Author: The Guardian

Mitch Marsh saved the hosts from a historic collapse at the MCG with an easy catch as Pakistan looked to have lost their best chance of winning a Test in Australia in a generation.Marsh (96) and Steve Smith (50) defeated Pakistan’s best side in the Boxing Day Test to save their side at 4-16 – Australia’s first at the MCG since 1911 Worst start to a Test innings.The duo put on a 153-run stand for the fifth wicket to lead Australia to 6-187 at stumps on day three, leading by 241 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match…

By 2013, Christine had been working for the Burning Man arts festival for many years. She lived in San Francisco and, though she had an active social life, found it difficult to meet a partner she felt compatible with. “I’d been on plenty of dates, but nothing really clicked,” she says. “I think it’s harder to date after 60. By then, you know what works for you, so you are pickier about who you will go out with.”When she saw Beto’s profile on a dating site that December, she was immediately interested and thought he seemed a “bit different”. At…

South Yorkshire Police are investigating Carlton Morris for alleged racist comments during the Boxing Day game against Sheffield United, Luton Town confirmed.A club statement said: “We can confirm that Carlton Morris reported alleged racist comments made by the crowd at this afternoon’s Premier League match at Bramall Lane.”The statement added: “Carlton reported the matter to match officials in line with Premier League protocol and the matter was dealt with immediately by Sheffield United and South Yorkshire Police, who are currently investigating.””Luton Town will offer our full support to Carlton and any other players who experience abuse and reiterate our zero-tolerance…

Talk about being haunted by a ghost of Christmas past. As Chris Wood’s accomplished hat-trick reminded Eddie Howe why, not so long ago, he persuaded Newcastle’s owners to invest £25m in his attacking talent, Nuno Espírito Santo inspired confidence he can keep Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.Nuno’s first win since succeeding Steve Cooper last week confirmed that this is turning into an extremely bleak midwinter for Howe. One by one the wheels have fallen off the Newcastle manager’s injury-hit wagon in recent weeks. His team have now lost six of their last seven games in all competitions and have…

Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the downing of two Russian fighter jets on Christmas Eve and said “this Christmas sets the right mood for the whole year ahead”.In a Christmas message that marked the first time Ukraine officially celebrated Christmas on December 25 instead of January 7, Zelensky also referred to Ukraine’s claim to have destroyed three more Russian fighter jets on Friday.”The stronger our air defense capabilities are, the less Russian monsters we have in our skies and on land,” the Ukrainian president said. He praised the country’s “ability to negotiate with partners, strengthen our sky shield, defend our homeland from…

Not many people will have had “Jabba the Hutt Goblin King gets impaled on a church spire and Doctor Who generates a Christmas single about eating a baby” on their bingo cards for 2023, but that is exactly where we find ourselves after this joyful introduction to the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and new companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson).From the preview clips of him dancing in a kilt in a club, you might have thought Gatwa’s Doctor was going to be a very different proposition to what has gone before. But across this special, he showed he has everything he…

Pop superstar Taylor Swift walked into Arrowhead Stadium with Santa Claus on Monday to watch her boyfriend and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day.Swift and Kelce have become one of the hottest celebrity couples in the world since they started dating earlier this season, and the 12-time Grammy winner has attended her boyfriend’s performances at Arrowhead Stadium on several occasions.This time she wore a beaming red shirt and black jacket, flanked by Saint Nick.Skip past newsletter promotionsRegister to Playing football with Jonathan WilsonJonathan Wilson provides expert analysis of European football’s…

A looming clash between the centre and left of the Democratic party could unseat members of the “the Squad” of progressives and hand a gift to Donald Trump’s Republicans in the 2024 elections.The war in Gaza has divided Democrats like no other issue and is likely to play a key role in party primaries that decide which candidates run for the House of Representatives.Squad members including Jamaal Bowman of New York, Cori Bush of Missouri and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who accuse Israel of fuelling a humanitarian disaster, are facing potentially well-funded primary challengers. Some Democrats fear that the infighting…

King Charles praised the work of volunteers, describing them as a “selfless people’s army” who formed “a vital pillar of our society”.In his second Christmas message, the king said he was delighted that hundreds of volunteers and their representatives had attended his coronation in May, saying their presence “underscored the significance of the coronation itself and, above all, the We are all called upon to serve one another and love all people.”In an apparent reference to rising homelessness and the provision of housing for displaced victims of the conflict, such as Ukrainians, the monarch highlighted the part of Jesus’ story…

Who’ll be the star on top of the Strictly tree? We’ve had a mere nine days without any BBC ballroom action – since Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola lifted the glitterball in this year’s grand final – and we’re already being gifted a return trip to the Elstree Studios dancefloor.Season’s greetings, glitterati. Michael here, your regular sequins-and-spraytans correspondent. I hope you’re all enjoying some comfort and joy this Christmas Day. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year, because the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special airs at 4.40pm today on BBC One. There’s no liveblog but we’ve opened…