Author: The Guardian

Allies of Ron DeSantis reached a settlement agreement with Disney in a lawsuit over who controls Walt Disney World’s governing district, easing tensions between the entertainment giant and Florida’s governor.Lawyers for the state had sued Disney over “11th-hour deals” that members of the district board – all company-appointed at the time – had passed before they were replaced by DeSantis appointees.In the settlement, Disney agreed that the rules passed by the company-appointed board members are void.Jeff Vahle, Disney World president, said in a statement that the company is “pleased to put an end to all litigation pending in state court”.The…

Peter Mandelson has dismissed the prospect of an incoming Labor government taking Britain back into the EU, saying “you have to be kidding” Brussels wants to renegotiate Britain’s membership.The Labor peer, former EU trade commissioner and close adviser to Keir Starmer, said rejoining the 27-nation bloc would require a referendum after the Conservatives mishandled Brexit. , British voters do not want a referendum.”I can’t see the British people running towards [a referendum] After what we went through last time, it was for love and not for money. I really don’t think people will go back to the past,” he told…

Today’s subject in the sci-fi class at Pelgulinna State Gymnasium is Blade Runner. Thursdays are “voluntary” lesson days, where students at this upper secondary school in Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, can choose from a range of subjects; others taking place today include a rights and democracy course, programming and creative writing in English. The seven 17-year-old students in the sci-fi lesson have just finished watching 30 minutes of the film and are preparing to discuss it when I sneak in at the back, switching to perfect English for my benefit. “We’ve talked about Jungian archetypes, persona and the superego,” says Triin,…

A bus crash occurred on a highway near the eastern German city of Leipzig on Wednesday, killing several people and injuring many others, police said.”A serious accident occurred on the A9 motorway, resulting in many deaths. The number of casualties was numerous,” Saxony police said in a statement. “German media reported that five people were killed when a FlixBus veered to the right and then rolled over on a busy highway connecting Berlin and Munich.Police said roads in the direction of Munich were closed and pictures showed ambulances and helicopters rushing to the scene.FlixBus said “the exact circumstances of the…

Perhaps more than other Shocks of the Old, today’s needs a content warning because much of humanity is scared of clowns. In 2022, of 987 respondents to the Fear of Clowns Questionnaire, or FCQ (yes, a real thing) 272 (27.6%) reported “a fear of clowns, while 50 (5.1%) rated this fear as extreme”.In a controversial (with clowns) 2008 survey of more than 250 children, every single one said they disliked clown decor in hospitals. “We found that clowns are universally disliked by children,” said the study lead, Dr Penny Curtis. “Some found them quite frightening and unknowable.”So why invent something…

Allegations that his former translator stole millions of dollars from the baseball star remain pending after Ohtani’s representatives declined to provide more details to ESPN.Ippei Mizuhara is accused of wiring huge sums of money from Ohtani’s account to pay off his debts to an illegal bookmaker in California, a claim the player reiterated at a press conference on Monday. “We are turning the matter over to the authorities,” a representative for Ohtani said last week.However, they have repeatedly declined to say which authorities the theft was reported to. When asked Tuesday by ESPN for evidence of any criminal reports, Ohtani’s…

Donald Trump has had an encouraging day or two on the money front.On Monday, a New York appeals panel lowered – to a mere $175m – the amount the former president needs to cough up as he challenges the huge judgment against him in his civil-fraud case. It’s not clear whether Trump can obtain such a bond – he has another week or so to try. He couldn’t raise an earlier, much higher sum, but this seems much more likely.That means it’s possible that he can avoid having liens put on his buildings (his “babies”, as he called them). Welcome…

Novak Djokovic has revealed that he has split from coach Goran Ivanisevic.The partnership was extremely successful, with Djokovic enjoying the most dominant period of his career in his early and mid-30s. Ivanisevic became the Serbian’s head coach in March 2022, having previously worked with Djokovic’s long-term mentor Marian Vajda for many years.The world number one said he and Ivanisevic parted ways “a few days ago”, writing on Instagram: “I remember clearly the moment I invited Goran to join my team. That was in 2018, Marian and I were looking to innovate and bring some serving magic to our duo.”In fact,…

This month’s design news is pretty nostalgic. Jonny Trunk’s wonderful history of hi-fi catalogues reminds us of the world before downloads and the relaunch of boutique Granny Takes a Trip brings back 60s psychedelia. And, as the new exhibition at Vitra Museum shows, looking to the past for answers to modern problems may well be the best solution.1The best design comes to MilanL’Integrale magazine. Photograph: Salone del mobileApril sees the annual design fest of Salone Del Mobile, Milano, the Italian trade show that brings the design world’s biggest brands together. This edition focuses on kitchen and bathroom design – with…

Victoria Azarenka kept her hopes of a fourth Miami Open title alive as she reached the semi-finals with a hard-earned win over Yulia Putintseva. In the men’s draw, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz both reached the quarterfinals.No. 27 seed Azarenka, who won the event in 2009, 2011 and 2016, defeated 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-3 in less than three hours. Kazakh opponents. The 34-year-old saved three set points after trailing 5-4 in the first set, but then failed to convert two of her own until the tie-break when she held on with some decisive forehands gained courage.Putintseva fought back hard in…