Cashless market
As one would expect in a developed economy, it is obvious that Brummies (as citizens from the English city of Birmingham is known) as well as visitors have come to embrace the cashless policy because most store owners hardly accept cash. Even to buy food, you need to make use of your bank card and visit to a restaurant confirmed as much as an attendant told me ‘cash was not accepted’ . But thanks to a spirited Nigerian who bailed me out to get a bite of my order.
Sitting next to British Royals
Early in life, I got to know that the Queen of England represents the Royal family in the UK and her frontiers also extended to the Commonwealth countries including Nigeria. In fact, all the things I had known about the famous British Royals was through reading and television but yesterday I sat at close quarters to Prince Edward and his lovely family at the weightlifting arena at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Prince Edward is a member of the British royal family and the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Edward is 14th in line in succession to the British throne. He is also the Earl of Wessex. Yet when Prince Edward walked into the hall, there was no special treatment for him except that he was being led to a seat assigned for a Commonwealth family. His son sat close to him on the left, while his wife and daughter were on the left side. It was as simple as that but the time I spent sitting close to members of the British Royals would forever stay in my memory.
Seychelles’ one-woman rioter in Birmingham
Clementina Ciana Agricole of Seychelles who competed in the Women’s 59kg, was a lone protester at the weightlifting event of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games
She stood out among the lifters with her unique face painting. She wrote on her face that reads “Abuse, xenophobia, discrimination” to protest against Seychelles Weightlifting Association.
She went further to grant interviews while she also made a copy of the protest letter sent to the IOC to journalists. This is another way athletes are now expressing their displeasure.