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Showing posts from September, 2026

Is it true that … cycling affects fertility?

Saddling up is only likely to be an issue for elite athletes – and those with low sperm counts “Cycling isn’t big on the radar of fertility doctors,” says Prof Colin Duncan, a fertility expert at the University of Edinburgh. For women, he says, the only time cycling is likely to affect fertility is when it’s done at extreme levels, such as the kind of training undertaken by elite athletes. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/PI9MnUt

Manchester United’s engine room runs out of puff as fans begin to voice frustration | Jacob Steinberg

Carrick’s side were short on inspiration, despite the summer spend in midfield, and the lack of quality in the final third was stark One of the more damning aspects of Manchester United’s tortured rebuild is their inability to multitask. So much money has been frittered away, pushing United into the ridiculous position of going one position at a time each summer. Last year was all about the attack and the recent window was about central midfield, even though the options at full-back do not look strong enough to cope with a season back in the Champions League. United remain a listless, drifting operation. The ownership is reviled and the fanbase is becoming increasingly mutinous. It was not just Gary Neville seeing red as he commentated on United’s dismal efforts away to winless Fulham. There was an ominous shift in the mood in the away end at Craven Cottage, summed up by the boos that greeted Michael Carrick substituting Kobbie Mainoo with 10 minutes to go. Continue reading... from ...

Elderly man allegedly beaten to death in Virginia Walmart by parents of employee

Bert Atienza and teen worker reportedly exchanged words before parents showed up and allegedly attacked shopper A 77-year-old Walmart shopper died after he was allegedly attacked inside a Virginia store by the parents of a teenage employee he had confronted over a shopping cart incident involving his wife, according to US media reports. Bert Atienza died from blunt head trauma on 8 June, one day after the attack at the Walmart in Norfolk, Virginia, WTKR reported on Monday. The shocking incident was captured on surveillance video . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/YDuF8fb

Coventry delight in Jay Dasilva winner but ruled-out goal riles Nottingham Forest

No, but seriously. Maybe Frank Lampard and Coventry do have a chance of Premier League survival. A first top-division win since April 2001 was celebrated rapturously, victory an object lesson in staying in a game long enough to trouble opponents for whom confidence wavers, and finding the right moment to strike. After that, Coventry dug in doggedly, squeezing play such that Nottingham Forest’s creative talents were blunted, though City rode their luck with a late video assistant referee call that enraged home fans, coaches and players alike. After Championship promotion rehabilitated Lampard’s reputation, Coventry’s troubled start to the season had revived doubts in his capabilities as a Premier League manager. Far too many echoes of a quarter century in the wilderness. Whatever happens, their fans, under weakening, early-evening sun, were determined to enjoy themselves, singing plenty of choruses of their boating song. Even if it’s for a single season, why not make the most of things?...

Trump on war in Iran, Houthi advance in Yemen: ‘It’ll all work out’ – live

President tells NewsNation that he is waiting to ‘see what happens’ in Iran to determine how he would move forward Sign up for the US Breaking News email Shapiro and Newsom aren’t the only governors making moves on AI lately. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, announced at a news conference today plans for tighter rules on data center development in order to address transparency, energy use and environmental concerns. And Nevada’s governor, Joe Lombardo, a Republican, signed an executive order aimed at tackling similar issues. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/YZO8eMK

Judge orders Kennedy Center to give 30 days’ notice before significant physical changes

Ruling comes amid potential demolition threatened by Donald Trump A federal judge has ordered the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to provide 30 days’ notice before making any significant physical changes to the building – including a potential demolition threatened by Donald Trump. Christopher Cooper, a US district judge, said on Thursday his ruling would “avoid any confusion on that score given more recent events”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/PgBhWiA

The Liberation review – Carrie Coon joins all-female cult in unsettling drama

Toronto film festival: Director Guy Nattiv draws on personal experience for an 80s-set tale of a woman abandoning her family for a creepy commune We remain fascinated and horrified by the hows and whys of cult narratives, how someone could be so seduced by something so unknown and why they would then risk everything for it. Oscar-winning writer-director Guy Nattiv has been personally affected by these questions for most of his life, his grandmother joining a cult when he was a child and never coming back. His attempt to try to understand who she was and why she acted in such a way has led to unsettling drama The Liberation, a fictionalised tale that acts as a form of therapy for him and a mostly successful antidote to more sensationalist cult stories for us. Enough Netflix docuseries and schlocky horror movies have given us a more extreme and often violent idea of how cults infect and destroy vulnerable people but Nattiv opts for a more thoughtful slow-burn. He’s recruited a suitably ...

John Healey in talks with Canada about UK joining new global defence bank

Exclusive: Britain is understood to have been formally invited to become founding member of multilateral lender John Healey is in talks with the Canadian government about joining a new global defence bank intended to help allies rearm to counter mounting security threats, just weeks after Rachel Reeves rejected the move. The chancellor is understood to be actively considering a bid to join the proposed Canada-led defence, security and resilience bank (DSRB), which proponents say could help the UK fund defence projects at lower cost, before planned talks with his Canadian counterpart this week. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/B5gybiO

From influencers to brutal finishes, US Open 2026 was worst grand slam in recent memory | Tumaini Carayol

Despite the drama on the court, the poor condition of Arthur Ashe Stadium was just one problem among many At the end of another comically late night and early morning in Flushing Meadows, when the remaining spectators were departing, a familiar scene was unfolding on the US Open tournament grounds. A handful of workers had congregated directly beneath a hole in the ceiling inside one of the tournament shops as they tried to stop water from flowing out of a broken pipe and ruining thousands of pounds worth of merchandise below. This was not a surprising sight. Upon entering Arthur Ashe Stadium this year, fans were greeted by some ominous signs: “Pardon our appearance while we write the next chapter of Arthur Ashe Stadium.” The tournament’s appearance, it must be said, was hideous. Inside the corridors and rooms at one of the biggest sporting events in the world, it felt like its main building was falling apart. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/uTRbZ8C

Russian oligarch close to Putin reportedly paid for part of Donald Trump Jr’s lavish wedding

US president’s eldest child married Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson in three-day celebration across two exclusive private islands US politics live – latest updates A top Democrat has demanded answers after it was reported that a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin paid hundreds of thousands of dollars toward Donald Trump Jr’s wedding in the Bahamas earlier this year. Trump Jr, the US president’s eldest child, married Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson in a lavish three-day celebration across two exclusive private islands in May, which according to ProPublica was partially bankrolled by Umar Kremlev, a member of the Russian president’s circle. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ICwSJLc

European football: Lamine Yamal keeps Barcelona perfect, Leipzig rout Hamburg

Teenager hits two in 4-2 victory at Levante Lepizig smash five past struggling Hamburg Barcelona continued their perfect start to the ⁠season with a hard-fought 4-2 La Liga victory over Levante in Valencia ⁠on Sunday. Levante ⁠found ​themselves two goals down within 19 minutes after swift play from ⁠Barcelona led to goals for Xavi Espart and Lamine Yamal. The home side ⁠then rallied, finishing the half with six ​shots to Barcelona’s ‌three. This story will be updated Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7Xrl2bH

Elena Rybakina joins elite with US Open title but questions remain over coach | Tumaini Carayol

New world No 1’s relationship with her previously banned coach, Stefano Vukov, remains under spotlight despite her rise to the top In the bitter aftermath of her straight-sets defeat by Elena Rybakina at the WTA Finals last November, an inconsolable Aryna Sabalenka walked over to her courtside player box and slumped into a chair. She had been completely overpowered by her opponent, a strange and unusual feeling for such a powerful player, and she was seething. Sabalenka eventually settled on a popular Russian idiom to explain Rybakina’s untouchable form, which she believed was fortunately timed: “Once a year, even a stick shoots,” she said. That stick, it turns out, has spent the past year shooting straight at Sabalenka in every significant match. Rybakina’s performance in Riyadh was a clear warning and she has dominated the hard‑court grand slam tournaments this year, beating Sabalenka in the Australian Open and US Open finals. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.t...

Solheim Cup: Hull and Woad flop for Europe as Kupcho pulls USA level

Scores level at 8-8 after dramatic day two Anna Nordqvist pairing of star duo fails to pay off It has been the great anomaly of this Solheim Cup. Europe keeping perfect pace with the United States is an impressive achievement even without factoring in the meagre points contribution from Charley Hull and Lottie Woad. European hopes of reclaiming the trophy lost to the United States two years ago surely depend heavily on their star turns finding singles form. The heroics of Jennifer Kupcho in fading light dashed Europe’s ambitions of taking a lead. It is 8-8 as things stand. A 12-match shootout remains. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/1kcoxAi

The week around the world in 20 pictures

The 25th anniversary of 9/11, Russian strikes in Kyiv, wildfires in Indonesia and Sabalenka at the US Open – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Warning: this gallery contains images some readers may find distressing Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/f6r2ALk

Scherzetto review – Toni Servillo brings gravitas to a dithering Neapolitan ghost story

Venice film festival The Venice fixture plays an illustrator haunted by his boyhood in Mario Martone’s part spooky, part sentimental oddity It’s always good to see the veteran Italian star Toni Servillo at Venice; in fact, the festival is pretty much unthinkable without him. But this initially promising prospect – adapted from a novel by Domenico Starnone – is a minor, quibbling tonal oddity, unsure if it wants to be scary or sentimental. Servillo lends it as much gravitas as he can: his mere presence is valuable ballast and the streetscape scenes of Naples are handled with a connoisseur’s touch by director Mario Martone, whose previous Naples-set movie Nostalgia was far superior. Daniele (played by Servillo) is a septuagenarian book illustrator whose old-fashioned, hand-drawn artistry is something he testily treasures. He has come back to his family home in Naples, to the gloomy apartment where he was brought up, just behind the train station, and where his grownup daughter Betta (...

French FA accuses Infantino of ‘seriously damaging’ football as it withdraws support

‘Image and unity’ of game affected, FFF president says It will consult sacked former Fifa official Kevin Lamour The French Football Federation’s president, Philippe Diallo, said Gianni Infantino had “seriously damaged the image and the unity of football” as he announced the end of France’s support for the Fifa president’s re-election. The FFF’s executive committee unanimously voted on Thursday to withdraw its backing, which had been formalised at the end of June. Diallo referred to “events during the World Cup” which had “flagrantly gone against the way we believe our sport should be run” and to Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan, which was revealed in July and scrapped after a widespread backlash. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/zWG8DYl

Péter Nádas obituary

Hungarian author who explored memory and history in his fiction and was nominated for a Nobel prize The writer Péter Nádas, who has died aged 83, transformed the modern history of his native Hungary into epic fiction that rooted its upheavals and calamities in the minds, and bodies, of his all-too-human characters. “I’m not a historian,” he said. “I’m not an anthropologist, nor am I a sociologist. I work with the fates of individuals.” Those individuals filled a series of books that, in their scope, depth and stylistic ambition, made Nádas a perennial contender for the Nobel prize in literature. Yet it would be his younger compatriot László Krasznahorkai, drawing on the senior writer’s example, who took that honour in 2025 . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wLdcC5U

Ikea wins right to launch legal action against Belgian far-right party

EU’s highest court allows Swedish furniture firm to begin proceedings after Vlaams Belang used its trademarks in immigration campaign Ikea has won the right to take legal action against a Belgian far-right political party that parodied the Swedish flatpack furniture firm’s branding in its anti-immigration campaign. In a ruling on Tuesday, Europe’s highest court said that Ikea had the right to oppose the use of its trademarks and distinctive graphics by Vlaams Belang, a rightwing Eurosceptic political party that advocates for an independent Flemish state. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/W2qLkbS

‘Safety, security and service’: behind the scenes with police at Arsenal v Chelsea

Facial recognition and spotters part of operation at Emirates that involved a dozen incidents and two arrests The concourses are silent when, deep in the Emirates Stadium’s bowels, Chief Inspector Pete Dearden’s briefing begins. Arsenal’s 4.30pm kick-off against Chelsea is still hours away but the fixture carries significance as a London derby and because the Premier League champions are hosting a realistic challenger. Dearden is a senior officer in the Metropolitan police’s public order command and Sunday’s matchday commander. He is, to borrow football jargon, giving the pre-match team talk, running through intelligence and in-game tactics. “Set the right style and tone,” he says. After Dearden has finished, the police room becomes a pseudo-station for the afternoon, with all incidents triaged by the same crime officer. Football offences can be found in niche legislation, and the Met wants London’s matchdays to be, so far as possible, policed uniformly. Continue reading... from Th...

Hawaii declares state of emergency as Hurricane Lowell approaches islands

Storm, which may make impact as soon as Monday, is third system in weeks to threaten state during hurricane season Hawaii has declared a state of emergency as powerful Hurricane Lowell makes its way toward the islands, with the first impacts expected as soon as Monday. The storm is the third system in just over three weeks to threaten Hawaii during an active hurricane season in the central Pacific. Lowell remained a category 3 hurricane early on Sunday morning, packing winds of 125 miles per hour while moving north-west at six miles per hour. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/E12JqVy

European football: Lamine Yamal’s double powers Barcelona to rout of Valencia

Fermín, Raphinha and Pedri also score in 5-0 La Liga win Goalkeeper Koeman Jr scores two penalties in Eredivisie Lamine Yamal struck twice for Barcelona as they demolished Valencia 5-0 on Sunday to maintain their 100% start in La Liga. The reigning champions moved three points clear at the top of La Liga after Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid lost 1-0 at Real Betis on Friday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/FAXCPMW

When Dad asked me to edit his novel, I wanted to say no – but ran directly towards the lion’s den | Anna Spargo-Ryan

My father doesn’t ask for help from just anyone. And yet he asked for mine. He believed in me My dad and I believe in many of the same things: cheesecake; the Geelong football club; my mum. And that we should immediately be experts at anything. First try. No practice. No revision. He taught me this in kindergarten. Every day he pushed me to be brilliant. We played spelling games in the car and did maths workbooks for fun. Before I started school I had “published” a library of my own books, complete with copyright information. I had become – and I’m assuming this is true of most Guardian writers – a precocious kid who irritated everyone around her by being boisterously, aggressively right about everything all of the time. Just like my dad. (Obviously I’ve grown a lot since then.) Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/cUCQgZ6

Robin Morgan, child star who became feminist, poet and editor, dies aged 85

Leading second-wave feminist co-founded Women’s Media Center with Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem Robin Morgan, a child star of the 1940s and 50s who grew up to become an all-American radical as a poet, essayist, editor and second-wave feminist, has died. She was 85. Morgan’s death was confirmed Saturday by the Women’s Media Center, an organization she co-founded with Jane Fonda and the celebrated author and activist Gloria Steinem , who died Wednesday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/4L3681M

The Basics of Philosophy review – Paul Schrader back to his cool, cruel best

Venice film festival When a figure from his past turns up to a family funeral, a college professor faces an agonising dilemma that makes him question his own morality and whether he can change Paul Schrader is back with his most successful picture since First Reformed in 2018. It’s a stereotypical Schrader study of masculinity in some ways, about a man agonising over moral choice and ethical behaviour while – as so often in Schrader’s movies – reading and writing philosophy in an austerely furnished room. And yet there is nothing abstract about the issue he faces here. The film moves with a determined suspenseful tread, everything hangs together right up to the queasy final shot and Schrader flavours everything with a streak of melodrama and even a kind of gaunt black comedy. Karl Glusman’s cameo is surely the weirdest thing at Venice this year. The scene is a blandly prestigious liberal arts college, presided over by a genial, grey-haired dean, played in cameo by Richard Gere. John J...

‘‘Never Forget’ is not a slogan’: Mamdani designates 9/11 as a Day of Remembrance and Service

The New York City mayor will sign two executive orders honoring those impacted by the attacks, as he faces campaign to exclude him from the 25th anniversary commemoration New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to designate September 11 as a Day of Remembrance and Service ahead of the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Mamdani’s office announced on Friday morning that the mayor will sign two executive orders honoring victims, first responders, survivors, city workers and families affected by the attacks. The orders will also strengthen the city’s ability to protect New Yorkers and maintain essential services during emergencies. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/u1RLHpr

Schools in England face checks to root out unhealthy lunches

Ministers draw up inspection regime to enforce rules limiting sugar, fat and salt Schools could be reprimanded if they serve food containing too much fat, salt or sugar under new checks to ensure pupils receive healthy lunches. The Department for Education is finalising plans for a promised “ robust national enforcement system ” to ensure all 21,500 state-funded schools in England comply with existing nutrition standards. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7XsV5za

Mike Dean claims he played secret games for a laugh while refereeing matches

Former official says he ‘tried to stay in the centre circle’ Referees’ group thought to be puzzled by remarks The former Premier League referee Mike Dean claims he used to take part in secret challenges while officiating, including trying to stay in the centre circle for as long as possible, as he confessed to “just joking about” during matches. The remarks, made by one of the most well-known officials in the English game, have been met with bemusement by refereeing officials who say there is no evidence of any such behaviour having ever taken place. Dean was a member of the select group of referees for more than two decades before he retired in 2022 and a brief spell as a video assistant referee followed. In an interview on Jamie Vardy’s podcast this week, Dean shared anecdotes from his time as a top-flight official in the pre-VAR era. “We used to say, ‘We’ll kick off now. Right, see how long we can go without blowing a whistle,’” he said. “I’ve done that a few times in the Premier Le...

Google defeats US justice department bid to force ad tech sale

Judge declines to make Google sell AdX in win for firm against US antitrust enforcers’ attempts to break up big tech Alphabet’s Google escaped a breakup of its advertising technology business on Wednesday, when a judge in Virginia ⁠rejected US antitrust enforcers’ bid to force a sale of Google’s online advertising exchange. While the ad exchange is a small part of Google’s business, the ruling is the second powerful ⁠symbolic victory against the US Department ⁠of Justice in ​its efforts to force Google to sell assets to address illegal monopolies. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wYAN4u1

Maia Bouchier powers England to record ODI run chase against Ireland

Ireland: 281-5; England: 283-4 Bouchier hits 104; three 50s by Ireland batters A century from Maia Bouchier led England to a record one-day international run chase against Ireland at Leicester on Tuesday, as they reached their target of 282 with six wickets and 71 balls to spare. Bouchier missed out on selection for the T20 World Cup in June but remains a key part of England’s ODI plans, as they look to build a new team in the wake of the retirements of Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lMI8z7a