Fans jeer as draw follows losses to Mallorca and Bayern Marseille go third in Ligue 1 as Paris FC stun Monaco Real Madrid had to settle for a 1-1 draw against mid-table Girona in La Liga on Friday, extending the hosts’ winless run to three games in all competitions and giving leaders Barcelona the chance to stretch their advantage at the top. Federico Valverde put Madrid ahead six minutes after half-time but Girona levelled in the 62nd minute through Thomas Lemar. Álvaro Arbeloa’s side are six points behind with league leaders Barça, who have a game in hand against Espanyol on Saturday and could move nine clear with seven games to play. Continue reading...

Neill says ‘one of the most beautiful and remote places in the world’ will be permanently changed if Bendigo-Ophir wins fast-track approval The grapevines in Sam Neill’s vineyard in Central Otago – a picturesque region known for its undulating hills and wines – are pregnant with pinot noir grapes, almost ripe for picking as autumn arrives. “My family has been here for over 150 years. I’m connected to this land like nowhere else on earth,” the 78-year-old actor and winemaker says. “It’s perfect for wine. It’s great for tourism. And it’s one of the most beautiful and strange, remote places in the world.” Continue reading...

Last year’s title ‘postponed’ overhaul says manager Slot insists he ‘can feel that support’ from fanbase Arne Slot has said last season’s title triumph “postponed” the end of an era at Liverpool but that the club were under no illusions a rebuild was required when appointing him as Jürgen Klopp’s successor. Two more links to the Klopp era will be removed this summer when Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah leave on free transfers. Virgil van Dijk, Alisson and Joe Gomez, the remaining players from the squad that delivered Premier League and Champions League success to Anfield under Klopp, will then enter the final years of their contracts. Continue reading...

De Zerbi wants to replicate former manager’s style ‘I want to see the Spurs I watched with Postecoglou’ Roberto De Zerbi intends to bring back “Ange-ball” as he attempts to prevent Tottenham’s first relegation in 49 years. De Zerbi has only seven games in which to impart his complex football philosophy to his players and wants to replicate the rampant, marauding style of the former manager Ange Postecoglou, who won Tottenham’s first trophy in 17 years but was dismissed after finishing 17th in the Premier League last season. Continue reading...

Bath 43-41 Northampton Hosts recover from 21 points behind in first half There are big games and then there are pivotal contests which define entire campaigns. And when it came to the crunch it was Bath who just had enough power to make the semi-finals of the Champions Cup for the first time in 20 years thanks to a 76th minute try from Ted Hill. There is little to separate the two best teams in England and here was another endlessly compelling battle of wits and wills. Plenty of work still has to be done to reach the final in Bilbao next month with Bath now set to face the winners of Sunday’s mouthwatering all-French tie between Bordeaux and Toulouse. This was a truly sensational hors d’oeuvre, though, with nine tries in the first half alone. Gone are the days of tiptoeing into knock-out matches and hoping to edge it 9-6. Continue reading...

As the shot from Taty Castellanos rolled past José Sá and crawled towards the Wolves goal, West Ham’s bid for survival picked up pace. They looked doomed three months ago, but not any more. Nuno Espírito Santo’s side somehow found the motivation to go again after dropping seven points off 17th place in early January and if this escape act does end successfully they will certainly look back to the impact made by their winter reinforcements. While Axel Disasi has brought order to a chaotic defence Castellanos and Pablo Felipe are starting to resemble a modern day John Hartson and Paul Kitson. An old-school kind of front two, they have altered the nature of West Ham’s attack with their running and link-up play. Pablo, only 22, is a workhorse and Castellanos, who looks quite the find from Lazio, got the two goals his running deserved in this crucial 4-0 win over Wolves. Continue reading...

Triumphal arch would be 250ft tall, featuring a 60ft golden Lady Liberty, at the foot of Arlington Memorial Bridge The Trump administration on Friday released new renderings of the triumphal arch the president wants to install in Memorial Circle at the foot of the Arlington Memorial Bridge. As part of Donald Trump’s legacy-building quest during his second term in office, the so-called “Arc de Trump” would stand 250ft tall, feature a 60ft golden Lady Liberty, and include a viewing deck. The phrase “One Nation Under God” would stretch across the top of the structure, according to the latest plans from Harrison Design. Continue reading...

Former hedge fund manager ‘forced to accept’ newspaper likely to succeed in its public interest defence, say his lawyers Crispin Odey, the former hedge fund manager, has dropped his £79m libel claim against the Financial Times over its reporting of sexual misconduct allegations against him, his lawyers have said. In 2023, the FT published several articles from 20 women alleging sexual assault and harassment against Odey, covering a period of five decades. He has previously denied the allegations against him. Continue reading...

Relacorilant, typically used to treat Cushing’s syndrome, could improve outcomes in platinum-resistant cases A drug originally used to treat a rare disease could extend the lives of patients with an aggressive form of ovarian cancer, according to a clinical trial. Platinum-resistant ovarian cancer occurs when the disease progresses within six months of starting platinum-based chemotherapy. This form of chemotherapy is different from other types because it uses compounds that contain platinum to destroy cancer cells by preventing them from dividing. Continue reading...

Follow the latest updates as astronauts prepare for fiery re-entry in Earth’s atmosphere after 10-day mission to fly around the moon Artemis II crew to end record-setting mission with splashdown Sign up for the Breaking News US email On the eve of splashdown day, the Artemis II crew spoke about inspiring the next generation and “working on something big for the good of everyone”. You can catch up on their comments here: 8.35am Crew wakes up 10.50am Crew completes cabin configuration preparation 11.53am Final return trajectory correction burn 4.33pm Orion separates from service module 4.37pm Crew module raise burn to place spacecraft at correct angle for reentry 4.53pm Entry interface to Earth’s atmosphere at 400,000ft 5.07pm Splashdown Continue reading...

Ollie Pope’s 103 and Jamie Smith’s 166 helped Surrey’s many England batters take charge against Leicestershire Midway through its fifth day of action, the first of its second round of fixtures, Ollie Pope became the 11th person to score a century in the First Division this season – and five of those play for Surrey. Jamie Smith already has two. The pre-season title favourites may have drawn their opening game but they are looking ominous, in this game and in general, and at stumps were 412 for six. Things also look ominous for Leicestershire, if in a rather different way, as they settle into the top flight after last year’s promotion. Beaten by Sussex in their season opener, by the second session here, as Smith and Pope cantered towards triple figures, they looked equally underresourced in confidence, ideas and quality. They were buoyed somewhat by a couple of late wickets, if not by glances at the scoreboard. Continue reading...

Shooting took place near Woolwich Dockyard train station, and another 16-year-old boy remains in custody A 16-year-old boy from Romford has been charged with the murder of Eghosa Ogbebor, 14, who was shot dead in south-east London last week, the Metropolitan police has said. Another 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder on Friday and remains in custody, the force said. Continue reading...

New Vic theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme A residents’ association fights to save its housing in Bob Eaton’s jolly slice of social history, with a live band belting out the songs At some point in the middle of the second half, you notice how insinuatingly Bob Eaton’s show has taken a hold of you. Until then, you have no reason to see it as more than one of those jolly slices of social history, the type that ticks off the shared experiences of pop and politics, leavened by a soundtrack of rock’n’roll standards and given a local spin with references to disappearing landmarks such as the Shelton Bar steel works. Eaton was at the vanguard of actor-musician shows when he first staged Good Golly Miss Molly! for the New Vic in 1989, and its story was topical. It is about the residents of Hawes Street in Tunstall, who resisted the council’s plan to demolish their houses as part of a slum clearance programme, and made the successful case for home improvements instead. At New Vic theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, until 2 May Continue reading...

Crisis in the Middle East, Russian shelling in Ukraine, Artemis’s lunar flyby and World Press Photo winners – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Warning: this gallery contains images some readers may find distressing Continue reading...

Conservatives disowned Derek Bullock in 2023 after he allegedly used racial slur to call for people of Pakistani heritage to be shot A Reform UK candidate for next month’s council elections was twice disciplined by the Conservatives over allegedly offensive or racist comments, while another shared conspiracy theories about Covid, it has emerged, as the full slate of candidates was confirmed. More than 5,000 council places in England are being contested on 7 May, along with several mayoralties, and elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, in a significant test for all the major parties. Continue reading...

⚽️ Premier League updates from the 8pm BST kick-off ⚽️ Live scores | Latest table | Join us on Bluesky | Mail John The big news from the Hammers camp is the return of Crysensio Summerville, who was bang in form before his injury. Mads Hermansen, Pablo, Tomas Soucek, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Summerville come in as Alphonse Areola is dropped to the bench. Finlay Herrick, we hardly knew ya. Wolves last played 25 days ago, drawing 2-2 at Brentford and playing very well once Angel Gomes came on for Mateus Mane, who looks likely to be used as an impact sub. Continue reading...

PM pushes back after Trump’s threats to leave alliance and says European members must do more in light of Iran war Keir Starmer has said it is in the best interests of the US to stay in Nato and that Europe must do more to support the alliance in light of the war in Iran. The British prime minister, speaking at the end of a multi-stop trip around the Gulf to discuss the tentative ceasefire and options to fully reopen the commercially vital strait of Hormuz, pushed back against Donald Trump’s threats to leave the defence alliance. Continue reading...

Legal action follows fallout with Sentebale chair after Duke of Sussex’s resignation as patron The Duke of Sussex is being sued by Sentebale in the latest twist in the bitter fallout over the African charity he co-founded. Papers have been lodged in London’s high court by the charity over defamation claims naming Prince Harry and former Sentebale trustee Mark Dyer as defendants. Continue reading...

Two men and two women were swept away by currents while attempting to board dinghy off French coast A man has been arrested on suspicion of endangering life after four people died in a small boat Channel crossing on Thursday. The man, described by prosecutors as a 27-year-old Sudanese national, was arrested by National Crime Agency investigators on Friday. Continue reading...

Former vice-president spoke before a crowd at Al Sharpton’s National Action Network gathering in New York US politics live – latest updates Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Kamala Harris said she is “thinking about” running in the 2028 presidential election. “I might, I might. I’m thinking about it,” the former vice-president told the crowd at a gathering of the National Action Network (NAN), a civil rights organization founded by Al Sharpton, on Friday in New York City. Continue reading...

Locals say the Ha Giang loop is rugged, unpredictable and congested, with some guides not prioritising safety The recent death of a British gap-year student on the Ha Giang loop, a popular motorcycle tour through the mountains in north Vietnam, has heightened concerns about a trail reputed to be one of the most dangerous in the country. Orla Wates, 19, from Surrey, was riding as a pillion passenger when she fell off and was hit by an oncoming truck, according to local media. She was taken to hospital in Hanoi, where she died from her injuries last week. Continue reading...

US vice-president flies to Islamabad for negotiations as Iranians insists Israel end its offensive in Lebanon Middle East crisis – live updates JD Vance has warned Iran not to “try and play” the US at talks planned for Saturday in Islamabad, while Tehran said it would not take part until Israel stopped bombing of Lebanon. The US vice-president made the comments as he boarded a plane to Pakistan for negotiations that could determine whether a ceasefire holds or the war on Iran resumes with grave implications for the global economy. Continue reading...

Military euphemisms can be deadly. Yet the brutal rhetoric of the US and Israel is proving still more lethal “Metaphors can kill,” the linguist George Lakoff wrote in an influential essay on the Gulf war. “The use of a metaphor with a set of definitions becomes pernicious when it hides realities in a harmful way.” He described the effects of the US employment of business cost-and-benefit analogies, sporting comparisons and the fairytale of the just war with heroes and villains. All veiled the reality of conflict. Euphemism was long the preferred choice for the US military. Spokespeople discussed “collateral damage” rather than civilian deaths and “surgical strikes”, framing destruction as both precise and part of a necessary and ultimately healing process. Donald Trump chooses naked menace instead. This week he issued a genocidal threat against Iran, having previously threatened to bomb it “back to the stone age” and destroy bridges and power plants – schools and medical facilities having already been pulverised. He said that he was “not at all” concerned about potential war crimes. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Suspect arrested but not identified and has allegedly made similar threats to OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters A person tossed a molotov cocktail at the home of Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, before the sun rose on Friday, according to statements from San Francisco police. The suspect, who allegedly threw the explosive at the home in the Russian Hill neighborhood around 3:43am, has been arrested but not identified. The person allegedly made similar threats about OpenAI’s headquarters in the city. Continue reading...

Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments and the Oscar-winning film One Battle After Another are grim parables of today. But they are not without hope As Margaret Atwood has said, all dystopian fiction is “really about now”. No wonder the genre is flourishing. This week Atwood’s bleak vision of a future America as a patriarchal theocracy returned to TV screens with the adaptation of her prize-winning 2019 novel The Testaments, the long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, set in a chillingly recognisable militarised America, swept the Oscars last month. Back in 1984 when Atwood wrote The Handmaid’s Tale, she feared that its central premise – that the US could be transformed from a liberal democracy into Gilead, a theocratic dictatorship after a coup – was too outrageous to convince readers. She need not have worried. By the time the novel was made into the award-winning TV series in 2017, it was all too believable. Arriving just after Donald Trump’s election in 2016 and the rollback of women’s rights, the show felt made for the moment. Atwood was hailed as a prophet. The red-and-white handmaid robes became a symbol of female defiance across the globe. “For a long time we were going away from Gilead and then we turned around and started going back,” Atwood said of her decision to write a follow-up more than 30 years later. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...