The Voice Reveal

Tributes are paid to the much-loved and respected Fleet Street veteran who also tipped as ‘Larry Lynx’ Ken Oliver, who has died at the age of 86, was the Guardian’s racing editor for many years until his retirement in 2004, at the end of a lifetime in racing journalism at publications including the London Evening News, the Sporting Life, the Sun, the London Daily News, the Sunday People – where he tipped as Larry Lynx – and as the editor of Ruff’s Guide to the Turf, the racing equivalent of Wisden. Ken was the racing editor when I joined the Guardian in 2001 and he was a joy to work with: an old-school veteran of the glory days of Fleet Street, blessed with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the sport and steeped in all the rhythms and traditions of daily papers that would soon be ushered into history by the internet. He was also unflappable, understanding when a story or plan went awry, and the best possible company for a pint or two in a local watering hole once the first edition had been...

Companion bots are being regulated over worries they foster ‘emotional dependence’ and young people could stop marrying and having families When law student Zhao Wei heard that her AI boyfriend was going to be switched off, she was “heartbroken”. She had been talking to Wang Ye every day since she created him in January. “I was crying my eyes out – snot and tears everywhere,” the 19-year-old says. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/atpBd9C via IFTTT

Former women’s No 1 proves she’s no nostalgia act before star pairing crash out in mixed doubles quarter-finals Serena Williams’ US Open return lasted two matches and one afternoon Tuesday as she and Carlos Alcaraz followed a first-round win with a quarter-final defeat by Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli in the headline attraction of the reimagined mixed doubles competition. Back inside Arthur Ashe Stadium 1,453 days after the defeat by Ajla Tomljanovic that had appeared to end her career, Williams emerged from the tunnel at half past three to the roars of more than 10,000 spectators. As the 44-year-old American and Alcaraz warmed up in matching purple-and-black Nike kits, public-address announcer Andy Taylor rattled off her accolades one by one to a steadily rising wall of applause. Together they carried 30 grand slam singles titles, a record for a mixed-doubles team at a major. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/KePGsik via IFTTT

Scientists say research suggests blinking may have acquired a social relevance in interactions between dogs and people Stare into a dog’s eyes and you may encounter a bemused expression. But researchers have found that dogs blink more often when they see their owners doing so, suggesting there may be more to the mutual gaze than meets the eye. Scientists have previously found that dogs turn on the puppy eyes when humans look at them, and that their brains can distinguish happy human faces from other expressions – even telling apart fearful faces from those that are angry or sad. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/aJA2wfO via IFTTT

Five-day trial at high court in Glasgow heard Dott subjected a girl and a boy to multiple incidents of abuse The former world snooker champion Graeme Dott has been found guilty of sexually abusing two primary school age children. The 49-year-old subjected a girl and a boy to multiple incidents of abuse, with the girl targeted between 1993-96 and the boy between 2006-10. A five-day trial at the high court in Glasgow heard Dott exposed himself in front of both children, touched them inappropriately, and kissed them. On Monday, he was found guilty of two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour towards them. In both cases the abuse happened in the Glasgow area. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ByF1OZv via IFTTT

US Southern Command has struck another vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two accused of trafficking drugs The US military has launched a deadly strike on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean, killing two people accused of drug trafficking. On Monday, US Southern Command (SouthCom) announced it “executed a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gLIiXSb via IFTTT

US president, pushing on with Freedom 250 festivities, makes over nation’s capital for Trump rally on wheels Kyle Kirkwood wins Freedom 250 IndyCar race after Trump waves the green flag He got the wrong end of the stick. Donald Trump couldn’t figure out how to hold the green flag until his wife, Melania Trump, and Command Sgt Maj Matt Williams set him right. Then the US president waved the flag fast and furious like an excited schoolboy. The race was under way – and his conquest of Washington DC was complete. Since returning to Washington, Trump has deployed the national guard, wrecked the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, demolished the East Wing of the White House and run the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts into the ground. His face adorns the Department of Justice, and he still has grand plans for a triumphal arch worthy of a Roman emperor. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/D9yCgMX via IFTTT

Back in the top flight after four seasons, Amy Merricks’ side have added WSL experience in a bid to consolidate Guardian writers’ predicted position: 12th (NB: this is not necessarily Tom Garry’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 1st (WSL2) Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/0JqtjbQ via IFTTT

French youngster beats No 7 seed 6-3, 6-4 in Cincinnati Jessica Pegula battles past Swiatek to reach women’s final In the middle of a tense, erratic start to a rain-delayed semi-final day in Cincinnati, Arthur Fils found himself locked in defence and miles behind the baseline on his serve at 3-3. He scurried from sideline to sideline, lunging toward the ball at full stretch, seemingly with no real chance of turning things around. As Flavio Cobolli swept to the net with the intention of finishing Fils off, however, the Italian soon learned that his opponent had another gear to reach. From far wide of the court, Fils pulverised a forehand passing shot winner beyond his astounded opponent, drawing a roar from the crowd. That one point alone provided evidence of the athleticism, explosiveness and sheer audacity that have long marked Fils as such a rare, exciting talent, and it also set the tone for a monumental victory. From that moment onwards, Fils took control of the match and he marche...

Updates from the Great Barrier Reef Arena Start time in Mackay is 10am AEST Any thoughts? Email Megan While Australia has a chance to add to their lead today, the batting is still a concern and no one is more concerned than Marnus Labuschagne. The commentators are chatting about him this morning and Mark Waugh is adamant that if he doesn’t score runs in the second innings, his time in the team is over. The problem may be that there aren’t enough runs for him to get to prove himself. I’m interested to hear from you – who do you think should hold the number 3 spot? Is it Marnus? Or have you got your eye on someone else? And if you’re still wondering why on earth there’s Test cricket happening up in the tropics in winter, you might need to take one more step back and read about what happened in Darwin last week. The always brilliant Geoff Lemon has you covered with a breakdown of Bangladesh’s incredible upset. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/XYvR5ZL via IFTTT

Defensive tightness and replacing a key goal scorer are Natalia Arroyo’s focus in her second season in charge Guardian writers’ predicted position: 9th (NB: this is not necessarily Sophie Downey’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 9th Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/QuVzLla via IFTTT

Recall comes after Chinese authorities said it would ban hidden car door handles commonly seen on Tesla models Tesla and other carmakers are making a major recall of more than 4m vehicles in China over safety concerns mostly related to their door handles, according to Chinese authorities on Friday. The US carmaker is recalling about 2.98m China-made and imported EVs including Model 3, Model Y, Model X and Model S over door-handle safety risks, according to China’s state administration for market regulation. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/opPv5NI via IFTTT

Chow Hang-tung has been detained since 2021, and written about everything from clothes to Tiananmen Square and the meaning of freedom Tiananmen Square vigil organisers in Hong Kong found guilty of ‘inciting subversion’ In one essay written from prison, Chow Hang-tung worries about her hairstyle before court appearances because there are no combs or mirrors in her cell. “In a place like prison, where anything that is personal is stripped away, it’s even more important to hold on to every means by which you can express yourself,” she writes. “Don’t let uniform, depersonalised rules, dress codes, schedules, and behavioural requirements grind down your edges and mould you into a ‘model citizen’”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MDVa5bO via IFTTT

After an underwhelming season, Arsenal have made major changes with club legends departing and top talent from all over Europe arriving Guardian writers’ predicted position: 2nd (NB: this is not necessarily Suzanne Wrack’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 2nd Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3bEPgtc via IFTTT

Updates from the Great Barrier Reef Arena Start time in Mackay is 10am AEST Any thoughts? Email Jonathan Bangladesh have also made one change with rangy left-armer Shoriful Islam replacing Ebadot Hossain in the attack. The XI selected will go in full of confidence, as skipper Shanto explained earlier this week. “When you score against this kind of team, it gives you a lot of confidence going forward when we play in these kind of conditions or against this kind of bowling attack.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/FsCAW23 via IFTTT

10-man Rangers hang on for 1-0 win against Jablonec Tromsø 0-0 Brighton; Hearts 2-2 Rapid Vienna Ryan Naderi’s second-half strike gave an unconvincing Rangers a narrow 1-0 win in the first leg of their Conference League playoff tie against Czech side Jablonec at Ibrox. Derek McInnes got his first win as Rangers manager at the fifth time of asking with a 5-1 thumping of St Mirren on Sunday but there was regression in the goalless first half which brought boos at the interval whistle. The Govan side pepped up after the break and Naderi opened the scoring from close range in the 50th minute but in the 78th minute the substitute Cammy Devlin was sent off – minutes after coming off the bench – for a high tackle on Jiri Slama to leave Rangers to see out the game with 10 men. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Uc5enZC via IFTTT

Star’s extreme proximity to Sagittarius A* means it could open new window onto black hole’s fundamental properties Astronomers have detected the fastest known star in the Milky Way, hurtling around the supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy. The star, called S301, travels at about 25,000km (15,500 miles) per second, 100,000 times faster than a commercial plane. It is also the closest known star to the Milky Way’s central black hole, Sagittarius A*, approaching it around the distance of Saturn to the Sun. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/NGtUWuq via IFTTT

After the departure of the manager and some of their best players, fans on Tyneside are braced for a transitional season at best Guardian writers’ predicted position: 17th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 12th Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DH3dV0T via IFTTT

Victorian court of appeal to consider whether triple murder and attempted murder guilty verdicts should be quashed Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Justice Peter Kidd asks Edney about what “contact” the jury had with the parties. Edney says “contact” should have a broad meaning in this case as the jurors could still see the lead investigator in the hotel. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/RxVYc90 via IFTTT

With the departures of Pep Guardiola and Rodri it looks like the end of an era at City. Will Enzo Maresca be able to sustain their position as a domestic and continental superpower? Guardian writers’ predicted position: 2nd (NB: this is not necessarily Jamie Jackson’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 2nd Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/06pOWdx via IFTTT

The centrist coalition that traditionally shaped EU laws is now colluding with MEPs from the AfD and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally The EU exists because its nations swore never to repeat the past. European integration is the insurance policy against the oldest temptation of power: that a majority, however large, decides who does not belong. So countries across the continent agreed to share power across borders, and to answer to laws that none of them individually controlled. The European parliament is where that promise is meant to be kept. Directly elected by nearly 360 million citizens , it co-writes the EU’s laws, elects the president of the European Commission and can dismiss the closest thing Europe has to a government – the commission itself. For decades, a grand coalition of centre-right parties and socialists, later joined by liberals and greens, governed it on that premise. They were committed to closer cooperation, the rule of law and maintaining a firewall against the far ...

President hosts Nathanial Rai and lifeguard Ryder Williams at White House after video of California rescue went viral Nathanial Rai had been swept off his feet along the California coast, was rescued by a 16-year-old lifeguard – and was now sitting in the Oval Office with Donald Trump. Of the rescuer, Ryder Williams , Trump said to Nathanial: “He’s a real hero. I don’t know if I’d do it. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/CxsgzH5 via IFTTT

Wimbledon semi-finalist loses 7-5, 7-6 in third round Disappointment on day of GB Davis Cup squad call-up The most pertinent question surrounding the rapidly blossoming career of Arthur Fery is exactly how far he could possibly take his game. Fery’s unexpected breakthrough run at Wimbledon last month was immense, but now he faces the intriguing challenge of seeing how he stacks up against the elite over the course of a gruelling 52 weeks on tour. Fery ended his first tournament since Wimbledon with countless reasons to be positive about his progress even as he was outperformed by Alex de Minaur in a rain-swept encounter, with Fery, the 32nd seed, making life incredibly difficult for the fifth seed for over two hours and fighting desperately until the end before falling 7-5, 7-6 (3) in the third round of the Cincinnati Open. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/uGX9l75 via IFTTT

China has established the first scheduled transit through the northern sea route, but questions remain over the environmental and political risks When Marco Rubio suggested that the world should look to new shipping lanes to bypass the logjammed strait of Hormuz, it’s unlikely he had the Arctic’s northern sea route in mind. And yet in recent months the promise of this 5,500km channel – cleaved through frozen seas by nuclear-powered icebreakers and illuminated by a sun that never dips below the Arctic horizon – has grown. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/WcR03Mi via IFTTT

Mir Hussain has been followed by TV cameras since he was a child, and managed to deliver love and laughter alongside his struggle. Now his previous Bafta-winning documentary gets an update Mir Hussain remembers the first time he saw a video camera: “I looked at it and it looked straight back at me.” His relationship with this all-seeing eye has broadened and deepened in the years that followed. Since 2002, when Phil Grabsky and Shoaib Sharifi first started documenting his story, Mir has lived an extraordinary life: grinding poverty and impossibly hard work, eking out a living in the mountainous Bamiyan province and then in urban Afghanistan, but combined with a remarkable level of exposure to the world, via modern media. Mir and his family first appeared on our screens in 2021, in the Bafta-winning film My Childhood, My Country – 20 Years in Afghanistan. This updated reversioning of that film contains plenty of the same footage but also, in a telling update, hits very differently in th...