The Guardian |
- Russia-Ukraine war latest: new Mariupol evacuation attempt; heavy fighting expected in Kyiv, says UK – live
- Facebook fails to label 80% of posts promoting bioweapons conspiracy theory
- The people who keep the refugee trains running out of Ukraine – photo essay
- Ukraine braces for fresh wave of attacks in east as Russia builds forces in Donbas
- Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 36 of the Russian invasion
- Why is Vladimir Putin demanding Russian gas is paid for in roubles?
- Turkey leads pack of countries vying to mediate between Ukraine and Russia
- The US supreme court’s assault on voting rights hits a new low
- ‘Slow violence that drives death’: a California port city’s struggle with pollution and shootings
- Will Smith was asked to leave Oscars after slap but refused, Academy says
- Congressman Madison Cawthorn under fire over claims of DC drugs and orgies
- USA clinch spot at World Cup finals in Qatar despite Costa Rica defeat
- California reparations decision sparks debate over who should qualify
- Biden receives second Covid booster as he pleads with Congress for funding
- Arizona governor signs law requiring proof of citizenship to vote for president
- ‘It’s a slam dunk’: Philippe Sands on the case against Putin for the crime of aggression
- Russian soprano Netrebko condemns Ukraine war but Met says it’s not enough
- ‘Some people are freaked out’: how Laetitia Ky tackles abortion, sexism and race with her extraordinary hair
- Testing times: why North Korea’s missile launches should worry the west
- ‘We are at a turning point’: as election looms, what is left of the French left?
- ‘Our traditions have been criminalised’ – the Arctic artists bringing protest to the Venice Biennale
- Trump claims ignorance of ‘burner phones’. Here’s how they work
- Can the science of PTSD help soldiers in Ukraine? – podcast
- The USMNT are back at the World Cup. Now they must prove they belong
- Can the $100m duo of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman save ESPN’s Monday Night Football?
- Las Vegas to become third American F1 grand prix venue in 2023
- Todd Bowles to be named Tampa Bay Bucs coach as Bruce Arians steps down
- Concerns raised over possible risk for LGBTQ+ people at Qatar World Cup
- Record crowd sees Barcelona Women beat Real Madrid in Champions League
- Many of New Zealand’s glaciers could disappear in a decade, scientists warn
- Is Russia’s military strategy in Ukraine changing?
- Morbius review – ludicrously pointless Jekyll and Hyde vampire-monster yarn
- C’est Drôle! Netflix’s Standing Up is a love letter to Paris’s comedy scene
- Freedom to Think by Susie Alegre review – the big tech threat to free thought
- Moon Knight recap: series one, episode one – virtually a one-man show for Oscar Isaac
- How to make omelette Arnold Bennett – recipe | Felicity Cloake's masterclass
- McDonald’s selling artisan bread? We’ve clearly reached Peak Sourdough!
- US plans to end Covid-era order blocking asylum seekers at Mexico border
- US health officials drop Covid warning for cruise ship travelers
- Zanu-PF faces threat from Zimbabwe’s new opposition party
- Pacific leader urges Solomon Islands to rethink China security deal
- Last stop, underwater: the Spanish railway line being devoured by the sea
- Two Palestinians die in gun battle as Israel raids Jenin refugee camp
- Hungary accused of inflating number of Ukrainian arrivals to seek EU funds
- David and Victoria Beckham left ‘shaken’ by burglary of London mansion
- Man charged over Belfast bomb hoax which disrupted Irish minister’s speech
- After the fall: what a garden might look like at the end of the world
- How flower festivals are moving amid changing climate
| Posted: 31 Mar 2022 04:20 AM PDT Up to 45 buses will be sent to Mariupol to evacuate civilians, Ukraine says, while the UK warns of heavy fighting in the suburbs of Kyiv
In case you missed the earlier announcement of a possible ceasefire in Mariupol, here are the details we reported earlier. The Russian defence ministry announced a local ceasefire on Thursday to allow civilians to be evacuated from Ukraine's besieged port city of Mariupol, according to Agence France-Presse. Continue reading... |
| Facebook fails to label 80% of posts promoting bioweapons conspiracy theory Posted: 31 Mar 2022 03:00 AM PDT A study found that external articles shared on the bioweapons myth were not labeled as 'false information' or 'missing context' As social media companies promise to crack down on Russian disinformation about the war in Ukraine, studies show they continue to fall short, allowing disproven narratives to reach millions. Facebook failed to label 80% of articles on its platform promoting a fast-spreading conspiracy theory that the US is funding the use of bioweapons in Ukraine, according to a study released Friday by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). Continue reading... |
| The people who keep the refugee trains running out of Ukraine – photo essay Posted: 30 Mar 2022 08:30 PM PDT Ukrainian Railways employs more than 230,000 people, and almost all its employees have stayed in the country to work, making long, dangerous journeys every day to get people to safety Windows shuttered and lights dimmed, a darkened train pulls into a station platform, also unlit. As the train comes to a halt, carriage attendants toss boxes of humanitarian aid to station workers waiting on the platform. Huddles of passengers, who arrived at the station hours earlier so as not to be on the streets during curfew hours, search in the inky blackness for the right carriage, before the train is on its way again with a gnashing of wheels and a long hiss of steam. Refugees arriving in Lviv on evacuation trains from Kharkiv and Kryvy Rih make their way through the train station Continue reading... |
| Ukraine braces for fresh wave of attacks in east as Russia builds forces in Donbas Posted: 31 Mar 2022 03:01 AM PDT Volodymyr Zelenskiy says fierce resistance has pressured Russian forces in Kyiv but Ukraine is preparing for strikes in other regions Russia is building up its forces in eastern Ukraine in readiness for a new wave of attacks in the breakaway Donbas region, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said, as another attempt was being made to rescue trapped civilians and deliver aid to besieged Mariupol. In an early morning video address, the Ukrainian president said Russia's drawdown announcement had been forced upon the Kremlin by the fierce resistance of Ukraine's armed forces. The Biden administration is considering a plan to release approximately 1 million barrels of oil a day from US reserves for several months, in order to combat rising fuel prices exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, according to Bloomberg. Germany has triggered the first stage of plans to ration power if the standoff with Russia over gas supplies and sanctions is not resolved. Moscow is demanding payment for energy be made in roubles, but this could undercut western sanctions on Russia and countries are under pressure not to go along with the Kremlin's plan. The Russian rouble has recovered to its pre-war value despite western sanctions on the country's exports and financial systems. The currency was trading at 75.5 to $1 on Thursday morning, compared with almost 140 at the beginning of March when it crashed with the onset of sanctions. Zelenskiy was due to address the Australian parliament on Thursday. Global restrictions on exports of industrial components to Russia have hit car and tank production. A carmaker has shut down and tank production has halted, according to the US. Baikal Electronics, a Russian semiconductor company and computer manufacturer, has been cut off from integrated circuits to support its surveillance, servers, and other domestic communications equipment. Liz Truss, Britain's foreign secretary, is due to land in India on Thursday to urge Narendra Modi's government to reduce its strategic dependency on Russia. Her arrival coincides with that of her sparring partner Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, who will be making his first visit since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Major jewellers including American brand Tiffany & Co, Swiss watch and jewellery-maker Chopard, Signet, the largest retailer of diamond jewellery, and Pandora, the world's largest jeweller, have released statements saying they will stop buying diamonds of Russian origin. The UK has announced new laws targeting the access of Russian oligarchs to "UK aviation and maritime technical services", according to the Foreign Office. Continue reading... |
| Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 36 of the Russian invasion Posted: 30 Mar 2022 05:21 PM PDT Russia and Ukraine will resume peace talks on Friday as west claims Putin has been misled by advisers about failures of his military The Russian defence ministry announced a local ceasefire on Thursday to allow civilians to be evacuated from Ukraine's besieged port city of Mariupol, according to Agence France-Presse. A humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia, via the Russian-controlled port of Berdiansk, would be opened from 10am (7am GMT), the ministry said on Wednesday. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned that Russia is massing its forces for a big offensive in the eastern region of Donbas. He said Ukraine was "prepared" for it and added that any Russian withdrawal of troops from around Kyiv had been forced by the fierce resistance of Ukrainian troops. Russia and Ukraine will resume online peace talks on Friday 1 April. A senior Ukraine official said leaders of the two countries, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, could meet "soon", but the Kremlin downplayed hopes of an early breakthrough. Ukraine's president said in a televised address to the nation on Wednesday that "for the moment there are just words, nothing concrete". Zelenskiy said he talked to Joe Biden for an hour on another "very active diplomatic day", thanking the US president for a new $1bn humanitarian aid package and an additional $500m in direct budget support. Zelenskiy said: "The support of the United States is vital for us. And now it is especially important to lend a hand to Ukraine, to show all the power of the democratic world." Russian shelling continued on Wednesday despite Moscow saying on Tuesday that it would scale back its attacks around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv. However, reports citing the Pentagon said that Russian forces were "walking away" from the Chernobyl nuclear plant. UK, US and EU officials say Putin has been misled over Russian military performance. Putin has received misinformation about how well Russia is doing and how much the sanctions have affected the country because some of those closest to him are afraid to tell him the truth, according to a speech planned by the head of Britain's GCHQ spy service on Thursday. Sir Jeremy Fleming is also expected to say that some Russian soldiers are refusing to carry out orders, and that they are poorly equipped and have low morale. Global restrictions on exports of industrial components to Russia have hit car and tank production. A carmaker has shut down and tank production has halted, according to the US. Liz Truss, Britain's foreign secretary, is due to land in India on Thursday to urge Narendra Modi's government to reduce its strategic dependency on Russia. Her arrival in New Delhi coincides with that of her sparring partner Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, who will be making his first visit since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The UK has announced new laws targeting the access of Russian oligarchs to "UK aviation and maritime technical services", according to the Foreign Office. Eight Russian oligarchs on the UK sanctions list over their links to Vladimir Putin were granted "golden visas" to live in Britain. The individuals were granted the right to live in the UK after promising to invest at least £2m under the controversial tier 1 investor visa scheme, the UK government has admitted. Russian hackers have recently attempted to penetrate the networks of Nato and the militaries of some eastern European countries, according to a report by Google's threat analysis group. The report did not say which militaries had been targeted in what Google described as "credential phishing campaigns" launched by a Russian-based group called Coldriver, or Callisto. Slovakia has said it will expel 35 Russian diplomats based on information provided by intelligence services. Fellow EU countries Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and the Czech Republic have all announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats suspected of spying. Continue reading... |
| Why is Vladimir Putin demanding Russian gas is paid for in roubles? Posted: 30 Mar 2022 10:00 PM PDT Plan could be extended to include exports of oil, grain, fertilisers, coal, metals and other key commodities Vladimir Putin has demanded payment in roubles for Russian gas sold to "unfriendly" countries, setting a deadline of 31 March. It is not clear whether he plans to tear up existing contracts that set the price in euros or dollars, but Germany, which relies on Russia for 40% of its gas supplies, is not taking any chances, warning large industrial gas users that a standoff is possible and rationing is one possible outcome. Continue reading... |
| Turkey leads pack of countries vying to mediate between Ukraine and Russia Posted: 30 Mar 2022 09:15 PM PDT Analysis: the Nato member that arms Ukraine and will not impose sanctions on Russia seems respected enough by both sides to host talks Among the pack of countries vying to act as mediators in the Russia-Ukraine war, Turkey has emerged as the winner, increasing the stature of Turkish diplomacy – even if at this stage the theatrics may be well ahead of any solid outcome. Emmanuel Macron continues his dogged round of phone calls with Vladimir Putin, but it is the Turkish foreign ministry that seems able to bring the Ukrainians and Russians together. Continue reading... |
| The US supreme court’s assault on voting rights hits a new low Posted: 30 Mar 2022 10:00 PM PDT Ruling throws out Wisconsin's redrawn electoral map, which included a new district to account for Black population growth Even for experts who closely follow the US supreme court, there was something stunning about an emergency decision from the justices on Wednesday. In an unexpected move, the court decided to throw out new districts for the state legislature in Wisconsin that had been picked by the state supreme court. But what was even more surprising was that the court's conservative majority seemed to go out of its way to attack the Voting Rights Act, one of the most important civil rights laws designed to prevent discrimination in US elections. "Extra headspinning," was how Michael Li, a redistricting expert at the Brennan Center for Justice, described it. "Bizarre," observed Richard Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California, Irvine. David Wasserman, a redistricting expert at the non-partisan Cook Political Report, tweeted that the supreme court had entered "uncharted territory". Continue reading... |
| ‘Slow violence that drives death’: a California port city’s struggle with pollution and shootings Posted: 31 Mar 2022 03:00 AM PDT Wilmington residents are no stranger to early death – either from air pollution or gun violence – often found in industrial corridors This story is published in collaboration with Grist. For Daniel Delgado, the Fourth of July marked a turning point in 2020. It was the first holiday after Covid-19 had kept much of America locked down. In nine days, he'd be entering his twenties. He planned to spend his birthday relishing the Arizona sun with friends, but in the meantime, the holiday offered him an opportunity to be celebrated by family and friends, surrounded by love and human connection — things that had been hard to come by that year. Continue reading... |
| Will Smith was asked to leave Oscars after slap but refused, Academy says Posted: 30 Mar 2022 05:55 PM PDT Board of governors says it has initiated disciplinary proceedings against actor after he hit Chris Rock The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences said that Will Smith was asked to leave to Sunday's Oscars after hitting Chris Rock but refused. The Academy's board of governors, which met on Wednesday, said it had also initiated disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group's standards of conduct. Continue reading... |
| Congressman Madison Cawthorn under fire over claims of DC drugs and orgies Posted: 30 Mar 2022 10:00 PM PDT Republican faces condemnation from House minority leader over podcast remarks but will not face immediate discipline The North Carolina congressman Madison Cawthorn will not face immediate disciplinary action over his claim to have been invited to orgies and to have seen Washington figures using cocaine. After meeting Cawthorn on Wednesday, the House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, told reporters the comments were "unacceptable". Continue reading... |
| USA clinch spot at World Cup finals in Qatar despite Costa Rica defeat Posted: 30 Mar 2022 08:20 PM PDT
The United States men's national team arrived at the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica on Wednesday having all but qualified for the 2022 Fifa World Cup. Seated in second place with 25 points with a comfortable advantage on goal difference, a win, draw or loss by anything fewer than six goals would have been enough to get them over the line. Had lightning struck, the worst-case scenario was an intercontinental playoff with New Zealand in June. Redemption for 2017's failed World Cup qualification felt imminent, but focus on the task at hand never waned in camp. "We still have a job to do" was the refrain echoing from head coach Gregg Berhalter to key players Tyler Adams, Tim Weah and Deandre Yedlin throughout the run-up to Tuesday's Concacaf qualifying finale. And despite the math that weighed heavily in their favor, Berhalter and co on Wednesday put to rest speculation the team would rotate players or be happy with a draw. The task was qualification, but the manner of qualification mattered. The players conveyed a desire to win, to make a point, to leave a mark, to do what every US team before them had failed to do: win a World Cup qualifying match away in Costa Rica. Continue reading... |
| California reparations decision sparks debate over who should qualify Posted: 30 Mar 2022 02:34 PM PDT The state's taskforce voted 5-4 on Tuesday to base compensation plans on lineage rather than race California's reparations taskforce has recommended compensating the descendants of enslaved and free Black people who were in the US in the 19th century, bringing the state one step closer to becoming the first in the US to pay African Americans for the harms of slavery. The taskforce, established under state law to study reparations, voted on Tuesday in favor of a compensation and restitution plan that is based on lineage. The group for months has been tackling thorny questions about who should be eligible, and had considered recommending reparations based on race, which would mean a broader group of recipients. Continue reading... |
| Biden receives second Covid booster as he pleads with Congress for funding Posted: 30 Mar 2022 12:30 PM PDT US president says 'Covid-19 no longer controls our lives' and asks Congress for more money to continue effort to fight the virus Joe Biden received a second booster vaccination against Covid on Wednesday and pleaded with Congress to approve more funding to fight any new wave of the virus, while asserting that although the pandemic is not over: "Covid-19 no longer controls our lives." Speaking at the White House, the US president launched a new government website that he called a "one-stop shop" for accurate coronavirus information, covid.gov. Continue reading... |
| Arizona governor signs law requiring proof of citizenship to vote for president Posted: 30 Mar 2022 03:03 PM PDT Voting rights advocates say 200,000 people could be affected by measure, which legislature's own lawyers call unconstitutional Arizona's Republican governor on Wednesday signed a bill requiring voters to prove their citizenship to vote in a presidential election, drawing fierce opposition from voting rights advocates who say it risks affecting 200,000 people. The bill also requires anyone newly registering to vote to provide proof of their address. Continue reading... |
| ‘It’s a slam dunk’: Philippe Sands on the case against Putin for the crime of aggression Posted: 30 Mar 2022 11:00 PM PDT The international criminal court is investigating Russia for crimes against humanity and war crimes. This leading international lawyer says that risks 'letting the main man off the hook' "I really want to be in Lviv," says Phillipe Sands, from his office in London. "It's my relationship with the people I know who are living there now. But it's also the place where my grandfather was born. He fled as a 10-year-old. The train station in Lviv is the same train station from which my grandfather fled from the Russians. History just goes round and round." A leading international lawyer who has acted as counsel for Solomon Islands, Georgia, and Gambia in the international court of justice, Sands is also a celebrated author. In East West Street he chronicles the invention of two legal concepts – "crimes against humanity" and "genocide" – and their intersection with the life of his grandfather. Sands reveals how two men, Hersch Lauterpacht and Raphael Lemkin, originated the competing concepts while they were law professors in the city that was first Lemberg, then Lwow and is now Lviv. It is a complex legal dispute that changed the course of the Nuremberg trials and the future of international law. Continue reading... |
| Russian soprano Netrebko condemns Ukraine war but Met says it’s not enough Posted: 30 Mar 2022 03:32 PM PDT Diva seeks to distance herself from Putin, saying she met him 'only a handful of times' – but Met is 'not prepared to change its position' Russian superstar soprano Anna Netrebko has condemned the war in Ukraine and said she would return to the stage after canceling concerts after criticism that she was close to the Kremlin. As many Russian artists face pressure to publicly denounce Putin's invasion or risk losing their engagements, Netrebko – one of the world's best-known opera singers – said on Facebook that she wanted to set the record straight and did not support President Vladimir Putin. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 30 Mar 2022 10:00 PM PDT From vacuum cleaners to menstruation, the Ivory Coast artist and activist creates incredible sculptures with her hair to tackle taboos. She talks about how learning to love her natural hair taught her to love being a black woman – and western criticism of her work Laetitia Ky makes sculptures out of hair, although I'm not sure the word "sculpture" accurately conveys just how dynamic her art is. Her pieces are moments, scenes, statements, emotions, rendered in black afro textured hair. Ky is central to the art. Her sculptures can't be displayed on a wall or a table. They can't be bought or taken on tour. Every piece is on her head, extending high up into the space above and around her, a growth of coils and curls that she twists into shapes that seem unfathomable. There are no gimmicks, technological cheats or shortcuts. Ivory Coast-born Ky, 25, doesn't even create the sculpture on a flat surface or stand and then attach them to her head. She links hair extensions directly to her own natural fro and then, using a mirror, proceeds to mould both into shapes. If what she wants to build is particularly complicated, she uses wires and glue. This is even more remarkable considering the fact that her pieces range from the bucolic, to the domestic and the political. There are sculptures of household chores, where Ky's hair extends into a vacuum cleaner she then grips to clean with; others where Ky is the body of an alligator, crawling out of a swamp, her hair the alligator's head. There are more shocking ones, where Ky's hair is a womb – on each side, instead of ovaries, there are two middle fingers – or a vagina with period blood pouring from it. Continue reading... |
| Testing times: why North Korea’s missile launches should worry the west Posted: 30 Mar 2022 10:26 PM PDT The recent test of an ICBM is a show of strength by Kim Jong-un and a reminder that he will have to be treated as an equal by the US in future talks When it comes to North Korean missile launches – and much else about the secretive country – all may not be as it seems. Days after the regime claimed it had successfully tested its biggest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), South Korea said it believed the launch had been faked. The "monster missile", the South's military said, was in fact a Hwasong-15 – a smaller projectile previously tested in 2017, the last time Pyongyang fired missiles potentially capable of striking anywhere on the US mainland. Continue reading... |
| ‘We are at a turning point’: as election looms, what is left of the French left? Posted: 30 Mar 2022 09:00 PM PDT In Joigny, where fatalism is feeding the far right, voters need a new vision from the mainstream left for improving their lives The Bourgogne-Franche Comté regional express train from Paris takes just 74 minutes to reach Joigny on the banks of the River Yonne in northern Burgundy. Here, the fringes of the capital's commuter belt meet the countryside among the narrow streets of half-timbered houses and medieval churches, surrounded by fields and the Côte Saint-Jacques vineyards. For decades, the largely agricultural area has been fertile ground for many shades of the French left – the Resistance and later the Socialist president François Mitterrand were rooted in Burgundy. Today it is where French socialism just about stops the slide of grassroots support to the far right. Continue reading... |
| ‘Our traditions have been criminalised’ – the Arctic artists bringing protest to the Venice Biennale Posted: 30 Mar 2022 10:00 PM PDT They're threatened by loggers, miners, global heating and culling laws – but the Sámi are fighting back with art. Our writer meets them in the frozen tundra as they prepare for the art world's biggest global gathering The tundra of northern Norway is a long way from the Venice Biennale. Indeed, it is a long way from anywhere, at least viewed through western eyes. To reach the gentle herd of reindeer who are now feeding under the long pale glow of an Arctic sunset, I have ridden for three and a half hours across the snowy wastes, partly in a sled and partly on the back of a snowmobile, pausing halfway at a herders' hut (no electricity, no water, but nevertheless a cosy refuge). We are somewhere off the road that links the villages of Karasjok and Kautokeino. To the north of us is Hammerfest. North of that, the Barents Sea. Artist Máret Ánne Sara is with her husband, brother and 18-month-old, the child cheerfully bundled up and goggled against the chill and the snow's bright glare. She is telling me about the yearly passage of these, her brother's reindeer, from the tundra up to the northern coastal summer lands, 250km away: how the biggest cow will start to move when she's heavily pregnant, and the whole herd will inexorably, mysteriously make its way north. "It's the animals who control everything," she says. "We just follow them and try to keep them safe." Continue reading... |
| Trump claims ignorance of ‘burner phones’. Here’s how they work Posted: 30 Mar 2022 12:38 PM PDT Disposable phones may appeal to anyone trying to hide their identity – whether a criminal or an activist Let's say you're the president of the United States. You're coordinating with a team of shady lawyers, elected officials, and political extremists to pull off a coup at the nation's Capitol. And let's just assume – in this hypothetical scenario – that you don't want there to be a record of your highly incriminating calls. You'd probably want to use a burner phone. Investigators are now asking whether this matches what happened in the White House on 6 January 2021. The Washington Post and CBS News reported on Tuesday that a House investigation had found a seven-hour-and-37-minute gap in Donald Trump's official call logs that day, during which hundreds of his supporters unleashed a deadly rampage at the US Capitol. Continue reading... |
| Can the science of PTSD help soldiers in Ukraine? – podcast Posted: 30 Mar 2022 09:00 PM PDT The war in Ukraine, like other conflicts around the world, will mean millions of people going through horrific and traumatic events. Some may go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, experiencing psychological distress for months or even years afterwards. Ian Sample speaks to clinical psychologist Jennifer Wild about what happens in the body and brain when someone gets PTSD, why some people may be more susceptible to developing it than others, and how understanding the underlying psychology can help to build resilience and improve treatments for the future Archive: ITV News, Channel 4 News Continue reading... |
| The USMNT are back at the World Cup. Now they must prove they belong Posted: 31 Mar 2022 04:27 AM PDT Gregg Berhalter's men have helped erase the nightmare of the failed Russia 2018 campaign. But they still look like a team in progress The master tactician Ben Affleck had it right. "Act as if," his stockbroker character tells a room full of callow recruits in the 2000 film Boiler Room. "Act as if you are the fucking president of this firm." Continue reading... |
| Can the $100m duo of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman save ESPN’s Monday Night Football? Posted: 31 Mar 2022 02:00 AM PDT The broadcaster's flagship show has had a rocky recent history. The company is looking for stability rather than fireworks from its new duo in the booth The streaming wars have come for professional football. Amazon spent the better part of 12 months backing up the Brinks trucks to try to lure anyone and everyone away from the traditional NFL broadcasters to prop up its new Thursday Night Football vehicle – ultimately landing Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit for a reported $24m per year combined. And while Amazon was expected to be the great disruptor in the broadcasting arms race, it's at one of the traditional networks that the merry-go-round has had its most transformative effect. ESPN pinched Joe Buck and Troy Aikman from Fox, handing over a Friday night college football game for the rights to pay the duo in excess of $100m over five years to rejuvenate its flagging Monday Night Football [shudders] brand. Continue reading... |
| Las Vegas to become third American F1 grand prix venue in 2023 Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:30 PM PDT
Formula One will stage a grand prix in Las Vegas next year which will be run on a Saturday night. The addition to the calendar of the November race reflects the growing popularity of F1 in the US with two races already set to be hosted this year in Miami and Austin, Texas. It will be the first time the city in Nevada has held a race since hosting two in 1981 and 1982, known as the Caesars Palace Grands Prix. Held in a car park adjacent to the casino, they did not prove popular. Continue reading... |
| Todd Bowles to be named Tampa Bay Bucs coach as Bruce Arians steps down Posted: 30 Mar 2022 06:00 PM PDT
Bruce Arians has decided to retire as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and move into a front-office role with the team, a stunning move announced Wednesday night. Arians, who will turn 70 this coming season, coached the Bucs to the Super Bowl title in the 2020 season – Tom Brady's first with Tampa Bay. The Bucs were 31-18 in Arians' three seasons there and he was 80-48-1 in eight years as a head coach overall when adding in his five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. Continue reading... |
| Concerns raised over possible risk for LGBTQ+ people at Qatar World Cup Posted: 31 Mar 2022 02:15 AM PDT
Measures to ensure the safety of LGBTQ+ people in Qatar remain inadequate with less than eight months to go to the World Cup, groups supporting the community have said. Same-sex relationships are directly criminalised under the laws of the Gulf state, leading to concerns over the wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people visiting the country for the tournament and those from that community who reside there. Continue reading... |
| Record crowd sees Barcelona Women beat Real Madrid in Champions League Posted: 30 Mar 2022 11:52 AM PDT
This was an extraordinary, historic occasion and it got a game to go with it: 91,553 people came to the Camp Nou, the biggest attendance for a women's football match, and if this is anything to go by they will be back. In the semi-final, for a start. They haven't had a night quite like this here for a long time, maybe ever, ending it elated. When eventually they did end it, that is: the full-time whistle went but no one wanted to go home yet. "This is just too crazy," Caroline Graham Hansen said. "If we are having fun, people will want to repeat it." Oh, they were having fun, all right. Long after goals from her, Mapi León, Aitana Bonmati, Claudia Pina and Alexia Putellas had enabled Barcelona to come from 2-1 down to defeat Real Madrid 5-2 on the night, 8-3 on aggregate, to reach the Champions League semi-finals, the players were still out there and so were many of the fans who had accompanied them in breaking a record. Continue reading... |
| Many of New Zealand’s glaciers could disappear in a decade, scientists warn Posted: 30 Mar 2022 04:27 PM PDT Glaciers becoming 'smaller and more skeletal', annual end-of-summer survey of the snowline finds New Zealand's glaciers are becoming "smaller and more skeletal" due to the effects of climate change and scientists predict many could disappear within a decade. An annual end-of-summer survey that records the snowline of more than 50 South Island glaciers has revealed continued loss of snow and ice. Continue reading... |
| Is Russia’s military strategy in Ukraine changing? Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:00 PM PDT On Tuesday, Russia announced it would 'radically reduce' its military activity in northern Ukraine, but the Ukrainian military warns that Russia's statement is intended to mislead them. Emma Graham-Harrison reports from Kharkiv In the past few days, Russia has said its war on Ukraine has entered a "new phase" and plans to refocus on the east of the country. At peace talks in Istanbul, Russia said it would significantly reduce its military activity in northern Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv. If this announcement is to be believed, it would signal a new stage of this war. Guardian reporter Emma Graham-Harrison travelled to Kharkiv, one of the country's most war-torn cities in eastern Ukraine, with reporter Isobel Koshiw to understand what this new chapter might mean for Ukrainians there. She tells Michael Safi about the Ukrainians there who are resisting the Russian attack in surprising ways. Continue reading... |
| Morbius review – ludicrously pointless Jekyll and Hyde vampire-monster yarn Posted: 30 Mar 2022 05:00 PM PDT Jared Leto and Matt Smith are an outstanding doctor and his evil nemesis respectively, both grappling with the power to change into an evil demon With a snarl, with a roar, with a facial morph into horrible sub-Voldemort nasal loss and then back to being handsome, the Marvel superhero-vampire Morbius is with us. And sadly his superpower is being bafflingly dull. His story unfolds with all the dramatic shape of a screensaver and then ends – to be followed by two plonkingly anti-climactic post-credit stings whose sheepish purpose is to lay out more coming attractions from the very corporate Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) in case we justifiably felt that all this was a bit of a letdown. Jared Leto plays the nobly dedicated Dr Michael Morbius, who affects a Charles Manson-style long hair-plus-beard combo to go with his gaunt manner and Richard III caliper-canes. The poor man suffers from a blood disorder and has dedicated his life to a cure – so much so that he gets the Nobel prize for medicine in an early scene, but he's such a badass that he turns it down at the ceremony. Or something; we never quite find out what he does or says to the King of Sweden. But the point is supposedly that Dr Morbius had formed a lifelong friendship in a children's hospital with the kid in the next bed with the same condition - and he grows up to be a needy, greedy individual called Milo (Matt Smith), quite without Dr Morbius's ethical superiority. Continue reading... |
| C’est Drôle! Netflix’s Standing Up is a love letter to Paris’s comedy scene Posted: 30 Mar 2022 04:01 PM PDT The showrunner of Call My Agent! is back with a winning series about France's young comics and how their onstage routines and real lives intersect Is there a gap in the market for an ensemble TV show about comedians' lives? At least since Seinfeld, there has been no shortage of telly shows about standup, tangentially or otherwise, from Louie to Hacks, and from I'm Dying Up Here to The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. And yet, Standing Up – on Netflix – feels fresh to me: its characters are engaging, its insights into the standup life are sometimes schematic but faithful to the unglamorous yet folk-heroic reality. The twist – and maybe the source of its freshness – is that Standing Up (AKA Drôle) is from France, whose standup scene is younger and more distinctively diverse than its UK and US equivalents. I wrote about this last year, quoting a joke by the Franco-Ivorian act Shirley Souagnon: "Do you know the difference between theatre and standup? The colour." Standing Up – created by the showrunner of the terrific Call My Agent!, Fanny Herrero – focuses on the ups-and-downs of four standups, centring around titular comedy club Le Drôle. There's French-Algerian Nezir, living in the banlieues with his disabled dad, struggling to make ends meet. There's Aïssatou, who is Black, and on the threshold of stardom after a video goes viral, even as her intimate standup throws her personal relationships into disarray. Add into the mix washed-up Bling, the son of Vietnamese immigrants, who runs the club but whose standup career is in freefall, and rookie Apolline, concealing comedy ambitions from her well-heeled family, and you have enough narrative plates spinning to easily sustain this enjoyable six-part show. Continue reading... |
| Freedom to Think by Susie Alegre review – the big tech threat to free thought Posted: 30 Mar 2022 11:30 PM PDT The modern online environment undermines our independence of opinion, argues a human rights lawyer It is often said that people are entitled to their opinions. But are they really? Do you have a God-given right to believe that torture is good, or that the moon landings were faked? To the extent that opinions are not merely secret possessions but dispositions to act a certain way in society, they are everyone's business. So, no, you don't have an inalienable right to your dumb opinion. Unfortunately, that was also the position of the Spanish Inquisition and witch-hunters, who dreamed up vicious ways of attempting to uncover inner impiety. So these days we generally separate opinions (or beliefs) from the expression of them. Expression can be regulated, in the case of incitement to hatred, for example, but opinion is sacrosanct. It's a fundamental freedom, but one that is everywhere under attack. Continue reading... |
| Moon Knight recap: series one, episode one – virtually a one-man show for Oscar Isaac Posted: 30 Mar 2022 12:00 PM PDT Forget his ridiculous accent – the actor's on brilliant form as a socially awkward gift-shop worker with a devastating secret in the MCU's first foray into comedy-horror Spoiler alert: this article is for people watching Moon Knight on Disney+. Do not read unless you have seen episode one. Bob Dylan's Every Grain of Sand was playing over Arthur Harrow's glass-in-the-sandals introduction, while Engelbert Humperdinck's A Man Without Love welcomed Steven to the episode and was reprised as he woke from his "dream". The lyrics of each song are perhaps a little on the nose – the former a William Blake-esque ode to faith and spirituality, the latter, with its line "Every day I wake up, then I start to break up" – but they quickly tell us a great deal about each character. I am willing to be corrected, but I couldn't spot any glaring Easter eggs or references to the wider MCU. In fact, I couldn't even place this in the timeline. Unremarkable for the first episode of a new character's series, perhaps, but given MCU boss Kevin Feige's comments about Moon Knight sticking around to cross over into other films and series, that will definitely change before the season is out. Tie-ins with Doctor Strange, given that it's the next Marvel film on the slate, and Blade seem most likely. Wham!'s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go was an inspired song choice during the Alpine car chase, at first seeming like an incongruous piece of music to be playing, taking on more meaning when the action cut to Steven waking from his apparent nightmare back in London. The list of missed calls on Marc's phone featured just two names – Layla and Duchamp. Layla, we heard on the phone and have seen in the trailers. We will see whether right-hand man Duchamp will make an appearance. Budapest's Museum of Fine Arts doubled for the National Gallery in London. F Murray Abraham, best known for his Oscar-winning performance as Antonio Salieri in 1984's Amadeus, provides the voice inside Steven's head. Abraham and Isaac appeared together in 2013's Inside Llewyn Davis. Continue reading... |
| How to make omelette Arnold Bennett – recipe | Felicity Cloake's masterclass Posted: 30 Mar 2022 04:00 AM PDT A step-by-step guide to mastering the super-rich brunch classic, featuring a smoky, fish-studded sauce and a melting, cheesy topping A brunch classic that deserves to be better known, much like the early 20th-century novelist it's named after. Though Bennett himself seems to have enjoyed the dish as a post-theatre supper, this silky, smoky tangle of eggs, cheese and haddock is so ridiculously, deliciously rich that it's best consumed well before bedtime … though I won't judge you if you want to go back to bed afterwards. Prep 5 min |
| McDonald’s selling artisan bread? We’ve clearly reached Peak Sourdough! Posted: 30 Mar 2022 08:42 AM PDT Unofficially known as the 'McPosh', the new Crispy McFillet comes in the kind of lovingly crafted bun usually found in farmers' markets or foodies' kitchens. Will the baking bores have to find a new passion? Name: Crispy McFillet. Age: New! Continue reading... |
| US plans to end Covid-era order blocking asylum seekers at Mexico border Posted: 30 Mar 2022 11:34 AM PDT Decision has not been finalized, official tells Reuters, but rule known as Title 42 would end by 23 May The United States is planning to end a Covid-era order blocking asylum seekers and other migrants at the US-Mexico border by 23 May, a US official told Reuters. The decision has not yet been finalized, the official said. Continue reading... |
| US health officials drop Covid warning for cruise ship travelers Posted: 30 Mar 2022 02:57 PM PDT CDC removes Covid 'cruise ship travel health notice' that was first imposed in March 2020 but expresses reservations about cruising Federal health officials are dropping the warning they have attached to cruising since the beginning of the pandemic, leaving it up to vacationers to decide whether they feel safe getting on a ship. Cruise-ship operators welcomed Wednesday's announcement, which came as many people thought about summer vacation plans. Continue reading... |
| Zanu-PF faces threat from Zimbabwe’s new opposition party Posted: 30 Mar 2022 09:00 PM PDT Citizens Coalition for Change's byelection success raises concerns of instability Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party may be facing an uphill struggle to secure a clear victory in elections due next year after a new opposition party made significant gains in byelections last weekend, raising concerns of new political instability and possible violence. The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), which was only founded in January, won 19 out of 28 parliamentary seats in polls widely regarded as a test run for the 2023 presidential election. Continue reading... |
| Pacific leader urges Solomon Islands to rethink China security deal Posted: 30 Mar 2022 09:37 PM PDT President of the Federated States of Micronesia says he fears Pacific islands 'would be at the epicentre of a future confrontation' between China and the US The president of the Federated States of Micronesia has sent an impassioned plea to the Solomon Islands' prime minister, urging him to reconsider a controversial and "unprecedented" security pact with China. President David Panuelo voiced "grave security concerns about this proposed agreement" in a 30 March letter released by his government on Thursday, citing rising tensions between China and the United States. Continue reading... |
| Last stop, underwater: the Spanish railway line being devoured by the sea Posted: 30 Mar 2022 10:30 PM PDT The picturesque Maresme line has carried passengers from Barcelona to the coast for more than 170 years – but for how much longer? The sea sparkles and laps against the shore of the Maresme coast, north of Barcelona, as the train runs alongside it, passing the few hopeful spring sunbathers and surfers. At points, Spain's oldest train line runs so close to the shore it feels as if you're travelling on the sea itself. Last Sunday, that could well have happened. Heavy waves took a giant bite out of the coast, threatening a section of the track with collapse and forcing the train company to lay on a bus service between La Pineda and Malgrat de Mar. Continue reading... |
| Two Palestinians die in gun battle as Israel raids Jenin refugee camp Posted: 31 Mar 2022 01:43 AM PDT West bank raid comes two days after a Palestinian shot and killed five people in central Israel Israeli forces have raided a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, setting off a gun battle in which two Palestinians were killed and more than a dozen were wounded, the Palestinian health ministry said. In a separate incident, a Palestinian stabbed a 28-year-old Israeli man on a bus in the West Bank before being killed by a bystander, the Israeli military said. The Magen David Adom emergency service said the stabbing victim was treated and taken to hospital. Continue reading... |
| Hungary accused of inflating number of Ukrainian arrivals to seek EU funds Posted: 31 Mar 2022 02:14 AM PDT Claim 540,000 refugees welcomed 'misleading' as most travelling on to other countries, say rights groups
Hungary's far-right government has been accused of inflating the number of Ukrainian refugees it is sheltering as it seeks to secure European funds to finance their welfare. Days before what will be a closely-fought general election against a unified opposition bloc, Viktor Orbán's Fidesz administration – which has previously trumpeted its hostility to those it considers illegal migrants – claimed it had accepted more refugees fleeing Ukraine than any other neighbouring country after taking Hungary's population of 9.6 million into account. Continue reading... |
| David and Victoria Beckham left ‘shaken’ by burglary of London mansion Posted: 31 Mar 2022 12:41 AM PDT Suspected cat burglar reportedly broke in while couple were at home in Holland Park with daughter David and Victoria Beckham's west London mansion has been broken into while the couple were at home, with "thousands of pounds" worth of items stolen. The burglary of the couple's £40m Kensington home is believed to have occurred late in the evening of 28 February, while they were at home with their 10-year-old daughter, the Sun reported. Continue reading... |
| Man charged over Belfast bomb hoax which disrupted Irish minister’s speech Posted: 30 Mar 2022 01:11 PM PDT Man, 40, charged with preparation of terrorist acts and hijacking over incident at reconciliation event attended by Simon Coveney A man has been charged with a number of offences relating to a security alert in Belfast that led to Ireland's foreign minister being evacuated from a peace event. Simon Coveney was taken out of an event organised by the John and Pat Hume Foundation in north Belfast last Friday. The Irish minister was making a speech to the gathering at the time. Continue reading... |
| After the fall: what a garden might look like at the end of the world Posted: 30 Mar 2022 09:30 AM PDT 'Post-apocalypse' is not a typical theme for a garden show, but in Melbourne, landscape architects planted out a climate change worst-case scenario Abandoned by humans, no longer inhabitable, a typical suburban Melbourne home sinks into a marshland – perhaps it was caused by flooding, or rising sea levels. A wild entanglement of vegetation creeps around and over the built structures, a forest of self-seeded garden escapers. Or that's the plan, anyway. At this stage, the exhibit is not so much a garden as a construction site from a builder's anxiety dream. On 31 March, it will be ready for the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show in Carlton Gardens. The installation, titled Coming Soon, is a showcase garden by Akas Landscape Architecture and Nrth Landscapes, exploring a possible future for Melbourne's suburban yards. Continue reading... |
| How flower festivals are moving amid changing climate Posted: 30 Mar 2022 10:00 PM PDT With blossoms happening earlier, many traditional events have shifted from their original date The Cambridgeshire village of Thriplow held its first Daffodil Weekend in April 1969 to raise funds for repairs to the village church. It was such a success that it became annual charity event and, incidentally, created an archive of flower blooming dates. Tim Sparks, an environmental statistics researcher, notes that over its five decades the Daffodil Weekend has gradually shifted, and is now held three weeks earlier than the original to coincide with earlier blooming. Continue reading... |
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