Every Friday night, Derek and many other Jews across the world mark the end of the week by ushering in the start of the Jewish sabbath – Shabbat. Families light candles and gather around the table for Friday night dinner, sharing the comforts of food and conversation. On Saturday morning, they go to synagogue, to pray and reflect on the week that’s just passed.

The former football star was surrounded by love as he turns 51

Victoria Beckham joined three of her children with sending birthday wishes to David Beckham as he celebrated turning 51 years old.

Former football star Sir David Beckham married Spice Girls icon Victoria Beckham in 1999, with them since giving birth to their four children Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper.

On Saturday (May 2), David celebrated turning 51 as he received floods of messages from friends and family, including Victoria and three of their children.

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Eldest son Brooklyn hasn’t posted anything for David’s birthday following an explosive statement he released earlier this year after he had removed himself from the family following rumours of a feud.

Asked about the situation, Lady Beckham told The Wall Street Journal: “I think that we’ve always – we love our children so much.

“We’ve always tried to be the best parents that we can be, and you know, we’ve been in the public eye for more than 30 years right now, and all we’ve ever tried to do is protect our children and love our children, and you know, that’s all I really want to say about it.”

Taking to her Instagram, Victoria gushed: “You are our world, our everything. We love you so much!!! Happy birthday to the best husband, daddy, son, brother, and friend.

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“To the kindest most generous soul. We will spoil you all day!!!! Nobody deserves it more than you xxx” Victoria went onto post a video of her husband, as she added: “We love you so much”.

Last year, David celebrated a milestone birthday as he turned 50. At the time, he wrote: “Looking back on some of my favourite football memories as I turn 50… I met my wife at a United game, found friends for life in the Academy & played for some of the best teams in the world…

“My children have come along on this special journey with me… and now a dream come true to be an owner with Inter Miami. Feeling very lucky”.

While some of the photos included wife Victoria Beckham and their four children Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper, the former footballer also posted one of him and Gary Neville holding the Premiership Trophy during the celebration parade in 1996.

Zanardi found a seat back in Cart in 2001, driving for a team set up by his former Ganassi engineer Mo Nunn.

He was leading the race at Germany’s Lausitzring oval held just four days after the 11 September attacks in the US when the accident that changed his life took place.

Exiting the pits in the closing stages of the race, Zanardi made a mistake and spun on to the track. Canadian Alex Tagliani hit Zanardi’s car broadside, at close to 200mph, tearing off its nose.

The crash was like a bomb going off, and in the aftermath Zanardi’s noseless car lay across the track, a river of blood flowing from it.

His heart stopped seven times. He survived for nearly an hour with less than a litre of blood. He was saved by the expert intervention of the medical team, led by Dr Steve Olvey.

Talking about regaining consciousness in hospital in Berlin eight days after the accident, Zanardi said: “I surprised myself feeling, or sensing, the highest joy I have ever had in my life. The pain was incredible. I cannot describe it. But I was alive. Who cares about my legs? I am alive. It was the most natural thing for me to focus on what I had left.”

It was the end of his career in single-seater racing, but he set upon an extensive rehabilitation programme and was fitted with prosthetic limbs.

In 2003, he was given a run in a Cart car fitted with hand controls back at the Lausitzring, symbolically completing the 13 laps remaining from the race he never finished two years before.

He lapped quickly enough to qualify for the race, and that encouraged him to believe he could make a comeback to motorsport. He did a deal with BMW to provide him with a car fitted with hand controls in the World Touring Car Championship, where he competed for five seasons from 2005-9, winning four races.

Although now into his 40s, Zanardi had already embarked on another challenge that would lead to his greatest achievements.

In 2007, he finished the New York City marathon fourth in the hand-cycle class after just four weeks of training. This became Zanardi’s main focus and as the years passed by, his success grew.

In 2011, he won the New York Marathon. Then, at the 2012 London Olympics, he took gold medals in the road race and the road time trial, following up with another double in Rio De Janeiro four years later, this time twinning the road time trial with the road team relay.

In effect, he dominated the sport for seven years, adding a total of 12 world championship gold medals from 2013-19.

Every few years, media comes alive with discussion and debate around the use of technology in pop music, often focused on that most personal of instruments – the human voice.

Vocal manipulation is nothing new. It is ubiquitous and fundamental to pop music production – from self-harmonising on records in the 1950s, to autotune technology in the 90s and now millisecond precise editing, combining hundreds of individual vocal performances at the syllable level.

Generative AI is now prevalent in music as well. The use of platforms such as Suno are hugely popular. Suno can clone a voice within minutes. This can then be used to automatically generate a song with your voice, no matter how in tune or technically capable it originally was.

It can also take existing voices and remap them to other tunes. For example, take this mashup (below) of Cotton Eye Joe, “sung” by a digital Amy Winehouse.

But with the advent of this technology, is there a threshold of achievement before the individual voice is manipulated so much it is effectively removed altogether?

Here are six songs that exemplify how evolving technologies have changed the human voice since the 1950s.

1. Buddy Holly – Words of Love (1957)

The technique of double tracking takes two separate recordings of the voice and plays them together.

This simple technique, only achievable with the creative application of advances in recording technology in the 50s, gives the impression of a “thicker” vocal.

In Words of Love, Buddy Holly went one step further and harmonised with himself. It is a technique that is still used in modern production, by pioneering musicians like Imogen Heap.

2. The Beatles – When I’m 64 (1967)

When I’m 64 features an example of pitch manipulation. It’s done by changing the playback speed of the tape the vocal was recorded onto.

The tape is sped up slightly to give a higher pitched and “frail” sound – signifying the 64-year-old man.

Prince often used this technique. You can hear it in songs like Housequake (1987) on the Sign o’ the Times album.

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3. Kraftwerk – Autobahn (1974)

The vocal statement as this track kicks in sounds robotic. That is due to the use of a Vocoder machine.

The Vocoder combines the human voice with a synthesiser, creating a strange, futuristic effect.

Daft Punk’s Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (2001) is another example of this technology.

4. Milli Vanilli – Girl You Know It’s True (1988)

Milli Vanilli is perhaps one of the more controversial examples. That’s because in Girl You know It’s True, the vocals were not performed by the artists themselves. Instead, other anonymous singers were used to lay down the vocals for the albums and the two stars mimed. It caused an uproar when the truth came out.

While not strictly a technique, this is a key pivot point where music is commodified beyond the song into a wider package. The MTV era moved backing track performances to the foreground, as artists – especially pop artists – began to mime to the “perfect” recorded music.

This in turn led to protest performances on shows like the UK’s Top of the Pops, from artists like Oasis who played up to the fact they weren’t singing live.

It also caused embarrassment for singer Ashlee Simpson on Saturday Night Live in 2004 when her lip-synching was revealed as the wrong track played out.

5. Cher – Believe (1998)

Believe was one of the first mainstream examples of using autotune technology as an effect, rather than its intended use of bringing an otherwise out of tune vocal into tune.

The verses and pre-choruses of this track are where this takes place.

This was the catalyst that has led on to autotune being a valid production technique. Its use is exemplified by artists like Charli XCX.

6. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings (2019)

Extreme editing of vocals is achievable in modern music software. We are a long way away from literally taking a razor blade to tape to combine one or two vocal performances, as would have been the norm in the late 50s and 60s.

Nowadays we can edit beyond the individual syllable, and it is common practice to do so, to create the “perfect” performance.

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In this example, a stylistic choice has been made to remove the biological necessity of breathing – a technical achievement in vocal layering and processing. There are many other vocal processing effects going on as well, but the minimal breathing is notable.

Grande is also know for using Imogen Heap’s MiMu Gloves to play with her vocals by controlling the sound through hand gestures.

Too much tech?

Artists like Grande use technology creatively. But the use of autotune in particular is becoming standard across recorded, and sometimes even live performance.

It has been argued by artists like Justin Hawkins that many singers sound the way they do precisely because they are not perfect and can’t sing exactly in tune. The character and the nuance of who they are lies in between the tones and microtones.

More sophisticated techniques in production, either live or recorded, will continue to develop, now aided by AI. These developments will challenge ideas of authenticity, creative ethics, artistry and ownership.

But it is my hope that artists and musicians rise to this challenge and discover new creative possibilities, sparking new and unheard sonic textures and musical genres. All the while retaining that most fundamental component of creativity – humanity.

Semenyo and Guehi entered negotiations with their eyes open.

Both had the Premier League’s elite to choose from in January.

Semenyo was a target for Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham. Liverpool, too, were credited with an interest in the 26-year-old, who had a £65m release clause at Bournemouth. He prioritised a move to City.

Guehi was admired on an even greater scale. Out of contract at Crystal Palace at the end of this season, the England defender had suitors across Europe.

Bayern, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid had serious interest in signing him on a free transfer at the end of the season, while Real Madrid and Barcelona were also in the running. Liverpool‘s interest was well documented. Arsenal and Tottenham also tried to convince him to agree to move across London this summer.

Guehi chose City.

It is inconceivable that either player decided to sign a long-term contract without knowing it is likely the majority of that time will be spent under a manager who is not Guardiola.

Of course, the opportunity to work for him – even if it is for six months – is one most players are not afforded. But that alone is unlikely to have been enough to compel Semenyo and Guehi to sign five-and-a-half-year deals.

City can no longer lean heavily on the idea of flourishing under Guardiola in their pitches to players.

According to sources, rival club executives have used the emerging narrative over the managerial situation to persuade players to ignore advances from the Blues – as if to suggest their success will wane once Guardiola is gone.

Nevertheless – certainly for Semenyo and Guehi – City’s pitch remains among the most competitive around, despite the uncertainty over Guardiola.

There is no escaping the fact they are one of the best payers in Europe, and it would be disingenuous to suggest finances were not a big factor in the two new signings.

That said, it is understood Tottenham‘s offer to Semenyo was the most lucrative he received in January.

Indeed, sources close to both transfers say it was City demonstrating they gave a virtual guarantee of competing for the biggest trophies and consistent Champions League qualification that proved pivotal in the decision-making process.

Their state-of-the-art infrastructure and off-field ambitions are key features of their pitch to new players, but ultimately it centres on on-field success.

They impress on prospective signings the world-class squad already assembled, combined with their commitment to continue recruiting elite players.

Their strategy of extending the contracts of their best talent in search of continuity and stability also features prominently in their pitch. The 10-year contract that striker Erling Haaland signed last year is a case in point.

But it is City’s body of work under their Abu Dhabi ownership – even prior to Guardiola’s arrival – that is their truly unique selling point for prospective signings.

The trophies speak for themselves.

That is not to say there are not some uncertainties. The implications of City’s prolonged legal battle over the much-documented 115 charges in relation to alleged Premier League financial rule breaches weighs heavily over the Etihad. The club strongly deny any wrongdoing.

The outcome of the case will resonate, and any punishment may alter the landscape of English football and City’s history.

While no-one knows where the case is up to, the rebuild City have carried out over the past year suggests they are not actively preparing for the worst.

Regardless of what lies ahead in that respect, they will continue to prepare the football operation for success way beyond when Guardiola is gone.

For those at City, the arrivals of Semenyo and Guehi have provided tangible proof that their recruitment operations are not dependent on Guardiola’s employment.

Stacey Solomon stepped in for Simon Cowell at the Britain’s Got Talent auditions in Birmingham and the head judge has now praised her judging skills, calling her ‘incredible’

Stacey Solomon has been showered with praise by Simon Cowell.

The former X Factor hopeful turned TV presenter stepped in for Simon during the Britain’s Got Talent auditions in Birmingham while the head judge was absent through illness.

She took her place alongside Amanda Holden, KSI and Alesha Dixon on the judging panel, having previously auditioned for Simon herself on the ITV singing competition back in 2009.

Speaking at ITV Showcase 2026, Simon said: “I think Stacey Solomon was incredible.” Amanda joked: “We loved her. I think the thing is Simon really liked me sitting in his seat.”

Simon continued: “I’ve noticed whenever I’m off you can’t wait to get to get on that chair. She joked: “I use one less cushion.””, reports the Mirror.

Producers drafted in Stacey to prevent the sessions from being cancelled, and she was widely commended for her warm, empathetic manner with those auditioning. She hit her golden buzzer for Braunstone Community Primary School from Leicestershire during her time on the panel.

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READ MORE: How to take part in Britain’s Got Talent series 20 as applications openREAD MORE: BGT faces backlash as fans say same thing over Amanda Holden’s Golden Buzzer

The pupils delivered a rousing rendition of All Things Bright And Beautiful before breaking into a freestyle dance routine set to a medley of rave classics. Stacey was captivated by the act’s infectious energy and enthusiasm, sending them straight through to the live semi-finals. They will take to the stage once more this evening (Saturday, May 2), with Stacey having surprised the pupils with a visit to the school last week.

Former headteacher Halil Tamugus, who featured in the audition as Mr T and developed the concept, told the Mirror: “Stacey’s a good friend of ours now, we back her fully, and she backs us. And she came into the school as well, she made a surprise visit last week. It was great.

“She came in, she gave us a little bit of a pep talk to believe in ourselves, and, you know, give it our best shot, but to really enjoy it. And the kids really bought into that, and they buy into her, so, yeah, it’ll be amazing to see her again at the Semis.

“When Stacey pressed the Golden Buzzer, it took me probably 30 seconds longer than everybody else to actually process what was going on. It was just a complete shock.

“We weren’t expecting it. It wasn’t the reason we went on the show. The reason we went onto the show was just to share and spread some joy.”

The school ravers face competition from Alfredo and Coral, Fabian Fox, Katherine O’Malley, Macshane and Delby, Nic Vani, Sadeck Berrabah and LMA, plus World Wings.

Alongside the exciting acts, series 17 champion Sydnie Christmas returns to perform, with an “extra-special” appearance from the Great Ormond Street Hospital Choir.

The choir’s performance, featuring hospital staff and volunteers, is backed by GOSH charity patron and BGT judge Simon himself.

Britain’s Got Talent continues Saturday, May 2 at 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX

This year, the Birmingham Stage company tours the two Horrible Histories books that got the gory ball rolling for actor-teacher turned publishing phenomenon Terry Deary in 1993: The Terrible Tudors and The Awesome Egyptians. The Egyptians have been upgraded to ‘Awful’: discover the foul facts of death and decay amid the mummies, and get to know some not so great things about Ramesses the Great. In Terrible Tudors, you hear tales of the torturing Tudors, discover the fate of Henry’s headless wives, and survive the Spanish Armada. The BBC has gone big on Horrible Histories for years, but Neal Foster’s productions use 3D-projections and old-fashioned rollicking theatricality to banish any whiff of classroom tedium or screen-dependency.

Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury, May 14-16, 2026; touring to Oct (Storyhouse, Chester); venues include Nottingham Theatre Royal, Bristol Old Vic and His Majesty’s, Aberdeen

Age recommendation: 5+

Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Tickets: https://birminghamstage.com

Matilda the Musical

The Team Relay consists of 5 legs of varying distance

The 44th annual Belfast City Marathon is set to take over the city this Sunday.

Thousands of runners will be putting on their trainers and taking on the mammoth 26.2-mile challenge alongside relay teams splitting up the miles.

Whether you are running for charity, setting yourself a new challenge or taking part for fun, the team relay at Belfast City Marathon is a beloved event for all those involved.

READ MORE: Belfast City Marathon 2026 road closures, route, transport, results, Expo details and more ahead of race dayREAD MORE: Belfast City Marathon Results 2026: Official finish times

The Team Relay consists of 5 legs, of varying distances, with changeover points across the route:

• LEG 1: Stormont Estate – Montgomery Road, 4.2 miles.
• LEG 2: Montgomery Road – Boucher Road, 6.8 miles.
• LEG 3: Boucher Road – Falls Road, 4.5 miles.
• LEG 4: Falls Road – Duncairn Gardens, 5 miles.
• LEG 5: Duncairn Gardens – Ormeau Park 5.7 miles.

Please note that team relay leg distances are approximate and subject to change and may differ as a result of where you changeover with your fellow team mate. Each changeover point could stretch over 0.5 miles.

The Belfast City Marathon has shared exact changeover points along the relay stops which correspond to each relay team numbers.

See the exact points in the post below…

Belfast City Marathon route map

How to get to Belfast City Marathon Relay starting points

A shuttle bus service will run 8:00am – 10:00am from Annadale Embankment at Dunnes Stores to drop runners off at their designated relay changeover point:

• Montgomery Road – 08:00 – 08:30
• Boucher Road – 08:30 – 09:00
• Falls Road – 09:00 – 09:30
• Duncairn Gardens – 09:30 – 10:00

Getting back to Belfast City Centre – a shuttle bus will transport participants from Ormeau Embankment to Belfast City Centre. This service will run from 11:45am – 4:00pm.

Getting back to Stormont – every 3rd shuttle bus leaving Ormeau Embankment will transport spectators back to Stormont

All buses are free to spectators and participants on race day.

Official Belfast Marathon finish times and results will be available here as soon as runners cross the finish line.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Wannabe Reform UK councillor Stuart Prior has been exposed for a series of horrendous and alarming tweets.

A Reform candidate has launched an appalling racist tirade, even declaring white people “the master race”. Stuart Prior, standing in Essex in next week’s local elections, hit out with a slew of hateful comments just months ago.

The property company director appeared to celebrate Punjabi and Sikh women being raped, suggested black people had smaller brains and branded Muslims “rats”.

His extreme comments, made on a X, previously Twitter, account under his name, was revealed in a joint investigation with the Mirror and anti-racism group Hope Not Hate (HnH).

The 54-year-old was confronted by the Mirror at his detached property in an Essex village with a dossier of evidence, but denied being a racist.

On his “master race” tweet, Prior claimed: “I don’t recall that at all, blimey.” And in reference to his comment about black people’s brains, he said: “Goodness me, that is not me, 100 per cent not.”

And reading back his tweet saying “good” and “reap it” in reference to women being raped, Prior said: “No, this isn’t me.”

Prior’s X account is believed to have been deleted earlier this year. He is standing in Rayleigh West in a bid to win a county council seat, as well as in Sweyne Park and Grange, part of Rochford District Council.

HnH’s director of research Joe Mulhall said: “Of all the racist and extreme Reform candidates we’ve found, Stuart Prior is one of the worst.

“In the local elections, Reform are hoping to do well in Essex, the county in which Nigel Farage is an MP, and have been projected to win the Council. Reform’s decision to select Stuart Prior shows, however, that the people of Essex deserve far better.”

Prior’s tweets mark the latest blow for Farage’s party and its vetting standards. Last month, the Mirror exposed a series of Reform candidates’ views including one for being a fan of notorious fascist leader Oswald Mosley.

In response to a tweet questioning whether white women should be allowed to wear braids, Prior wrote in December: “As the master race, they can do as they please.”

In October, Your Party MP Zarah Sultana tweeted referring to a woman of Punjabi heritage being raped in a racist attack and a Sikh woman suffering the same fate, adding: “These horrifying attacks show how racism and misogyny feed each other – fuelled by the rise of fascism and hate.” Prior reposted the tweet, writing: “good.reap it”.

In November he suggested white people had bigger brains than black people. A user shared pictures of white athletes on the floor next to their black counterparts standing, writing: “But how did they manage to colonize us?”

In response, Prior wrote: “Larger brains. Google which race has the smallest brain…. Then, once you have that answer, Google whether brain size dictates intelligence in humans.”

The same month, Prior declared: “There cannot be a genocide against Muslims. It’s only ever self defence against those rats.” Reacting to a video of a black man apparently being disruptive on a tube train, in October Prior used a racial slur.

In response to a tweet referencing the Huntingdon knife attack, Prior wrote in November: “If this was caused by another third world invader, then this country needs a purge. From North to South and from East to West.”

When put to him by the Mirror that he had identified his house by sharing a picture of his dog by the window, Prior confirmed he had one of the animals, adding: “I don’t recall these tweets…”

Another image he posted of a Union flag shows part of his property. Read a tweet in which he had referred to immigrants as a “cancer”, Prior said: “This looks likely something that’s been kind of created against me.” Reform said it was “looking into” Prior’s posts.

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