Pope Francis in critical condition, Vatican says
© Andrew Medichini/Associated Press
© Julio Cortez/Associated Press
© Eric Lee/The New York Times
Ireland sealed the Triple Crown but were made to work hard for the win against an improved Wales
6 mins. A strong first phase attack from Ireland moves the ball left quickly. They are into the Wales 5m zone and the visitors inevitably drift offside as they defend frantically. The ball is put in the corner for a lineout which is won and two phases later Conan drives over the line.
4 mins. The scrum ends with a Wales penalty after WillGriff John forces Porter to the floor. The clearing kick and lineout gives phased possession in the Ireland half, but the ball is not secured and Ringrose puts in a delightful drilled, bobbling kick up the right touchline. It’s a 50:22 and Ireland will have the ball in the Wales 22.
Continue reading...© Photograph: Dan Sheridan/INPHO/REX/Shutterstock
© Photograph: Dan Sheridan/INPHO/REX/Shutterstock
Bournemouth (4-3-3): Arrizabalaga; Hill, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Christie, Adams, Cook; Kluivert, Semenyo; Ouattara.
Subs: Dennis, Brooks, Scott, Evanilson, Adams, Sinisterra, Soler, Jebbison, Winterburn.
Continue reading...© Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images
© Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen, McGinn, Tielemans, Asensio, Ramsey, Rogers; Watkins.
Subs: Olsen, Zych, Digne, Garcia, Bogarde, Bailey, Malen, Rashford; Jimoh-Aloba.
Continue reading...© Photograph: David Klein/Reuters
© Photograph: David Klein/Reuters
Call for investigation into unfair payment for labourers on seasonal visa scheme
When 26-year-old Ben* boarded a flight in Uzbekistan in June, he was looking forward to more than just a summer job picking fruit and vegetables on a British farm.
“I wanted to see new places, cities I’ve never seen before,” he said. “I wanted to make friends, exchange ideas and make new memories.”
Continue reading...© Photograph: Neil Hall/Reuters
© Photograph: Neil Hall/Reuters
The tech firms’ efforts to change copyright laws and gain free access to intellectual property is patently wrong
There are decades when nothing happens (as Lenin is – wrongly – supposed to have said) and weeks when decades happen. We’ve just lived through a few weeks like that. We’ve known for decades that some American tech companies were problematic for democracy because they were fragmenting the public sphere and fostering polarisation. They were a worrying nuisance, to be sure, but not central to the polity.
And then, suddenly, those corporations were inextricably bound into government, and their narrow sectional interests became the national interest of the US. Which means that any foreign government with ideas about regulating, say, hate speech on X, may have to deal with the intemperate wrath of Donald Trump or the more coherent abuse of JD Vance.
Continue reading...© Photograph: Wodthikorn Phutthasatchathum/Alamy
© Photograph: Wodthikorn Phutthasatchathum/Alamy
The pianist and composer talks about his passion for chillies, teas and saucepans, and cooking for his dad’s remarkable literary dinner parties
I live in Torino [Turin], a town where I grew up, where I was born. There’s a famous dish from there called bagna cauda. It’s a meeting of the garlic from the area of Piedmont, the mountains, with the anchovies coming from the sea in Liguria. It’s a very simple dish, a bit like a broth, perfect in winter, and you eat it with raw vegetables of the season. But there’s so much garlic in it that, when you eat it, you need a couple of days away from other people.
There is a connection between how you eat and how you make music: the way you blend the elements that you eat, the colours, it’s similar to composing a piece of music. If I take my solo piano repertoire, I would associate it with a very simple food, with few elements and few colours, not overelaborate. If I think of a piece of mine with more instruments, more orchestral, I would associate it with a dish, maybe a soup, that is made of different elements that were cooked for hours, and you can taste the different layers and ingredients in your mouth.
Continue reading...© Photograph: Amelia Troubridge/The Observer
© Photograph: Amelia Troubridge/The Observer
There’s nothing like the crisp sheets and serene stylings of a boutique hotel. So how can you recreate it? Busola Evans speaks to those in the know
Whether it’s the crisp white sheets, plush rugs, luxurious finishes or serene feel, there is always something deliciously inviting about a boutique hotel bedroom. So it is hardly surprising many of us attempt to recreate that same warm and inviting look in our own homes. In fact, according to Pinterest, in the last three months alone, searches for “hotel room aesthetic” have risen 30% from the previous quarter and “modern luxury bedroom” has jumped 25%. And yet we still somehow fall short: the bed never looks quite as plump, furnishing appears less harmonious and clothes are constantly spilling out of wardrobes.
“People can find it difficult to design bedrooms because it is such a sacred and personal space,” says Minnie Kemp, interior designer and design director for Firmdale Hotels, which includes London’s Ham Yard Hotel and New York’s Whitby Hotel. “But it doesn’t have to be difficult and there are lots of things that you can do, like the choices of bedding, furniture and artwork, that will help achieve that boutique hotel look.”
Continue reading...© Photograph: S/PR
© Photograph: S/PR
Database, first proposed by Trump in 2020 and created by Biden administration in 2023, is now offline
Donald Trump’s second presidential administration shut down a national database that tracked misconduct by federal police, a resource that policing reform advocates hailed as essential to prevent officers with misconduct records from being able to move undetected between agencies.
The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD), which stored police records documenting misconduct, is now unavailable, the Washington Post first reported.
Continue reading...© Photograph: Baltimore Police/X/Reuters
© Photograph: Baltimore Police/X/Reuters
Joël Le Scouarnec’s ‘black books’ of handwritten notes in which alleged sexual abuse was recorded are at the heart of case against him
When two gendarmes knocked on her door in 2019, Marie had no idea that she was about to find herself at the dark heart of one of the world’s biggest child abuse cases.
The French mother of three, now 38, was shocked when the officers told her she had been the victim of Joël Le Scouarnec, a surgeon and an alleged serial paedophile accused of raping and sexually abusing hundreds of children.
Continue reading...© Photograph: Alain Paillou/Reuters
© Photograph: Alain Paillou/Reuters