The holiday at his place was listed at less than $90,000, which is what we paid for.” The event will have raised hundreds of thousands for a worthwhile cause.
Before the performance, Jim Moir revealed how he met Sting because the singer had a “hot toddy” to protect his voice before the performance. The Sage founder Graham Wylie and other local business figures, including singer Nadine Shah, sat down with the stars.
In the Carabao Cup final on Wednesday, Sting and Shearer, 55, watched Newcastle United defeat Spurs 2-0. It’s always good to see a win, according to the England legend. He was fantastic at a fundraiser for my charitable foundation. He is a wonderful man.
After the gig, Sting said: “When I was a kid my Dad used to bring me down to the quayside on a Sunday morning and I’d look at this building and wonder what it was. “If we lose cultural venues due to a lack of funding, the entire industry disappears, so I’m here to say we have to protect the Baltic. This area is a hotbed of talent and it needs to be encouraged.”
Continue reading the article.
The Gala marked the beginning of our effort to establish a £10 million endowment fund for Baltic, said Sarah Munro, director of Baltic. Everyone in the room was reawakened poignantly of the value of creativity, culture, and the arts.
