Author: The Guardian

It will take patience and foresight after trying to return to the cutthroat world of professional tennis, but Osaka’s comeback is starting to gather pace as she reaches her first quarter-final in almost two years at the Qatar Open.Osaka was scheduled to face Lesia Chulenko in the third round on Wednesday, but the Ukrainian withdrew due to an elbow injury. Prior to that, the former world No. 1 had two strong wins at WTA 1000 events.She played an outstanding performance in her first match, winning 7-5, 6-4 to avenge her loss to No. 15 seed Caroline Garcia in the first…

I’m not sure how much you learn about the human heart from the dating show Love Is Blind. Probably the most surprising thing about it is its conservatism, given that it has arrived quite late in the life-cycle of reality TV. The conceit is that participants each have to sit in their own individual dating pod, speed dating one another though screens. The first time they actually see each other is when one has already proposed marriage, the other accepted. They then go on “honeymoon” and everything, generally speaking, falls apart. Since filming started in 2018, only eight couples out…

Christian Horner will attend the launch of Red Bull’s new car on Thursday despite confusion and uncertainty over his status as team principal amid allegations of misconduct he is still coming to terms with investigation.The allegations were announced by a female Red Bull Racing employee on February 5, when the team’s parent company Red Bull GmbH confirmed they had launched an external independent investigation into the complaints. The investigation is ongoing, but Horner has not been suspended from his duties as Red Bull Racing team principal and chief executive and has categorically denied any wrongdoing.No legal action has been taken…

In a Valentine’s Day fundraising message, Donald Trump sought to demonstrate the depth of his love for Melania Trump, his third wife, by referring to his lengthy list of criminal charges.“Even after every single indictment, arrest and witch hunt, you never left my side,” the message said.The probable Republican presidential nominee faces four criminal indictments: for election subversion (13 state charges, four federal), retention of classified information (40, federal) and hush-money payments to an adult film star and director who claims a sexual affair (34, state).Stormy Daniels claims to have had sex with Trump in 2006, shortly after Melania gave…

Zombie ping pong?As South Korea’s talisman in the Asian Cup, Son Heung-min’s start in 2024 is not smooth. In the group stage, the Tai Chi Warriors drew with Jordan (world ranking: 87) and Malaysia (130) in a bid to secure second place, with their captain engaging in traditional brawls with various hacks during the match. “We are working very hard on the court. We are trying to give everything for the fans and the country.” Son Xingmin roared. “Some boys were criticized or received comments that sometimes went a little too far.” A fractured team managed by distant Jürgen Klinsmann…

Donald Trump is “unhinged” and “diminished”, said Nikki Haley, the former president’s last rival for the Republican presidential nomination, on Wednesday.“To mock my husband, Michael and I can handle that,” the former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador told NBC News’s Today, referring to comments by Trump about Michael Haley, a national guard officer deployed in Djibouti.“But you mock one member of the military, you mock all members of the military … Before, when he did it, it was during the 2016 election, and everybody thought, ‘Oh, did he have a slip? What did that mean?’ The problem now is…

wattWelcome to Super League 2.0: well, at least the latest version. Rugby League keeps trying to reinvent itself for what seems like an eternity. The Super League and the switch from winter to summer was the sport’s biggest shift, back in 1996, but since then there have been many other iterations, all designed to broaden its appeal.Somewhere at Rugby League HQ, there’s a room full of marketing gimmicks – licensing, Super 8s, every minute counts – gathering dust, but this season perhaps there’s a sense that things are changing. Cautiously optimistic. At least 2024, with the full rollout of IMG’s…

For Valentine’s Day, we asked Guardian readers for their most enduring memories of the day over the years. Whether it was the perfect romantic gesture – or memorable for not going quite to plan – here are five readers’ stories.‘He may not be here, but I have a flat filled with cards and hearts’Eric Johnson and Dennis Hopkins. Photograph: Guardian Community“We had 27 delightful V-days together. We did the same thing every year (along with the cuddly part) – we would only spend $25 and everything we bought for each other had to be heart-shaped. Oh, and there were a…

Paris authorities are debating whether to order inspections of balconies and railings on thousands of buildings along the Seine, warning they could collapse under the weight of spectators watching this summer’s Olympic opening ceremony.”This is clearly a possible scenario,” Olivier Princivalle of real estate professional association FNAIM told AFP, adding that the subject was raised during regular preparatory meetings with police and city hall officials.”We absolutely have to make sure that the balconies can support the extra weight and that the railings are strong to avoid accidents.” He said buildings that are often 150 years old or more “are not…

Hey lovebirds, it’s Valentine’s Day. You’d like a Shock of the Old featuring love stories through the ages that retain the power to move and inspire us? Counteroffer: how about some shrivelled hearts?While it took centuries for science to grasp what the heart did, the association with emotion was established in antiquity. Sappho described her “mad heart” convulsed with love in the seventh century BC and both Plato and Aristotle emphasised its importance. In ancient Egypt the heart was considered the most important organ, “the spiritual seat of intelligence, emotion and memory”. It was the only one left in the…