The Voice Reveal

The 1938 mansion, Casa Encantada, once belonged to Conrad Hilton and was sold at foreclosure auction The tech billionaire Peter Thiel has been revealed as the new owner of a storied Bel-Air estate that quietly sold in July for a staggering $130m. The 1938 mansion, Casa Encantada, was sold at an open-air foreclosure auction in Pomona, with the name of the buyer kept under wraps for months. The winning bid is now revealed to have come from a limited liability company linked to the venture capitalist and PayPal and Palantir co-founder, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the buyer’s identity . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/qBWxoUS via IFTTT

Wyndham’s theatre, London Grant brings shock-haired vigour as a vain novelist forced to welcome his boho children’s surprise guests in comedy of clipped social embarrassment Hay Fever, now one of Noël Coward’s best-known and most-performed works, hasn’t always been a smash hit. British critics who found its West End debut in 1925 amusing enough nevertheless noted its lack of plot, and the first Broadway production was a flop. A critic for Vogue called it “funny in places”, which sounds like the kind of stinging putdown you’d expect from the playwright’s own hand. A century of performances have proved the play’s lasting power, but its comic effect has always lain less in the words as written than their delivery – it is, after all, about a family that is “artificial to the point of lunacy”. At their centre is diva Judith Bliss, who has retired from the stage to take up the role of country hostess. When she, her husband and their self-consciously bohemian childre...

Portugal pull away to 4-2 win in Denmark Jürgen Klopp’s Germany beat Serbia 2-0 Portugal maintained their perfect start to Nations League Group A4 as Jorge Jesus’s squad showed little signs of missing Cristiano Ronaldo with a 4-2 victory over Denmark in Copenhagen. The 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward and five-time Ballon d’Or winner left the camp before the match amid reports of a falling out with Jesus , his former club manager, having been left on the bench throughout a victory in Norway. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/jfIJg45 via IFTTT

Pike, sentenced to death over 1995 murder, had been granted stay of execution earlier on Wednesday The US supreme court is allowing Tennessee’s first execution of a woman in 200 years to go forward, vacating a last-minute stay issued by a lower court earlier in the day. Christa Pike, who was convicted of murder 30 years ago, was initially scheduled to die by lethal injection on Wednesday morning until her execution was halted hours earlier by a federal appeals court. In a 2-1 ruling, that court said the delay was necessary to assess whether Pike’s allegations of childhood sexual abuse were fully considered at her sentencing. The state governor and the supreme court had earlier refused calls for clemency. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/GqUpP4Z via IFTTT

‘Yellow 2120’ has been driven out of other Altadena neighborhood crawlspaces, but he just keeps coming back He’s back: the 550lb bear made famous after he took up residence under an Altadena home in November 2025 is wandering the Los Angeles neighborhood again after he moved in and out of the crawlspace of another home. “Yellow 2120”, as the black bear has been tagged, was spotted in the crawlspace of a home on Minoru Drive on Monday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/BcAr938 via IFTTT

Former captain says losses can benefit team next year Johnson refuses to comment on Henry Pollock hype Martin Johnson believes England’s most painful defeats under Steve Borthwick can benefit them at the Rugby World Cup in Australia next year. England endured some disastrous moments during the Six Nations this year, most notably the 42-21 defeat by Ireland at Twickenham , and finished the tournament with a solitary win against Wales. Summer Nations Championship fixtures began with an away defeat by the world champions, South Africa, before victories against Fiji and Argentina. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ZxpmFYK via IFTTT

Lawyers for Christa Pike, 50, convicted of killing classmate in Knoxville in 1995, ask supreme court to grant stay Christa Pike was 18 when she killed a classmate in a jealous rage and became one of the youngest women to be sent to death row. Now 50, she is scheduled to be put to death on Wednesday in what would be Tennessee’s first execution of a woman in 200 years. Pike and her boyfriend were convicted in the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, their classmate at Knoxville Job Corps. Prosecutors said Pike feared Slemmer was a romantic rival and lured her to a secluded area where she and her boyfriend tortured and killed Slemmer. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/EfdsLhW via IFTTT

The new AI agent, Muse, was released last week and has been downloaded by 3 million users When Usman asked if a keyboard for sale on Facebook Marketplace was still available on Saturday, he received an enthusiastic and immediate response. “Yep still available!” wrote Matt Robb. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/J3t9KB1 via IFTTT

Footage shows multiple sharks, including a five-metre great white, swimming near a large, smelly whale carcass that washed ashore at a popular Western Australia beach, drawing hundreds of onlookers. Surf lifesavers found the dead animal at Perth’s City beach at about 7.30am on Monday and raised the alarm. Local authorities closed the beach for several kilometres in each direction of the carcass, which appeared to be about six metres long After a dead whale washed up at a Perth beach, some took selfies. Others held their nose from the stench Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/AMpC7Sd via IFTTT

British Museum, London The staggering resourcefulness and fantastic originality of bygone artisans is showcased in earthenware so exquisite it will soothe your soul. But a lurch into the modern breaks the spell Can they do it again? The runaway success of the Bayeux tapestry has put the British Museum in a league of its own, perhaps making it, at this moment, the leading museum on earth – and it’s rapidly following up with Korea, a survey of “2,000 years of creativity” in a land that, before its sufferings in the 20th century, enjoyed millennia of calm, at least to judge from its art. But it’s a blockbuster with a tragic flaw, a lovely broken vase badly stuck together. You are lured at first into a nirvana of beauty. A giant bronze bell from a Buddhist monastery, cast in the eighth century AD and bulging with dragons, flames and flowery embossments, strikes the tone. It calls you to meditation. A gong adds to the harmony (and if you need that underlining, there are bells and gongs on ...

US president doubles down on criticism of CNN and MS Now as Akayla Gardner questions attempted White House ban A day after the White House barred CNN from traveling aboard Air Force One to provide pool television coverage of the president’s trip to Tennessee, Donald Trump doubled down on his criticism of that broadcaster and another, MS Now, he has attempted to ban over coverage of him he calls overly negative. As he left the White House early on Saturday, Trump was asked by MS Now White House correspondent Akayla Gardner: “Do you only want outlets that support you to be a part of the press pool?” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Rg10kcT via IFTTT

President using rare power to revoke expenditure with bipartisan approval to aid immigrant services Donald Trump is canceling nearly $1bn in spending approved by Congress, the White House announced on Friday, using a rare and contested power to axe funding for immigrant services and diversity-focused initiatives. Trump’s office of management and budget described the funding cut as focused on “the most harmful government spending”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/6cXmJkl via IFTTT

Europe lead Team World 3-1 after opening day Alcaraz wins doubles match with Jakub Mensik By the time Casper Ruud had completed his typically tenacious comeback to capture victory in the opening scuffle of this year’s Laver Cup, Carlos Alcaraz was on the floor. The Spaniard had worked harder than any other player on the sidelines as he repeatedly cheered, animated the crowd and offered a steady stream of thoughtful tactical advice to his teammate. He reacted to Ruud’s triumphant final smash with a jubilant scream, his legs dramatically giving way as he slid down his seat on to the ground. Alcaraz is well aware of his status as the leading star of this year’s event, and in his third Laver Cup outing, the seven-time grand slam champion at times practically took on the role of Europe’s third coach behind Yannick Noah and Tim Henman. This provided a number of insightful glimpses into the way he sees the sport. During one exchange with Ruud, Alcaraz suggested that the Norwegian should attem...

Xi Jinping’s visit heavy on symbolism but no sign closed-door meeting yielded breakthroughs on thorny issues such as AI, trade, Taiwan and Iran Donald Trump welcomed Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday, with talks on AI, trade and a growing US-China strategic rivalry expected to feature on an elaborate state visit that critics say went big on style but lacked substance. Here are the key takeaways from Xi’s first visit to Washington in more than a decade. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lnR90dv via IFTTT

Toshisuke Kanazawa has won 19 national crowns and insists there are more to come Toshisuke Kanazawa is reminiscing about his long and illustrious career when he pauses and makes an unusual offer: “Shall I take my top off now?” He strips to the waist to reveal a smooth, bronzed upper body, pecs that most men can only dream of, and cable-like veins extending the length of his arms – the result of countless hours in the gym. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/OExHjQ3 via IFTTT

From his farm in Portugal, the acclaimed artist speaks about war, peace, the state of the world – and his 40 metre sculpture Mushrooms, on Sydney Harbour “It’s like a film set. Like it’s not real,” the bemused Uber driver says as we pass through a succession of silent rural villages washed with milky sunlight. He’s right: signs of human life are weirdly absent during our windy journey through the Alentejo. I’m making my way to Ai Weiwei’s secluded farm, nestled deep in the Portuguese countryside, where arguably the world’s best known living artist has quietly lived for the last six years. When I arrive, I am ushered inside a vast cathedral of a building, a replica of Ai’s erstwhile, and controversially demolished , studio in Shanghai. The space is cavernous. It’s gridded by huge wooden columns and its dizzyingly high ceilings are webbed with beams. There is no artwork on the walls, nor are there any obvious signs of production or activity. Continue reading... from The Guardian https...

Industry leaders call on government to protect homegrown produce in the interest of national security The gap between Britain’s food and drink exports and imports has neared its highest this century, as a combination of Brexit, war in the Middle East and US tariffs dented deliveries overseas while imports soared. The UK’s food and drink trade deficit has risen to more than £21bn – the largest since 2000 – in what industry leaders said was a “wake-up call” for the government to protect homegrown produce in the interest of national security. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/StxpliX via IFTTT

Hung Cao, acting US navy secretary, answered questions from US senator Kirsten Gillibrand in a letter Eight US navy personnel assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group have attempted suicide since the start of their lengthy deployment as part of the US war on Iran, Hung Cao, the acting US navy secretary, revealed in a letter to the US senator Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday. “Since the beginning of Lincoln’s deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group,” Cao wrote, responding on behalf of US defense secretary Pete Hegseth to Gillibrand’s inquiry about the quality of life aboard the fleet. “This number includes the Lincoln crew and sailors from the carrier airwing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and all embarked aviation squadrons.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/aoJQX17 via IFTTT

Prime minister says he told Sam Altman he was disappointed it had taken OpenAI ‘way too long’ to disclose breach Anthony Albanese says an artificial intelligence agent developed by OpenAI hacked Medicare in June and the tech giant notified the government earlier this month using an email sent to a “public mailbox”. Australia’s prime minister made the comments at the UN summit in New York, saying it appeared no personal information had been accessed in the AI breach. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Zq6zmUE via IFTTT

38-year-old had been facing attempted murder charge Former player will accept aggravated assault charge Former NFL star Antonio Brown plans to accept a plea deal on an attempted murder charge in Miami, his lawyer said Wednesday. Doing so will mean the former wide receiver avoids prison. Brown is scheduled to appear in court next Wednesday to make the deal final. He could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the current attempted murder charge. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lS2yVDk via IFTTT

Meeting on sidelines of UN general assembly, Ukrainian leader says Kyiv open to deal not to attack energy targets if Russia agrees. What we know on day 1,673 Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed with Donald Trump on Tuesday efforts to end the 4-year-old war with Russia , ⁠including a potential bilateral ceasefire ​on energy-related targets. “We are ready for any kind of format of energy ceasefire” if Russia agrees to “not attack our energy system,” Zelenskyy told journalists after meeting with Trump at the UN headquarters in New York. The Ukrainian leader expressed hope the “American side will find a way … to bring them to any kind of negotiations.” Zelenskyy said that he also was ready to meet the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, ​at a trilateral meeting with Trump. Trump insisted he was working with both sides to end the war, despite little evidence of Putin being open to any settlement . “It’s going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand,” Trump said in his UN speech. E...

Oscar-winning film-maker Barry Levinson’s docuseries Bucks County, USA examines the political divide in one town in a revealing and infuriating manner Like many teenage best friends, Evi and Vanessa have a penchant for finishing each other’s sentences. Whether enmeshed on a couch or telling a story, one, a red-headed musical theater nerd with a personality nearly as boisterous as her signature puffy skirts, collides with the other, darker in hair and disposition, their speech bubbling with indecipherable affirmations and giggles. In a heady chorus of “duuude” and “no, you!”, it can be difficult to tell where one girl ends and the other begins. Except, that is, at their respective homes. Evi’s mother, Lela, who like her daughter, espouses views considered left of liberal in the US context, speaks in support of LGBTQ+ students at local school board meetings and advocates for fact-based history lessons. Vanessa’s father, Paul Martino, is a right-leaning venture capitalist who likes to bra...

IPPR North says one bad decision could derail devolution agenda as regions gain control of billions in funding England’s mayors should face much greater official scrutiny to avoid Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda being “derailed by one bad decision”, a thinktank has said. Ministers will set out plans next month to give regional leaders control over potentially billions of pounds of additional funding under a “transformational” shift of power outside Whitehall. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/JjdCUXk via IFTTT

Lawyer tells hearing that families wish to know whether weaponry involved in deaths was made in Britain Israeli and UK military commanders could be requested to give evidence to an inquest concerning three British workers killed in Gaza when aid vehicles they were travelling in were hit by an airstrike. It is also possible that the inquest into the deaths of John Chapman, 57, Jim Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47 , may examine whether the weaponry that killed the men was made in the UK. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/knbighO via IFTTT