Author: The Guardian

New South Wales recorded one of their greatest State of Origin victories, defeating Queensland 14-4 in the series final to claim the 2024 Shield. It was only the third time in 44 years that the Blues had won a decisive game in Brisbane.Amid the titanic encounter, the 52,457 spectators at the venue and millions more watching at home had to wait more than an hour to watch the first try of the match. The game, however, brought the physicality that the series is famous for. The first half was marked by collisions, with players on both sides putting their bodies…

On the edge. Walking a tightrope. When we admire comedy for its outspokenness, we make it sound like a death-defying act. But now and then there are casualties. The career of the comedy-rock band Tenacious D has been put on ice this week after one half of the duo, Kyle Gass, made an impromptu joke about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Outrage was duly provoked. “All future creative plans are on hold,” according to the band’s other lead vocalist, Jack Black. It’s a classic case study of an on-the-edge gag tumbling off that edge, and falling a long, long…

It’s been the dream and promise of Paris mayors for decades, and the nightmare of Olympic organizers: Can the Seine be cleared enough for swimming and to host triathlons and other events?For the past hundred years, and until a few days ago, the answer seemed to be no.However, on Wednesday, the city’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo, followed through on her promise to be one of the first to get involved.Amid cheers and applause, she led a hundred officials, athletes and locals donning swimsuits and taking a dip in the river after a series of tests showed the water was finally safe.”It’s…

Many Republicans have welcomed Usha Vance, the Indian American wife of vice-presidential nominee JD Vance, as a symbol of generational change and growing diversity in the party ranks.Usha, 38, a corporate lawyer who used to be a registered Democrat, is the daughter of Indian immigrants and a practicing Hindu.Danny Willis, 25, chair of Delaware Young Republicans, said: “With this ticket, with the show of diversity in what would be the second gentleman and second lady of the United States, I’m extremely proud to be a Hispanic male and a Republican.”Usha has a very different story to tell from the last…

The U.S. women’s football team’s last warm-up match before the Paris Olympics is in full swing. The weather is hot and there are many scoring opportunities.The U.S. was held scoreless in Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw with Costa Rica, marking only the second time since 2015 that the U.S. was without a win in its final game before a major tournament. But the game showed Americans can handle the heat likely to hit later this month.”The last two games have been crazy,” defender Casey Krueger said, referring to back-to-back friendlies before the team’s transatlantic flight. “I think it’s going to be…

Police investigating the deaths of six people found in the room of a luxury hotel in central Bangkok say they believe a member of the group poisoned themselves and others using cyanide.Initial tests had detected cyanide, a deadly chemical that interferes with the body’s ability to use oxygen, in a tea flask, six cups and in the blood of one of the dead men, police said. Based on interviews with a relative, they believe the deaths could be related to a business dispute.The deceased were Vietnamese, and two had American citizenship, according to the Thai authorities, who said the FBI…

As the Tour de France reaches its climax in Nice, fans continue to line up around the 3,492km track Source link

Rishi Sunak didn’t choose an early July election so that defeat might spare him the hassle of hosting tomorrow’s summit of the European Political Community (EPC), but it is a duty he was glad to forgo.Protocols of continental fellowship never came naturally to the Conservative leader and his party would have despised him for faking them. By contrast, Keir Starmer is grateful for the gathering in Blenheim as a chance to show how Britain under a Labour government is released from Brexit neurosis.The EPC is not part of the EU. It was conceived by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in…

July 14, 1924, Paris. Lucy Morton started and sat up on the sidewalk. She was surrounded by piercing shouts. French. The taxi she had been in seconds before was parked in the middle of the road, and another taxi appeared to be parked on the road. As she began to regain consciousness, she concluded that the impact of the crash must have thrown her from the cab and knocked her to the street. She felt blood running down her face and noticed her five teeth lying next to her.Her teammates on the British Olympic swimming team were pale and sobbing,…

Donald Trump’s choice of JD Vance as his vice-presidential pick has reignited fears in Europe that he would pursue a transactional “America first” foreign policy that could culminate in the US pushing for Ukraine to acquiesce to Vladimir Putin and sue for peace with Russia.“It’s bad for us but it’s terrible news for [Ukraine],” said one senior European diplomat in Washington. “[Vance] is not our ally.”Foreign diplomats and observers have frequently called Trump’s actual policies a “black box,” saying that was impossible to know for certain what the unpredictable leader would do when in power.Some have soothed themselves by suggesting…