23 h. ago Europe’s Ryder Cup class of 2025 shapes up with familiar feel for US showdown | Ewan Murray

Captain Luke Donald could be able to keep changes from victorious 2023 team to an absolute minimum at BethpageIf continuity is key to Ryder Cup success, even the phlegmatic Luke Donald must be doing cartwheels. This also applies to those who believe the occasional away win is necessary if the event is to remain within the realms of serious sporting contest. The European class of 2025 is now very close to replicating the one that won in Rome in 2023, but with one quirk; Rasmus Højgaard replacing his twin brother, Nicolai. What the United States would give for such a settled scenario.Should Donald be so minded, he can keep change to an absolute minimum. Recreating a winning environment becomes so much easier when the characters involved are the same. When Europe slumped to comprehensive defeat at Whistling Straits four years ago, seven of the 12-man team were sampling an American Ryder Cup for the first time. At Hazeltine, in 2016, half of Darren Clarke’s European contingent were debu...

Politics

7 d. ago Strictly Come Dancing's Johannes Radebe says 'if I could, I would' as he warns co

The professional dancer will soon be seen back in the ballroom after his return for the BBC One dance contest's 2025 series

Events

3 w. ago Edfringe comedian Ali Brice wins Dabbers Bingo Comedy Caller Contest 2025

In a wild, hilarious and high energy Grand Final, Edinburgh Fringe comedian Ali Brice (performing as his happy-go-lucky, gameshow enthusiast alter-ego Eric Meat) wowed a packed audience of bingo-lovers and industry judges to be named Dabbers Bingo Comedy Caller 2025.

Culture

3 w. ago Reliable Sweden meet unpredictable England in a contest of razor

Sarina Wiegman’s side must respect opponents who smashed Germany and are a model of tournament consistencyThe homeless man lies in the doorway of England’s team hotel every morning and every night. The players pass him as they go to training and pass him again as they come back at the end of the day. His shirt is unbuttoned as he sleeps, dirt-smeared bags perched under his resting arm. The hotel staff barely even notice him any more. Security do not move him on. After all, he’s supposed to be there.And unless you decided to peer particularly closely, you might not even notice that the homeless man in the doorway of the Dolder Grand hotel in Zurich is not a human being at all but a hyper-realistic sculpture called The Traveler, created by an American artist called Duane Hanson in the 1980s and bought by the Dolder Grand hotel in Zurich in the late 2000s as a symbol of well, what exactly? Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Ncuti Gatwa reveals reason he pulled out of Eurovision as he takes swipe at BBC

Doctor Who's Ncuti Gatwa has addressed pulling out of his role as the spokesperson for the UK jury at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 following speculation about the decision

Politics

last month Ncuti Gatwa claims he quit Eurovision role ‘long before it was announced’

‘Doctor Who’ actor’s withdrawal was announced just one day before 2025 song contest

Politics

last month Caught in the contest between China and the west, the Cook Islands asks where its future lies

After the Pacific nation struck deals with Beijing, New Zealand abruptly cut off millions of dollars in critical aid and fundingOn a remote stretch of land in the Cook Islands lies a second world war airstrip. Once used as a wartime supply route by American forces, the narrow runway is in dire need of resealing to allow larger tourist jets to land. Leaders on the northern island of Penrhyn have asked New Zealand, Australia and the US to help, but none have come through. Now, they hope China will step in and fund it.“That is the dream,” says Penrhyn’s executive director, Puna John Vano. “We want to maintain our traditional partners, but if not, we’re going to get assistance from elsewhere.”On the Cook Islands’ main island of Rarotonga, many people are angry over the damage caused to relations with New Zealand. Continue reading...

Events