Updates from the match in Colombo; 1.30pm GMT start Sign up for The Spin newsletter | And you can mail James Mitch Santner calls the coin correctly and has no hesitation in batting first. It’s a used surface and the chat is that it will spin big so it is a case of get runs on the board and then put the pressure on with the ball. Santner himself will be a handful on this surface. Harry Brook confirms he would have done the same, he also confirms that he will bat at number three again today. Both captain’s look extremely UP for it. Confirmed teams incoming… Continue reading...

Head office job losses part of plan for more separation between supermarket and Argos businesses Sainsbury’s is cutting 300 head office jobs as it restructures its technology team and Argos delivery network, creating more separation between the two businesses. The London-based retail group said most of the job cuts would be in technology and data, where it was “consolidating routine reporting tasks” and creating dedicated teams for Argos and the supermarket. Continue reading...

Six movies in, the series about characters linked to the web-slinger is looking ever ropier. More are on the way – but with no sign of the obvious way refresh the franchise The old adage goes that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The news this week that Sony is planning to reboot its once much-vaunted, now completely risible “Spider-Man Universe”, shows there must be a few Hollywood executives who still believe in it. Speaking on The Town podcast this week, the studio’s chief executive and chair Tom Rothman was asked about the future of the bafflingly superfluous superhero franchise that gave us three lukewarm Venom films, the odious Morbius and the tonally anaemic Madame Web. Despite scant clamour for more movies, he confirmed that the saga will live to fight another day. “Is the larger Spider-Verse dead?” Rothman was asked. “No,” he replied. “Are you going to go back to those at some point?” asked his interviewer. “Yes,” Rothman said. “But it’ll be a fresh reboot?” “Yes.” “New people?” “Yes, yes.” Rothman then added: “Scarcity has value … you got to make the audience miss you.” Continue reading...

Honey and cinnamon bring a warming, Istanbul-inspired spin to a classic The scent of honey and warm pastry that spills out of the late-night baklava shops on Taksim Square in Istanbul is the inspiration for this twist on the classic old fashioned. The honey, cinnamon and walnut slip in perfectly without overpowering proceedings. Andrea Ena, bar manager, Nora, London E22 Continue reading...

The Emmy-winning singer and actor was so struck by the standup’s autobiographical one-man show Sugar Daddy that he signed on as producer. The pair discuss ‘bears’, blood sugar and bridging the divides between generations of gay men Sugar Daddy is a one-man show about “love, grief and insulin” by the 31-year-old standup Sam Morrison. An autobiographical monologue that turns tragedy into comedy, it tells of how Morrison fell in love with Jonathan, who was 24 years his senior, after meeting him at a gay bear festival in Provincetown, Massachusetts. In 2021, two and a half years into their relationship, Jonathan died from Covid. For the last four years, Morrison has been performing Sugar Daddy around the world; next month he brings an updated version to London’s West End. The co-producer is Billy Porter, 56, the Emmy-winning singer, actor and director whose credits include Pose, American Horror Story and Cabaret. Continue reading...

As the actor’s hi-tech conspiracy thriller returns for a third series, she spills the beans on her worst stunt injury – and why the police are now ‘dressing like the cops on the telly’ You’ll never wheel your suitcase through an airport in the same way again. Hit techno-conspiracy drama The Capture makes its long-awaited comeback with a chilling, thrilling opening sequence at Heathrow Terminal 5. When a hostile Russian asset lands in the UK, he hacks CCTV cameras and uses real-time image manipulation to bypass border controls and passport checks. He’s travelling under a deepfake avatar – and let’s just say he’s not in London to visit M&M’s World or see the Paddington musical. Written and created by former documentary-maker Ben Chanan, The Capture’s ripped-from-the-headlines mix of government AI usage, state-sponsored cyber-attacks, dark web data analytics and deepfake doppelgangers will make you fear for the future. The show’s star Holliday Grainger compares it to “a longform Black Mirror”. Continue reading...

Starmer called the byelection a battle for the nation’s soul. This result shows Labour has lost that – and I think it will lose much more It wasn’t even close. The scale of victory of the Green party’s Hannah Spencer in Gorton and Denton changes everything. For years, British politics has oscillated between snuffing out hope and stoking fear. The main parties converged around an economic model that irretrievably broke in the crash of 2008, then encouraged understandably furious voters to blame foreigners for the wreckage. In south-east Manchester, thousands of people just revolted against that wretched consensus. The Greens’ campaign will be studied for years. Less than two years ago, they limped into third place in the constituency on just over 13% of the vote, with barely any ground operation to speak of. They started this contest with scant data and little local infrastructure, up against a Labour machine that had dominated the area for generations and, in 2024, secured more than half the vote and a majority north of 13,000. Continue reading...

Three-part docudrama makes notion of going into the sea in the UK terrifying – much as Jaws did for Americans in 1975 Since I was a child I’ve been going to the same beach on the south coast and never given a second thought to its safety. Swimming in the US, you have the occasional panic about sharks. In South Africa I got stung by a jellyfish. But the English seaside, give or take the odd riptide and the constant threat of hypothermia, has always seemed benign in its outlook, a dull, unthreatening sea. Continue reading...

EPA found only 27 of 219 plants needed upgrades; 71 later got exemptions as Donald Trump scrapped mercury limits Almost all coal-fired power plants in the US had the ability to comply with rules limiting their emission of dangerous pollutants such as mercury that can cause brain damage in children. Despite this, Donald Trump’s administration decided to demolish the standards anyway. Last week, the Trump administration said it is loosening restrictions on air toxins from mercury, lead and other heavy metals that are released by coal plants. Such pollution is known to be neurotoxic and has been linked to irreversible brain damage in children and infants, as well as heart disease and cancer in adults. Continue reading...

Emin reminds us of the deep power of art, Ramses II parades his megalomaniac gold and Rose Wylie’s witty paintings finally get their due – all in your weekly dispatch Tracey Emin: A Second Life The most serious and intelligent, as well as passionate, artist of her generation proves art can still touch us all and express what it is to be alive. • Tate Modern, London, until 31 August Continue reading...

66-year-old rapper is longtime women’s sports supporter Team did not attend Trump’s State of the Union address The rapper Flavor Flav will host a Las Vegas event in July to honour the US women’s ice hockey team’s gold medal victory at the Milano Cortina Olympics and celebrate all other female Olympian and Paralympian achievement. The Hall of Fame rapper announced on X on Thursday that he will host a “She Got Game” weekend event from 16-19 July in partnership with MGM Resorts to honour the women’s hockey team as well as other female athletes. Continue reading...

Gorton and Denton byelection shatters Labour strategy of neglecting its core base while focusing on Reform defectors UK politics live – latest updates The Gorton and Denton byelection produced Labour’s most feared outcome – the Greens winning and potential displacing Labour as the choice of anti-Reform voters. This risk was signposted for months. It is just the latest of the unintended consequences produced by this government: first, a manifesto commitment to not raise taxes that has led to constant U-turns on spending, then a clampdown on immigration that is creating shortages of medical staff, and now an attempt to stop Andy Burnham from challenging Keir Starmer that has super-charged an insurgent Green party. Clear though the risk was, Labour simply refused to acknowledge it. Until very recently, No 10 strategy, as defined by Morgan McSweeney, was built around neglecting, even insulting, progressive voters, and seeking to win back defections to Reform. Come the next general election, so the argument went, progressives would sheepishly have to back Labour, just as leftwing voters in France got behind Emmanuel Macron when push came to shove. Continue reading...

The group reimagines Corsica’s ancient music for modern female voices with fresh spiky arrangements that remain heavy with the pain of the past From London via Corsica/Occitania Recommended if you like Arooj Aftab, Maria Callas, the choral tragedy of Prioritise Pleasure-era Self Esteem Up next New single Dieus Sal la Terra out now Idrîsî Ensemble are a useful corrective to the stereotyping of medieval music as smooth, pious and sleepy. Hearing the howls of this London-based group – sometimes powered by up to 19 members – you’re reminded of song’s inexhaustible capacity for conjuring fresh pain. Continue reading...

A mission to grow plants in the desert; a potato’s adventures; a film-maker’s dreams; wartime bravery; a feminist fantasy and more The Wonder by Tom Percival, Simon & Schuster, £12.99 Daniel’s wet grey day seems like it will never get better – until he hears music and everything changes. A subtly beautiful picture book about finding small moments of joy and wonder. The Big Green by Ken Wilson-Max, Otter-Barry, £12.99 Heading into the desert to plant seedlings with their family and neighbours, Maryam and Issa help to build the Great Green Wall of Africa in this rhythmic, colourful picture book, a rich celebration of community environmental action. Continue reading...

Tapalpa deserted and scared by day of terror in which feared drug lord’s reign came to an end during military raid Two days before one of the world’s most powerful drug lords was killed while trying to flee a chalet in the hills outside Mexico’s second biggest city, the Tapalpa Country Club posted an advert on Instagram inviting lovers to visit a place where they could “inhale peace [and] exhale stress”. “Date idea: Escape to Tapalpa,” read the message, advertising romantic private cabins, picnics with spectacular lake views and a golf course “to have fun together”. Continue reading...

IAG enjoys record operating profits on margins of more than 15% at British Airways and sister airline Iberia British Airways’ owner, International Airlines Group (IAG), has announced a sharp rise in annual profits to almost £4bn despite carrying slightly fewer passengers in 2025. Pre-tax profits across the group increased by 20% to €4.5bn (£3.9bn), with record operating profits on margins of more than 15% at BA and its sister airline Iberia. Continue reading...

A shout of ‘racist’ could also be heard during the segment at France’s version of the Oscars A tribute to Brigitte Bardot at the Césars, France’s version of the Oscars, on Thursday was greeted with boos. In a video clip posted by Paris Match, boos can clearly be heard among the applause as the tributes, and a shout of “racist!” is also audible. Bardot, who died in December aged 91, became arguably the most celebrated figure in postwar French cinema for films such as And God Created Woman and Contempt, but after quitting acting in the early 1970s her later years were marred by increasing political activity on the far right, resulting in a string of convictions for inciting racial hatred. Continue reading...

Met arrests man on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage after slogans including ‘Zionist war criminal’ sprayed A 38-year-old man has been arrested after the statue of Winston Churchill outside the Houses of Parliament was defaced with graffiti calling the former prime minister a “Zionist war criminal”. The Metropolitan police said the man was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage on Friday morning. Continue reading...

Geoff Scott appointed in medical department overhaul He had 20 years at Spurs but clashed with Postecoglou Nottingham Forest has appointed a new director of performance, Tottenham’s former head of medicine and sports science Geoff Scott, amid concerns that injury problems have exacerbated their struggle to avoid relegation. Scott spent 20 years at Tottenham until leaving two years ago after a clash with the then manager, Ange Postecoglou, who was in charge of Forest for eight matches this season. Continue reading...

Australian F1 driver was replaced after 2025 Miami GP Doohan revealed threats and abuse on Drive to Survive Jack Doohan has said he received death threats and called police to resolve an encounter with armed men around the time of last year’s Miami Grand Prix, just before he lost his Formula One drive with Alpine. In the latest series of Netflix documentary “Drive To Survive”, released on Friday, the Australian driver said that he had been threatened by email, describing the atmosphere around what proved to be his final race as “pretty heavy stuff”. Continue reading...

Knowing how much water and warmth different seeds need to germinate will improve your changes of getting a great crop of vegetables Many of our minds will soon – if they haven’t already – turn towards sowing seeds. While germination appears to happen willy-nilly in the wild, this process requires a certain set of factors to take place. Different seeds require different conditions, and knowing what your seeds need will mean more successfully germinate and fewer are wasted. To an unimaginative eye, a seed looks inert. Yet they are packed with genetic information and biological processes poised to unfold. All it takes is the right configuration of signals and stimuli from the environment to let them know it’s time to dare to grow. Continue reading...

The Egyptian queen has fascinated me from childhood, but following the archives led only to ancient gossip and Roman propaganda. Fiction was the way to liberate her from misogynist myth Witch, whore, villain – there are few women who have been as vilified through history as Cleopatra VII. The disdain of ancient sources that sought to dismiss her as exotic and seductive has corrupted her legacy. But I take pleasure in knowing that her name has permeated through time with far more recognition than the men who wrote about her. Ask a 10-year-old child who Plutarch is and they’ll scrunch up their brows – but Cleopatra? Their eyes light up with glee. Mine did when I was tasked by my schoolteacher to draw Cleopatra. My small hands searched through the box of crayons. I picked up the brown, its tip pristine from lack of use. It was the loneliest colour in the box, used only to draw mud or bark. The face I drew reflected my own in features and colour. Continue reading...

The US spent months promoting a false case for the invasion of Iraq. This time, we’re in the dark about Washington’s goals In October 2002, George W Bush laid out his case for taking the US to war against Iraq in a half-hour speech televised around the world. Bush warned that Saddam Hussein’s regime could attack the US “on any given day” with chemical or biological weapons, including anthrax, mustard gas or the nerve agent sarin. He argued Iraq was seeking to acquire nuclear weapons and could develop a bomb in less than a year. And if those warnings weren’t enough to terrify the US public, Bush invoked the ultimate fear of an unprovoked nuclear attack: “Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof – the smoking gun – that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.” The world soon learned that Bush’s rationale for invading Iraq was based on manipulated intelligence and outright lies; the Iraqi regime no longer had any weapons of mass destruction and was not developing them. But the administration’s relentless campaign to convince Americans that Saddam was a threat had paid off by generating significant support. As the invasion got under way in March 2003, many polls showed public approval of the war at more than 70%. Bush’s own approval rating hovered around a similar high, underscoring that war can boost the popularity of America’s commander-in-chief as few other things can. Continue reading...

Local river defenders force U-turn by occupying grain terminal operated by one of US powerhouses of world trade “A victory for life.” That was the triumphal message from Indigenous campaigners in the Brazilian Amazon this week after they staved off a threat to the Tapajós River by occupying a grain terminal operated by Cargill, the biggest privately owned company in the United States. “The river won, the forest won, the memory of our ancestors won,” said the campaigners in Santarém when it was clear their actions had forced the Brazilian government into a U-turn on plans to privatise one of the world’s most beautiful waterways and expand its role as a soy canal. Continue reading...

He gets more streams than Taylor Swift or Bad Bunny, thanks to a shamelessly corny and cannily timeless style. Close collaborators and industry experts explain his secret Sixteen years since his sugary debut Just the Way You Are became a megahit, Bruno Mars is the most-streamed musician in the world. Last year, the Hawaiian-born 40-year-old became the first (and still only) artist to reach 150m monthly listeners on Spotify, and his staying power shows little sign of waning: Mars now has more listeners than even Bad Bunny and Taylor Swift. His latest, funk-inspired single I Just Might – which he performed at the Grammys earlier this month, with a brass band, slick suit and his trademark bandana – shot to the top of the US Hot 100, making him only the fourth male soloist in chart history to achieve 10 No 1 singles there, after Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Drake. “We always say, I don’t know when that happened,” laughs Philip Lawrence, the songwriter and producer who has helped shape Mars’s story, when asked about their huge success together. The two musicians were introduced in 2006 and bonded over a shared dream to get signed and get on stage. “That was our connection – let’s perform!” Continue reading...