King Charles and Queen Camilla will be wrapping their three-day visit to Northern Ireland after a “distressing” mishap.

The monarch, who is currently undergoing cancer treatment, appeared in high spirits and active as he enjoyed a “sunny afternoon in Hillsborough”.

Buckingham Palace shared a special, albeit reassuring update, noting that Charles was healthy and continuing with his duties as per schedule despite the blunder by a UK radio station.

“The King and Queen attended a Garden Party at Hillsborough Castle with brilliant people from across Northern Ireland’s voluntary and charitable sectors,” the message read.

“Guests were invited in recognition of the have positive impact they have made within their communities.”

The King and Queen did not seem bothered by the brief panic that was caused in the public. Camilla seemed bright and cheerful in her Fiona Clare’s sapphire blue silk crepe dress and wool crepe coat by Philip Tracy hat.

Meanwhile, the monarch, dressed in a grey suit, was very much in his element, as he picked up a shovel to plant a tree. Charles, who is an avid gardener and an advocate of the natural environment, was not afraid to get his hands dirty.

He was also seen laughing and joking with military personnel in attendance. He even laughed off having a bird poo on him during the event, quipping that “at least it didn’t land on my head”.

Hence, it would appear business was usual even though a blunder from a UK radio station that accidently ran death of King Charles III protocol. They later issued an apology citing a “computer error”.

Jimmy Kimmel has taken aim at Elon Musk over his attacks on Christopher Nolan’s casting of Lupita Nyong’o in The Odyssey, telling the tech billionaire to “stay in his lane” during a pointed segment on his late-night show.

The row centres on Nolan’s decision to cast Nyong’o, 43, as Helen of Troy, the figure from Greek mythology whose legendary beauty sparked the Trojan War. 

The Oscar-winning actress, who took home the Academy Award for 12 Years a Slave in 2013, will play both Helen and her sister Clytemnestra.

The backlash began when conservative commentator Matt Walsh posted on X arguing that nobody “on the planet” considers Nyong’o the world’s most beautiful woman, and accusing Nolan of making the casting choice out of fear of being labelled racist. 

Musk responded with a single word: “True.” 

He then went further, separately suggesting that Nolan’s motivation for the casting was awards eligibility, writing in response to another user: “He wants the awards.” 

Musk was referring to Oscars diversity guidelines introduced in 2023 that require best picture nominees to meet certain representation criteria across cast and crew.

Kimmel addressed the controversy on his show by displaying Musk’s tweets, including one in which Musk labelled Nolan’s Odyssey a “desecration” and demanded to know who was responsible for the Academy’s diversity requirements, before flashing a photo of the Tesla Cybertruck on screen. 

“Who specifically is the a**hole that thought this was a cool design for a truck?” Kimmel shot back.

Musk’s commentary didn’t stop at Nyong’o. 

When false rumours circulated that trans actor Elliot Page would be playing Achilles, Musk called it “one of the dumbest and twisted things I’ve ever heard.” 

It later emerged Page is actually playing Elpenor, a minor character who dies by falling off a roof while drunk and is later encountered in the underworld. 

After the correction, Musk reposted a tweet denying the existence of Page’s masculinity.

Actor Alec Baldwin entered the debate on Instagram, posting a photo of Nyong’o with the message: “Dear Elon… but she IS the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Nolan’s The Odyssey, his first film since the best picture-winning Oppenheimer, boasts one of the most starry casts in recent memory.

Matt Damon plays Odysseus, Anne Hathaway his wife Penelope, Tom Holland their son Telemachus, and Zendaya the goddess Athena. 

Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth and rapper Travis Scott are also among the cast. The film opens in US cinemas on 17 July.

• Focus on economic developments, reforms, 2027 budget strategy.
• SBP reiterates commitment to tight monetary policy stance.
• Aim to anchor inflation expectations remains key priority.
  

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission on Wednesday wrapped up its discussions with the officials in the finance ministry, focusing on economic developments, fiscal plans for the next fiscal year (FY2027-28), and progress on reforms under the fund-supported programmes, it said in a statement.

The IMF said authorities in Islamabad have committed to a primary surplus target of 2% of gross domestic product in fiscal year 2027.

The fund’s team, led by advisor Iva Petrova, visited Islamabad from May 13-20 for discussions that focused on economic developments, progress on reforms and the impact of disruptions linked to the conflict in the Middle East.

The IMF earlier in May cleared the South Asian nation to access about $1.32 billion in fresh funding. The country is on a $7 billion IMF programme.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has committed to maintaining an “appropriately tight monetary policy stance” to anchor inflation expectations and will continue to closely monitor potential second-round effects from energy price increases, the IMF said.

Talks on the fiscal 2027 budget are set to continue in the coming days, the fund added.

The IMF said its next mission, which will include consultation and reviews under certain arrangements, is planned for the second half of 2026.