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Showing posts with the label The Guardian

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

US trade regulator and 22 states accuse Amazon of taking $20bn with secret surcharges

FTC alleges in lawsuit that online retailer ‘secretly and systematically overcharged’ advertisers for years The US’s main trade regulator and 22 states sued Amazon on Monday, alleging the online retailer “secretly and systematically overcharged” advertisers on Amazon.com. “Amazon has millions of advertising customers who were misled into paying significantly higher prices. These higher costs were largely passed on to American consumers,” said Andrew Ferguson, the FTC chair. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Tuhegv9

Conservative reshuffle: who’s who in Kemi Badenoch’s top team?

From a darling of the Tory right to a moderate former army officer, we profile the key players Andrew Griffith and Tom Tugendhat join Badenoch’s top team in Tory reshuffle Kemi Badenoch has kicked off the return to parliament with a reshuffle of her top team in order to take on Andy Burnham and Reform UK. She has made sweeping changes to the shadow cabinet and ruthlessly axed her shadow chancellor. Here is a run-down of the new characters sitting across from Labour on the opposition frontbench. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/560ueDV

Marcus Rashford’s Manchester United return feels like a marriage of convenience | Will Unwin

A lack of offers and problems in finding a replacement may be behind the move, but that does not mean it cannot work The first chant of the match was for Marcus Rashford, Manchester United’s returning rogue son, the one banished for 18 months, first to the Midlands and then Catalonia. Every football fan loves an academy product who has risen up the ranks, from scrawny child to getting 76,000 off their seats. Rashford is one of these, living out the dream of everyone inside Old Trafford and they are willing to forgive but want something in return. Not since 7 December 2024 has Rashford been seen in red at Old Trafford. Then it was as a substitute forlornly trying to turn things around in an eventual 3-2 defeat by Nottingham Forest. His relationship with Ruben Amorim was already deteriorating, the second head coach to have become irritated with Rashford. After loans with Aston Villa and Barcelona, everyone is surprised to see him back; it feels like a marriage of convenience bec...

Man killed by falling sign at Christian festival named as church pays tribute

Robert Guanco, 41, a pastor at Jesus Living Water church in Eastbourne, described as having ‘touched many lives’ A 41-year-old man who died after a large wooden sign fell at a Christian festival on Friday has been named as Robert Guanco, a pastor at a church in Eastbourne, East Sussex. A tribute from his church on Sunday described him as a respected pastor who was a “loving husband” and “a devoted and caring father”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/U2YFvqx

No country for old men: Premier League grind is why managers are getting younger

The boss in the dugout is typically no longer an ageing former player – most are in their 40s on an exhausting treadmill One of the problems with getting older is that you’re never quite sure whether it’s you or them. Is the world really changing, or is it just you, struggling to adapt? There’s a milestone in life, probably as you’re contemplating university or a first job, when you realise you’re watching a footballer who is younger than you. Then, 15-20 years later, you realise you’re watching a manager who is younger than you. And 15-20 years after that, especially if you’re watching the modern Premier League, you realise that almost every manager is younger than you. At which you do two things: give thanks for David Moyes; and check to see whether it’s actually happening, or whether this is just the football equivalent of the policemen-getting-younger cliche. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/5cdi3Hx

Spencer Jones: Dogs review – barking comic sniffs out community through canines

Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh Behind this grab-bag of papier-mache heads and walkies banter lies a celebration of simply talking to one another First came Ricky Gervais’s cynical cats ; now here are Spencer Jones’s optimistic Dogs. One was tawdry, the other couldn’t be sweeter, as the prop-comic delivers this hymn to the canine-human relationship. Like much of Jones’s work , it’s a grab-bag, as he circles seemingly at random between character comedy in papier-mache heads, loop-pedal nonsense and dopey dog-walking business with an animatronic mutt. Not all of it is dog-related. And yet, it adds up to something winning, as Jones leads his four-legged friends towards a closing message about social cohesion in acrimonious times – and how our pets can help. It begins as a chat with the audience about their animals, with Jones poshing it up in character as a snobby dog-walker. One strand of the show, taking as its motto the question “Aren’t humans weird?”, functions as a gleeful anthropology of ...

Olé for Robinson as England take firm control of Lord’s Test against Pakistan

Second Test, day two: England 290 & 81-3; Pakistan 110 Ollie Robinson takes 4 for 11; Jofra Archer picks up three Joe Root did not want the England captaincy when it started to be floated earlier this summer. After performing the role as a stand-in for the suspended Ben Stokes against New Zealand at the Oval, his father, Matt, asked about a full-time return as a hypothetical and has since said this was met with a “no”. Root was apparently then swayed by the impending arrival of Stephen Fleming as head coach, with the pair speaking regularly before roles were finally locked down. But watching this one-sided second day against Pakistan at Lord’s – and indeed the one-sided series opener at Headingley – one wonders whether being handed the keys to this pace attack was just as much of a clincher. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/skwzap1

Freddie Meredith: Need a Light? review – one hilarious hour of cringe

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Watching a man labouring to strike up conversations in the smoking area of a nightclub proves not just funny but also touching and uplifting Ever pretended to use your phone to avoid the shame of being Norman No-Mates at a party? Freddie Meredith’s new show is a 60-minute channelling of that experience, an hour-long cringe at a man labouring to strike up conversations in the smoking area of a nightclub. Meredith, a familiar face to viewers of Big Boys, Such Brave Girls and other TV series, has alighted on a familiar social type here, albeit one rarely so brilliantly depicted. His alter ego is a shy and insecure beta male desperately trying to look – well, alpha is out of his reach, but even basic social functioning would be an upgrade. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/tzH2mZM

The Wreck review – scuba drama about siblings under pressure

Summerhall, Edinburgh Gabe Winsor’s inventively staged tale is charming and sweetly lo-fi, but the emotion never quite clicks Deep sea diving and plumbing the depths of family history make a decent parallel in this nimble multimedia production by Buzzcut , which has a sweetly eccentric air yet leaves a little too much beneath the surface. The premise is familiar, as Eddie (Morgan Beale) returns to the seaside town where his sister, Ira (Camilla Anvar), still lives in her childhood bedroom and runs the family pub now that their parents are gone. Guilt, resentment and jealousy bubble up as they squabble over which of them was their parents’ favourite and what to do with the business, while Ira shares her doubts about Eddie’s new husband. At Summerhall, Edinburgh , until 31 August All our Edinburgh festival reviews Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2qFSGlP

CIA director John Ratcliffe reportedly on Moscow visit

Unannounced trip reported by US media is said to be Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Russia as CIA chief The CIA director, John Ratcliffe, has made an unannounced visit to Moscow, US media reported, after flight data showed an American military aircraft flew to the Russian capital, where a US diplomatic motorcade was later spotted. CBS News quoted sources familiar with the situation as confirming Ratcliffe’s trip, saying it was his first known visit to Russia as CIA chief. Axios separately confirmed the visit, quoting a US official. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/pZdOKJx

Share your tributes and memories of Dolly Parton

We would like to hear your tributes and memories of country music star, actor and philanthropist Dolly Parton – whether you met her, or appreciated her work The death of country music legend Dolly Parton was announced today. She was 80. The singer-songwriter known for hits such as I Will Always Love You, Jolene and 9 to 5 also invested millions in child literacy, Covid-19 vaccine development and other causes. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/KVQYmvU

Goodbye Dandelion review – ode to a fabulous friendship with a 50-year age gap

Underbelly, Edinburgh Maddie and Marcus Rice relate with words and songs the lessons passed on from one woman to a younger one An unexpected theme on this year’s Edinburgh fringe is assisted dying. It is central to Morna Young’s After Party , about a matriarch who chooses to die after her 80th birthday, and Ben Harrison’s adaptation of Andrew O’Hagan’s Mayflies , in which a terminally ill man travels to Dignitas. It is hinted at in Eilidh Loan’s Cathy , about a woman adjusting to bereavement. And it is here again in this breezy storytelling show by sibling duo Maddie and Marcus Rice. The semi-fictional tale is about Maddie’s befriending of the 87-year-old Darcy O’Shea, an artist and piano teacher 50 years her senior, who is full of zest and vigour. As Maddie puts it, she is “unapologetically herself”, a woman living a life of happy self-reliance with limited tolerance for anyone else. A long-gone partner nicknamed her Dandelion because of her sticky-up hair, and it suits her personali...

RFL in talks with Australia’s NRL over radical changes to investment deal

Discussions surround £50m loan package Clubs rejected £35m NRL deal last week The Rugby Football League (RFL) is exploring radically different terms to the funding deal initially offered by Australia’s NRL with talks under way over seeking a £50m loan package to replace the guaranteed investment of £35m that was rejected last week. The Guardian has seen details of an alternative vision produced by Rugby League Commercial in a document entitled Project Magic, which the 14 Super League clubs owners will discuss at a meeting on Tuesday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/CFXLmR0

Frustrated Lewis Hamilton claims Ferrari strategy cost him F1 Dutch GP podium

Briton says team too slow to pit Charles Leclerc ‘It’s something that we need to discuss offline’ Lewis Hamilton has told his Ferrari team that they must up their game if he is to remain in the Formula One world championship fight after the British driver was angry with strategy calls at the Dutch Grand Prix , comparing them unfavourably with the decisive way his former team ­Mercedes had acted. The race was won by McLaren’s Lando Norris from Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. Hamilton was fourth but believed he might have had a shot of a podium had Ferrari moved Charles Leclerc aside sooner when Hamilton, on a different tyre strategy, was quicker than his teammate. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/tU1fMQv