Bono Really Wrote A Poem About Ukraine And Nancy Pelosi Read It Aloud

In a statement that will perhaps prompt people to read it more than once, Nancy Pelosi has read aloud a poem by singer Bono about Ukraine during an annual lunch to mark St Patrick’s Day.

On Thursday, the speaker of the US house of representatives told a press conference that during the Annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon in Washington she would be reading verse about the war in eastern Europe penned by the U2 frontman.

Despite even fact-checkers suggesting this was not the case, it came to pass.

For clarity, the poem appears to be an original composition, and not My Friendly Epistle posted on the band’s Twitter feed by Ukrainian writer Taras Shevchenko, which was originally published in 1845.

For completists, here’s Bono’s poem in full:

Oh, St Patrick he drove out the snakes
With his prayers but that’s not all it takes
For the snake symbolises
An evil that rises
And hides in your heart, as it breaks

And the evil has risen my friends
From the darkness that lives in some men
But in sorrow and fear
That’s when saints can appear
To drive out those old snakes once again

And they struggle for us to be free
From the psycho in this human family
Ireland’s sorrow and pain
Is now the Ukraine
And St Patrick’s name now Zelenskyy

In case it needs stating, Bono is likening the legend of Ireland’s patron saint – St Patrick – banishing snakes from the country to Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s heroic efforts to drive Russia out of his country.

Once the reading finished, Pelosi introduced a 25th anniversary performance of Riverdance.

Twitter couldn’t quite believe what was happening:

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Ant And Dec’s Truly Ridiculous Craig Revel Horwood Prank Leaves Viewers ‘Crying With Laughter’

The recurring game sees Ant and Dec giving different celebrity guests an earpiece and feeding them silly lines and commands while they chat to unwitting members of the public.

This week, it was Strictly Come Dancing favourite Craig’s turn to embarrass himself, as he chatted to three prospective wedding planners about his upcoming nuptials.

However, at Ant and Dec’s request, he actually spent his time with them jumping out from behind a sofa, doing a dramatic reading of the Home & Away lyrics and smashing an “antique” vase (only to then blame it on one of the wedding planners).

Adding to the ridiculousness of the scene was the fact that Craig appeared to be having a bit of trouble understanding Ant and Dec in his earpiece, leading to him claiming to one of the wedding planners that his friend invented “fidget smithers” and another that his pet hamster “sneezed and turned himself into a rat”.

And the less said about his didgeridoo playing the better…

Despite Craig’s occasional faux pas, the scene went down a storm with Saturday Night Takeway viewers, who were left howling as the prank played out:

Ant And Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway continues (surprisingly enough) on Saturday night at 7pm on ITV.

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Dua Lipa Accidentally Throws Her Mic Into The Crowd During Live Show And It Hasn’t Been Seen Since

Dua Lipa suffered the mother of all ‘butterfingers’ moments during a recent show on her Future Nostalgia World Tour when she accidentally tossed her microphone into the crowd.

The singer was belting out her hit New Rules when she lost grip of the mic, which then swiftly disappeared into the audience.

I we mean literally disappeared, because it was never seen again.

In videos shared by fans on social media, the singer can be seen looking out into the audience in a bid to retrieve it, but to no avail.

She was then forced to style it out by busting some moves until a replacement mic was handed to her by one of her dancers.

The Future Nostalgia tour has been postponed several times due to the pandemic, but finally kicked off in Florida last month.

The tour is set to conclude in Perth, Australia in November.

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Ed Sheeran Pays Tribute To ‘Amazing Friend’ Shane Warne Following His Death

The record-breaking Australian sportsman could not be revived after being found unresponsive in his Thailand villa, after suffering a suspected heart attack.

The Shape Of You singer said he had spoken to Shane on the phone this week to mark the first anniversary of the death of music mogul Michael Gudinski, with both of them raising a glass in his honour.

Ed shared a photo of Shane and Michael together on Instagram and wrote: “The world keeps taking incredible people away.

“I spoke to Shane on the anniversary of Michael’s passing this week saying we were both raising a glass of 707 in his honour, and now this news comes out.

“Shane was the kindest heart, and always went above and beyond to make people feel welcome and special. Such a gentleman.

“He gave so many hours and years of his life to bring joy to others, and was such an amazing friend to me. Il bloody miss you mate. Absolutely gutted.”

Many celebrity friends of the cricketer have also paid tribute, recalling fond memories and remembering him as a “true cricket legend”.

Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger shared a black and white photo of Warne to Twitter while recalling his cricketing talent.

He wrote: “I’m so saddened by the sudden death of Shane Warne. He brought such joy to the game and was the greatest spin bowler ever.”

Kylie Minogue also paid her respects, writing: “Vale Warney. Condolences to his family, friends and fans. The one and only King of Spin, #ShaneWarne”.

BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker recalled an appearance by Shane on the programme in January this year.

He tweeted: “Genuinely can’t believe the sad news about the death of Shane Warne.

“He came on Breakfast just a couple of weeks ago & was as effervescent as ever. What a talent he was. He had a huge impact on cricket and will be sorely missed by so many.”

Sports pundit Gabby Logan also paid tribute calling him a “rock n roll” sports legend.

The 48-year-old TV presenter appeared with Shane in 2012 on Sky One’s sports panel show A League Of Their Own.

She tweeted: “There really are very few genuine sporting legends, rock n roll sports stars who transcend their genre, Shane was absolutely one of those. Rest in peace.”

As the England Cricket team prepare for a three-Test series against the West Indies in the Caribbean, the players and umpires stood for a minute’s silence.

The Victoria-born spinner was engaged to Elizabeth Hurley from September 2011 until they split in December 2013.

In 2016, he took part in the Australian version of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!

Shane was the joint-leading wicket-taker as Australia won the 1999 World Cup. He ended his illustrious 15-year international career in 2007.

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Sky News Journalists Share Video Of Violent Ambush In Ukraine

Harrowing footage shows the moment Sky News journalists came under fire from Russian forces in Ukraine earlier this week.

Veteran Sky News foreign correspondent Stuart Ramsay and his team of four others were attacked Monday while driving in a vehicle near the capital of Kyiv. Video shows the moment the team’s car was fired upon.

The attackers were Russian saboteurs targeting fleeing civilians, Ramsay reported.

“It’s a professional ambush,” Ramsay says in narration over the video. “The bullets just don’t miss.”

As the car takes fire, the journalists make a run for it down an embankment.

Camera operator Richie Mockler, who continued to film even as bullets pierced the vehicle he was in, took two rounds to his body armor. All five journalists were able to make their escape and are back in the U.K.

“We were lucky,” Ramsay says in the video. “Thousands of Ukrainians are not. And every day, this war gets worse here.”

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Hollywood Actress Wishes She Was Vladimir Putin’s Mother In Bizarre Tweet

While much of the world is debating how to handle Vladimir Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, one former star of the rebooted “90210” thinks she could have put a stop to it before it ever happened.

AnnaLynne McCord, who played antihero Naomi Clark from 2008 to 2013, on Thursday posted a video on Twitter with a personal ― and peculiar message to Putin.

It begins with McCord saying, “Dear President Vladimir Putin,” while subtitles in English (not Russian) appear below.

Then, the 34-year-old actor apologizes to the 69-year-old Russian leader for not giving birth to him.

“I’m so sorry that I was not your mother. If I was your mother, you would have been so loved, held in the arms of joyous light. Never would this story’s plight. The world unfurled before our eyes. A pure demise.”

It’s bizarre. See the whole 2-minute, 20-second clip yourself.

Although the clip is starting to go viral, many viewers weren’t impressed with McCord’s notion that complex geopolitical issues could have been solved with a few hugs in the early stages of life.

So far, there is no word if Putin has seen McCord’s video, but one person predicted his reaction to it.

And, yes, many people couldn’t help but be reminded of another celebrity gaffe: Gal Gadot’s “Imagine” video from the beginning of the pandemic.

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Alan Carr Reveals Surprise Relation To Fellow Comedian Jonathan Ross

Alan Carr has revealed he is distantly related to fellow comic Jonathan Ross.

The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK judge told of how he was once told of a family link to the Masked Singer panellist by Jonathan’s mother, late EastEnders star Martha Ross.

Speaking on the latest episode of his Life’s A Beach podcast where Jonathan appeared as a guest, Alan explained how they both have links to Margate in Kent.

Alan said (via The Mirror): “People might not know this, but your lovely late mum came up to me at your Halloween party and said, ‘We are related aren’t we’. Do you remember?

“I was so excited because we come from the same area, we are distantly related. I remember going over to you saying, ‘Jonathan, Jonathan your mum says we’re related’ and you went, ‘For fuck sake’.”

Jonathan said: “I tried to stop her talking to people because she’d always find some famous connection.”

Alan told him it is apparently “quite a strong link”, to which he asked: “Is it really? I don’t know if I want to involved with you.”

“What! Fuck you,” Alan joked.

Alan has made a number of appearances on Jonathan's ITV chat show
Alan has made a number of appearances on Jonathan’s ITV chat show

Brian J Ritchie/Hot Sauce/Shutterstock

“I saw your episode of Who Do You Think You Are? and you’ve got a deserter in your family. I don’t know if I want to be tarnished by that,” Jonathan said, adding that he “forgets” they are related.

“But we don’t look alike, do we?” Alan asked.

Jonathan said: “Well, neither of us have got looks, let’s be honest. But you scrub up very well, you just don’t do it often!”

Alan Carr’s Life’s A Beach podcast is available to stream on podcast platforms now.

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Trigger Point Episode 5: The 8 Burning Questions We Have Now

As Trigger Point nears its climactic finale, the ITV drama served up more explosive action on Sunday night, as far-right terrorist group The Crusaders continued their series of co-ordinated attacks.

With another device planted at a London university, it was confirmed that EXPO John Hudson was indeed a a member of the terror cell.

However, after he managed to evade capture, the capital faced its biggest threat of the series, as Lana and the team uncovered a plan to blow up a street of houses near the Progressive Alliance HQ.

Ahead of next week’s final episode, these are the questions we have been left asking…

Is there more to Karl?

Warren Brown as Karl
Warren Brown as Karl

MATT FROST

At the moment, Karl seems like a nice guy, with no reason to be suspicious of, which is now starting to make us suspicious of him.

In a pre-series interview, actor Warren Brown said that “further down the line [Karl] might reveal what some of his demons are”, but we’re now at the finale and we’re yet to see any demons, suggesting they are about to come out in the final episode. Could he be part of The Crusaders? More on that in a bit…

How did the police not find anything on John?

While we had our doubts that Youngblood had actually shared Lana’s suspicions about John with any of his police colleagues, it appears he did, as during a debrief it was confirmed that the EXPO had been under investigation, but it had turned up no evidence.

Is this because evidence was covered up by someone? Youngblood perhaps?

We still have our suspicions about Youngblood
We still have our suspicions about Youngblood

MATT FROST

Where was the address in Brixton Billy visited before his death?

In the days before his death, police found out that Billy was living with his friend Tommy Marshall in Streatham, before he then spent an hour at an unknown address in Brixton before setting off to Farringdon, where the bomb plot was revealed.

Who was it he visited? Was it just Frank Walsh, or was it someone else?

Are Lana’s lies to the police going to come back to bite her?

During her interview about Billy’s death, Lana told two lies – that she was with Danny and Mark in the pool hall, when she was actually with Karl; and that Billy hadn’t displayed any far-right behaviour, despite his attack on a Halal butchers.

Youngblood has already confronted Lana after checking duty logs that confirmed Danny and Mark were not with her, so other officers could surely find this out for themselves.

If it does come out that she’d lied about actually being with Karl and he is a member of The Crusaders, it is not a good look – neither is lying about her brother’s racist attack.

Could she end up being implicated?

Who text John before he detonated the bomb?

Prior to setting off the bomb in the university, which was hosting a radio broadcast about an upcoming by-election where candidates for a Progressive Alliance were in attendance, John received a text message, seemingly instructing him to make the call to detonate.

The person who sent it must have been someone who knew that Frank Walsh was unable to do so, having been shot by police, which suggests it was a police officer or fellow EXPO.

The possibility that John was receiving instructions also suggests he is perhaps not the overarching mastermind behind the attacks – so who is?

Just how many more people are involved?

The police originally thought they were just looking for a third man – the bomb maker – in The Crusaders, but this episode unmasked both John and Frank Walsh, indicating there are many more members of the cell the force haven’t considered. After all, John also must have had some help changing all the gas metres in the street for the far-right group’s latest attack.

All the gas metres in a street of houses have been changed as part of The Crusaders' next attack
All the gas metres in a street of houses have been changed as part of The Crusaders’ next attack

MATT FROST

Could one of them be someone Lana served with in Afghan?

While Sonia managed to get hold of the confidential file on HMX319 file from Porton Down, it had been wiped (which could be standard precise or suggest someone is trying to cover their tracks), but she was able to tell that the explosive was originally authorised for use in Afghanistan.

Given that we also knew that the explosive was older than 10 years old, it suggests that perhaps it was obtained by someone serving in Afghan around that time.

We know that Karl served in the military and knew Lana and Nut from a long time ago, suggesting he too might have done tours in Afghan. Just saying…

What is the significance of 1912?

Some parts of the device used in the university attack were recovered and revealed that the number 1912 was written inside – this is the same number that was written in the airing cupboard where the device was wired in Andy Phelan’s flat at the West Haven estate.

It’s now clear the bombers are trying to send a message, but what is it?

Trigger Point concludes on Sunday at 9pm on ITV.

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Naomi Campbell Introduces Her Baby Daughter To The World In British Vogue Cover Shoot

Naomi Campbell has introduced her daughter to the world in a cover photo-shoot for British Vogue.

The supermodel announced in May 2021 that she had become a mother, in an Instagram post that showed her cradling her newborn baby’s feet.

Since then, she has remained tight-lipped about the new addition to her family, but has now chosen to open up about motherhood in an accompanying interview with the fashion magazine.

While Naomi has decided to keep certain details about the child private – including her name – the 51-year-old did confirm to Vogue: “She wasn’t adopted – she’s my child.”

She also told the magazine that she had kept the fact she was having a child quiet from those closest to her, explaining: “I can count on one hand the number of people who knew that I was having her. But she is the biggest blessing I could ever imagine. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”

“I always knew that one day I would be a mother, but it’s the biggest joy I could ever imagine,” Naomi continued. “I’m lucky to have her and I know that.”

On how being a parent has changed her, Naomi revealed: “I’m like a kid again. I’m reliving nursery rhymes, playing and discovering how many great new toys there are out there in the world! And dolls! Things I couldn’t even dream of.”

At the end of the interview, Naomi was asked whether she would consider having more children in the future, with Vogue noting she said with a laugh: “Why not? Why not?”

Naomi previously told her Instagram followers: “A beautiful little blessing has chosen me to be her mother.

“So honoured to have this gentle soul in my life there are no words to describe the lifelong bond that I now share with you my angel. There is no greater love.”

Read Naomi’s interview in the March 2022 issue of British Vogue, on newsstands on Tuesday 22 February.

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Trigger Point Episode 4: The 7 Burning Questions We Have Now

If you were in any doubt about John’s guilt after what was found in his locker at the end of last week’s Trigger Point, the latest episode seemed to cement his involvement with The Crusaders.

Sunday’s instalment of the explosive ITV drama saw Lana discover John didn’t turn up for work on the day of the Five Oaks attack, before she then saw him seemingly eying up the far-right group’s next target. In a tragic turn of events for Lana, her brother Billy was then killed as he was used as an unwitting suicide bomber, as apparent revenge for a showdown she’d had with John at the police station.

With The Crusaders still at large and suspicions about one particular police officer growing ever bigger, here’s the questions we’ve been left asking this week…

What’s the hold up on the checks into HMX319?

Yep, we’re still waiting on the report from Porton Down on the chemical composition used by the bombers.

The current working theory is that some of the explosives made their way onto the dark web, with traces also suggesting they are about 10 years old.

But we’re yet to get any sort of confirmation on that as Porton Down appear to be taking their sweet time on getting back to Youngblood. That is, of course, if he has even requested the information in the first place. After all, we’ve had our suspicions about him for a few weeks now…

There's something up with Youngblood if you ask us
There’s something up with Youngblood if you ask us

MATT FROST, JONATHAN FORD AND ROSS FERGUSON

Who was watching Lana at the crime scene?

When Lana attended the scene of the burnt-out car one of the terrorists had blown up, there was a camera shot that suggested Lana was being covertly watched. Who was it?

Why would the bombers chose to advertise so clearly that they had military training?

Hamilton made a valid point about the way the bombs were wired so professionally. While Lana said it would have been just second nature to someone with military training and that the bombers wouldn’t expect EXPOs to check the wiring as the circuit would be damaged in any blasts, that is a big bet for them to take, especially if a device isn’t detonated.

Is John really under surveillance?

After Lana followed John out of their workplace, where she saw him appearing to eye up his next target, she was intercepted by Youngblood, who told her off for following someone who was already under police surveillance. He then refused to offer more details, saying he “couldn’t talk about an on-going investigation”.

Given our suspicions about Youngblood, we can’t help but think that this might be a lie and he hasn’t actually done anything with the information Lana gave him, because he is in on it.

Why isn’t Lana doing more to stop John?

Kris Hitchen as John Hudson
Kris Hitchen as John Hudson

MATT FROST AND ROSS FERGUSON

She’s managed to unearth all this evidence against John, and while it might be inadmissible because of the way it was obtained, she’s only told one person (who is also of questionable character). Surely you would be telling anyone with any authority if there was a credible risk to life with further attacks?

Admittedly, she told Hamilton that John was the one they should be watching, but she really needs to give her the receipts so she can take what Lana is saying credibly.

How will John be caught?

With Billy now dead, will Lana share her suspicions about him with more people? And will he be caught before another attack?

Is Lana in danger?

The terrorists have already killed her brother – could she face a similar fate because of what she knows?

Trigger Point continues on Sunday at 9pm on ITV.

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