The Voice Reveal

The singer’s new release offers not only the dazzling professionalism of the stage show but also plenty of behind the curtain action This year will go down in cinema history for Barbenheimer but 2023 has also been the year of “Tayloncé”. Just as Barbie and Oppenheimer joined forces to rejuvenate cinema, so Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have cemented their status as joint queens of pop this year. Both singers inspire fanatical devotion, both embarked on stadium tours so huge they warped local economies, and both are closing out 2023 with a movie. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour became the highest grossing concert movie of all time in October; now comes Queen Bey’s Renaissance movie, doubtless looking to do similar wide-release box office. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ZTcgY7W via IFTTT

‘I’m doing what I can to keep this man’s legacy from being a master politician,’ says woman who wrote viral copypasta On 31 October, I received an emoji-filled text that screamed: “THOT-O-WEEN is upon us.” While taking a break from Turkey Day baking last week, I got another wishing me a “HAPPY SPANXGIVING”. Such is the horny holiday copypasta text. It’s practically a Gen Z and millennial tradition. These texts resemble the chain emails that were popular at the dawn of the digital inbox: send this generic spooky story to 15 people, or you’ll be dead by midnight. But they’ve been revamped for our chaotic times, filled with horny emojis, sexual innuendos, and lots of curse words. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Lv1HcJt via IFTTT

People from less privileged background at greater risk of developing condition under age of 65, study finds People from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more than three times as likely to experience early-onset dementia, a study has found. The study , published in the Lancet Healthy Longevity journal and conducted by researchers at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China, used UK BioBank data of more than 440,000 participants aged between 37 and 73. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ErzuHKx via IFTTT

Who has been released so far? Israel-Hamas war – live updates Israel-Hamas war: see all of our coverage Yelena Trupanob, 50, and her mother, Irena Tati, 73 Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/UVBi9Kr via IFTTT

Infant was kidnapped alongside his brother, Ariel, and their mother, Shiri, who the group say have also died A 10-month-old baby who was the youngest hostage kidnapped and taken to Gaza has reportedly been killed in an Israeli bombing alongside his mother and brother, Hamas has claimed. Kfir Bibas was taken from the Nir Oz kibbutz along with his four-year-old brother, Ariel, and their mother, Shiri. His father, Yarden, was also abducted during the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Nuz6bB1 via IFTTT

People have entered the UK in record numbers since the points-based system came in and ministers want to reverse this Since the UK introduced a points-based visa system post-Brexit, ministers have talked tough on immigration while allowing employers to look abroad to plug workforce gaps and encouraging universities to bring in overseas students. Last week Conservative MPs demanded urgent action after it emerged that net migration – the number of people immigrating minus the number emigrating – was a record-breaking 745,000 in the calendar year 2022. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DpbMgTj via IFTTT

Manchester City 3-2 RB Leipzig: Pep Guardiola’s men came from two goals down to show when they’re the European champions from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/e86xKvJ via IFTTT

Man who used machete to murder Toronto massage parlour employee in 2020 pleaded guilty in July A Canadian man who used a machete to murder a Toronto massage parlour employee has been sentenced to life in prison for a killing the judge deemed to be an act of terrorism motivated by the online “incel” subculture. The man cannot be named because he was 17 at the time of the February 2020 attack in which he killed Ashley Noelle Arzaga, 24, and seriously wounded another woman identified only by the initials JC. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/yeDknWL via IFTTT

Overhaul announced by MoJ only applies to offenders not currently in jail – which some say does not go far enough Over 1,800 offenders to have indefinite jail sentences terminated, says MoJ A man who is set to have his indefinite licence period terminated under changes to a much-maligned scheme has said it will give him back his freedom but expressed sympathy for those stuck in jail who will not benefit. Marc Conway, 43, received an imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentence with a minimum term of five and a half years for armed robbery, but served just over eight years before being released on licence. Last month marked five years since he was released on licence, meaning he will be eligible to have his sentence immediately terminated under the changes, which allow for this to happen after three years in the community if the Parole Board agrees (down from 10 years), or five years at the latest. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gXJVvIL via IFTTT

Reich was appointed in January but made little impact and Saturday’s 17-10 defeat to Tennessee Titans extended the worst current record in the NFL. from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/wldR5zp via IFTTT

The England international has played just 393 minutes of football for his club. from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/gpuYzvK via IFTTT

Matteo Arnaldi and Jannik Sinner seal Italy’s 2-0 victory Victory could herald glorious era for Italian tennis Italy fulfilled their potential as one of the most promising tennis nations in the world by defeating Australia 2-0 to become Davis Cup champions for the first time since 1976. In the opening rubber between the second-ranked players in Málaga, the 22-year-old Matteo Arnaldi edged past Alexei Popyrin 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 to give Italy the first point. Then, less than 24 hours after toppling Novak Djokovic twice in one day, Jannik Sinner again demonstrated nerves of steel as he closed off the best two weeks of his career by dominating Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-0. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/yYaB8fx via IFTTT

The Irishwoman gained revenge against Cameron with a majority-decision victory, providing reason to celebrate after riots in Dublin this week from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/IGPZXqN via IFTTT

Taylor edged 10 rounds of brutal boxing with Chantelle Cameron before she called for the trilogy at Croke Park. from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/CDm3Gzl via IFTTT

Irishwoman becomes undisputed super-lightweight champion Taylor was already undisputed world champion at lightweight Katie Taylor became the new undisputed world super-lightweight champion after she defeated Chantelle Cameron on points in an epic, unforgettable fight on Saturday night in Dublin. In the process, Taylor found the sweetest form of redemption as she avenged her narrow loss on a majority decision to Cameron in their first fight six months ago. This time Taylor was awarded the justified decision by margins of 98-92 and 96-94 while the third judge scored it as a 95-95 draw. Taylor also retains her status as the world lightweight champion and she is now in the unprecedented position of being the undisputed queen of two weight divisions at the same time. In insisting that this rematch should be held again in the division above her natural weight, she conceded a lot to Cameron, who is much bigger and stronger – as well as being five years younger. But Taylor is a truly rema...

The Dolphins secured their eighth win and are sitting top of the AFC East. from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/BKG2veF via IFTTT

10 years since one man in Maidan changed everything; Ukrainian Vogue looks beyond fashion; Ukraine facing another long, bitter winter Every week we wrap up essential coverage of the war in Ukraine , from news and features to analysis, opinion and more. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/feF0J58 via IFTTT

You have to walk a fine line between managing risk and going overboard – and building trust with your children is key Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email This week we launched the findings of the largest, nationally representative child sexual abuse perpetration survey ever undertaken in Australia or globally. We anonymously surveyed almost 2,000 Australian men about their sexual feelings and behaviours towards children. The findings were alarming and sent shock waves around Australia and the world. We found that men who abuse children are, on average, doing relatively well, from a superficial point of view: often married, good income, strong friendships and family networks. Even more concerning, we found that men who abuse children were more likely to work with children than men who don’t. This was a difficult finding because we don’t want to stigmatise men in child-focused careers – we need more of them! I’m a man and I’ve dedicated my career to children. But we also ne...

RSPB says figures distorted by failure to examine raptors caught in avian flu outbreak for signs of shooting or poisoning Confirmed incidents of the illegal persecution of birds of prey have fallen to their lowest levels for more than a decade, according to the latest RSPB Birdcrime report . But the conservation charity warned that the reduction in incidents to 61 in 2022 is distorted by a failure to examine dead raptors caught in the avian flu outbreak for signs of illegal killing. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Wj6LuiA via IFTTT

Chelsea 4-1 Paris FC: Kerr’s three goals ensured the Blues won their first European game of the season from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/Xq4v3sb via IFTTT

An initial 10 Gaza hostages expected to be released, followed by 50 Palestinians, according to source Palestinian and Israeli officials have published the names of 300 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons, at least some of whom are expected to be released in an exchange with Hamas in Gaza for dozens of Israeli hostages seized by the militant group on 7 October. A four-day pause in hostilities in the six-week-old war between Israel and Hamas is due to go into effect on Thursday, the culmination of weeks of diplomacy mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/pDNguao via IFTTT

Alexander Crow, 30, married 18-year-old high school graduate on Friday, according to license filed in Mobile county, Alabama A Roman Catholic priest in Alabama who was investigated by law enforcement after fleeing to Europe with a recent high school graduate he met through his ministry legally married after he returned to the US with her, a document provided to the Guardian showed. According to a marriage license filed in Mobile county, Alabama, Alexander Crow, 30, married the 18-year-old former McGill-Toolen Catholic high school student on Friday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/6SXCzh7 via IFTTT

Planning committee votes unanimously against All England Club’s proposals to triple size on to listed park A London council has rejected plans to build a new 8,000-seat stadium and 38 further tennis courts on a Grade II*-listed park in Wimbledon. Wandsworth council’s planning committee on Tuesday night voted unanimously to reject the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s plans to almost triple the size of the tennis championship grounds from 17 hectares (42 acres) to 46 hectares. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wxI4lhq via IFTTT

HRW says other mosques altered, for example through removal of minarets, as part of sinicisation campaign Chinese authorities have closed or altered hundreds of mosques in the northern regions of Ningxia and Gansu, homes to the highest Muslim populations in China after Xinjiang, as part of broader efforts to “sinicise” China’s religious minorities, according to a report. Researchers at Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Chinese government was significantly reducing the number of mosques in Ningxia autonomous region and Gansu province. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/vgMqi3Z via IFTTT

Goals from Isaac Price and Dion Charles earned Northern Ireland their first competitive win over a team ranked above them since 2016. from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/L1Wzxu8 via IFTTT

Ministers want to spread holidays more equally to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds The era of school summer holidays that seem to drift on for ever may be drawing to a close for the children of Wales. Welsh ministers are proposing to change the school calendar so that breaks are spread out more equally, which it believes will help children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2731crg via IFTTT

Middle-class consumers around the world – including in countries with no tradition of eating noodles – are turning to instant ramen in droves Spicy tomato, seafood, teriyaki chicken, Korean barbecue, cheese curry. Or for those with a gargantuan appetite, an “American breakfast” – all served in a pot along with a block of air-dried noodles. When Momofuku Ando invented insutanto ramen in his back yard shed in Osaka 65 years ago, he could have had little inkling that the simple, starchy convenience food would become a global food staple. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/YGH0qpt via IFTTT

The internet has made a relatable, lighthearted joke and called it ‘girl maths’, but we all rely on purchasing heuristics to make our lives easier They call it retail therapy for a reason. In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, you’d think that people would batten down the hatches and tighten the purse strings. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3hToBVL via IFTTT

Architect of Brexit transported to Australia for this year’s edition of celebrity game show So it begins again. The annoying and the terminally needy. And that’s just Ant and Dec. Then there are the contestants. The very loosely titled celebs in I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! ITV’s annual bingefest of sadism. People you’ve never heard of. People you think you might have heard of. People you’ve heard of and wish you hadn’t. All human dysfunction is here. An orgy of narcissism. This year capped off by the presence of Nigel Farage. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/FYtWu8o via IFTTT

Recent displays against Australia and Malta show Gareth Southgate’s side are vulnerable without the Arsenal midfielder It comes back to balance. While much is made of the possibilities offered by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s emergence as an option in midfield for England, a development that raises the prospect of the Liverpool player running games with his imaginative passing, it must not be forgotten that successful international teams usually prioritise stability in the middle. That was clearly on Gareth Southgate’s mind after England’s scratchy win over Malta last Friday. He experimented with qualification for Euro 2024 secured, starting Alexander-Arnold, Conor Gallagher and Jordan Henderson in midfield, but the plan faltered. Southgate, who removed Gallagher at half-time, will have been alarmed by how much space Malta found in front of England’s defence. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/UbtWBZT via IFTTT

UEFA has confirmed the size of selections will return to 23 players in Germany. from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/k8SblXc via IFTTT

The Newcastle defender is now one of the senior men within Southgate’s ranks and has amassed 46 caps to date. from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/ZTXAlyv via IFTTT

Serb blasts past Spaniard 6-3, 6-2 in second semi-final Earlier Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-1 For much of this season, Carlos Alcaraz was the only player who faced Novak Djokovic as an equal deep in the biggest tournaments around the world. But while the pair have combined to create numerous sublime classics and Alcaraz has enjoyed an incredible year in his own right, in the end Djokovic still stands alone. On Saturday evening in Turin, the world No 1 underlined his undisputed status as the best player in the world by producing an incredible performance as he picked Alcaraz apart with ease 6-3, 6-2 to reach his ninth final at the ATP Finals. If he wins it will be his seventh title. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DfLXMte via IFTTT

Women’s football under Russian air raids, Ukrainian soldiers’ bridgehead in enemy-held Kherson, and the cinematographers flying deadly drones See all our Ukraine coverage Every week we wrap up essential coverage of the war in Ukraine , from news and features to analysis, opinion and more. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/RS0aucd via IFTTT

Nobody at Wembley expected anything other than a victory from the side ranked fourth in the world against the one in 171st. from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/o9iA6Mb via IFTTT

Players stood after kick-off for victims of October Hamas attacks Uefa did not approve moment of remembrance for match Israel and Poland’s Under-21 players held their own unauthorised minute’s silence immediately after kick-off on Friday for the victims of the 7 October Hamas attacks. The gesture in Lodz came after football governing body Uefa did not approve a moment of remembrance for the game for those affected in last month’s attacks. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/HfkMb4I via IFTTT

Which? says it bought age-restricted knives and axes without checks from sellers on China’s answer to Amazon The Chinese online marketplace Temu is selling what appear to be illegal weapons, as well as knives and axes that should be age-restricted, an investigation has found. The UK consumer champion Which? says it discovered listings for batons and folding knives on the site that resembled items banned under UK law. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/5kQHqzK via IFTTT

Brett Hankinson faced federal civil rights charges over excessive use of force but did not fire fatal shots in 2020 Kentucky operation A federal judge declared a mistrial on Thursday afternoon after a jury deadlocked on civil rights charges against a former Louisville police officer who fired stray bullets in the raid that left Breonna Taylor dead. Brett Hankison was charged with using excessive force that violated the rights of Breonna Taylor, her boyfriend and her nextdoor neighbors. Hankison fired 10 shots into Taylor’s window and a glass door after officers came under fire during the flawed drug warrant search on 13 March 2020. Some of his shots flew into a neighboring apartment, but none of them struck anyone. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/AV85fUd via IFTTT

Czechs freeze Russian state-owned property; Russia concedes Ukrainians hold territory on illegally occupied side of Dnipro river See all our Ukraine war coverage The Czech Republic has frozen property owned by Russia on Czech soil, it was announced. Jan Lipavský , the Czech foreign minister, said: “At my suggestion, the government today approved the freezing of Russian state assets in the Czech Republic. The commercial activities from which Russia finances the murder of Ukrainians ends here.” Russia said that Ukrainian accession to the US-led Nato military alliance would be unacceptable, according to Reuters. “Whether in parts or in any form, Ukraine’s accession to Nato is unacceptable for Russia,” Maria Zakharova , spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry, told reporters. A Russian missile killed two emergency workers in southern Ukraine as they put out a fire from an attack only minutes earlier, Ukrainian officials said. At least seven other people were injured in the stri...

Two new books explore the history of the tape and how it helped spread hip-hop, thrash metal and experimental music around the world one mixtape at a time Everyone who grew up with a tape deck remembers mixtapes, or compilation tapes, as we used to call them in the UK. They remember sitting with a pile of records or CDs, assembling the perfect order, sending the right message. The narrator of Nick Hornby’s novel High Fidelity, Rob Fleming, had a set of parameters that had to be observed: “You can’t have two tracks by the same artist side by side, unless you’ve done the whole thing in pairs, and … oh, there are loads of rules.” “My first girlfriend and I had a cassette,” remembers Britt Daniel, frontman of Spoon. “She’d put a song on it, then give it to me. I’d keep hold of it for a couple of days, then put a song on and give it back to her. They were all message songs – my communication skills were not top-notch, but it was very sweet.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https:...

In backing a ceasefire in Gaza, scores of politicians have shown the courage and heart that their leader is lacking This was a crucial moment in Labour’s history. With one in every 200 Palestinians in Gaza now estimated to have been killed in this five-week military onslaught, a significant chunk of Labour’s parliamentary party have been privately agonising. And tonight, that agonising became a very concrete problem for Keir Starmer: 56 of his MPs defied the whip in order to back an SNP amendment calling for a ceasefire. That included eight frontbenchers, who have either resigned or been sacked. Why did they do it? They know that the UN secretary general, António Guterres, has condemned the “collective punishment” of the Palestinian people, that a Palestinian child is being killed every 10 minutes , that entire generations of families have been wiped out. Like anyone seriously engaging with the past weeks’ events, they know Israel’s government is hardly being subtle: that this week...

Russia worse off after losses from Avdiivka battle, says Zelenskiy; occupiers erasing Ukrainian literature in Donetsk and Luhansk See all our Ukraine war coverage Greater losses inflicted on Russian forces near Avdiivka will make Russia’s overall position worse in its conduct of the war, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said. Russian forces were losing men and equipment faster around Avdiivka than they did during months of battles near Bakhmut , he said. The Russian army has “eliminated” almost all Ukrainian literature in the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk , Gyunduz Mamedov , a former deputy prosecutor general of Ukraine, wrote on X. The EU will miss its target of supplying Ukraine with 1m artillery shells and missiles by next March, the German defence minister has said . Boris Pistorius ’s comments, the first public admission by a senior European minister that the target would not be met, were made before a summit of EU defence ministers in Brussels on Wedne...

It has a complicated face, like an intricate chest of drawers, or a jewellery box: press on this part and it opens to reveal a mouth, on that, and an eye pops out This is a recipe for moéche, the green, soft-shelled crabs that live in Venetian lagoons: mix a batter of flour, eggs, salt and parmesan cheese in a bucket. Drop live crabs into the batter, which must be cold so that the crabs will feel at home. For 30 minutes, the last of their lives, let the moéche scuttle around in the batter, eating it. Then drop them into a pot of boiling hot oil: self-stuffing crabs. The moéche are crabs – “true crabs” – that have moulted: they have soft shells for just a few hours, before their exoskeletons turn hard. To climb out of their too-small skins, they fill themselves up with water, so that the carapace splits. Then, they pull every part of themselves from their own skins – from the tips of their legs to their eyeballs. The first thing the intellect does with an object is to class it with s...

City’s mayor promoting beleaguered downtown as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is expected to draw nearly 20,000 people With the world watching San Francisco this week as it hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, the California city has been making use of an opportunity to rehabilitate its reputation as a struggling metropolis in decline. Apec – San Francisco’s largest international gathering since 1945 when dignitaries gathered to sign the charter creating the United Nations – is expected to draw 20,000 people to the city. The summit will bring together leaders from 21 member countries to promote trade and economic development in the Pacific region. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/hLtQzEZ via IFTTT

Chinese and US presidents meeting amid a deteriorating geopolitical climate, with the countries on opposing sides of two major conflicts One year after their last in-person talks, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden will come face to face once again on Wednesday in San Francisco, in an encounter that will dominate events at the Apec summit as the Chinese and US presidents seek to stabilise relations in an increasingly fraught geopolitical climate. The meeting, which could last several hours, is the culmination of months of lower level dialogues which took place over the summer, with Washington sending more delegates to China than Beijing did to the US. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/guz7HJ3 via IFTTT

In a country where more than 40% get less than six hours’ sleep a night and millions nap at work, new ways to grab forty winks are big business For many of us, it is a daily ritual. The eyelids grow heavy as the after-effects of lunch kick in. The head slumps forwards, only to recoil, ideally before anyone in the office has noticed. Energy levels are at rock bottom. The afternoon dip is here. And resistance is futile. The Spanish have their siestas and millions of French people exercise their right to a postprandial power nap. The Japanese equivalent is the hirune – an afternoon snooze that goes some way towards compensating for their lack of sleep. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/FRSrjgB via IFTTT

Southgate feels his team’s technical ability is appreciated more overseas than it is in England. from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/6u7apSx via IFTTT

Israeli official says forces clashing with Hamas around al-Shifa hospital, which aid agencies report is in a ‘catastrophic situation’ The al-Shifa hospital director, Muhammad Abu Salmiya, has warned “we are minutes away from imminent death” with patients dying “by the minute”. Speaking from inside the besieged facility in Gaza City to Al Jazeera, he said: All I can say is that we’ve started to lose lives. Patients are dying by the minute, victims and wounded are also dying – even babies in the incubators. We lost a baby in the incubator, we also lost a young man in the intensive care unit. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/xVcmy6C via IFTTT

UN calls Gaza hospital fighting ‘reprehensible’ as Israel denies attacks; anti-war protestors in Tel Aviv call for ceasefire and release of hostages Anti-war protestors have gathered in Tel Aviv this evening in calls for a ceasefire and the release of hostages by Hamas. Many demonstrators carried signs reading “Israelis for ceasefire”, “War has no winners” and “Only peace talks with solve this”. The UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator has released a statement saying : “Hospitals must be places of greater safety, not of war.” In a tweet on Saturday, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said: “There can be no justification for acts of war in healthcare facilities, leaving them with no power, food or water, and shooting at patients and civilians trying to flee.” Médecins Sans Frontières has warned that patients and medical staff in Gaza are “trapped in hospitals under fire” and called on the “Israeli government to cease this unrelenting assau...

Putin’s war backfires again as Ukraine steps further down path to EU membership; life on the frontline in the divided city of Kherson See all our Ukraine coverage Every week we wrap up essential coverage of the war in Ukraine , from news and features to analysis, opinion and more. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/WXFpc0n via IFTTT

Finding affordable boyswear devoid of superheroes or heavy plant machinery is no mean feat: going ‘pre-loved’ is the answer For my sins, I went to Primark this week. I usually try to avoid the high street for ethical reasons, but occasionally I have to buy the bairn some socks. He has a penchant for shedding them all over north London, and he finds shoes highly offensive, and it has been costing me a fortune. As I navigated the sea of pink and sparkle that is the girls’ section, I found myself looking at rack after rack of blue and grey boys’ trousers and wondering yet again why so many clothes for little boys are just so bloody boring. When garments aren’t plain or muted, they are covered in trucks, robots or dinosaurs. I’m fine with dinosaurs (how can you not be?) but I refuse to buy him anything with trucks on it, or worse, diggers. I don’t even really understand what heavy plant machinery has to do with children, who are quite rightly forbidden from its operation. Also off the ta...

Company cites ‘continued political polarization’ and risks to the nation’s fiscal strength as reason for change The credit ratings agency Moody’s reduced its outlook on the US government from stable to negative, citing division in Washington DC and risks to the nation’s fiscal strength. While Moody’s maintained the US’s current top-grade AAA rating, it raised the prospect that this may be cut. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/XjRqOpk via IFTTT

The 22-year-old has taken time to settle in North London following his big-money move from Nottingham Forest. from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/BdsTkRL via IFTTT

(Warner Music) Co-produced by Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker and PC Music alumnus Danny L Harle, Lipa’s comeback is insistent, opulent disco with another indelible lyrical concept At first blush, the notion that Dua Lipa named her comeback single after shorthand for pulling a vanishing act is a bit eyebrow-raising. Since she released her second album, Future Nostalgia , in 2020, the 28-year-old British-Albanian pop star has been an omnipresent multimedia poly-threat. Beyond that album’s ubiquitous singles, there were collaborations with Elton John, Megan Thee Stallion, Calvin Harris, Miley Cyrus, J Balvin, Angèle, Kylie Minogue and the late Pop Smoke, as well as a fashion collection with Donatella Versace. She hosts her own podcast for the BBC, edits a lifestyle newsletter, runs an online book club and is the face of umpteen brands. This year alone, Lipa has appeared on the covers of Vogue France, Dazed and the style magazines of the New York Times and the Sunday Times (and in illustrat...

Despite the control shown during her testimony, Trump was following the same script as her family: deny remembering anything When Ivanka Trump took the stand at her father’s New York fraud trial on Wednesday, it appeared she was following the advice she gave to readers in her 2009 book The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life. “Perception is more important than reality,” Trump wrote. “It is more important than if it is in fact true.” In stark contrast to her father’s often angry performance on the stand just two days earlier, Ivanka Trump was calm and amiable. Her brothers, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, also visibly lost patience on the stand, speaking quickly and sternly when answering some questions and making sarcastic comments at others. The eldest Trump daughter maintained her poise throughout. She delivered her testimony like a swan gliding across a lake. But beneath the surface, she was furiously paddling. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/jYzI...

New Diorama theatre, London Ama wants a baby before her 30th birthday in this unstructured play from Jessica Hagan that doesn’t know if it is serious or trying to make us laugh I’m all up for surprises, but it takes at least 40 minutes before the crux of this new play by Jessica Hagan is revealed. After a bad breakup with her partner of eight years, and with rising envy of her little sister’s happy relationship with her new boyfriend, Ama (Anita-Joy Uwajeh) realises she wants to become a mother. She is 29 and Business Insider has told her she’s in the prime of her reproductive years. “I want a baby,” she announces, and she wants it to happen before her 30th birthday. Hagan’s story of comparison culture will be recognisable to anyone who has ever wondered if they are on the right path – but why take so long to get there? By the end of the first half, a digital clock has started to count down the days and minutes until Ama’s deadline. After the interval, it is as if we’ve arrived at a ...

Mandatory detention has long been a running sore causing indiscriminate harm – it needs to be overseen by a proper judicial process On Wednesday the high court delivered a revolutionary result that upends more than two decades of jurisprudence. After hearing submissions over two days and taking a short adjournment, chief justice Stephen Gageler announced that “at least a majority” found that plaintiff NZYQ – a Rohingya man with a criminal conviction who faced the prospect of detention for life – was being held in immigration detention unlawfully . The result overturns the 2004 ruling in the case of Al Kateb where the high court narrowly upheld the constitutionality of Australia’s mandatory immigration detention regime in cases where a non-citizen has no right to a visa yet cannot be removed from the country. The judges’ full reasons will not be available for some time. It’s the very first case heard by the new high court following Monday’s commissioning of chief justice Gageler and t...

Fifty-year mystery solved as research suggests picture shows Lot Long, a widower from Mere For Led Zeppelin fans it is an instantly recognisable image: that of a grey-bearded figure stooping, his leathery hands grasping the pole supporting a bundle of hazel on his back. But the origin of the image, which forms the centrepiece of the eye-catching front cover of Led Zeppelin IV, has remained a mystery for more than half a century. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/PhD7zYb via IFTTT

The Pole dropped just one game as she swept aside Jessica Pegula. from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/g1jSFOs via IFTTT

Tottenham 1-4 Chelsea: Nicolas Jackson’s hat-trick ensured Mauricio Pochettino’s men secured the points after a ridiculous encounter with Spurs from The Independent Sport https://ift.tt/6EtdZiD via IFTTT

Force could apply to outlaw protest on grounds of risk of disorder, but move would be ‘shocking’ threat to freedom of expression, rights campaigners say Israel and Hamas at war – latest updates The Metropolitan police appeared to be on the brink of banning Saturday’s planned pro-Palestine march through London after claiming that a protest on Remembrance Day would be inappropriate and risked violence. After a meeting between organisers of the protests and the Met, a statement was issued on Monday in the name of the deputy assistant commissioner, Ade Adelekan, claiming that “the risk of violence and disorder linked to breakaway groups is growing”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Wq4IALp via IFTTT

Country, estimated to be owed up to $1.5trn, is increasing penalties for late payments and cutting back on infrastructure projects China has become the world’s biggest debt collector, as the money it is owed from developing countries has surged to between $1.1tn (£889bn) and $1.5tn, according to a new report. An estimated 80% of China’s overseas lending portfolio in the global south is now supporting countries in financial distress. Since 2017, China has been the world’s biggest bilateral lender; its main development banks issued nearly $500bn between 2008 and 2021. While some of this predates the belt and road initiative (BRI), Beijing’s flagship development programme has mobilised much of the investment in developing countries. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/SlmikXe via IFTTT

Petrol bombs, fireworks and other projectiles were thrown at Scottish officers on Guy Fawkes Night About 100 young people were involved in clashes with police in Edinburgh on Sunday night, as petrol bombs and fireworks were thrown at officers. Riot police came under attack just before 5pm in the Niddrie area of the city, where there were also violent incidents involving young people last year. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/zpMj4fO via IFTTT

Afrasiab Anwar, one of 11 councillors to resign, was among those who earlier asked party leader to step down The leader of Burnley borough council has resigned along with 10 other councillors in protest at Keir Starmer’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza war. Afrasiab Anwar, who has been a member of the party for a decade, was among those who called for the Labour leader to step down last week. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/VWTB4N5 via IFTTT

World No 1 battles to 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5 victory in semi-final Unseeded Dimitrov sees off Stefanos Tsitsipas Novak Djokovic will face Grigor Dimitrov in the Paris Masters final after taking down the fifth seed, Andrey Rublev, in a nervy semi-final 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5. The world No 1 is chasing a record-extending seventh title at the ATP Masters 1000 but has not always looked assured in this tournament, his first since winning the US Open in September . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/OFSyLce via IFTTT

Final results from last month’s election confirm the right-wing National Party will need to partner with the ACT Party and NZ First to form government In the long run, New Zealand’s incoming prime minister should still be pretty pleased to have got to where he is now. Just three years ago Christopher Luxon was entering parliament for the first time as a member of a chaotic and failing party. He now leads that party – National – and will soon ascend the long driveway to Government House to be sworn in as prime minister. Not a bad turnaround. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lLtDWJr via IFTTT

The instance of mature couples divorcing is on the rise. Are over 50s less inclined to stay together than their parents, and what makes a ‘good uncoupling’? “I went through this process of feeling like my future had been stolen from me,” says 53-year-old Kate Christie about the end of her 22-year marriage. “He said to me, ‘I don’t love you any more. I want to leave our marriage. I want the chance to meet and fall in love with someone else while I’m still young.’ And that was that.” “I felt really blindsided. I was angry, upset and resentful.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/J8LpcrV via IFTTT

People pleasing won’t guarantee others’ wellbeing, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith , but it will ensure you feel resentful I feel like I put other people’s needs before my own. The other day I went to see a film that I didn’t want to see because my friend desperately wanted to, and she’s a good and kind friend. Afterwards we went for a drink, even though I don’t really drink any more. I didn’t tell her I didn’t want to drink. I know she would have supported my decision but would also have been disappointed. I was cross with myself for drinking because I didn’t enjoy it and felt rubbish afterwards. I give my teenage daughters lifts places, despite there being a good bus service . I go on long walks with my husband at the weekend when I’m tired and all I want to do is sit all day and read a book. I took a management position in my company because it was the next step up and I was encouraged to, but I’ve never wanted to be a manager and I now really hate my job. Sign up ...

This is what I think about every morning when I wake up Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/GPSHZdV via IFTTT

War moving into new attritional stage that will benefit Russia, says Ukraine commander-in-chief; Russia shells highest number of cities and settlements this year See all our Ukraine war coverage Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/AWU9euE via IFTTT

Apollo theatre, London Joss Stone and Dave Stewart’s strangely forgettable score does little to lift this musical but there are some wonderful set pieces For the millions of readers held rapt by Audrey Niffenegger’s 2003 novel, about a woman who falls in love with a time traveller, this might feel like a trip back in time. But alongside the safety of adapting a bestseller on stage, there is a degree of chutzpah in theatrically realising a romance with a dizzying temporal complexity and non-chronological narrative. Due to a rare genetic disorder, Henry (David Hunter) zigzags through time, involuntarily leaving his present to be landed in the future or past. He seeks out Clare (Joanna Woodward) in these forays, from her childhood to the moment he asks her to marry him and beyond, with disappearing acts in between. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2MmJ7if via IFTTT

One thing is clear: there cannot be a return to the status quo that existed in Gaza before the war Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ScmDAPU via IFTTT

UK study finds cognitive function and working memory in older adults declined even if they were not infected with virus Brain health: six key questions answered The pandemic has caused sustained harm to the brain health of people aged 50 or over, rapidly speeding up cognitive decline regardless of whether or not they caught Covid, researchers have discovered. Almost 780 million people were killed or made ill by the coronavirus , according to the World Health Organization. Health experts are now learning more about the indirect effects of the biggest public health crisis in a century. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/0G6CLSt via IFTTT