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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/TUN8Kwh

Criminals recruiting children to damage Greater Manchester HMOs, police believe

Houses being targeted because they are thought to hold immigrants, with dozens of properties affected in recent weeks Criminals are recruiting vulnerable people, including children, to damage houses suspected of being HMOs, police in Manchester believe. In recent weeks, dozens of properties have been targeted across Greater Manchester, mostly in Salford, but also in Stockport and Tameside. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/WQfe2Oi

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/f7PzuLD

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 disappointment...

UK to deploy fighter jets to protect Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks

RAF Typhoon fighters to fly defensive missions over cities and infrastructure in extension of UK support for Riyadh RAF Typhoon fighters are to be used in efforts to protect Saudi Arabia from attack by Yemen’s Houthis, flying protective missions over the country’s cities and critical infrastructure as western allies increase their intervention in the escalating conflict. The operation – the most significant military mission signed off by Andy Burnham as prime minister – will involve RAF pilots attempting to shoot down Houthi missiles and drones, which attacked Saudi airports and oil facilities. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3wzlO29

Light and Magic: The Birth of Art Photography review – a rhapsodic show to stop you in your tracks

Tate Modern, London From a Singapore construction worker to a loincloth-wearing Sri Lankan, this awe-inspiring and truly global exhibition finds epic beauty in the everyday I don’t remember the last time I saw such a well-researched and truly globally representative exhibition that doesn’t patronise but quietly makes its case unapologetically, fearlessly and through sheer quality. Apart from being the first retelling of the international, pluralistic pictorialism movement, Tate’s new show allows for some refreshing encounters with unknown works for British audiences – around half of the works included here have never been shown in the UK. The effect is to radically deepen and widen our understanding not only of art history but the human impulses that drive us to make images in the first place. We move seamlessly from the sudden shock of colour in three-colour carbon prints of flowers in a London garden in the 1920s to works born of the photographic salons, circles and clubs of Sydney, ...

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...

Daniel Dubois v Fabio Wardley II: WBO heavyweight title fight – live

Updates from rematch at the O2 Arena in London Preview: Wardley predicts ‘crazy night’ | Email Alex Tyson Fury versus Anthony who? Yes, Britain’s biggest-name heavyweights belatedly do battle in December – but if you want a better bet for an all-action fight, it’s tonight’s rematch between Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley for the WBO title. The first contest was an astonishing slugfest in which Dubois was knocked down after 10 seconds, got dropped again in round three, but eventually bludgeoned a somehow-still-standing Wardley to defeat in the 11th. It was “like a Rocky film”, marvelled Frank Warren, a boxing promoter with no need to resort to embellishment. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/pNSUbVP

‘Well-known individual’ tries to secure permanent injunction against Guardian and ITN

Lawyers tell high court that client could harm himself if serious allegations against him are made public A “well-known individual” is trying to secure a permanent injunction against the Guardian and ITN to prevent them from publishing details of serious allegations made against him. At a high court hearing on Friday, the claimant’s legal team said there was a serious risk that he could harm himself should the allegations be made public. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org , or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/vtI8RTg

The water torture goes on at Thames. Sector-wide reform isn’t moving much faster | Nils Pratley

If ‘public control’ bit is delaying overhaul, that needs to be nailed down sharpish or continued uncertainty could be costly It is strange now to recall that Thames Water had a prominent slot on what was known as “Sue’s shit list” – the internal Labour dossier, compiled by Keir Starmer’s first chief of staff, Sue Gray, of potential crises that could erupt at short notice and force the incoming administration to make some big decisions quickly. That was July 2024. Here we are – more than two years later – and the Thames script has barely advanced. We’re still waiting to see if the financial crisis at the over-indebted, under-performing water company will be resolved by a creditor-led recapitalisation, special administration or something else. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/5JZRAaQ

SpaceX rocket launch causes stunning ‘jellyfish cloud’ visible off US east coast

Expanding plume of fuel exhaust crystalized in the sky and reflected sunlight off frozen particles after Florida launch A SpaceX rocket provided a stunning pre-dawn display over Florida as a massive, luminescent “jellyfish cloud” spread for miles, caused by an expanding plume of fuel exhaust crystalizing in the sky and reflecting sunlight off the frozen particles. The phenomenon occurred shortly after Tuesday’s 6.33am ET launch of the Falcon 9 rocket carrying cargo to the International Space Station. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ByUIeEj

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/fIvcqgV

Cornell suspends fraternity parties amid backlash over alleged sexual assault

University bans parties at frat houses for rest of academic year to conduct ‘thorough review’ of campus Greek life Cornell University has announced that it is suspending parties and other social gatherings at fraternity houses for the rest of the academic year amid intensifying backlash over its handling of allegations that a female student was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house in 2024. The university has also said that Cornell will involve New York state police in investigating sex crimes on campus. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/vW05Sjq

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/IQhiv4t

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/6AuxW0n

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/2v1gpqa

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/xSQaphq

US imposes new sanctions on international criminal court

Trump administration says US ‘doesn’t need’ ICC after accusing court of unfairly targeting Americans for war crime charges The United States was accused of launching “an assault” on the world’s legal order after imposing more sanctions on the international criminal court (ICC) . Unveiling the Trump administration’s latest escalation against the court, which it has accused of politicization and unfairly targeting Americans for war crime charges, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, declared: “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/8Ig4Zxf

An AI boom is sending San Francisco rents through the roof: ‘nowhere left for people to go’

According to city’s rent board, eviction notices are up 44% and tenants are on edge over landlords swooping in over their homes To say that Maria Zamudio and her team have been busy lately would be a gross understatement. Every Monday at 9am, the phone lines at the downtown clinic of San Francisco’s Housing Rights Committee start ringing, and they keep ringing until closing at 5 pm. In-person counseling appointments for renters facing eviction or landlord misconduct fill days in advance. After every weekend, the staff of seven sits in their office and sifts through more than 150 voicemails. The rental assistance hotline averages 200 calls a week. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/mpkGDWO

EU drops sponsorship of disinformation conference at Trump officials’ request

Lithuania and Canada were also pressured to withdraw, and days before #Disinfo2026, logos were wiped off website The Trump administration pressured multiple countries to withdraw their sponsorship of a leading European conference on disinformation, with Canada, Lithuania and the EU’s diplomatic service subsequently agreeing to do so, the Guardian understands. The conference, #Disinfo2026, taking place Wednesday and Thursday, is the annual meetup of Europe’s counter-disinformation community and has drawn hundreds of researchers, journalists, technologists and policymakers to a hotel in Vilnius, Lithuania. It is run by an independent Brussels non-profit, EU Disinfo Lab. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ZbeGp5C