Mubeen Blogs

Venice film festival Pierfrancesco Favino is a robust lead as a teenage tennis hopeful’s charming yet flawed new coach in a film that’s too long and too indecisive to stand up to recent big hitters We have had some sparky tennis movies recently, such as Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers and Reinaldo Marcus Green’s King Richard , and it seemed at first as if this coming-of-age comedy from Italian actor turned director Andrea Di Stefano could be joining them. But despite a very robust lead performance from Pierfrancesco Favino, the enjoyably grizzled alpha male of Italian cinema, this completely runs aground in the third act, quite unable to decide if it should offer the traditional comeback story of an underdog sports movie, or if it should pursue its implied repudiation of the win-at-all-costs ethic. The other issue is whether its young hero should ignore what his dad has to say in favour of an attractive, if flawed, new mentor. The film does in fact appear finally to get off the fence ...

President is preparing for controversial federal takeover of US city in crusade against immigration ‘sanctuary cities’ Illinois ’s governor JB Pritzker has called on “all to stand up” to Donald Trump as the US president prepares to launch a federally led immigration crackdown across Chicago , a plan which has been met with widespread backlash from local leaders and the public. Pritzker’s comments come as White House officials vow to target Chicago next in its sweeping immigration crackdowns across the country. Recently, the White House requested that a US military base on the outskirts of Chicago assist with immigration operations as the Trump administration plans a broader takeover of Democratic-run “sanctuary cities”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/TEo6n7R

The cash-strapped nation have overcome many hurdles just to be in England and fly half’s successful penalty made the sacrifices worthwhile You can keep the 92 points England scored. Let’s talk about Samoa’s three. It’s been 11 years since Samoa recorded a point in a World Cup match. They didn’t qualify for the tournaments in 2017 or 2021, and they were whitewashed 73-0 by Australia in the first round of this one on the opening weekend. So Franklin’s Gardens fell awfully quiet when the team won a scrum penalty just inside England’s half in the 42nd minute, 32m out, and straight in front of the posts. Everyone knew what was at stake in that next moment, and it was a hell of a lot more than cutting three points off England’s lead. Their coach, Ramsey Tomokino, was expecting them to tap-and-go, they had prepared for it in the week, but on the pitch their captain, Sui Pauarasia, turned to her young fly half, Harmony Vatau, and said: “You got this?” instead. “She’s a pretty shy player,” P...

Exclusive : Ambitious emissions reductions target would increase the country’s chance of winning rights to host Cop31 in 2026, Christiana Figueres says Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A former UN climate chief has urged the Australian government to set a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of at least a 75% cut by 2035, backing calls from a group of more than 350 businesses that it would be better for the economy than a lower goal. The intervention by Christiana Figueres, an architect of the 2015 Paris agreement when she was the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, comes before discussions about Australia’s commitment, due to be announced next month. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/prBlqxt

Peer who appeared on I’m a Celebrity denies charges of rape and sexual assault at Westminster magistrates court A celebrity peer and former reality TV show contestant has appeared in court after being charged with rape and sexual assault by penetration, police said. Lord Charles Brocket, 73, a contestant on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, appeared at Westminster magistrates court on Saturday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/W875nNr

Vermont senator says Kennedy is endangering the health of the American people as head of the US health department Bernie Sanders has joined in on growing public calls for Donald Trump ’s health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr , to resign, after recent chaos across US health agencies. In an op-ed published in the New York Times on Saturday, the Vermont senator accused Kennedy of “endangering the health of the American people now and into the future”, adding: “He must resign.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/USiCh7x

Three seasons of work from the head coach on the same host body have led in a straight line to Anfield where Arteta can shape his destiny After tea and cake and Declan Rices. After Ebe Eze and Viktor Gyökeres. Should I, after three straight second places, have the strength to force the moment to its crisis? Hmm. Maybe not. With all due apologies to the living descendants of TS Eliot, the love song of Mikel Arteta still doesn’t really scan or rhyme or have a clear endnote as yet, even as the six-year anniversary of his appointment as Arsenal manager approaches. This is normal enough. It is obviously incorrect to conclude, as many have, that Arsenal’s manager has to win a trophy this season or be remembered not just as a fraud, but as a Lego-haired billion-pound-spend fraud, the worst kind of fraud there is. Sport doesn’t work in simple metre. Uncertainty is key to its fascination. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/w5nm2Vb

Russian airstrikes on Kyiv, mourning in Gaza, wildfires in California, and the Notting Hill Carnival: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Warning: this gallery contains images that some readers may find distressing Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/SiAWGs9

Senator Patty Murray calls Trump’s immigration policy ‘fundamentally sick’ after incident in Washington state Patty Murray, the Washington senator, has called for the Trump administration to provide “immediate answers” about reports that two firefighters were detained by border agents as they were responding to a wildfire in the state. Federal immigration authorities on Wednesday staged an operation on the scene of the Bear Gulch fire, a nearly 9,000-acre (3,600-hectare) blaze in the Olympic national forest, where they arrested two people who were part of a contract firefighting crew, the Seattle Times first reported. The fire is the largest currently burning in the state. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/K9pJdo0

Manchester United – bloody hell: after a chaotic display in regular time that somehow pulled them back to 2-2 and penalties, Ruben Amorim’s rabble lost a fevered shootout 12-11. When Bryan Mbeumo’s kick smacked Christy Pym’s bar Grimsby entered the nirvana of a cup-shock for the ages and the faithful’s song of “Oh when the Town go steaming in” sweetly summed up what they did to United. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wuOFztf

Vingegaard regains red jersey after team time trial Israeli team stopped by protesters with Palestinian flags Jonas Vingegaard regained the red jersey after stage five of the Vuelta a España in a dramatic team time trial in which Israel Premier-Tech were delayed by pro-Palestinian protesters on the route. UAE Team Emirates-XRG won the stage but Visma-Lease a Bike’s second-placed finish allowed Vingegaard to regain the lead from Groupama-FDJ’s David Gaudu. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/42q9vXn

Evacuation problematic and dependent on Israel’s approval amid claims more scholarship students still in dark Ministers have approved plans to help a further 30 students leave Gaza to take up places at UK universities next month but their evacuation remains uncertain and dependent on Israel’s approval. It takes the total to 39, after a government commitment last week to work to secure the evacuation from Gaza of nine Chevening scholars with places at some of the UK’s leading universities. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DkTUCO1

BBC’s Stranded on Honeymoon Island tests whether love can flourish ‘in toughest of conditions’, says Davina McCall The new BBC series Stranded on Honeymoon Island is a “social experiment” about the reality of marriage that will teach audiences about “moving forward with your life”, its host, Davina McCall , has said. Made by the producers of Married at First Sight UK, the show features 12 singles looking for lifelong love who are matched with someone on a speed date and “married”. They are then stranded on a tropical island dressed only in their wedding outfit for a three-week honeymoon without phones, luxuries, family or friends. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wBb4aIo

Chukwuemeka and Anselmino poised for Dortmund Leeds sign defender James Justin from Leicester Bournemouth are close to signing Axel Disasi from Chelsea. The 27-year-old is expected to join on loan and become the third defender brought in after the club made almost £145m from the sale of two centre-halves and a left-back. Disasi’s starts at Chelsea last season came largely in the Conference League and League Cup before he joined Aston Villa on loan in the winter window. He is able to play at centre-back or right-back and has made 44 Premier League appearances since joining Chelsea from Monaco two years ago. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/SyLGYDa

Adler was involved behind the scenes of storied Broadway productions before finding acting success in his 60s Jerry Adler, who spent decades behind the scenes of storied Broadway productions before pivoting to acting in his 60s, has died aged 96. Adler died on Saturday, according to a brief family announcement confirmed by the Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York. Adler “passed peacefully in his sleep”, Paradigm Talent Agency’s Sarah Shulman said on behalf of his family. No immediate cause was given. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MhtoJ2Z

Bus overturned about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh while carrying players from Aliquippa junior high school A bus carrying a junior high football team to a game crashed on Saturday north of Pittsburgh, sending 21 of the 28 people onboard to the hospital, officials said. Twenty-five Aliquippa junior high students and three adults were headed to a game in nearby Gibsonia. The crash occurred in Economy Borough, about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/JZHhjiL

Breaking from most of her peers in Congress, far-right Georgia Republican has also described crisis as a genocide Amid mostly silence in Congress, some US lawmakers on opposite sides of the political spectrum spoke out Saturday over a UN-backed report warning of famine in parts of Gaza. “Let’s be clear: President Trump has the power to end the starvation of the Palestinian people,” Vermont’s politically independent senator Bernie Sanders posted on X . “Instead he is doing nothing while watching this famine unfold. Enough is enough. No more American taxpayer dollars to Nethanyahu’s [sic] war machine.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/RDQgcjr

It was an occasion that was transcended by someone who did not play but had so much more to chew over from an Arsenal point of view. The club showed off their new signing , Eberechi Eze, parading him beforehand and screening a welcome video for him at half-time. As the goals flew in to defeat Leeds, the cutaways to him in the stands were inevitable. Eze’s signing has the feel of a coup and not only because Arsenal, in the vernacular of the trade, properly did over Tottenham to land him. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/z8NBmUR

Club who used to inspire fear now inspire pity and the head coach, with no credit in the bank, needs a victory at Fulham Encouraging signs. Gimmers of promises. Green shoots. It is indicative of just how far Manchester United have sunk that the reaction to their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal last Sunday was not shock or scorn or even schadenfreude; it was encouragement. United used to inspire fear in opponents; now they inspire pity. It is not that there were no reasons for optimism for United. The new forwards who started, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, looked intermittently dangerous. Mason Mount offered a reminder of his quality and if he can stay fit he could have a major role to play. Patrick Dorgu dominated his flank. Amad Diallo sparkled after coming off the bench. David Raya was forced to make seven saves. Dorgu hit a post. There were plausible claims for a penalty when William Saliba appeared to go through the back of Cunha. Opta’s xG model had United winning 1.5 to 1.3. Continue...

Monkey Barrel, the Hive, Edinburgh The Edinburgh comedy award nominee ambles through tales of debt, chicken shops and his eccentric grandad in a show that’s loose but brimming with intelligent wit ‘If there’s one thing this show doesn’t do, it’s come to you,” says Ed Night. That’s part of the charm – and possibly a slight failing – in the south London standup’s new set. As he treads around in a circle on his small stage, Your Old Mucker unfolds at its own laconic pace, and leaves us to make meaning out of its disparate parts. The 29-year-old’s authority, his sly standoffishness and playfulness with the art form are qualities of a standup near the top of his game – albeit one who with this ambling, endearing show doesn’t get quite as much out of them as he might. The conceit here is that Night’s writing process is, in fact, a walking one. The show traces his perambulations around his local neighbourhood, from the dentist to the butcher, from Nisa Local to the betting shop, connecting ...

Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh The Mancunian manchild shows wild commitment in a show about dyspraxia, drug use and internalised homophobia We say we want men to talk about their mental health, Dan Tiernan has noticed. Is this what we had in mind? The joke is on the queasy atmosphere the Mancunian establishes at his shows, barking in the audience’s faces, behaving unstably and – this time around – loudly bellowing “I tried to suck off my dad”, over and over again. Is there a therapist in the house? Well, there doesn’t need to be, because Tiernan has devised “the System”, a three-point plan to heal himself after a drug-induced psychotic episode between Glastonbury 2024 and last year’s Edinburgh fringe show . We are three new shows into the 29-year-old’s fringe career now, and All In again finds him addressing his dyspraxia, his drug use and his failure to fit in. I hanker for the show that directs his considerable comic talents elsewhere, but in the meantime, this is his strongest offering...

Incident comes as six states pledge to send at least 1,200 troops to Washington DC despite falling crime rate A military vehicle crashed into a car in Washington DC on Wednesday morning, an incident that comes as more than six Republican-led states have all pledged to send more national guard troops to DC. The city’s local CBS station first reported on the accident, which happened in Washington’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, and cited confirmation from the DC fire and emergency services. On social media , the department said that one person was extricated and transported with “minor injuries”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/aVSMYgc

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Chakira Alin’s buoyant show is shot through with bitterness as she gives a lucid account of Hackney’s transformation In her solo show about the aftermath of gentrification and austerity, Chakira Alin bemoans the rise of costly small plates in restaurants. It’s a neat parallel to the housing market, where properties are also getting smaller and more expensive. But Alin’s chief metaphor is the “lost art” of the house party – indicative of her generation’s financial crisis and a wider crack in social cohesion. There’s no space to throw a decent party or the would-be hosts can’t risk trashing their precarious, overpriced rentals or family homes. The argument is put across with brio and evident authenticity on a homely stage decorated with balloons, heart-shaped cushions and a cocktail shaker. Greatly at ease with the audience, Alin plays Skip (smart name for a show about constant upheaval), born and raised in ever-gentrifying east London where she lives wit...

Barça prodigy stood out on La Liga’s opening weekend, but Santi Cazorla and Nico Williams produced compelling storylines, too Heavy is the head that wears the crown but Lamine Yamal is willing to wear it. Willing? He wants to, so there he was on Saturday night conducting his own coronation. With the last touch of Barcelona’s first game of 2025-26, their new No 10 – the player handed a six-year contract and the shirt Ladislao Kubala , Luis Suárez, Diego Maradona, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi wore, the kid Spain coach Luis del la Fuente claimed was “touched by the wand of God”, the baby Messi bathed – scored against Real Mallorca. It was his first goal as an adult; it was also exactly as you imagine it, Lamine Yamal scoring the Lamine Yamal goal that was Messi’s once. He had come in from the right and then, when the ball settled in the corner, went back out again. Where, stopping before the Son Moix stands, he lowered an invisible crown to his head, a statement of intent for...

Arbitrator orders 10,000 striking staff back to work after government intervenes – unconstitutionally, union says Union leaders representing 10,000 striking flight attendants have said they would be willing to go to jail rather than comply with an order to return to work, as Canada ’s federal government seeks to end a bitter contract dispute that has halted hundreds of summer flights and stranded travellers around the world. Speaking to reporters on Monday, the national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees said members would remain on the picket lines as part of a work stoppage that has halted Air Canada’s national and international operations during its busiest season. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/GMT2onf

Zoo Playground, Edinburgh Belgian actors Verona Verbakel and Anemone Valcke share anecdotes about their industry in a knotty show about ambition and failure When we arrive, the screen behind the performers is displaying the entry for The Ego in the online fringe programme. It has a funny circularity that chimes with the self-aware nature of the show. Looking us in the eye, Belgian actors Verona Verbakel and Anemone Valcke tell us they are committed to being truthful. It is a promise that puts us on alert: do we really believe everything they say? How much is artifice? How much constructed? They confess to misleading us in one respect. The show is only superficially about egotism. There is a nice joke when Verbakel describes The Ego as her show, then remembers Valcke and attributes it to both of them. They flatter each other and glow with the praise. In their anecdotes from film sets and award ceremonies, they present themselves as actors who are hungry for the spotlight, insecure abo...

New South Wales police said two people were shot multiple times by assailants who left Forest Lodge scene by car Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast One man is dead and another has been taken to hospital with serious wounds after a shooting outside a Sydney hotel. Emergency services were called to the location on Ross Street in Forest Lodge in Sydney’s inner west at about 6.40pm on Sunday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ulA4pLw

Report finds more than £1bn handed out to just 217 FTSE 100 bosses in the last financial year The bosses of Britain’s largest listed companies took home record high pay packets for the third successive year, according to a report. Analysis found that the record set in the last financial year means the average FTSE 100 chief executive is now paid 122 times the salary of the average full-time UK worker. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/AKtwhpH

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh The New York foursome’s freewheeling logic will have you laughing without knowing why in a fringe debut that’s smart enough to revitalise sketch comedy With sketch comedy not exactly cresting a wave in the UK right now, why not import some cult-favourite exponents from the other side of the pond? If that were the thinking behind this fringe debut by NYC four-piece Simple Town – well, it might just be smart, fresh and funny enough to revitalise the form. It’s sketch with something of the energy of improv, a hint of an easygoing get together with your coolest friends (OK, far cooler than my friends) – and the kind of freewheeling, elusive-logic comedy with which Sheeps have in recent years sustained sketch’s flagging pulse. Identified as “four teens in their 30s”, Simple Town introduce themselves as they mean to go on: super-casual, faux-naive, coming at one another, and at our expectations, from odd angles. Their first sketch takes us back vaguely in...

Summerhall, Edinburgh From existential angst to dotty monk routines, US clown John Norris marches to the beat of his own drum With his show and persona Mr Chonkers, American clown John Norris scored a cult hit on the fringe three summers ago – and now a booking off comedy’s beaten track, at anything-goes alt-theatre hub Summerhall. He’ll fit in, because his is a show (seemingly the same one he performed in 2022) that marches to the beat of its own drum. The upside of that? You never know what’s going to happen next. The downside: with little by way of theme, narrative or structure, there’s not much left to hang on to when the laughs abate. A portion of the audience will be giggling too giddily for that to be an issue: Norris is the kind of act who, if he gets under your skin, doesn’t get out again. After a dotty prologue as a faceless monk, he offers us a supposed showcase of his recently acquired performance talents – in poetry, comedy and theatre. With a Janus-faced manner that tw...

Midfielder’s time at Man City has been turbulent but there is hope Everton can help him rediscover sense of joy on the pitch A figure toils alone at Bodymoor Heath. The light fades, but against the setting sun his silhouette is distinctive: the floppy hair, the hunched gait, the vast calves. Jack Grealish is working, honing and polishing, inventing, striving at the limits of technical excellence. He has inspired Aston Villa to promotion . He has helped them avoid relegation, establish themselves as a Premier League side. He is enormously popular. Even opposing fans admire his ability, warm to the sense he is still in some way the impish kid in the playground, revelling in his ability, having fun. That summer at the Euros he had become a cause célèbre , the figure behind whom the clamour for Gareth Southgate to release the handbrake rallied, the poster boy for the sort of pundit who wished England would just believe in talent. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Xg...

Guardiola: ‘If they want to leave, knock on my door’ Rodri set to travel to Wolves game despite injury blow Ederson is considering his Manchester City future, with Pep Guardiola reluctant to allow the goalkeeper’s exit unless the Brazilian informs him he wishes to leave and a suitable offer is received. If the 31-year-old decides he wishes to play elsewhere, City may move for Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma. The 26-year-old is available after Luis Enrique, the PSG coach, signed Lucas Chevalier from Lille to replace the Italy No 1. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/O5hbcFL

Sixteen-year-old from Huddersfield held on suspicion of murder and rape A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of rape and murder after the death of a 13-year-old girl in West Yorkshire, police have said. Officers were called to a flat on Sheepridge Road in Huddersfield on Monday night to reports that a girl was unresponsive. West Yorkshire police said the victim died in hospital and her death was being treated as “unexplained” after a postmortem examination. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/CQcbtpj

Chair of state’s house Democratic caucus said they will return once California submits new congressional map to offset losses in Texas US politics live – latest updates Texas Democrats said on Thursday they are prepared to return to the state under certain conditions, ending a nearly two-week-long effort to block Republicans from passing a new congressional map that would add five GOP seats. The lawmakers said they would return as long as the legislature ends its first special session on Friday, which Republicans have said they plan to do. Texas ’s governor, Greg Abbott, has said he will immediately call another special session. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/zjMZkRn

Veteran actor played antagonist in Sam Raimi’s acclaimed horror hit and appeared in The Young and the Restless Lorna Raver, who played Mrs Ganush in Sam Raimi’s hit horror Drag Me to Hell, has died at the age of 81. According to the Hollywood Reporter , her death was included in the “in memoriam” section of the Screen Actors Guild’s summer magazine. She died in May. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/BDEkMcJ

President questions whether David Solomon should lead bank and says he should return to former hobby of DJing Donald Trump hit out at Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon on Tuesday, saying the bank had been wrong to predict tariffs would hurt the economy and questioning whether Solomon should lead the Wall Street institution. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said it was mostly foreign companies and governments absorbing the cost of his tariffs. “But David Solomon and Goldman Sachs refuse to give credit where credit is due. They made a bad prediction...on both the Market repercussion and the Tariffs themselves,” he wrote. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/8nzYbxL

Numbers of return road and air trips continue to fall after trade policy row and threats to annex country Travel to the US by Canadian residents has continued to drop significantly for the seventh month in a row, as new data confirms that Donald Trump’s threats have helped upend the summer tourism season. Months of aggressive rhetoric from the White House have prompted widespread boycotts of US products by Canadians , who have also sworn off visits to their southern neighbour amid lingering feelings of betrayal and anger. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wDoqdLe

More than 470 Canadian fires classified as ‘out of control’ as scientists say climate change exacerbating the burning With hundreds of wildfires burning out of control, Canada’s 2025 fire season is already the second-worst on record, as scientists report climate change is prolonging and exacerbating the burning, leading to more destruction, evacuations and smoke-filled skies. More than 470 fires across the country are currently classified as “out of control”, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC). Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/o7hPBti

Oliver Glasner will fancy his chances of winning the Conference League but the fans have been left disappointed The news Steve Parish was dreading arrived less than 24 hours after he basked in the glory of watching Crystal Palace win their second trophy in three months. Parish had been confident that the club’s appeal against their demotion from the Europa League would succeed as he discussed their prospects at Wembley Stadium after beating Liverpool in the Community Shield on Sunday. “I really am, even more after Friday,” the club chair said. “I don’t understand that we cannot be in the competition. I really can’t. But it’s up to the judges to decide. We trust them and that they listened to everything we said so let’s see.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/SxgVM9P

The Georgian House, Edinburgh Drawing on private letters and contemporary criticism, Cora Bissett’s imaginative production offers a rounded picture of a complicated man with a colourful love life We are sitting around a table in the sedate surroundings of the Georgian House , the Robert Adam-designed townhouse run by the National Trust for Scotland. James Clements, playing the part of Robert Burns, says something about the weather, and suddenly a streak of lightning cuts down the length of the table top. It has a gash down the middle for that very purpose. It is a sign of the attention to detail in Cora Bissett’s excellent production. What could have been a by-the-numbers tribute to Scotland’s national poet is altogether more subtle, imaginative and contentious. The long, undulating table, designed by Jenny Booth and cleverly lit by Elle Taylor, continues to play an unexpected part: Clements appears from beneath a domed plate cover in a scene of hungover contrition, while a cutlery ...

Four members of family from Thetford, Norfolk, died after car collided with another vehicle in Alentejo region A UK family have been killed in a car accident while holidaying in southern Portugal, local authorities have confirmed. Domingos Serrano, 55, his wife, Maria, 51, and their 20-year-old twin sons, Afonso and Domingos, died when their car collided with another vehicle on Saturday on the IP2 motorway near Castro Verde, in the Alentejo region. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gt2ZEDr

Underbelly Circus Hub on the Meadows, Edinburgh Brisbane’s Circa are consummate pros, achieving acrobatic feats edged with animal instincts Some circus shows start with relatively simple tricks and work up to their big finish, saving the impressive stuff for last. Brisbane’s Circa are so confident in the breadth of their skills and invention that right off the bat they bring out a guy who can hold the weight of six other people all balanced in a tower on top of him. It’s quite an opening statement. Edinburgh fringe is awash with acrobatics and there are plenty of people trying to do what Circa do – stylish circus with choreographic sensibility; athletic and atmospheric – but this troupe has been at it for 20 years and director Yaron Lifschitz has really got it down. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/PaS4tcM

Two months after my single mastectomy, I felt sore, sad and scarred. Looking for a suitable bra, I became completely overwhelmed Read more in the kindness of strangers series I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 and immediately had to have a single mastectomy. Told by the doctors I needed to wear very soft bras for a while, two months after the surgery I went to my local department store to find something suitable. I was hobbling around and feeling really awful about myself – sore, sad and scarred, and as though I’d never look attractive again. Somewhere deep in the racks of bras I became so overwhelmed by it all that I just broke down and started sobbing. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ajvZl7z

Twenty-five years after his award-winning book was published, the Australian author revisits True History of the Kelly Gang How very weird to return to this old manuscript, the scene of so much doubt and anguish, not to say obsession. I was a baby when the seed was planted, three years out of school, two years since my devastating failure in the first year of a science degree. I had drifted into advertising where the gods determined I would fall among novelists and playwrights who would lead me to a place I could never have imagined. Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads I cant help it if Im young still can I its a wonder Im not an old shrivelled hag before my time living with him so cold never embracing me except sometimes when hes asleep the wrong end of me not knowing I suppose who he has any man thatd kiss a womans bottom. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/TGJ8pId

Integrating almost half a team usually takes time, which may cost Arne Slot’s side important points in a tight title race Florian Wirtz! Hugo Ekitiké! Milos Kerkez! Jérémie Frimpong! And soon, possibly, Alexander Isak! It’s vital, Bob Paisley always said, to build from a position of strength, and Liverpool this summer have certainly done that. If Isak does join, Liverpool’s transfer spending this summer will be approaching £400m, which would be the second-highest figure paid by any club in a single transfer window (behind only Chelsea in summer 2023) – the lack of signings last summer coupled with some canny sales has given them significant profitability and sustainability rules headroom. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/m0OW3EP

Nasa hails Lovell for saving 1970 moon mission from ‘potential tragedy’ and safely returning crew to Earth James “Jim” Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 who helped turn a failed moon mission into a triumph of on-the-fly can-do engineering, has died. He was 97. Lovell died on Thursday in Lake Forest, Illinois, Nasa said in a statement. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/G5HpF0V

Canyon fire in Ventura county, north of Los Angeles, is a ‘very dynamic situation’ and 0% contained, officials say Hundreds of firefighters and first responders are working to contain a rapidly growing brush fire in a mountainous area of southern California that has forced thousands of evacuations. The Canyon fire erupted in a rural, sparsely populated area of Ventura county on Thursday afternoon and quickly exploded in size, spreading east into Los Angeles county. The blaze covered roughly 4,800 acres (20.2 sq km) by 11pm, according to authorities. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Sc4RnCB

Temporary halt for facility in Florida Everglades comes as attorneys argue whether it violates environmental laws A federal judge on Thursday ordered a temporary halt to construction of an immigration detention center – built in the middle of the Florida Everglades and dubbed “ Alligator Alcatraz ” – as attorneys argue whether it violates environmental laws. The facility can continue to operate and hold detainees for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), but workers will be barred from adding any new filling, paving or infrastructure for the next 14 days. US district judge Kathleen Williams issued the ruling during a hearing and said she will issue a written order later Thursday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/U4K8yln

With protests planned for the start of the season, the FSA chair believes only fan consultation will help address grievances “I’m a bit younger, so this is all I’ve known,” says Nick Clarke, “but something that defines this moment is the feeling that it’s our last chance. You know that phrase: ‘The game’s gone’? I think the game is genuinely going away. It’s excluding traditional supporters and the communities that built the clubs in the first place.” Clarke has just celebrated his 30th birthday and is coming off the back of a big season. As one of the four season-ticket holders behind the MCFC Fans Foodbank Support, Clarke has been active among the Manchester City fanbase and in the community since the pandemic. With the growing concern over the pricing and provision of tickets at his club last year, he helped coordinate protests by fans whose rivalries go back generations, but whose problems are increasingly shared. Supporters of Everton, Liverpool and Manchester United and oth...

Ex-president can see children and grandchildren without prior court approval, but phone and video ban remains A Brazilian supreme court judge has eased the terms of Jair Bolsonaro ’s house arrest, allowing the far-right former president to receive visits from family members without prior judicial approval. The former paratrooper turned populist has been under house arrest since Monday, when Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the measure on the grounds that Bolsonaro had allegedly violated court orders. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7sp1GwY

Carmaker and CEO accused of securities fraud and hiding significant risk posed by company’s self-driving vehicles Tesla shareholders sued Elon Musk and the electric vehicle maker for allegedly concealing the significant risk posed by company’s self-driving vehicles. The proposed class-action suit, which accuses Musk and Tesla of securities fraud, was filed on Monday night. Tesla conducted its first public test of its self-driving taxis in late June near the company’s headquarters in Austin , Texas. That test showed the vehicles speeding, braking suddenly, driving over a curb, entering the wrong lane and dropping off passengers in the middle of multilane roads. The National Highway Transit Safety Administration (NHTSA), the main transportation regulator in the US, is investigating the Robotaxi’s pilot test. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DuSFO4b

More than 450 structures are under threat by the Gifford blaze, with only 3% of its perimeter contained Evacuations have been ordered in central California , as a massive wildfire is churning through the brush-covered hillsides in Los Padres national forest. More than 450 structures are under threat by the Gifford fire, and several injuries have been reported. The fire had scorched more than 65,000 acres (26,300 hectares) by Monday morning, after the blaze grew out of several smaller fires that erupted Friday along State Route 166 between Santa Maria and Bakersfield. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/TNIpOVG

Dieters in trial lost twice as much weight when avoiding ultra-processed ready meals with as much nutrition People lose more weight if they cook minimally processed food from scratch than if they eat ultra-processed and ready-made foods, according to the first study to establish a clear link between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and weight. Trial participants were given one of two diets with the same nutritional profile for eight weeks. One diet was made up of UPFs while the other comprised minimally processed foods. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/nM0QRdg

Aki’s wife had their fifth child in New Zealand Centre looking forward to seeing daughter for first time Bundee Aki has revealed his wife gave birth to their daughter in the back of a car in New Zealand on the same day as the first Lions Test victory against Australia in Brisbane. Aki is yet to meet his fifth child, Aine, and said reuniting with his family is his top priority after helping the Lions to wrap up the series. Aki was a second-half replacement in the first Test, coming off the bench after 57 minutes and all the while ­coping with the drama unfolding in Auckland. Aine is Aki’s fifth child – all five have names beginning with A – and Aki’s remarkable revelation details the sacrifices made by the touring side, who first got together for a training camp in Portugal in early June. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/dkPyI2c

The luminous Milky Way is not the only feature that makes space feel close in the Central Desert – you can also witness the aftermath of stars that fell to Earth Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email “You didn’t mention camping on Mars.” My wife had a point: thin air, thinner soil, extreme UV, rocks straight from a Nasa red-planet image, jagged ranges – all ideal backdrops for a movie set. No wonder the place was considered for training by the Apollo program. Its sparse life forms include an intimidating shrub whose thorns mimic the stingers on the scorpions that come out after dark. A harsh, forbidding place, but beautiful too. We made shade with our camper awning and waited for magic time: the desert at dusk. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Scientific models suggest the meteorites hit Earth at 40,000km/h in an explosion akin to the Hiroshima blast. Continue reading... from The Gu...

Hull within three shots of Miyu Yamashita ‘I like hunting someone down. It’s more fun that way.’ There are few things more exciting in golf than a marauding Charley Hull. Not only did we witness precisely that here on Saturday, but Hull sent an errant shot whizzing past the head of Minjee Lee for added theatrical effect. Hull had been battling to make the AIG Women’s Open cut for much of Friday afternoon. She started her third round 11 shots adrift of Miyu Yamashita. Within nine holes, Hull was five under par and on the charge. Birdies at the 12th and 13th meant she was four behind Yamashita. Hull did bogey the 14th, meaning a 66, but Yamashita’s failure to build on her 36-hole position suddenly makes this a highly intriguing scene. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/QcpUwV5

University chancellor said ‘life-saving research’ will be defunded as Trump’s academic crackdown continues The Trump administration is suspending some research grants to the University of California, Los Angeles, claiming “antisemitism and bias”, the school announced in a statement on Thursday. “UCLA received a notice that the federal government, through its control of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other agencies, is suspending certain research funding to UCLA,” Julio Frenk, the university chancellor, said in a letter to the campus . The move means “life-saving research” will be defunded, he said. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ft8gb6r