5 h. ago Poland presidential debate puts Ukraine and Europe centre stage

Rafał Trzaskowski, from the governing pro-EU coalition, faces Eurosceptic populist rightwing historian Karol Nawrocki ahead of run-offPolish presidential candidates offered different visions of Poland and its relations with Ukraine in a televised debate ahead of next week’s run-off, which remains on a knife-edge.During a head-to-head debate lasting two hours, the centrist Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, from prime minister Donald Tusk’s governing pro-European coalition, faced the Eurosceptic historian Karol Nawrocki, backed by the populist rightwing Law and Justice party (PiS). Continue reading...

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13 h. ago Giro d’Italia: unstoppable Pedersen pips Van Aert in uphill sprint on stage 13

Isaac del Toro finishes third and extends overall leadDenmark’s Pedersen proves too strong on gruelling finishMads Pedersen won his fourth stage of this year’s Giro d’Italia when he sprinted to victory on Friday’s stage 13, beating Wout van Aert to the line while Isaac del Toro maintained his overall lead to retain the pink jersey.As the riders neared the finish of the 180km ride from Rovigo to Vicenza, Pedersen was fourth when he launched his bid for victory on the uphill sprint as Van Aert stayed close on his wheel. Del Toro had done well to earn bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint but the 21-year-old did not have the legs to challenge the sprint heavyweights as he settled for third, leaving Pedersen and Van Aert to battle it out for victory. Continue reading...

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17 h. ago Eurovision responds to accusations it encourages voting ‘manipulation’ after Israel performance

In a statement, director Martin Green said he did not want questions surrounding Eurovision voting to overshadow JJ’s win for Austria

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18 h. ago ‘None of this should have worked’: David Adjmi on how Led Zeppelin sparked Broadway smash Stereophonic

The playwright was about to quit theatre but hearing Babe I’m Gonna Leave You led to a sensational, Tony-winning collaboration with Arcade Fire’s Will ButlerIn 2013, I was desperately looking for a way to quit writing plays. I’d had a terrible, scarring artistic collaboration a couple of years prior, and it broke me. And on top of that, I was actually broke, financially. So I decided to give up playwriting, move to Los Angeles and make some money writing for film and television. But just as I’d made that decision, I received a three-year grant from the Mellon Foundation. It came with a significant chunk of money, so I was thrilled. Only it also came with conditions: one of which was that I needed to write a new play. “Fine,” I thought. “I’ll write a very short one-act to fulfil the requirements of the grant and then be done with theatre for ever.”Months later, I was on an aeroplane listening to in-flight radio when Led Zeppelin’s cover of Babe I’m Gonna Leave You came on. I knew the...

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23 h. ago Giro d’Italia Stage 13 preview: Sharp uphill finish could provide stage for maiden Tom Pidcock victory

Punchier riders like Tom Pidcock, Wout van Aert, and Mads Pedersen are all likely to contend in Vicenza today

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37 h. ago Giro d’Italia: Olav Kooij sprints to stage 12 glory as Del Toro retains pink jersey

Winner helped by superb lead-out from Wout van AertDel Toro has 33sec lead over teammate Juan AyusoOlav Kooij sprinted to victory on stage 12 of the Giro d’Italia as Isaac del Toro retained the pink jersey in Viadana.Kooij was helped by a superb lead-out from Visma-Lease A Bike teammate Wout van Aert, with Casper van Uden second over the line ahead of Britain’s Ben Turner. Continue reading...

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37 h. ago Giro d’Italia 2025 LIVE: Stage 12 result and updates as Olav Kooij wins thrilling sprint

Visma-Lease a Bike’s Giro d’Italia continued to improve as Olav Kooij picked up his first win of this year’s race

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44 h. ago Giro d’Italia 2025 LIVE: Stage 12 updates, route and results as sprinters eye fast finish in Viadana

GC battle put on hold as Giro d’Italia returns to sprinter-friendly territory

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46 h. ago Giro d’Italia Stage 12 preview: Sprinters’ territory returns as fast men look to break Pedersen’s dominance

GC contenders get a break on stage of two halves as rolling terrain gives way to sprint finish

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46 h. ago Pete Townshend remakes Quadrophenia for a new generation: ‘The world is a dangerous place at the moment’

It may be set 60 years ago, but a new ballet version of The Who’s rock opera asks questions about youth, society and masculinity that still resonate – and it brought its original creator to tearsDeckchairs fly, arms clash, bodies launch into the air as mods and rockers engage in a fierce Brighton seafront battle. But in this east London dance studio – with Zaha Hadid’s Olympic swimming pool visible through the window – young performers in sports socks, joggers and baggy T-shirts are reimagining the Who’s seminal document of the mid-60s Quadrophenia as ballet.Isn’t this 1973 album an unlikely subject for dance? We’ve recently had Black Sabbath: The Ballet, and Message in a Bottle set to Sting, so why not? After all, Quadrophenia is theatrical at its roots. “The closest thing to a grand opera I’ll ever write,” says the Who’s guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend. Set in 1965, the story of disaffected young mod Jimmy looking for meaning in life via music, amphetamines ...

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61 h. ago Giro d’Italia: Richard Carapaz solos to stage 11 win as Del Toro stays in pink

Overall leader finishes 10 seconds behind EcuadorianUAE Team Emirates teammate Juan Ayuso is secondRichard Carapaz won stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia on Wednesday with a solo ride in the last nine kilometres, with the leader, Isaac del Toro, finishing second in a sprint to the line, 10 seconds behind the former Olympic champion.Carapaz, the winner of the 2019 Giro, timed his attack to perfection for his fourth career stage win in the race while Del Toro retained the pink jersey, adding six seconds to his lead. Continue reading...

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62 h. ago Giro d’Italia 2025 LIVE: Stage 11 result and updates as Richard Carapaz seals thrilling win to climb standings

Richard Carapaz took a first Giro victory since winning the overall title in 2019 on another hilly day in the Apennines

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62 h. ago Giro d’Italia 2025 LIVE: Stage 11 result and updates as race returns to mountains and Primoz Roglic resumes title hunt

Road stages resume with another hilly day in the Apennines and Primoz Roglic scrambling to make up time

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67 h. ago Tour de France unveils dramatic change to final stage of 2025 route

After last year’s Cote d’Azur time trial, the final stage of the 2025 Tour de France gets another revamp

Events

68 h. ago Giro d’Italia 2025 LIVE: Stage 11 updates, route and results as race returns to mountains and Primoz Roglic resumes title hunt

Road stages resume with another hilly day in the Apennines and Primoz Roglic scrambling to make up time

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69 h. ago Israel’s Yuval Raphael ‘shaken and upset’ after paint thrown by protesters during Eurovision final performance

Eurovision crew members were also hit with paint during the incident at the grand final in Basel

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69 h. ago Giro d’Italia 2025 LIVE: Stage 11 updates, route and results as race returns to mountains

Road stages resume with another hilly day in the Apennines and Primoz Roglic scrambling to make up time

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2 d. ago Ukraine war has reignited ‘cold war strategies’, says John le Carré’s son

Nick Harkaway sees parallels with postwar period as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold comes to the West End Russia’s war in Ukraine has reignited “cold war strategies”, according to the son of John le Carré, who announced that an adaptation of his father’s classic novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is coming to the West End for the first time.Nick Harkaway, who published Karla’s Choice last year, a sequel to the 1963 thriller, said the current geopolitical situation had echoes of the charged postwar period. Continue reading...

Events

2 d. ago Giro d’Italia Stage 11 preview: Chance for escapees or GC contenders to stamp authority on hilly stage

A return to the Apeninnes could provide a breakaway with another opportunity

Culture

3 d. ago Giro d’Italia: Ayuso and Roglic close on Del Toro as Hoole prevails in Pisa

Dry roads help Dutch rider to win stage 10 time-trialJuan Ayuso now just 25 seconds adrift in second placeDutchman Daan Hoole won stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia as rain hampered the later starters in Tuesday’s time trial, which ended with Mexico’s Isaac del Toro clinging to the overall lead.Hoole, the 26-year-old Lidl-Trek rider, took advantage of dry roads to cover the 28.6km from Lucca to Pisa in 32 minutes and 30 seconds for his first Grand Tour stage win. By the time the leading riders left the start gate rain was falling, making the corners slippery and reducing speeds. Continue reading...

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