Author: The Guardian

The question Since our mother’s death, my brother and I have had no contact. He lives more than 100 miles away. Our relationship has been very difficult for over 40 years. When we both had young children, things were better for a time. When our dad died, Mum’s health deteriorated and she moved in with me and died 12 years later. During this time, my relationship with my brother was at its worst. Before retirement, we both worked in mental health, but neither of us understand why our family relationship has been so fractured.There is a family history: our grandfather…

Gabby Douglas is officially back.It remains to be seen whether the gymnastics star’s return to gymnastics will be successful at the Paris Olympics.Douglas became the first black woman to win the all-around Olympic title when she won in London in 2012.The 28-year-old looked rusty in places but looked promising elsewhere with an all-around score of 50.65. Douglas qualified for multiple events at next month’s U.S. Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. She’ll get another chance to qualify for the all-around nationals on May 18 when she competes at the U.S. Classic in Hartford, Conn.Douglas last competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics,…

A gold pocket watch that was recovered from the body of the richest man on the Titanic has sold for a record-breaking £1.2m.The watch was sold on Saturday to a private collector in the US at Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire, for the highest amount ever for Titanic memorabilia, the auctioneers said.The original owner of the watch, businessman John Jacob Astor, went down with the ship in 1912 at the age of 47, after seeing his new wife, Madeleine, on to a lifeboat.The previous highest amount paid for Titanic artefacts was £1.1m for a violin that was played…

IIn the weeks between school in Sydney and the start of university, I met up with my friend Chris who was busy forming a new youth group under the banner of St Vincent de Paul. I asked if I could attend and attended my first meeting in January 1989.The others in the room were people who had gone to St. Leo’s Catholic Academy, including Mickey G., the tallest boy I’d ever seen, standing six feet seven inches – two metres. The language is colorful and the laughter is boisterous. As daring as these people are, here they are organizing blanket…

The disgraced former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been hospitalized in New York City for a series of tests, his lawyer said.Weinstein’s hospitalization comes after the New York court of appeals overturned his 2020 rape conviction on Thursday. According to the court’s ruling, the judge who oversaw the watershed case during the peak of the #MeToo era prejudiced Weinstein with “egregious” improper rulings and was mistaken in allowing women whose accusations were not part of the case to testify against him.In a statement on Saturday, Weinstein’s lawyer Arthur Aidala said: “They examined him and sent him to Bellevue [hospital]. It…

SecondEngland head coach John Mitchell couldn’t have been clearer about his side’s ambitions ahead of this season’s Women’s Six Nations. “The potential of this team is huge,” he told the Guardian. “We’ve always been a very good team, but we want to be a great team.” Their goal is not just to win games, but to surpass anything they’ve accomplished before.Bordeaux’s latest coup de grace proves that mission is firmly on track. At first glance, a sixth consecutive Six Nations title and a third consecutive Grand Slam may seem like an ordinary expected story, but this one stands out for…

South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the country’s multicoloured flag.Any sense of celebration on the momentous anniversary was however set against a growing discontent with the current government.As head of state, president Cyril Ramaphosa presided over the gathering in a huge white tent in the gardens of the government buildings in Pretoria.He also spoke as the leader of the African National Congress party, which was widely credited with liberating South Africa’s black majority from the…

Milan are close to appointing Julen Lopetegui, which would prevent him from replacing David Moyes as West Ham United manager.Lopetegui is one of the favorites to become West Ham manager, with Moyes expected to have a vacancy when his contract expires at the end of the season. But Milan are also looking for a managerial change and are set to appoint the Spaniard as Stefano Pioli’s replacement. Lopetegui values ​​​​more the opportunity to join an Italian giant.West Ham have held productive talks with Lopetegui, who has been out of work since leaving Wolves last summer. However, it is understood that…

A man who raped his wife and was controlling and threatening towards her and their two children attempted to manipulate the family court into believing he was a victim of domestic abuse, a judge has ruled.In a damning judgment Judge Middleton-Roy found the man’s conduct – which included frequent filming of his family using a body-worn camera – had been “reprehensible and unreasonable” after he pursued false claims against the mother and contested her allegations against him over a prolonged period.The father, who was ordered to pay more than £50,000 in costs to his ex-wife, persisted from 2020 onwards in…

LAzarus Lake shifted in a straight-backed chair, searching for a suitable position to soothe his frayed nerves. After days of steep climbs and steep descents, West Virginia’s Capone Valley is a welcome oasis. Fortunately, the world is flat again, if only for a moment. Somewhere out there, the Allegheny Mountains await. But as the mastermind behind grueling endurance tests like the Barkley Marathon and the Backyard Ultra Rally, Raz doesn’t want to think about it now; the pizzeria is filled with smoke.A 20-year-old hurried over from behind to apologize, while the man sitting next to us still stared at us.…