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Tour De Stories

5-Days Private Kerala Tour with Sightseeing Tickets

Kumbalangi Village Tour from Cochin

Half-Day Private Kochi City Sightseeing Tour

Kochi Tuk Tuk Tour by Experienced Story Teller

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Tour De Stories - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Tour De Stories

5-Days Private Kerala Tour with Sightseeing Tickets

Kumbalangi Village Tour from Cochin

Half-Day Private Kochi City Sightseeing Tour

Kochi Tuk Tuk Tour by Experienced Story Teller

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Tour De Stories - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

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Tour des Stories

Tales within our tales Each year, the Tour de France, with its 21 days of racing, generates so many stories. I can imagine a cycling-focused Scheherazade-like journalist telling more than 1,001 tales for just one edition of the Grand Tour. By my calculations, if you wrote about every rider on the start list for each day of racing, that’s 3,696 stories. (That is also assuming no one leaves the race, which would only happen in a work of fiction.) You could also cover sport directors, soigneurs, mechanics and spend an eternity on one edition. Canadian . . .

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The 7 Wildest Tour de France Stories You'll Never Believe

• By Brian Kendall

Wild has become an adjective synonymous with the Tour de France. Through 21 lengthy, arduous stages on two wheels, there's never a doubt something dramatic will unfold. Whether unleashed dogs or children's bicycles have anything to do with these wild Tour de France moments, you'll just have to click through to find out.

Chris Froome Needs Running Shoes

During the final climb up the infamous Mount Ventoux of the lengthy stage 12, Chris Froome and former teammate, Richie Porte, had a sizeable cushion ahead of the other GC contenders. That was until Porte rammed into the back of a stopped motorcycle and Froome followed. What transpired after, easily makes this one of the most bizarre events in Tour de France history. Froome, wearing the maillot jaune, had a broken bike. With no team cars or teammates in sight, he began running up Mount Ventoux as he saw his lead in jeopardy. A neutral support vehicle gave Froome a bike, but the clipless pedals didn't match his shoes. Throwing the bike to the side, Froome took to running again. He would eventually get a Team Sky bike, but only after losing time to other contenders and subsequently ending up in fifth place. However, the race organizers ultimately reversed the gaps, keeping Froome in yellow.

Jens Voigt Borrows a Bike...From a Child

If you wonder why Jens Voigt has long been considered one of the most audacious riders in tour history, this incident provides the perfect example. During stage 16, Voigt crashed on the descent of the Col de Peyresourde—a crash that would take any normal human out of the tour completely. Yet despite the crash, a broken bicycle and no support vehicles in sight, Voigt grabbed a steed from a children group's car that was following the race. For 10 miles, Voigt comically yet courageously rode this bike, which was much too small for him, before grabbing a bike from a police officer that a teammate had left for him.

Lance Armstrong Takes a Detour

Despite his fall from grace, Lance Armstrong contributed some of the most dramatic moments in Tour de France history. At the tail end of stage 9, the majority of the GC contenders found themselves in the same group on a hairpin descent. While attempting to navigate around one of the course's tricky curves, Joseba Beloki locked his wheels and skidded on the hot asphalt. Armstrong, who was trailing Beloki, managed to avoid a collision with the Spaniard by taking his bike through a hayfield. While Beloki's Tour was over, Armstrong managed to reconnect with his fellow GC contenders and remain in yellow.

Blood at the Finish Line

Thor Hushovd held yellow after the opening prologue of the 2006 Tour. Yet the second stage would be a nightmare for the Norwegian rider. Midway through the stage, Hushovd already relinquished yellow thanks to a mid-stage time bonus George Hincapie smartly attained. And by the end of the stage, Hushoved would lie on his back with blood pouring from his right arm. In what remains as one of the more chaotic scenes in recent tour memory, it was a cardboard fan a spectator was holding that sliced through Hushovd's arm as he sprinted for the finish. This caused a severe gash, which resulted in hemorrhaging. Hushovd immediately fainted as he crossed the line—blood splattering his teammates as they surrounded him. Despite being airlifted from the scene and requiring several stitches, he would continue and ride to another stage win on the Champs Elysees.

Riding in Cars and Trains

In a time when it was difficult for race organizers to police riders, the tour was rife with cheating. The tour's first winner, Maurice Garin, was no exception. The 1904 edition saw a lot of chaos brought about by fanaticism, with spectators reportedly going to great lengths and even physically assaulting rival riders so their favorite could cross the finish line in yellow. Garin was one such victim, but this didn't keep him from crossing in first place. However, several witnesses and fellow competitors would come forward later, claiming Garin cheated his way to his second Tour de France victory—reportedly riding in cars and even taking a train. Tour organizers would strip Garin of the maillot jaune, becoming the first in a long line of controversial winners.

Who Let the Dogs Out?

As you might expect, our four-legged creatures and cycling do not mix. Stage 9 caused a raucous when a canine spectator leaped out in front of the peloton, causing German rider Marcus Burghardt to tumble to the pavement. The dog walked away unscathed while Burghardt escaped with minor scrapes and bruises and a broken wheel. More interestingly, this is only one in a string of incidents involving man's best friend. In stage 18 that same year, French rider Sandy Casar won the stage after a collision with a black dog, and 2012, 2013 and 2016 saw other crashes caused by our four-legged friends.

Merckx Punched by Spectator

Assault on cyclists was nothing new, but when the assault is on arguably the greatest rider of all time during his last Tour de France appearance, it's hard to overlook. Despite entering the race as the defending champion, Merckx's best days were clearly behind him—he was ill in the spring and hadn't won any of the early season races he typically dominated. But here he was, with two stage victories and donning the yellow jersey yet again. During stage 14's mountainous time trial, a fan emerged toward the finish and punched Merckx in the stomach. Merckx, clearly shaken, crossed the finish vomiting. While he would end the stage still wearing yellow, he would credit the punch with ruining his chances at claiming his sixth tour title.

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Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour Next% 2 Golf Shoe Review

M y Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour Next% 2 golf shoes arrived the day before I was due to play a 72 hole event over a weekend and while I would never normally put new shoes into action for such a lengthy event, these shoes felt so unbelievably comfortable when I first slipped them on I was confident they would be up to the challenge.

I have fairly wide feet and had previously identified Nike golf shoes as being more on the narrow side, causing some issues with rubbing and foot pain. I was delighted to discover this was not the case and while there may be wider fitting shoes on the market, these were perfectly comfortable out on the course.

I felt as though I was already on to a winner with the Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour Next% 2 golf shoes as not only would I class them as some of the most comfortable golf shoes , I would say they look outstanding. The colourway I tried is a little bold, I admit, but there is the option of a classic white and black for those looking to be more discreet. I really feel as though the green, blue and pink tinge on these shoes help it stand out, not only highlighting some of the really impressive technical features but also attracting plenty of compliments over the weekend from playing partners and spectators alike. The sporty style may not be to everyone's taste but I honestly felt a little more athletic in these shoes just because of how they look and felt, although this was probably helped by the fact they are worn by one of my favorite players in Brooks Koepka .

While the previous model of this golf shoe was highly rated and deemed one of the best golf shoes on the market, I really feel as though Nike has made some big improvements from a performance standpoint. It has integrated additional spikes in the forefoot, raising the total of spikes to six, which is two more than the previous design. This provided excellent traction while walking and swinging from different lies. 

The Air Zoom unit offers exceptional comfort and a cloud-like feeling under your foot, solidifying its position as some of the best golf shoes for walking . This was enhanced by the cushioned insole and updated midsole foam, which not only provided comfort but good levels of stability when hitting from uneven lies on the course.

The Flyweave material of the upper is comfortable and also offers protection from the elements as you receive a two-year waterproof warranty with these golf shoes. While this may not be as necessary if you’re lucky enough to live in a warmer climate, this is essential for those that experience harsher winters and these shoes really will rival the performance of any of the best winter golf shoes .

This particular pair dealt with 72 holes fresh out of the box admirably and felt as comfortable as though they were designed to run marathons. This is the most complete golf shoe I have worn in a while and so I thoroughly enjoyed wearing them. Retailing at $170/£159, I believe the Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour Next% 2 golf shoe offers great value for money and provides you with everything you need out of an all-year round golf shoe.

Concert review: Diljit Dosanjh launches DIL-LUMINATI tour in Vancouver

It was a historic opening night of the Punjabi star's cross-Canada tour at Vancouver’s biggest venue, B.C. Place

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If you didn’t see the rotating banner declarations, then the giant scoreboard suspended from the roof at B.C. Place was impossible to miss: Diljit Dosanjh’s DIL-LUMINATI tour: Witness history in the making .

Concert review: Diljit Dosanjh launches DIL-LUMINATI tour in Vancouver Back to video

The opening night of the Punjabi star’s cross-Canada tour at Vancouver’s biggest venue was indeed historic.

Dosanjh is the first Indian pop singer to sell out at the stadium , drawing a reported 54,000-plus attendees. In 2023, he sold out Rogers Arena on his Born to Shine tour and became the first South Asian artist to play the main stage at Coachella

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That kind of cred is what earns you a giant diamond-encrusted Rolex and legions of adoring fans across the globe.

His two sets made clear why this dynamic artist has that following, too. Dosanjh’s blending of high-energy traditional folk idioms with slick contemporary pop production on seductive jams like Peaches is fiercely addictive. No, you don’t need to know Punjabi to know that the track is all about a lady.

“Get ready to witness the biggest Punjabi artist on the planet. The moment has arrived,” declared the AI MC, which also noted that the show was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

That message had been received loud and clear by those in attendance , a multi-generational audience that ranged in age from four to far more. Without question, Dosanjh’s ability to make music that plays well at weddings, parties, arenas — anywhere — merits meticulous study by rising stars to replicate. It’s not an easy thing to achieve.

But when you can drop a tune like Hass Hass, featuring Sia, it keeps them coming. The singer certainly did that for two long sets and a 30-minute interval that would have sapped the life out of most performances. It didn’t dampen the vibe at the venue.

When Dosanjh returned after the break, it took about three verses for the venue to be back in full party mode. The guy can pump up a crowd.

To say folks are familiar with the material doesn’t do their singalongs justice. At times, it almost felt like a collaboration rather than a concert. But there was no question who the headliner was at any point.

For someone who had an average of 30 lavishly decked-out dancers on stage most of the evening, you could easily forget that they and the band were even there. But they provided ace backing on bangers from the opener G.O.A.T. to the smash Jatt Vailly and — I think — Champagne.

The cameras kept the singer’s face in multi-storey resolution all night long, and if you caught a glimpse of a single dancer’s gyrating hip, it was purely incidental. The focus was on one person only, and he carried the concert to such a degree that the flash pots, smoke columns, flame throwers and confetti cannons almost seemed pointless. Almost.

pic.twitter.com/1YTrsmIWT3 — Alcibiades (@HaremOfBeauties) April 28, 2024

The LED wristbands handed out to everyone as they entered turned the venue into a constant flashing display of colour that blended well with the vibe of the songs. They also combined with the lasers to great effect.

Coldplay did a similar illumination play at previous B.C. Place performances, but never with this impact. As people left the venue, their wristband lights continued to dance away.

A fitting finish to a performance that kept people up and dancing all night long.

So much so, that there were times when one wondered if the venue could handle all that motion. It did, but I’d double check the fittings on those fold out rows of bleachers because they were swinging to Kharku as hard as the fans were.

Next up for Indian pop fans: Surrey’s very own Juno Award-winning singer/rapper Karan Aujla at Rogers Arena on Aug. 17.

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Neil Young and Crazy Horse 2024 tour setlist: Every song they played at Phoenix concert

Neil Young brought Crazy Horse to Phoenix for the first since 2003, when the Greendale Tour played what we now call Arizona Financial Theatre.

Saturday’s show at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre was in support of "FU##IN’ UP," a new release that captures Young and Crazy Horse in all their ragged glory.

And they treated Phoenix to a show that put the spotlight on the staples that have made Young one of rock ‘n’ roll's most celebrated elder statesmen, setting the tone with an epic performance of “Cortez the Killer” that lasted roughly 15 minutes.

By the time they brought the concert to a cacophonous conclusion with the glorious racket of “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" and a one-song encore of "Danger Bird," Young and Crazy Horse had powered their way through such classics as “Cinnamon Girl,” “Don’t Cry No Tears” and “Powderfinger.”

Young also took a break from the distortion and his bandmates for a three-song unplugged mini-set, including “Comes a Time” and “Heart of Gold,” before the night was through.

Concert review: Neil Young and Crazy Horse scaled heights of ragged glory in transcendent Phoenix concert

Neil Young and Crazy Horse 2024 setlist: Every song they played in Phoenix

Here’s every song Neil Young and Crazy Horse played at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in Phoenix:

"Cortez the Killer""Cinnamon Girl""Don't Cry No Tears""Down by the River""The Losing End (When You're On)""Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere""Scattered (Let's Think About Livin')""Powderfinger""Love and Only Love""Comes a Time" (Neil Young solo acoustic)"Heart of Gold" (Neil Young solo acoustic)"Human Highway" (Neil Young solo acoustic)"Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)"

Encore:"Danger Bird"

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Bon Jovi docuseries 'Thank You, Goodnight' is an argument for respect

Eric Deggans

Jon Bon Jovi at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., in 2013. David Bergman/Hulu hide caption

Jon Bon Jovi at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., in 2013.

Hulu's docuseries Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story , spends a lot of time building up the Bon Jovi legend — exploring the band's almost unbelievable 40-plus-year run from playing hardscrabble rock clubs in New Jersey to earning platinum albums and entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

But what moved me most in the four-part series was something more revealing: its close look at the struggle by lead singer Jon Bon Jovi to overcome vocal problems which nearly led him to quit the band.

Footage of the singer croaking through vocal exercises, undergoing laser treatments, enduring acupuncture and finally turning to surgery is sprinkled throughout the series, which toggles back and forth between his problems in 2022 and a chronological story of the band's triumphs and tragedies from its earliest days.

Refusing to be Fat Elvis

Jon Bon Jovi was interviewed for Thank You, Goodnight . Disney/Hulu hide caption

Jon Bon Jovi was interviewed for Thank You, Goodnight .

Through it all, a question hangs: Will Bon Jovi ever recover enough vocal strength to lead a 40th anniversary tour?

"If I can't be the very best I can be, I'm out," he tells the cameras, still looking a bit boyish despite his voluminous gray hair at age 62. "I'm not here to drag down the legacy, I'm not here for the 'Where are they now?' tour ... I'm not ever gonna be the Fat Elvis ... That ain't happening."

Filmmaker Gotham Chopra — who has also directed docuseries about his father, spiritualist Deepak Chopra, and star quarterback Tom Brady — digs deeply into the band's history, aided by boatloads of pictures, video footage and early recordings provided by the group.

Former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora in Thank You, Goodnight Disney/Hulu hide caption

Former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora in Thank You, Goodnight

Chopra gets folks from the group's tight inner circle to speak up, including former manager Doc McGhee and guitarist Richie Sambora, who quit the band in 2013. ("Are we telling the truth, or are we going to lie, what are we going to do?" Sambora cracks to his offscreen interviewer. "Let's figure it out.")

But anyone expecting gossipy dish will walk away disappointed. Even major scandals in the band's history are handled with care, including the firing of founding bassist Alec John Such in 1994 (and the admission that his replacement, Hugh McDonald, already had been secretly playing bass parts on their albums for years), drummer Tico Torres' stint in addiction treatment and Sambora's decision to quit midway through a tour in 2013, with no notice to bandmates he had performed alongside for 30 years.

Alec John Such, a founding member of Bon Jovi, dies at 70

Sambora's explanation: When issues with substance use and family problems led him to miss recording sessions, Bon Jovi got producer John Shanks to play more guitar on their 2013 record What About Now . And Sambora was hurt.

"[Bon Jovi] had the whole thing kinda planned out," Sambora says, "which basically was telling me, um, 'I can do it without you.'"

Building a band on rock anthems

Jon Bon Jovi with guitarist Phil X. Disney/Hulu hide caption

Jon Bon Jovi with guitarist Phil X.

The docuseries shows how young New Jersey native John Bongiovi turned a job as a gofer at legendary recording studio The Power Station – owned by a cousin — into a recording of his first hit in the early 1980s, Runaway . His song eventually caught the ear of another little-known artist from New Jersey called Bruce Springsteen.

"The first demo I got of Jon's was a good song," says Springsteen, a longtime friend of Bon Jovi. "I mean, Jon's great talent is these big, powerful pop rock choruses that just demand to be sung by, you know, 20,000 people in an arena."

Music Interviews

Rock star jon bon jovi comes full 'circle'.

Thank You, Goodnight shows the band really took off by honing those rock anthems with songwriter Desmond Child, while simultaneously developing videos that showcased their status as a fun, rollicking live band. Hits like You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin' on a Prayer and Wanted: Dead or Alive made them MTV darlings and rock superstars.

Through it all, the singer and bandleader is shown as the group's visionary and spark plug, open about how strategically he pushed the band to write hit songs and positioned them for commercial success.

"It wasn't as though I woke up one morning and was the best singer in the school, or on the block, or in my house," he tells the camera, laughing. "I just had a desire and a work ethic that was always the driving force."

I saw that dynamic up close in the mid-1990s when I worked as a music critic in New Jersey, spending time with Jon Bon Jovi and the band. Back then, his mother ran the group's fan club and was always trying to convince the local rock critic to write about her superstar son – I was fascinated by how the band shrugged off criticisms of being uncool and survived changing musical trends, led by a frontman who worked hard to stay grounded.

Bon Jovi was always gracious and willing to talk; he even introduced me to then-New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman at one of his legendary Christmas charity concerts. (And in a crazy coincidence, the band's backup singer Everett Bradley is an old friend from college.)

I think the docuseries captures Bon Jovi's skill at leading the group through challenges musical and otherwise — from metal's slow fade off the pop charts to the rise of grunge rock — something the singer rarely gets credit for achieving.

Still, much of Thank You, Goodnight feels like an extended celebration of the band and its charismatic frontman, leavened by his earnest effort to regain control of his voice. If you're not a Bon Jovi fan, four episodes of this story may feel like a bit much (I'd recommend at least watching the first and last episodes.)

More than anything, the docuseries feels like an extended argument for something Bon Jovi has struggled to achieve, even amid million selling records and top-grossing concert tours – respect as a legendary rock band.

The audio and digital versions of this story were edited by Jennifer Vanasco .

Tour De Stories

5-Days Private Kerala Tour with Sightseeing Tickets

Kumbalangi Village Tour from Cochin

Half-Day Private Kochi City Sightseeing Tour

Kochi Tuk Tuk Tour by Experienced Story Teller

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TOUR DE STORIES (Kochi (Cochin)) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Tour De Stories

5-Days Private Kerala Tour with Sightseeing Tickets

Kumbalangi Village Tour from Cochin

Half-Day Private Kochi City Sightseeing Tour

Kochi Tuk Tuk Tour by Experienced Story Teller

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

TOUR DE STORIES (Kochi (Cochin)) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Lotte Kopecky Won’t Be Racing the Tour de France Femmes

The Paris-Roubaix winner will prioritize Olympic medals instead, with the Omnium event wrapping just a day before the Tour begins.

Last year at the Tour , Kopecky wore the yellow jersey before teammate Demi Vollering took it over on the Col du Tourmalet. Thanks to an impressive performance in the opening stage, Kopecky spent six stages in yellow. She attacked with about 10 km left and crossed the finish line 41 seconds ahead of the rest of the peloton. Kopecky ended up the overall runner-up.

This year, the Belgian will be going all-in at the velodrome, where she hopes to win the first Olympic medals of her career. Trying to transition immediately from track racing to the Tour would just be too much. “The Omnium ends Sunday afternoon, the Tour starts Monday morning. That is almost unfeasible to do that in a good way,” said sporting manager Danny Stam, according to Sporza .

“Combining those two events would also be a very difficult task mentally. If you were to take Olympic gold, it’s too short a day to start the next morning in the Tour. She can now fully focus on the Games,” Stam added.

GCN reported that Kopecky has “high hopes both on the road and track at the Olympics, where she will look to convert her successes from the World Championships into Olympic gold. The 28-year-old is a multiple world champion on the track across the Madison, Elimination, and Points race disciplines.”

So far, Kopecky’s best Olympic result was fourth place in the road race at the Tokyo Games.

Even though fans will be disappointed not to see Kopecky racing the Tour de France Femmes, there will still be plenty of action to watch. The World Champion will be racing the Tour of Britain Women in June before returning to the Giro d’Italia Women in July. And then, of course, the Olympics in Paris, which run from July 26 to August 11.

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Orange crush: Boats packed with revelers tour Amsterdam canals to celebrate the king’s birthday

Thousands of people took to the canals of Amsterdam on Saturday to celebrate the Dutch king’s 57th birthday. Dressed in orange - the national color - they packed small boats and sailed down the historic waterways of the capital. (AP video by Ahmad Seir)

People dance on a boat during King’s Day celebrations in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

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An orange-clad man applauds for a girl playing violin as his orange-clad dog, bottom right corner, runs off during King’s Day celebrations in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Two girls sell orange pastries during King’s Day celebrations in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Mud, a rain soaked blanket and wet items are being sold during King’s Day celebrations in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

An orange-clad man and his orange-clad dog listen to a girl playing violin during King’s Day celebrations in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

An egg explodes on impact as a reveller takes part in a game during King’s Day celebrations in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Decked in the national orange color, dancing to music, and eating orange-glazed pastries, many in the Netherlands Saturday are marking King’s Day , celebrating the birthday of their monarch who is enjoying a very slight rise in popularity as per a national poll.

As King Willem-Alexander celebrated his 57th birthday with his family in the northeastern city of Emmen, people across the country engaged in the traditional “free markets” held on that day, selling second-hand toys, books and other items. Others toured through the historic canals of the capital, Amsterdam as orange smoke from flares held aloft one boat drifted over vessels of all shapes and sizes jostling for space on a busy canal.

“Celebrating your birthday with your own family is the most beautiful thing you can experience. I’m very happy everybody is back,” Willem-Alexander told Dutch broadcaster NOS during a walkabout in Emmen, 190 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of the Dutch capital.

An annual poll published by the NOS for King’s Day showed Willem-Alexander’s popularity edging up very slightly since last year to 6.6 out of 10. His Argentine-born wife, Queen Maxima, scored 7.1 out of 10 in the poll of 1,015 people, conducted earlier this month.

The royals’ popularity took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic after Willem-Alexander and his family went on vacation in Greece during a partial lockdown. The royals cut short their break amid national uproar and Willem-Alexander took the unusual step of issuing a video message to express his regret and contrition for the trip.

The king’s three daughters, Amalia, Alexia and Ariane have all spent time out of the country recently — Ariane has been studying in Italy while Alexia has taken a gap year to travel. The eldest and heir to the Dutch throne, Amalia, also returned ahead of the king’s birthday after being forced to leave her student accommodation in Amsterdam and move to Madrid following threats from the criminal underworld.

Amalia, 20, who is studying politics, psychology, law and economics at Amsterdam University, told NOS she was “extremely grateful to everybody who made it possible” for her to live in Spain, where she said she was able to enjoy more freedom than in the Netherlands.

But, she added: “I’m glad to be back.”

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Review: hip-hop star nicki minaj turns target center pink in overdue return to minnesota.

Good context for how overdue Nicki Minaj's concert was Saturday night at Target Center: The last time the hip-hop queen performed in the Twin Cities was 13 years ago as the opening act for Britney Spears.

While Spears has endured well-publicized ups and downs since that poorly attended Xcel Energy Center show in 2011, Minaj has mostly had only ups in her career.

She has been one of the top-selling artists in pop music of the past decade, racking up three No. 1 albums (the most ever by a female rapper) and 23 top-10 singles (same). Her success — and her feminine and LGBTQ icon status, too — rocketed further last year via her smash-hit "Barbie World" single with Ice Spice from the "Barbie" movie soundtrack.

Saturday's nearly sold-out crowd of about 16,000 fans came dressed for the occasion in a sea of pink outfits, including many men. It wasn't because of Barbie, though. Minaj has been pinkifying the world since her 2010 breakout album, "Pink Friday," a success she flashed back to in the title of her tour and latest album "Pink Friday 2."

Some of those fans — especially the ones who hired babysitters — may have been seeing red by the time Minaj finally took the stage. She didn't go on until 10:10 p.m., more than two hours after the advertised start time with only a DJ filling the gap.

Her scheduled opener, "The Boy Is Mine" co-vocalist Monica actually performed in a 15-minute break that abruptly came three-quarters of the way through Minaj's set. Along with a couple of long video interludes, Monica's montage made the concert feel unusually disjointed. Her songs, including "Before You Walk Out of My Life," also felt mellow and a tad outdated amid Minaj's recent, fiery hits.

In between those preshow and midshow lulls, though, Minaj was fully and fiercely present. The Trinidad-born rapper, 41, took the stage in a silvery space-queen outfit to the tune of "I'm the Best," and she seemed intent on living up to that title.

The second in an unprecedented run of three Target Center concerts in six months headlined by female hip-hop stars — after Doja Cat's and Ice Spice's December date , and before Megan Thee Stallion's May 14 booking — Minaj's performance boasted a big, bright visual production on par with Doja's show.

Neon lights were decked out all over the stage (yes, often tinted pink). Dancers and pyro were constantly blowing across the stage. Minaj's numerous outfits were quite a spectacle, too, from a bejeweled purple bodysuit with matching thigh-high boots near the start to an elegant, flowing red dress donned later for the mellower love songs "Save Me" and the new one "Fallin' 4 U."

Minaj wasn't as tied in with the choreography or as physically hyperactive as Doja was. Her most-cheered dance move may have been a stage-hump in "Pink Birthday," which rivaled the one Prince offered across the street at First Avenue for movie cameras in 1983. She genuinely seemed to be pouring most of her energy into her vocals instead, and her talent as a rapper and bawdy, tongue-tying lyricist never got lost in the grand visual scheme.

She came on fast and furious on the microphone right away during "Barbie Dangerous" and "Beep Beep." Kudos to the crowd for keeping up with her rapid delivery and making the latter tune a big sing-along. A lot of today's hot young male rappers, including Travis Scott and Lil Uzi Vert, should take note on how Minaj spit forcefully into her mic all night and did not let her backing tracks do any heavy-lifting for her.

Other impressive runs came later when she ripped through "Red Ruby Da Sleeze" and "Chun-Li" back-to-back under a backdrop of Chinese imagery, and again near show's end in abbreviated versions of "Super Freaky Girl" and "Anaconda."

After all the glitz and glamor displayed throughout her show, Minaj made a simpler choice of ripped jeans, white cotton tank top and a (pink) do-rag on her head when she returned after Monica's mini-set for a run of hits, including "Starships" and "Everybody." She came off more down-to-earth, but her finale look also seemed to emphasize there's a lot more to her stardom than the glitz and glamor.

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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Israel Hasn’t Offered Evidence Tying Many U.N. Workers to Hamas, Review Says

The review did not address whether some employees of a U.N. agency, UNRWA, took part in the Oct. 7 attack, but it said no evidence had emerged that many UNRWA workers belonged to militant groups.

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By Cassandra Vinograd and Patrick Kingsley

• April 22, 2024

Israel has not provided evidence to support its accusations that many employees of the main U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees are members of terrorist organizations, according to an independent review commissioned by the United Nations that was released on Monday.

The review did not address Israel’s accusation that a dozen employees of the agency, known as UNRWA, were involved in the Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct. 7. “It is a separate mission, and it is not in our mandate,” said Catherine Colonna, the former French foreign minister who led the inquiry.

The review was announced in January , before Israel circulated claims that one in 10 of UNRWA’s 13,000 employees in the Gaza Strip was a member of Hamas or its ally, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and that some of those employees took part in the Oct. 7 attack.

But by the time investigators started working on the review in early February , Israel had leveled those charges, giving the inquiry added significance.

Speaking at a news conference at U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday, Ms. Colonna said she wanted to be “very clear” that the question of involvement in Oct. 7 is a separate question, one that remains under internal investigation by the United Nations.

While Israel has not produced evidence of ties to Hamas and other militant groups among UNRWA workers, that does not mean there is no evidence, she noted. “It’s very different,” she said.

More than a dozen countries, including the United States, suspended funding to UNRWA in light of the accusations. The United Nations fired 10 of the 12 employees accused in the attack while pleading with donor countries to restore funding at a time when the majority of Gazans depend on the group for food and shelter. It also announced an internal investigation along with the independent external review , which was made public on Monday.

After the Biden administration halted funding for the agency pending the results of investigations, Congress barred any money for the agency for a year, through March 2025.

The review led by Ms. Colonna said that UNRWA had long shared lists of its employees with Israel, but that the Israeli government had not informed the agency of any concerns relating to UNRWA staff members based on these lists since 2011.

“Israel made public claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations,” the report said. “However, Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this.”

In a statement on Monday, Oren Marmorstein, a spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry, said, “Hamas has infiltrated UNRWA so deeply that it is no longer possible to determine where UNRWA ends and where Hamas begins.”

“This is not what a genuine and thorough review looks like,” he added. “This is what an effort to avoid the problem and not address it head on looks like.”

Amid calls from Israel to shutter the agency, the report commissioned by the United Nations said UNRWA remained “pivotal in providing life-saving humanitarian aid and essential social services,” adding that “UNRWA is irreplaceable and indispensable to Palestinians’ human and economic development.”

Still, the report found that despite “robust” guidelines to ensure its neutrality, there were weaknesses in their implementation because of problems in the agency’s vetting processes, its internal investigations and restrictions on its ability to prevent armed groups from using its facilities for military purposes.

The report said the agency “lacks the support of intelligence services to undertake efficient and comprehensive vetting.”

A lack of resources had slowed the agency’s investigations into alleged breaches of neutrality, “limiting UNRWA’s ability to attract, hire, train and retain suitable, experienced and qualified investigators,” the report said.

The report added that there had been instances when agency employees had publicly expressed political views, its schools had used textbooks with “problematic content” and some of its facilities had been used for “political or military purposes.” The report did not elaborate, but said that breaches of neutrality “could include the discovery of weapons, cavities and tunnel openings, military activities or incursions.”

The review offered recommendations for protecting the agency’s neutrality, including additional screening and training of staff members, and closer cooperation with host countries and Israel in sharing employee rosters.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the U.N. secretary general, António Guterres, said on Monday that Mr. Guterres had accepted the report’s recommendations and appealed for donors “to actively support UNRWA, as it is a lifeline for Palestine refugees in the region.”

Among the countries that suspended payments over Israel’s allegations, several — including Canada, Japan and Australia — have resumed funding UNRWA, citing the spiraling humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and steps taken by the agency to improve accountability. The United States has said it would wait for the results of U.N. investigations before deciding whether to resume donations to UNRWA.

Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman, told reporters on Monday that the Biden administration was reviewing the United Nations report and had no assessment yet of its conclusions.

“Certainly, we welcome the fact that the secretary-general has accepted the recommendations,” Mr. Miller said, adding that the United States had “long made clear that there needs to be reforms at UNRWA.”

“We have always made clear that we think the role that UNRWA plays is indispensable in providing and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance — not just in Gaza, but in the broader region,” he said. “We continue to support the work that they do.”

UNRWA was created to provide aid to Palestinians across the Middle East whose families fled or were forced from lands during the wars surrounding Israel’s creation in 1948. Since Hamas won Palestinian elections in Gaza in 2006 and ousted a rival faction from the enclave a year later, the group ceded many of its civil responsibilities to UNRWA.

Israel has claimed that UNRWA is fundamentally compromised, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for it to be closed and replaced “with responsible international aid agencies.”

Michael Levenson , Anushka Patil and Michael Crowley contributed reporting.

An earlier version of this article described incorrectly what a review said about Israeli concerns about UNRWA employees. The review said that Israel had not flagged concerns about agency employees based on staff lists since 2011, not that Israel had not flagged any concerns about employees since 2011.

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Patrick Kingsley is The Times’s Jerusalem bureau chief, leading coverage of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. More about Patrick Kingsley

Independent review panel releases final report on UNRWA

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An independent panel released its much-awaited report on Monday about the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), providing 50 recommendations and noting that Israeli authorities have yet to provide proof of their claims that UN staff are involved with terrorist organisations.

“Israel made public claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organisations. However, Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this,” according to the 54-page  final report , Independent review of mechanisms and procedures to ensure adherence by UNRWA to the humanitarian principle of neutrality .

The UN Secretary-General, who received the final report at the weekend, had appointed the independent review group days after Israel announced the allegations against UNRWA, which employees 30,000 people and serves 5.9 million Palestine refugees in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and war-torn Gaza.

The much-awaited final report found that UNRWA, established by the General Assembly in 1949, has extensive tools in place to ensure it remains unbiased in its work and routinely provides Israel with employee lists and “ the Israeli Government has not informed UNRWA of any concerns relating to any UNRWA staff based on these staff lists since 2011.”

UNRWA has ‘most elaborate’ rules within UN system

“The set of rules and the mechanisms and procedures in place [at UNRWA] are the most elaborate within the UN system, precisely because it is such a difficult issue to work in such a complex and sensitive environment,” Catherine Colonna, former French foreign minister and head of the review group, told journalists at UN Headquarters following the report’s launch. “What needs to be improved will be improved. I’m confident that implementing these measures will help UNRWA deliver on its mandate .”

Strongly encouraging "the international community to work side by side with the agency so it can perform its mission and overcome the challenges when they are there", she said “this is the purpose of the review.”

In its nine-week-long review of existing mechanisms, the group conducted more than 200 interviews, met with Israeli and Palestinian authorities and directly contacted 47 countries and organisations, presenting a set of 50 recommendations on issues ranging from education to fresh vetting processes for recruiting staff.

Report steers new UN action plan

The report’s recommendations include creating a centralised “neutrality investigations unit”, rolling out an updated Code of Ethics and associated training to all staff, and identifying and implementing additional ways to screen UNRWA applicants at an early stage of the recruitment process.

The report also suggested exploring the possibility of third-party monitoring for sensitive projects and establishing a framework with interested donors to ensure transparency.

In a  statement on Monday, the UN Secretary-General’s Spokesperson said the UN chief accepts the recommendations contained in Ms. Colonna’s report. He has agreed with Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini that UNRWA, with the Secretary-General’s support, will establish an action plan to implement the recommendations contained in the final report.”

Claims financially hobbled UNRWA

According to the review group’s final report, Israel’s claims against UNRWA triggered the suspension of funding amounting to around $450 million.

The direct impact of Israel’s allegations swiftly hobbled UNRWA’s ability to continue its work. Operating solely on voluntary donations, UNRWA saw major donors, including the United States, cancelling or suspending funds for the agency.

In April, Washington banned funding for UNRWA until at least 2025, but other donors have pledged additional funding or restored their donations.

The new report recommended increasing the frequency and strengthening the transparency of UNRWA’s communication with donors on its financial situation and on neutrality allegations and breaches. The review group suggested regular updates and “integrity briefings” for donors interested in supporting UNRWA on integrity and related issues.

Findings on UNRWA schools

The UN agency delivers on its obligation to ensure neutrality of its 1,000 installations, including schools, healthcare centres and warehouses, according to the report, which also stated that “security and capacity challenges may hamper” existing due diligence mechanisms.

The review group said UNRWA “has consistently worked on ensuring neutrality in education” as it provides elementary and preparatory education for 500,000 pupils in 706 schools with 20,000 educational staff, including in Gaza, where right now all children are out of school following attacks  destroying the enclave’s education system amid the ongoing conflict.

Claims of anti-Semitic textbooks

Investigating “sustained criticism, mainly from Israel”, about the alleged presence of hate speech, incitement to violence and anti-Semitism in Palestinian Authority educational material, the review group examined three major international assessments and studies.

The new report showed that two identified bias and non-compliant content, but did not provide evidence of anti-Semitic reference . A third, the Eckert report, identified two examples that displayed anti-Semitic content, but noted that one had already been removed and the other significantly altered.

As such, the report recommended several actions, including the review of the content of all textbooks with host countries, Israel and the Palestinian Authority .

UNRWA remains a pivotal ‘lifeline’ for Palestine

The report stated that “in the absence of a political solution between Israel and the Palestinians, UNRWA remains pivotal in providing lifesaving humanitarian aid and essential social services, particularly in health and education, to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank” and is “irreplaceable and indispensable to Palestinians’ human and economic development”.

“In addition, many view UNRWA as a humanitarian lifeline ,” according to the report.

The UN chief on Monday said he counted on the cooperation of the donor community, the host countries and the staff to fully cooperate in the implementation of the new report’s final recommendations, the UN Spokesperson said.

“Moving forward, the Secretary-General appeals to all stakeholders to actively support UNRWA, as it is a lifeline for Palestine refugees in the region,” he said.

Other top UN officials have voiced strong support for the agency, calling on donors to reverse funding cuts and allow UNRWA to perform its work, especially in Gaza.

In late March, Israel announced it would  reject UNRWA’s requests to deliver aid into northern Gaza, where a  famine is unfolding as Israeli authorities  continue to block or severely delay lifesaving aid shipments , according to UN officials, who  launched an appeal last week for emergency funding.

Lazzarini: Report will further strengthen UNRWA

UNRWA chief Lazzarini welcomed the report’s findings and recommendations.

“ UNRWA is developing an action plan , with a timeline and budget to take forward the report’s recommendations,” he said in a statement on Monday. 

He said implementing some of the recommendations will require extensive engagement with staff and partners, including Member States, host nations and donor countries, adding that the UN agency looks forward to cooperating with all concerned stakeholders to implement the recommendations.

“UNRWA is firmly dedicated to applying UN values and humanitarian principles,” he said. “The recommendations in this report will further strengthen our efforts and response during one of the most difficult moments in the history of the Palestinian people.”

First of two investigations

Following Israel’s allegations against UNRWA in late January, the UN agency immediately fired the staff members in question and requested a swift, impartial investigation. The UN chief ordered two.

Days later, the Secretary-General  appointed an independent review team , led by Ms. Colonna and researched by Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Michelsen Institute in Norway and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, to investigate the UNRWA’s process of ensuring neutrality in its work.

At the same time, the UN chief ordered the UN’s top watchdog, the Office of Internal Oversight (OIOS), to investigate the veracity of Israel’s claims against the 12 UNRWA staff members.

At  the outset , OIOS investigators reached out to Member States concerned, visited UNRWA headquarters in Jordan and reviewed initial information received by the agency from Israeli authorities and from a variety of sources, including that released through the media and other public outlets.

That investigation is ongoing.