LONDON: Stripped of his cycling medals over a doping scandal, disgraced US icon Lance Armstrong will suffer a fresh humiliation this weekend at the hands of an English town which will burn him in effigy.
The 30-foot (nine-meter) steel-framed figure, dressed in a Tour de France leader’s yellow jersey, will be torched on Saturday during the annual Guy Fawkes or Bonfire Night celebrations in Edenbridge in Kent, southeast England.
The effigy has been stuffed with oil-soaked newspapers and fireworks and holds a sign reading: “For Sale — Racing Bike. No longer required.”
Armstrong was stripped of his record seven Tour de France wins after a damning US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report concluded that he was at the heart of the most sophisticated doping program in the history of sport.
The Armstrong effigy also sports a badge around its neck saying “Jim Fixed It For Me,” a reference to the late British television presenter Jimmy Savile, who has been accused of widespread child sex abuse.
Edenbridge Bonfire Society said Savile had been another potential candidate to be burned in effigy this year, along with British finance minister George Osborne.
“We had a shortlist which included Jimmy Savile but it was decided it would not be nice to use him, as a lot of children attend the bonfire and they might start asking their parents questions,” said society co-ordinator Charles Laver.
Osborne was viewed as “a bit boring,” so Armstrong won out, Laver said, adding: “He’s better because he’s brighter. We’re very pleased with it.” Revellers across Britain celebrate with bonfires and fireworks on or around Nov. 5 to mark a failed 1605 plot to blow up Parliament and kill king James I.
Traditionally they burn an effigy, which for centuries represented Catholic rebel Guy Fawkes, the leader of the so-called Gunpowder Plot.
Other celebrities who have previously made it onto Edenbridge’s bonfire are footballers Mario Balotelli and Wayne Rooney, former French President Jacques Chirac and ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair plus Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Armstrong effigy to go up in flames on English bonfire
Armstrong effigy to go up in flames on English bonfire
Lolo Zouai takes to Berlin’s Colors platform
DUBAI: French Algerian singer Lolo Zouai took to the Berlin-based music platform Colors this week, delivering a live performance of her latest single “Desert Rose PT.II.”
The appearance comes as the track climbed to No. 1 on Algeria’s R&B chart within 24 hours of its release. A sequel to “Desert Rose” from her 2019 debut album “High Highs to Low Lows,” the new single features lyrics in Arabic, French and English, reflecting the cross-cultural influences that shape her sound.
Zouai marked the achievement on Instagram, sharing a series of posts including a photo of herself wearing an Algeria football jersey, alongside the single’s cover art and a screenshot showing its chart ranking.
“Grateful for the love on this one. Can’t wait for you to hear the studio version and the rest of ‘Reverie’,” she wrote.
She also reposted a collage of fan reactions, including a TikTok video that read: “It’s 2026 and we still haven’t had another song like ‘Desert Rose’ out.” Others said: “Can’t wait for Desert Rose pt. 2” and “wdym desert rose pt. 2?!?!?!”
The single forms part of her upcoming third studio album, “Reveries,” due for release on April 24. She announced the date last month alongside the music video for “Holding On,” another track from the project.
Blending R&B with dance-pop elements, “Holding On” delves into themes of grief and memory. The video is dedicated to Zouai’s close friend, Hanna Rosa Hotchkiss, who died in 2021.
In a statement on Instagram, Zouai described the album as the product of a transformative period in her life: “This record was made through three years of grief, growth, and reflection. I had to lose myself to find myself again. I couldn’t have done it without my angel, Hanna. Thank you to my collaborators, my friends, and my Lo-riders who held me down through it all. I hope it heals you the way it healed me.”
Known for her blend of R&B, club-pop and hip-hop, Zouai has gained an international fan base for her dynamic stage presence and genre-blending music.
Zouai’s last release was in November, when she dropped a new single titled “3AM in San Francisco.”
