10 h. ago La Mer: French Piano Trios album review – expansive, beguiling and unexpected

Neave Trio(Chandos)Works by Saint-Saëns, Mel Bonis and Sally Beamish’s imaginative reinterpretation of Debussy’s La Mer make for a disparate but rounded programmeThree French works make a disparate but rounded programme on this release from the Neave Trio. Saint-Saëns took years to write his Trio No 2, and the result was a sprawling five-movement work that gets an appropriately wide-ranging and meaty performance here. The first movement roils and surges, the players catching both the push and pull of the restless theme and the brief passage of stillness later on. The slow third movement sings .with wistful nostalgia, and the fourth flows by in a waltz-like whirl pitched somewhere between Chopin and Dvořák. But the second movement, with its obsessively repeated rhythmic motif, perhaps needs a little more imagination to make it work.The two movements of Mel Bonis’s Soir et Matin, written in 1907, are the opposite way round in atmosphere from how you might expect: Soir (Evening) is sou...

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23 h. ago ‘Own less, have more’: French app rents out underused household items

Poppins connects people who have things they use rarely with those who want to buy or rent themDo you need a kitchen mixer, a drill, a tent or a raclette machine? Perhaps you have a bread machine, an ice-cream maker or a toastie maker in the cupboard gathering dust?If the answer to either question is “yes”, Lucie Basch has a solution. The French entrepreneur and pioneer of a hugely successful anti-food waste app is now turning her attention to a different problem: the simultaneous underuse and overconsumption of everyday household objects. Continue reading...

Society

29 h. ago British, German and French foreign ministers plan meeting with Iranian counterpart

The meeting in Geneva would be the first face-to-face diplomatic communication with Iran since Israel’s attackThe foreign ministers of the UK, France and Germany are planning to meet the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, in what could represent a potential diplomatic breakthrough after five days of Israeli bombing.The meeting is due to take place in Geneva on Friday but final confirmation from Tehran is still pending; if confirmed it would represent the first face-to-face diplomatic meeting since Benjamin Netanyahu launched Israel’s attack on Iran’s military and nuclear sites. Continue reading...

Politics

63 h. ago Sabalenka writes apology to Gauff for ‘unprofessional’ comments after French Open final loss

World No 1 downplayed American’s victorySabalenka says she did not intend to attack opponentAryna Sabalenka says she has written to Coco Gauff to apologize for the “unprofessional” comments she made after her loss to the American in the final of the French Open.Speaking to Eurosport Germany, Sabalenka said her remarks after her defeat to Gauff at Roland-Garros this month were a mistake. In her post-match press conference in Paris, Sabalenka had suggested that the result was more due to her own errors than to Gauff’s performance. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Israeli stands at Paris airshow shut down ‘by order of French government’

Four booths hidden from view, prompting fury from Israel’s defence ministry and visiting US RepublicansBusiness live – latest updatesThe four main Israeli company stands at the Paris airshow have been shut down after exhibitors reportedly refused to remove some weapons from display.The stands at the aerospace industry event were hidden from view after pressure on the organisers from the French government, a source told the Guardian. Continue reading...

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6 d. ago Novak Djokovic makes feelings clear on relationship with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal

Novak Djokovic has opened up about his rivalry with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and admitted that he always felt closer to the Spaniard than his legendary Swiss counterpart

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7 d. ago French court releases New Caledonia independence leader detained over deadly riots

Christian Tein, who denies accusations of instigating violence in the French territory in 2024, will remain under judicial supervisionA French court freed an independence leader from the overseas territory of New Caledonia who had been detained for a year over deadly riots in 2024.Christian Tein, who is indigenous Kanak , was charged and incarcerated over the rioting on the Pacific archipelago in May last year that left more than a dozen dead. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal disagree as tennis icon makes thoughts clear

Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal have both recently opened up about life after tennis following their respective retirements in 2024 and have distinctly different outlooks on the sport

Politics

1 week ago Alcaraz’s ridiculous victory over Sinner sets tone for next decade of rivalry at top of tennis | Tumaini Carayol

The frenzied last few games of the 2025 French Open final will go down as one of the greatest stretches of play in grand slam historyFive hours into the madness, when their legs should have been fading and sanity departing, the miraculous French Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner ascended to even greater heights. So much had already happened. For a long time, Alcaraz had been dominated with the same ruthless efficiency Sinner reserved for the rest of the field and he soon stared into the abyss, trailing triple championship point at 3-5, 0-40 in the fourth set.That moment would instead mark the beginning of Alcaraz’s unprecedented, preposterous comeback as he completely turned the match around. He soon closed in on victory, leading by a break in the fifth set against a weary opponent. With his back to the wall, time running out, Sinner produced a transcendent return game as Alcaraz served for the title at 5-4 to draw level again. Continue reading...

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1 week ago 5 things we learned from the 2025 French Open following two epic finals

The dawn of a new era in men’s tennis finally arrived, and in some style.

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1 week ago John McEnroe claims Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner would beat Rafael Nadal ‘at his best’

The pair contested an epic French Open final and have shared the last six grand slam singles titles

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1 week ago Carlos Alcaraz v Jannik Sinner thriller joins list of classic men’s finals

Here are five other memorable showdowns.

Politics

1 week ago Carlos Alcaraz ‘really happy’ after battling Jannik Sinner for French Open glory

The Spaniard showed incredible reserves of energy and willpower to win a five-hour 29-minute marathon.

Events

1 week ago By the numbers: Carlos Alcaraz and his performance for the ages in French Open final

Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his French Open title with a performance for the ages, winning the longest final at Roland-Garros in the Open era

Politics

1 week ago Sinner’s mechanical excellence malfunctions against human ingenuity of relentless rival

World No 1’s spellbinding effort dismantled by Alcaraz in the fifth set to conjure theatre in Paris and a rivalry for the agesBy the end, it felt cruel to want more. Look at the state of these men: bedraggled and dishevelled, dragged into a place of wildness and madness, of mental atrophy and physical dismay. You, on the other hand, have spent the last five and a half hours sitting on your couch, eating snacks and gorging on the finest sporting theatre. You want this prolonged for your entertainment? You want more of this? And of course the only real answer is: yes. Yes, please.Twilight zone at Roland Garros. Two sets each, six games each: the shadows ravenous, the noise bestial, every thrill laced with a kind of sickness. By the end, admiration began to meld with pity. Pity for their teams and families, trapped in the convulsions, feeling a spiralling hypertension with every passing moment. Pity for the tennis balls, being smacked and beaten mercilessly across the Paris n...

Politics

1 week ago Carlos Alcaraz saves three match points to beat Sinner in epic French Open final

Alcaraz wins 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2)Spaniard wins fifth grand slam title against world No 1As he faced up to the excruciating reality of trailing three championship points against the best player in the world, Carlos Alcaraz started his service preparation from the Court Philippe-Chatrier baseline with a deep, long breath. For most other players in the history of tennis, there was no reason to believe in any outcome other than defeat.In his short time competing in the biggest matches of his sport, ­however, Alcaraz has made it clear that he is different to anyone who has come before him, both in the way he approaches his tennis and the unwavering belief that underpins his ­success. Alcaraz recovered and pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport, in an otherworldly confrontation, spectacularly toppling the world No 1 Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) after five hours and 29 minutes to defend his French Open title in Paris. Con...

Politics

1 week ago Carlos Alcaraz defends French Open title after epic tussle with Jannik Sinner

The Spaniard came from two sets down to win on a super tie-break.

Politics

1 week ago Paris triumph is proof of Coco Gauff’s maturity on the biggest stages

Comments by Sabalenka ignore the American’s ability to perform at her peak under the most difficult circumstancesAryna Sabalenka was understandably devastated by how her first French Open final unfolded. Having established herself as the No 1 player in the world and made such significant improvements to her game and mentality, she played some of the best tennis of her career in Paris en route to the final. Sabalenka felt she was ready to tackle all obstacles. With her crushing defeat against Coco Gauff in the French Open final after three difficult sets, she found out she was not.Her expression of that disappointment, however, was one of her least impressive performances of the year. During the trophy ceremony, with Gauff sitting metres away, Sabalenka’s insistence on repeatedly lamenting her “terrible match” was awkward enough. But in her press conference, after having a short amount of time to cool off, Sabalenka tripled down. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago French Open 2025 men’s final: Jannik Sinner v Carlos Alcaraz – tennis live

Follow live final updates from Roland GarrosHave any thoughts to share? Send Daniel an emailSalut et bienvenue à Roland-Garros 2025 – 15e jour!We’re all friends here so we can be honest with one another: our lives are predictable, the days passing slowly and the years zipping by in a sapping imposition of the almost-same. The world, so full of fantasy and wonder, so much of it inaccessible to us other than on special occasions. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Gauff beats Sabalenka to win French Open women’s singles final – live reaction

Live updates from the 2pm BST start at Roland GarrosMen’s singles final preview | And you can email JohnThe roof is open and the wind is blowing in, which adds a variable. It could get a bit swirly.Via the BBC, plucky Brit news:Teenager Hannah Klugman was unable to become the first Briton in almost 50 years to win a French Open juniors title after losing in the girls’ singles final.The 16-year-old, competing in her first junior Grand Slam singles final, was beaten 6-2 6-0 by Austria’s Lilli Tagger. Continue reading...

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