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Winds of change are coming for Australia as selection storm brews in South Africa

Crushing defeat in second Test raises fresh questions about fragile batting lineup before Cape Town decider The old adage that it is harder to get out of the Australia cricket team than into it is about to be put to the test. The horror show against South Africa in the second Test that ended in defeat for Australia by an innings and 31 runs exposed familiar fractures in the lineup that have less than a week between matches to be repaired. The Australian selectors have shown in South Africa they are prepared to change a winning formula with the ball, while they have long been reluctant to cut ties with proven performers with the bat. But the first innings capitulation as Australia were all out for 99 in Gqeberha could force their hand to make a tough call or two – or perhaps more – as a selection storm brews before the series decider in Cape Town. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3RHofqB

‘Black October’: cybersecurity experts sound the alarm over new era of AI-enabled hacking

After discovery of severe bug in the PHP programming language, executives warn of ‘vulnerability tsunami’ Leaders in cybersecurity are sounding the alarm after the discovery of a major vulnerability this week. They are predicting that artificial intelligence tools will expose more fundamental weaknesses in global internet infrastructure in the months to come. “I no longer think we’re going to be able to patch all bugs,” said Sam Altman on Thursday evening, joining the chorus of executives. In the midst of what’s being called “Black October”, for which researchers used AI to help identify critical flaws in a coding language that is used across millions of websites and may have been unpatched for years, tech executives are warning about the ways AI will be used both to identify and exploit security vulnerabilities at an unprecedented scale and pace. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/zXaP2ob

Christa Pike’s IV team warned vein might be ‘blowing’ before failed execution

New account from Pike’s lawyer suggests team was racked by doubts even before pentobarbital began to flow The Tennessee execution team tasked with setting an intravenous line in the arms of the death row prisoner Christa Pike through which she could be injected with a lethal dose of pentobarbital repeatedly warned that her vein might be “blowing”, before they went ahead with the procedure, her lawyer has revealed. Members of the intravenous (IV) team used up to 10 needles as they sought to establish a line through which Pike could be killed with a massive dose of the sedative. About 20 minutes into the attempt, they began discussing among themselves whether the prisoner’s vein “might be blowing”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/uf8RbcQ

Clayface review – flesh-stretching DC body horror is very gory but not very good

Liverpool makes for an unconvincing Gotham City in this effectively gross but otherwise middling attempt to milk money from a lesser-known Batman villain A sense of desperation is understandably in the air over at DC, the company, like Marvel, slowly realising that the mass superhero fever has finally broken. There’s still interest there, of course (this summer’s Spider-Man is now the biggest film of all time in the US after all), but it’s no longer good enough to leave a high-speed conveyor belt unmanned, purpose and quality control be damned. 2019 saw a staggering 10 superhero films released in cinemas, and the inevitable exhaustion that followed, also fueled by Covid, led to a gradual winding down, monster hits turning into minor ones and sure bets often becoming expensive flops. As Peter Parker winged his way to box office records this summer, DC’s Supergirl bombed so hard that experts believe it might have cost Warners upwards of $200m in losses. It was just the latest disappointm...

Carrick insists Manchester United board back him after Ten Hag points to ‘toxic culture’

Manager acknowledges he needs to start winning games Ten Hag accuses Cristiano Ronaldo of letting club down Michael Carrick believes Manchester United’s board continue to back him, although the manager admits he must start winning matches to keep his job. Carrick also denied there is a toxic culture at the club, after Erik ten Hag’s claim there had been when he was manager. Carrick’s side travel to Como on Wednesday for their third Champions League game, aiming for a third victory of the season in all competitions. Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Leeds left United 13th in the Premier League, having won only once. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/AcJX2Rl

‘I’m in a bad place’: Mark Allen says his snooker career may be over after defeat

Former world No 1 loses 4-2 to Jordan Brown in Belfast ‘I don’t see a future with snooker in it,’ says tearful Allen Mark Allen said he was in a “bad place” and his snooker career could be over after losing to Jordan Brown in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast. The 40-year-old was playing his first match since his world championship semi-final loss to Wu Yize in April. Allen missed a match-ball black off the spot at 16-15 in front and went on to lose the deciding frame to Wu, who went on to win the title. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/1w4cY5l

‘Crucial opportunity to act’ as study finds most of Europe’s wild bee species in decline

As Cop17 kicks off, records since 1921 show more bee species declining than increasing in all parts of Europe except the Alps Most of Europe’s wild bee species and about half of its hover fly species have declined over the last century, a study has found, as a UN biodiversity summit begins in Armenia. Records since 1921 show more bee species are declining than increasing in all parts of Europe except the Alpine region. The richness of bee and hover fly species suffered a persistent drop in the Atlantic and Continental regions, the study found, though trends in other regions were mixed or even positive. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/v8T0mGo

How Trump’s justice department is shattering practice of political neutrality as midterms loom

From the attorney general stumping for Republican candidates to federal agents raiding the home of a Democratic congresswoman up for re-election, the department is violating longstanding norms Donald Trump’s justice department has aggressively inserted itself into the midterm elections in the contest’s final weeks, shattering the department’s longstanding practice of political neutrality and leaving little doubt about the department’s willingness to help should the president attempt to subvert elections where his party is forecasted to lose seats and ultimately control of Congress. In the last few weeks, federal agents have raided the home of a Democratic congresswoman up for re-election. It has touted criminal charges and arrests of non-citizens charged with voter fraud. The attorney general has hit the campaign trail to stump for Republican candidates. And the department gave California election officials 48 hours to investigate the citizenship of 20,000 people, and then sued the s...

The moment I knew: For Valentine’s Day he gave me a heart covered in fake blood. I was appalled – and thrilled

Will Huxley thought Garrett looked like a Heathcliff type. They bonded over their shared love of Kate Bush. Then one day Garrett handed over an ornate gift box Find more stories from the moment I knew series In 2006 I’d just graduated film school at the Victorian College of the Arts and was working at the ABC in Melbourne. It was a pretty tumultuous time of my life. I had just broken up with my best friend and high school sweetheart – whom I adored – and was in the process of coming out. I was drinking too much and in breaks from the chaos I’d find myself drawn to the local video store. That’s where I first saw Garrett behind the counter. I had an instant crush on him and spent a lot of time perusing the art house section, so he would see how creative and cultured I was. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7OWYp5U

Family of US man who died on Six Flags ride question if death was preventable

Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem died after reportedly ‘passing out’ and falling off Goliath rollercoaster in Georgia The family of a man who was ejected from a rollercoaster at a Six Flags amusement park in Georgia and died has publicly questioned whether the death could have been prevented. Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was riding the Goliath rollercoaster at Six Flags Over Georgia near Atlanta alongside his niece during a family trip to celebrate her birthday when he was thrown from the ride. His niece witnessed her uncle’s death, a relative told the Atlanta ABC News affiliate WSB-TV . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/u6lofpj

Masterplan review – Stanley Tucci is wasted in Amazon’s smooth-brained heist caper

A ‘family’ of criminals attempt to steal the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in pulpy and forgettable thriller In the last half-decade Stanley Tucci has been a source of near-inexhaustible on- screen delight, whether making friends with nonnas in his delightful cooking shows or smartly judged supporting turns in Conclave and The Devil Wears Prada 2 . He is an actor well placed for a star vehicle of his own, and this one, Masterplan , sounds good on paper: an art heist fronted by the actor at his most debonair, flanked by a grandson of a French New Wave legend (Victor Belmondo, related to Breathless star Jean-Paul) and a buzzy breakout of The White Lotus (Simona Tabasco, winning in season two of Mike White’s comedy). There’s a good bit of pulpy fun to have here, with double, triple and quadruple crossing, silly spy gadgetry which has been updated to include retina scan cloning and something called “VR intrusion”. As British criminal mastermind Roger, Tucci is game to send up aristo arch...

Brazilian Amazon deforestation falls to lowest on record as pivotal vote looms

Forest clearance at smallest total since records began in 1988 in success for Lula ahead of presidential run-off Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has fallen its lowest level since records began, new government data shows. But whether this globally important success is maintained or reversed is on a knife edge ahead of a presidential election run-off on 25 October between two candidates with sharply different visions for the future of the rainforest and how that affects relations with the US under Donald Trump. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/72WxoAC

Troy Aikman addresses reported rift with Joe Buck and says he is leaving ESPN

Former QB says he is looking ‘for next landing spot’ Aikman and Buck said to have argued over contracts Longtime Monday Night Football announcer Troy Aikman said he is looking for his “next landing spot” with ⁠his ESPN contract set to expire after February’s Super Bowl. “I’ll broadcast through this season, and I’ll be ⁠a free agent ⁠at ​the end of the year and kind of see what happens,” Aikman said in a radio interview ⁠with KTCK of Dallas on Thursday morning. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/sfjvSZ5

‘I expect more’: the key questions from Martínez’s Manchester United broadside | Jamie Jackson

From Jason Wilcox’s role to the views of the rest of the squad, we tackle the major talking points at Old Trafford after the defender’s outburst After Manchester United’s 2-0 loss at Atlético Madrid, Lisandro Martínez teed off at the director of football, Jason Wilcox, and the rest of the executive. “We don’t have the best squad at the moment compared with other top teams,” said the defender. “I expect more [investment], 100%. I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox] … Really poor [the Atlético defeat] – I have to control myself a lot but something is a reflection of the mirror of how our club is at the moment.” Here we consider the key questions emerging from Martínez’s explosive remarks. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/QUv2EZF

Netflix unveils first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew

The fantasy epic based on CS Lewis’s classic stars Daniel Craig, Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep The first look at Greta Gerwig ’s vision for Narnia has been revealed. Today, Netflix is giving a first look at her vision for CS Lewis ’s magical world in the trailer for The Magician’s Nephew, the first chronological book in the beloved series. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gS64tHr

Hackers force French supermarket fridges to heat up to 50C in ‘unprecedented’ cyber-attack

Hundreds of Intermarché shops and Coopérative U outlets in France hit, with fears Dutch chains also affected Hackers have forced the temperature of many French supermarket fridges up to 50C overnight, in an “unprecedented” cyber-attack affecting several hundred stores across the country, with fires and food losses reported. The Paris prosecutor’s office said on Monday ⁠the large-scale attack was “affecting connected refrigerators ⁠in several ​major food retailers across France”. Reported damage included “food losses and fires”, it added. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wkIy0Jt

Nina review – a riveting series of horribly invasive auditions for The Seagull

Battersea Arts Centre, London Women up for a role as Chekhov’s aspiring actor navigate their meetings with a needling director in a tense show Smile. Introduce yourself. Say you’re such a big fan. Now do whatever he tells you. These are the unspoken rules the women follow as they take turns auditioning in Caroline Williams’ discomforting, rage-fuelled production about men and power and rotting winged roadkill. The women are auditioning for the role of Nina, the aspiring actor in Chekhov’s The Seagull, in an experimental production directed by sombrely pretentious wunderkind Goran (a brooding Rowan Polonski). Using live-feed cameras in his show, he is the type of director to dismiss the need for an intimacy coordinator while claiming credit for having one in the room. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/XrKmN9s

Impervious City shrug off chaos and controversy to silence Anfield | Andy Hunter

What had been billed as a day of reckoning for the Premier League champions turned into a Sunday afternoon stroll Anfield welcomed Manchester City to their new reality, a sullied place where every touch is accompanied by cries of “cheat”, any favourable decision is considered proof of further conspiracy and every victory hollow. But Welcome to Hell this was not. The only body of irrefutable evidence in City’s favour since the guilty verdicts landed is that Enzo Maresca’s league leaders appear immune to prosecution and persecution. That may well change depending on the outcome of City’s appeal and any punishment that eventually arises, likewise the merits and value of a commanding 3-0 win on Liverpool soil. The sight of Erling Haaland savouring a statement victory in front of City’s supporters after the final whistle, while chants of “going down” echoed around the rest of the stadium, captured the schism at the heart of this Premier League season. Continue reading... from The Guard...

Trump and Rubio weigh firing Kimberly Guilfoyle after reports of improper conduct

Senior official says president and US secretary of state are ‘extremely pissed off’ by conduct of US envoy to Greece Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, are considering firing US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. A senior US official said Sunday that Trump and Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide on what action to take this week after Monday’s federal holiday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/8ICdWTa

Wallabies mugged at their own game to leave Kiss mulling hard lessons | Angus Fontaine

Old habits resurface as Australia fritter away advantage and allow All Blacks to mount aerial assault at Eden Park Les Kiss stood forlornly in the middle of Eden Park wearing a thousand-yard stare. The past 10 Wallabies coaches had all been where he was now, shaking their heads and cursing after a failed attempt to storm the fortress of New Zealand rugby. This was Kiss’s first loss as Australia coach and the little bloke was nursing a big hurt. His side had arrived on a six-game unbeaten streak, fresh from stomping the world champions South Africa a fortnight before . Conversely, their old enemy were facing a fourth consecutive defeat after falling three times to that same Springboks side. After 25 years of Trans-Tasman pain, the Bledisloe Cup finally looked within reach. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DVLyATw