Author: The Guardian

AOleksandr Usyk walked out of an ambulance at four o’clock on Sunday morning to have his jaw scanned and a possible fracture cleared after a superb performance to beat Tyson Fury to become the No. Controversial heavyweight boxing champion. The cut and swollen skin above his right eye has been stitched up, and he raised his left arm in greeting as he strolled into a crowded room in the basement of Kingdom Arena.The audience burst into applause because this was no ordinary press conference. Usyk wore a stone-colored T-shirt with boxing gloves printed on the front. Under his right arm…

What was the first word that humanity uttered? There must have been one … Raymond Simms, HullSend new questions to nq@theguardian.com.Readers reply“Wilma!” bricklayersoptionI think there was a sudden transition from vocalised strings of sounds to meaningful sentences. At that point, most would already have recognised the meaning or intent, but not yet made it clear to themselves what the connection was between the sounds and the deliberate intent to make meaning. I bet it happened during song; someone was fooling around and suddenly it made sense, like when babies learn to walk. HolgerDan“Help!” or “Run!” AsherinkMany a long year ago,…

Alexander Usyk defeats Tyson Fury via split decision to win first undisputed heavyweight title in 25 years Source link

Like a lot of people who are getting on, I find myself wondering about my brain. If I mislay my glasses, or struggle with a name, is it just common-or-garden forgetfulness – the sort of slip I might have made well before hitting 60 – or something more worrying?Why, I think, did I have to ask my wife to remind me what we’re doing for her birthday? Why can’t I remember if I locked the front door? Why did I fail to send that email I desperately need an answer to?I don’t immediately think dementia. But look, I’ve written the…

timeSometimes you’ve written the same scene so many times that you start to think that eventually you’ll run out of words to write. Chelsea’s stunning fifth successive league title – achieved in some fashion, humiliating Manchester United 6-0 at Old Trafford to ensure they were level with Manchester City but with a greater goal difference – was bizarre The thing is, this is not such a time.Yes, this is Chelsea’s eighth title in the past 10 seasons (if you include the 2017 spring mini-series) and the fourth consecutive year the title has been decided on the last day, but there’s…

‘Gloob!’ says my daughter. This is what she calls the globe that sits on a shelf in our sitting room. It’s one of my favourite among her neologisms, and one we’re unlikely to grow sick of hearing. This is primarily because ‘gloob’ is one of the best syllables to hear pronounced by a ginger two-year-old, but also because time spent with her gloob means many precious minutes of self-directed play, allowing us a break from the more full-on supervision she so typically prefers.Nana and Grandad bought the gloob for our son’s fifth birthday. It’s around 60cm in diameter, battery operated…

IIt all started with a phone call. “It’s very unusual for Val to call me. In fact, I don’t think she’s ever done that before or since, it’s just not her style at all,” he said during the evening phone call about the situation.This is news worth interrupting Antiques Roadshow. Different rare and immeasurable items are about to be unearthed. “Val just said: ‘The lads and Peter have been talking about this lad, he’s a bowler. Have you heard of James Anderson?”I actually didn’t,” Stanworth replied. She said, “Would you mind coming down and seeing him?”Stanworth played for Lancashire in…

Is Britain leading the way in protecting young people and children from the potential traumas of working on a film set, or has it all gone far too far? Two of the most prominent European stars attending the Cannes film festival, both with high-profile premieres, have very different views.Franz Rogowski, the acclaimed German actor who plays a key role in Bird, British director Andrea Arnold’s contender for the top Palme d’Or prize, said this weekend that the proliferation of chaperones and intimacy coordinators that had been required on the shoot on location in Kent qualified as well-intended “madness”.Speaking after the…

AOne of the things that’s been certain about any event held almost anywhere in the world over the past 20 years is that whenever Gaël Monfils plays, there will be fans present. After all, tennis is an entertainment sport and there are few greater performers than the 37-year-old. He is one of the purest athletes in the sport, displaying tremendous skill, feel and showmanship. At his best, Monfils makes tennis look so easy.But the French insist this is not the case. Especially in the last years of his career: “[People say] “Ah, Monfils didn’t follow the rules,” he said with…

The surgeonsChris Cartlidge and Lucy KhanChris I’m a consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon, working in the NHS with my colleague Lucy, who happens to be my wife. Individually, we both operate to remove cancers, and on reconstructions. We join forces together on particularly complex cases where two pairs of hands are needed, or on bilateral operations: as a team, we can reconstruct a breast each concurrently, rapidly increasing the speed by which our patients can undergo treatment. After a mastectomy, there can often be years-long waits for reconstruction referrals. When possible, we combine both. For patients, the benefits are massive.We’ve been…