3 d. ago Josh Hazlewood blitz sends Australia to victory inside three days in West Indies

First Test, day three: Australia 180 & 310; West Indies 190 & 141 Hazlewood picks up five wickets in 159-run victory in BridgetownIt was an extraordinary final session to end the first Test in Barbados in the long shadows of the third evening. After two days of wobbles, a portion of Australia’s batting got its act together, with the lower-middle-order trio of Travis Head, Beau Webster, and Alex Carey making half centuries to lift Australia’s second innings to 310. That left West Indies needing 301 to win the first Test in Barbados, always unlikely on a Kensington Oval pitch that already had balls keeping low. Josh Hazlewood made sure of it with a withering burst of 4-4 in 16 balls, later upping that to 5-23, as West Indies crashed humiliatingly to 141 all out, losing by 159 runs.Hazlewood has been the subject of some public attention of late, given his injury absences and how well Scott Boland has performed during each one. But the first-choice option has 288 Test wickets, t...

Events

5 d. ago Brit stuck in Turkey 'can't come home' despite £10k offer to lift 'mistake' ban

Georgia Harrison, 32, from Greater Manchester, claims she has wrongly been given a travel ban preventing her from leaving Turkey after she admitted smashing up a hotel room following a boozy night

Economics

7 d. ago The Breakdown | Next Gen Wallabies sense Farrell’s Lions are there for the taking

Australia coach Joe Schmidt has lifted team from lowest ebb and made a country feel it can win againAustralian rugby liked what it saw – and didn’t see – last week, as the British & Irish Lions got their 2025 tour off to a losing start against Argentina. Sure, it was the opening game of a 10-match odyssey and Andy Farrell’s men were lacking cohesion after only two weeks in camp. But for a young Wallabies side rising fast under their head coach, Joe Schmidt, it put blood in the water and proved the tourists are very beatable.Schmidt’s 6-7 record in his first season in charge of the Wallabies might not cost Lions fans much sleep but Farrell, his former second‑in‑command at Ireland, will sniff the seeds of ambush. In their last start in November, the Wallabies led Ireland 13-5 only to lose 22-19. Schmidt won’t let that happen again. The 2025 Wallabies these Lions face are light years from the lambs Eddie Jones led to slaughter at the 2023 World Cup in France. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Australia lifts ban preventing gay men from donating blood and plasma

Lifeblood will no longer ask men if they had sex with men in the past three months

Events

2 w. ago South Africa win World Test Championship after completing stunning comeback against Australia – as it happened

Aiden Markram scores 136 runs as South Africa defeat Australia by five wickets at Lord’s to lift the World Test Championship title60th over: South Africa 218-3 (Markram 106, Stubbs 0) So it is Tristan Stubbs to the middle. Starts at the non-striker’s end, but immediately gets strike as Markram guides a single. Lots of pressure on Stubbs, more a white-ball player but one of huge talent, who Shukri Conrad has backed in this team. Small target, plenty of time, and in a short-form game he might knock off these last 64 runs in five overs. But this is different. Hit on the pad early, Hazlewood appealing but it’s going down leg. Two slips and a gully, but the second slip is Webster and the gully is Green, so effectively four slips and two gullies. Cover, mid off, mid on, midwicket up closer. Deep point and deep backward square saving boundaries. Stubbs defends his first five balls.59th over: South Africa 217-3 (Markram 105) Oh, there it is! The first tremor? South Africa’s captain battled ...

Politics

2 w. ago High stakes and a shot at silverware: WTC final will sparkle despite critics

It may not be the pinnacle of cricket’s most storied format but it does provide a spectacle beyond established rivalriesIt was the pandemic that forced the first World Test Championship final to be staged at the biosecure Rose Bowl in 2021, then commercial snags that led to it being held at the Oval two years later. But having been intended for both, Lord’s finally gets its chance this week, the defending champions Australia taking on South Africa for the right to lift the oversized Chupa Chup that is the ICC Test Championship Mace.This will probably prompt eyerolls in some territories, even if June ruled out a fair number of them from acting as hosts. Another argument in favour of Lord’s is the ground’s history and prestige coupled with London’s diversity. Despite England not making the final, likewise India and their jet- set supporters, the first four days in St John’s Wood are sold out. Where else in the world could guarantee this turnout for a “neutral” final? Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Alzheimer’s blood test can spot people with early symptoms, study suggests

New test accurately diagnoses dementia by examining two proteins in blood plasma, US researchers findA new blood test for Alzheimer’s disease can accurately detect people with early symptoms, research suggests.Experts from the Mayo Clinic in the US have provided further evidence that blood tests can work to accurately diagnose dementia by examining two proteins in blood plasma. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago LA28 organizers confident Trump's latest travel ban won't affect Los Angeles Olympics

Planning and preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has made “significant progress” and organizers say they're confident that President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban won’t prevent games participants from entering the U.S. LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman says the federal government already recognizes that the Olympics require special consideration

Politics

3 w. ago Mystery of missing Pheobe Bishop that has gripped Australia: How teen vanished without trace after being given a lift to airport by housemate

James Wood, 34, is being questioned by police in connection with the 17-year-old's disappearance after she decided to move out of the house they shared in Queensland.

Society