BBC Pope Francis, who has often appeared to revel in confounding and surprising others, is at it again. Many times over the years, he has seemed to suggest he is slowing down, only to ramp up his activities again. At nearly 88 years old, he has a knee ailment that impairs mobility, abdominal problems caused … Read more
Perhaps, Lee Carsley was simply consumed by his focus on the opening minutes of his first game in interim charge of England. Because when the manager emerged to take his seat before kick-off and, yes, before the anthems, he turned right instead of left and sat down on the Republic of Ireland bench. Old habits … Read more
Britain was hit far harder by the Covid-19 pandemic than other developed countries because the NHS had been “seriously weakened” by disastrous government policies over the preceding decade, a wide-ranging report will conclude this week. An assessment of the NHS by the world-renowned surgeon Prof Ara Darzi, commissioned in July by the health secretary, Wes … Read more
Asvin Singh Manshika Prasad (right) was proclaimed Miss Fiji but two days later was told that Nadine Roberts (left) had won the crown In a tucked-away corner of paradise, overlooking the clear waters of the South Pacific, a cyclone of controversy was about to descend on Fiji’s Pearl Resort & Spa. Standing on stage clutching … Read more
One of the tenets of so-called Bazball is to put on a show for the crowd and on the second day of this summer’s final Test match – a day that transported the spectators back to the village green at times – Ollie Pope tried his best to adhere to it. But at 5.35pm, Pope … Read more
At precisely 4.59pm in Dublin, an act of great treachery took place. Nobody will forget where they were on the day when Lee Carsley from Birmingham stood and decided not to sing a song moments before leading England to an easy 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in their 2024 Nations League opener. Has a victory … Read more
When Claire Watson moved to Sydney in 2022, the keen runner was excited to try out the famed track around the city’s vast, picturesque Centennial Park. But when the 29-year-old turned up for her first run shortly after 6am before work one morning, she was stunned. “I’d heard so much about Centennial Park, but when … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature 20 min: Faessler finds Frost and Australia set the platform for Gordan to box. He lands it near the touch line in Argentina’s territory. Bertranou box kicks as well. Ikitau has it and shovels it on for Koroibete on Australia’s left … Read more
US officials have insisted that a ceasefire in Gaza is close even as fighting rages unabated in the blockaded Palestinian territory and violence spirals in the occupied West Bank, where witnesses told the Observer an American-Turkish dual national was killed by Israeli forces on Friday. William Burns, who is also the US’s chief negotiator in … Read more
The respected former pensions minister Ros Altmann has tabled a “fatal” parliamentary motion to kill off the government’s controversial plan to limit winter fuel payments, describing it as “one of the worst decisions I have ever seen”. The move by Baroness Altmann, a crossbench peer and leading expert on issues affecting elderly people, comes amid … Read more