Author: The Guardian

AAs far as England is concerned, just because the squad remains unchanged doesn’t mean it’s time to settle for the status quo this weekend. Everyone from players to casual fans agrees that the atmosphere at Twickenham needs to change – and quickly. The last time the national team played at home to Fiji in preparation for the Rugby World Cup, the rows of empty seats spoke volumes before England lost.The Six Nations are always a slightly different beast, and a touring Welsh choir can have the added edge of adding enthusiasm to the visiting national anthems. But when the Guardian…

A federal judge on Thursday denied Trump White House official Peter Navarro’s bid to remain out of prison while he appeals his contempt of Congress conviction for refusing to cooperate with an investigation into the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol.Navarro was sentenced last month to four months behind bars after being found guilty of defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House January 6 committee. The former White House trade adviser under President Donald Trump had asked to be free while he fights that conviction and sentence in higher courts.But Judge Amit Mehta said…

England have promised to turn Twickenham into a fortress for Saturday’s match, but Wales are not satisfied. “We’re not intimidated by it,” their manager Warren Gatland said on Thursday. “I can tell you that.” England captain Jamie George again addressed the crowd on Thursday as he said the start of Test week Instead of talking about their game plan as usual, the team discussed how to make Twickenham a more hostile environment. George said it had “set the tone for the week.””We want physicality, we want confrontation, we want aggression, and if we do that, then I think the fan…

The US supreme court heard oral arguments on whether former president Donald Trump should be removed from the ballot on Thursday – and most justices sounded deeply skeptical of the effort.All six of the court’s conservative justices aggressively questioned the arguments that the state of Colorado had been right in determining that Trump should be barred from appearing as a candidate under section three of the US constitution’s 14th amendment. Two of the three liberal justices asked pointed questions as well, an indication that there may be broad consensus to strike down the ruling.Here are some key takeaways.Even the liberal…

wattChristian Horner was just in his mid-30s when he sat down for the first time at the Formula One team owners’ meeting in 2005 and was unexpectedly appointed as the head of the new Red Bull Racing team. A world full of legendary characters. Sir Frank Williams, McLaren’s Ron Dennis and Ferrari’s Jean Todt have spent their lives fighting and winning in an extremely complex, competitive and highly political environment.Had Horner not been backed by a patron with power that surpassed all his opponents, he might have easily been eaten alive, like so many before him.F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has…

The justice department special counsel investigating Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents has released a report concluding Biden took classified information about the US war in Afghanistan and other national security matters, but he will not face criminal charges.The documents included a handwritten memo to then president Barack Obama in 2009 opposing a planned troop surge in Afghanistan and handwritten notes related to intelligence briefings and national security meetings, the report by special counsel Robert Hur found.The year-long investigation centered on the improper retention of classified documents by Biden from his time as a senator and as vice-president to Obama.The…

Harriet Dart is looking to return to the top 100 after beating fifth seed Elisabetta Cocciaretto to reach the quarter-finals of the Transylvania Open.The 27-year-old advanced through qualifying and recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in Cluj-Napoca. This is the fifth time Dart has reached the quarterfinals of a WTA tour event, but it is also the first time she has been away from British grass. Her last such result was in Birmingham last summer.Entering this week ranked 103rd, Dart is now almost certain to join Britain’s Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage in the top 100,…

Parkrun, a free weekly running event in open spaces around the world, has removed data such as speed records from its website in order to be less “offputting” to new participants.The event will also no longer record men who finish in under 17 minutes or women who finish in less than 20, in addition to age grade or category records.Entrants will continue to receive personalised results via emails and individual profile pages and event results pages will stay the same.Parkrun told the BBC it had been looking into making changes to the data it published since before the Covid pandemic…

Scotland’s recently appointed co-captain Rory Darge will start Saturday’s Six Nations tie at home to France after missing six weeks with a knee injury.The 23-year-old Glasgow flanker takes over the No.7 jersey from former captain Jamie Ritchie, who has withdrawn entirely from the 23-man squad in one of three changes One – all in the forward line – was handed to the side who started the 27th season in the 26th away win against Wales.Dachi, who recovered quicker than expected from an injury sustained away to Edinburgh on the last weekend of December, was named co-captain alongside fellow stand-off Finn…

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has fired his top army commander, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and replaced him with Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s land forces.The president posted a photograph of himself with Zaluzhnyi alongside the following statement: “I thanked him for the two years of defending Ukraine. We discussed the renewal that the armed forces of Ukraine require. We also discussed who could be part of the renewed leadership of the armed forces of Ukraine. The time for such a renewal is now. I proposed to Gen Zaluzhnyi to remain part of the team.”I met with General Valerii Zaluzhnyi.I thanked him for the…