Author: The Guardian

Wales boss Warren Gatland has made seven changes to his starting XI for Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash with England at Twickenham.Center forward George North returns from injury for his 50th Six Nations appearance, partnering Nick Tompkins in midfield.In Wales’ 27-26 loss to Scotland last weekend, Sam Costello was absent through injury in the first half and was replaced by Ewan Lloyd, with Tomos Williams in the scrum half. .Gatland has also selected a new front row of Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee and Keiron Asirati, with Cardiff City wing Alex Mann coming on as a substitute against Scotland After scoring…

The European Commission has announced it is taking the first step in legal action against Hungary over a new law that it says violates the principle of democracy, upping tensions with Budapest as the continent enters a fraught election season.The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has for years clashed with Brussels over democratic norms. In recent months the relationship has further soured amid concerns that an increasingly isolated Hungarian government is pursuing a Russia-friendly foreign policy and undermining western unity.While Budapest has argued it is carrying out reforms in line with EU requests, critics say Orbán is moving to further…

IThis week, life has seen examples of sadly copied art. Disaster struck this morning/ when a fellow benchworker named Ron/ broke the solid gold mold/ that once made Barry John. The number of Welsh rugby legends is dwindling and driving to the Rhondda Valley to meet the country’s much-loved bard, Max Boyce, feels like a pilgrimage on behalf of the entire country.No one can describe the feeling of being a Wales fan better than Greenis’ favorite son. A statue was erected in memory of two living Welshmen who were even known to Sir Gareth Edwards – “He was indoors and…

I am standing on the sand at Scheveningen, The Hague’s most famous beach resort, in the act of niksen, the Dutch term for doing absolutely nothing. I try not to think about whether I am really doing nothing if I am standing on a beach. Maybe I should be sitting down? But then I would be sitting down. How do you niksen properly? Being effortlessly aimless next to me is Olga Mecking, the author of Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing. In the three years since the book was published, she has become the Netherlands’ go-to authority on…

IDuring this year’s divisional round, Patrick Mahomes was asked a question he’d never faced in the playoffs before: Can you win on the road? Traveling to upstate New York to face a strong Buffalo Bills team will be a huge test for Kansas City. It’s uncharted territory and the opponent is Josh Allen’s biggest enemy, a quarterback desperate to turn things around after two disastrous playoff losses over the past few seasons. This is Buffalo’s era, they have a great offense in Allen, and Mahomes ends up looking error-prone. Despite tough circumstances, the KC superstar remains the face of the…

I was caught taking Viagra before having sex with my girlfriend and now she thinks I’m not attracted to her. She is also suspicious that I’ve needed Viagra the whole time I’ve been with her. As a result, she is now less engaged during sex and I’m lacking confidence.Many people need to be educated about their partner’s sexual response – and the best teacher is the beneficiary! Whatever your reasons for taking sildenafil, you could calmly and confidently say something like: “Sometimes my anxiety gets in the way so that my body/penis responds more slowly than my mental desire. My…

IDriving back from the animal shelter, Steve Gregg felt peaceful with his 12-year-old Chihuahua on his lap. He had been depressed in the months since his dog Wolfgang died. “I can’t understand it,” he said. Wolfgang was hit by a car. Greg’s idea was that he could adopt an unwanted dog and give the animal one last chance to have a loving home. The Chihuahua, whom he named “Eeyore,” was the oldest dog in the shelter and had a heart murmur and four bad knees. Along the way, Eeyore kept wagging his tail and looking out the window. “It’s not…

One morning in 2001, as I waited for my university lecture to start, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Looking up, I found a young woman smiling at me, clutching a notebook. I knew immediately who she was. The week before we had exchanged emails, and I’d told her I would be sitting in the front row. I always sat at the front, even if it meant sitting by myself. To the other students I probably seemed eager and studious. But the real reason was that I’m deaf and needed to lipread the lecturer.“I’m Rosie,” the young woman said,…

Ajla Tomljanović has been sidelined after undergoing surgery to remove a non-cancerous tumor from her uterus.The Australian tennis player has been on the comeback trail after an injury-plagued 2023, but she revealed she will put her career on hold for “a few weeks” following surgery due to uterine fibroids.Tomjanovich announced the news on Instagram, along with a photo of herself smiling while lying in a hospital bed.”Hi everyone, unfortunately I won’t be competing for a few weeks… Really looking forward to the next hard court games,” she said.”I had to have some uterine fibroids removed and I will be watching…

The US House of Representatives rejected a Republican-led bill on Tuesday that would provide $17.6bn to Israel, as Democrats said they wanted a vote instead on a broader measure that would also provide assistance to Ukraine, international humanitarian funding and new money for border security.The vote was 250 to 180, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed for passage.Opponents called the Israel legislation a political ploy by Republicans to distract from their opposition to a $118bn Senate bill combining an overhaul of US immigration policy and new funding for border security with billions of dollars in emergency aid for Ukraine,…