58 m. ago Australia coach Andrew McDonald says Ashes ‘done’ ahead of SCG Test

The teams reconvene for the final time at the SCG on Sunday with the hosts seeking an emphatic 4-1 win.

Politics

2 h. ago Usman Khawaja locked in for fifth Ashes Test with ‘no indication’ of retirement plans

Australia coach Andrew McDonald guarantees veteran will play at SCG39-year-old’s future beyond series finale against England still in doubtAustralia coach Andrew McDonald has guaranteed Usman Khawaja will play at the SCG, but is unsure if it will be the veteran’s last Test.After turning 39 earlier in December, Khawaja’s future will continue to be a talking point until he announces his retirement. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Humphries given almighty scare by Clemens magic at PDC World Championship

The 2024 world champion won but faced an unexpected test against a man whose game had basically been in hibernation for three yearsEveryone says they want a good solid test at this stage of the tournament. Keep the skills sharp, keep the mind keen. But how big a test? How tough? How many beats per minute? How much spinal fluid do you want to shed? How close do you really want to get to smelling the paint on the exit door?Luke Humphries reckons he got it about right here, and for now we will have to take his word for it. But the outpouring of emotion we saw at the conclusion of his 4-2 win over Gabriel Clemens was a measure of just how thoroughly the 2024 world champion had been rattled by a man whose game had basically been in hibernation for the past three years. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago The entirely FREE way you can get your sheets dry inside this winter, without using an airer or a tumble dryer

RUNNING your tumble dryer during the winter can be a quick way to rack up your energy bills. Instead, opt for this entirely free hack that will have your bed sheets dry in no time. While air drying is a popular technique during the summer months, the savvy step often isn't possible throughout the winter....

Politics

8 h. ago Snow maps show 19 inches possible in Scotland as '4 inches per hour' storm looms

Weather models show heavy snow is forecast across the UK in early January, with up to 48cm (19 inches) possible in the far north of Scotland and major cities set to be impacted.

Events

9 h. ago England attack’s holiday fling might be the start of something more serious | Barney Ronay

If Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse can repeat their MCG displays, this may be more than a marriage of convenienceWhat does it mean? How should we feel? What are the roots that clutch? What branches grow out of this stony rubbish? For most of its combined 142 overs, watching England’s fourth Test victory in Melbourne felt like drifting in and out of a drunken sleep while trying and failing to follow the plot of a particularly gruelling action movie.Why is this car chase happening? Why is The Rock defusing a torpedo inside a collapsing Maya temple? Why are they running to the top of the nearest generic tall building for this final, final, final showdown? Wait. Will Jacks is playing? Continue reading...

Events

10 h. ago Panthers v Seahawks, Browns v Steelers and more: NFL gameweek 17 – live

Playoff places up for grabs in penultimate week Drop Graham a line with your thoughtsElsewhere, we have a battle with playoff dreams on the line between the Seahawks and Panthers. The Seahawks need to win to stay ahead of the 49ers at the top of the NFC while the Panthers can clinch the NFC South with a win and a Buccaneers loss to the Dolphins. If Miami’s horrific 45-21 loss to Cincinnati last week is anything to go by then Tampa Bay should return to winning ways and force a title decider against Carolina next week regardless of the result in Charlotte.The big injury news comes from Seattle who will be without two key pieces. Starting left tackle Charles Cross and safety Coby Bryant miss out. Josh Jones stays in for Cross after performing well and not allowing a sack last week against the Rams. Ty Okada replaces Byrant in the secondary who also did well in the second half against the Rams. Okada did well earlier in the season replacing Julian Love when he snagged his first career i...

Politics

11 h. ago MCG pitch is easy scapegoat but sloppy cricket is to blame for early Ashes finishes | Geoff Lemon

While the Melbourne curator had to face the media and say sorry, some of the players owe him an apology in returnYou know that something has gone wrong when the man in charge of the cricket pitch is giving a post-match press conference. Australian pitches are celebrities in their own right, each with a distinct perceived personality. Perth – gasoline, bounce. Sydney – intrigue, spin. Adelaide – graft, a late finale. Like any possessor of fame who has been around long enough, some trade on past glories that no longer apply, but what those ideas mean to the people repeating them is worth more than the truth itself.Aptly, these celebrities have agents, representatives, fluffers, heading to media appearances before each Test to prognosticate. Where the English grass gaffers are still called groundsmen, clomping around in gumboots yelling at interlopers to get off their giant lawn, the Australians are curators, artfully synthesising the elements of sun and rain and dew and morning mist i...

Politics

12 h. ago Heartbreaking moment Harvey Price bursts into tears over accident at home as mum Katie reassures him it’s OK

HARVEY Price has burst into tears over an accident at home as his mum Katie reassured him that it was fine. The former glamour model took to her Snapchat to share a video of him saying: “It’s accident because Harvey dropped the cup, pink colour for mummy. It makes me very sad.” She attempted to...

Politics

12 h. ago Get rid of washing machine mould by making 1 simple change to your routine

One common mistake many of us make with our washing machines could be causing mould growth and making our clothes smell musty without us realising

Politics

12 h. ago Former England and Glamorgan batter and ECB boss Hugh Morris dies, aged 62

Morris was the youngest-ever captain at Glamorgan, aged 22, and featured for his country’s Test side on three occasions, while also acting as the ECB’s first managing director from 2007 to 2013

Events

13 h. ago Nvidia insists it isn’t Enron, but its AI deals are testing investor faith

The chipmaker’s sprawling partnerships are driving extraordinary growth but also bank its future on the AI boom paying off quicklyNvidia is, in crucial ways, nothing like Enron – the Houston energy giant that imploded through multibillion-dollar accounting fraud in 2001. Nor is it similar to companies such as Lucent or Worldcom that folded during the dotcom bubble.But the fact that it needs to reiterate this to its investors is less than ideal. Continue reading...

Economics

13 h. ago Brit law student Mia O’Brien, 24, makes it home for Christmas after shock release from Dubai jail despite drug charge

A BRITISH law student jailed for 25 years in Dubai for drugs offences was back home for Christmas after a shock release from prison. Mia O’Brien, 24, was facing decades in a “living hell” after she tested positive for cocaine when she was arrested at a party while on holiday. Her family began campaigning for...

Events

14 h. ago Coleen Rooney made feelings clear with snub as husband Wayne's crisis reached fever pitch

While Wayne Rooney took on one of the biggest tests in his coaching career to date, partner Coleen was hundreds of miles away in what was considered a snub by many

Events

14 h. ago Liverpool legend Ian Rush, 64, reveals he was hospitalised and fearing death with super

Liverpool legend Ian Rush has heaped praise on his model fiancée, Carol Anthony, for helping him through the 'superflu' which made him believe he 'was a goner'.

Events

15 h. ago Man, 26, who thought he just 'had the flu' dies after tragic diagnosis

Kieran Shingler's girlfriend told him to go to A&E after he lost his appetite and a Covid test came back negative - then doctors saw something shocking on his CT scan

Events

15 h. ago Root backs McCullum after MCG win but Stokes needs support from system | Ali Martin

Batter says changing management would be ‘silly’ but questions remain over whether the current setup is producing the best playersIn fairness to Australian cricket, it rarely sticks its head in the sand. On Sunday in Melbourne, when 90,000 fans should have been enjoying day three of the fourth Test, they put Matt Page, chief curator at the MCG, in front of the media to face a grilling over that casino of a two-day pitch.Page was contrite, admitted his mistakes, and vowed to never repeat the 10mm of grass that, while designed to guard against hotter weather later in the match, delivered a second hammer blow to Cricket Australia’s finances this series. For all the public anger Stuart Fox, the ground’s chief executive, did not sound as if he was about to issue Page with his marching orders. Continue reading...

Politics

15 h. ago ‘When you plant something, it dies’: Brazil’s first arid zone is a stark warning for the whole country

The Caatinga in the north-east has been transformed by the heating climate in just a generation and could become the country’s first desertEvery Tuesday at dawn, Raildon Suplício Maia goes to the market in Macururé, in Brazil’s Bahia state, to sell goats. He haggles with buyers to get a good price for the animals, which are reared in the open and roam freely.Goats are the main – and sometimes only – source of income for the people of Macururé, a small town in the Brazilian sertão. This rural hinterland in the country’s north-east is known for its dry climate and harsh conditions.Raildon Suplicio Maia, a goat farmer from Macururé sells his animals at the market. Grazing has disappeared and he now spends any profit on feed Continue reading...

Events

16 h. ago Mikel Arteta provides Arsenal injury update on Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber and more

The Gunners are coping without a number of players during the festive period with Mikel Arteta delivering an update ahead of a test against in-form Aston Villa

Events

17 h. ago Brigitte Bardot dies aged 91: France's original 'Sex Kitten' who found global fame with And God Created Woman before ditching acting and modelling for animal rights activism passes away

Known as the original 'Sex Kitten', Bardot shot to international notoriety with her role in 1956 film And God Created Woman, which was directed by her first husband Roger Vadim.

Events