3 h. ago State of Origin 2025 Game 3: where the series decider will be won and lost | Jack Snape

From the huge decision to bring Josh Papalii out of Origin retirement to a titanic tussle in the centres, the series finale in Sydney promises intrigueThey have been outplayed for much of this year’s State of Origin series, written off and then almost snuffed out at the end of Perth’s dramatic Game 2. But Queensland are primed for another doubt-them-at-your-peril Maroons miracle in the shield-deciding match on Wednesday at Accor Stadium in Sydney.While the Blues are settled going into the much-anticipated clash, Queensland coach Billy Slater has made changes by both necessity and conviction. His side may have held on at the death to win the last contest 26-24, but their performance still prompted the former fullback to press the big maroon button: the break-glass-in-emergency, call-up-a-great-for-one-last-time selection shock. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Surprise Helldivers 2 Xbox release announced for next month but it might not be on Game Pass

Helldivers 2, the sci-fi shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios, will finally be making the leap to Xbox Series X|S next month, after once being exclusive to PlayStation and PC.

Sport

5 d. ago Squid Game season three breaks Netflix viewership record with 60.1m views

Final season of the smash series scores a new record for the streaming platform in the first three daysThe third and final season of the hit Korean series Squid Game has broken records to become the biggest-ever TV launch for Netflix.Over its first three days, the series racked up more than 60.1m views, a new high for the streamer, with more than 368.4m hours viewed. The second season launched with 68m views but over a four-day period last December. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Glory and Fury to Devils and Dolphins: Australian team names come full circle | Jack Snape

The trend for unorthodox sporting nicknames has made way for a return to more traditional monikers in recent timesThe naming trends for Australian professional sports teams have come full circle, as fans and officials overlook vibe-driven monikers like Glory and the plurally-challenged Power or Storm to return to animals that bite, some 30 years after one of the great sports marketing revolutions took hold.The three most recent expansion announcements in the NRL and AFL have revived classic animal mascots, through the Perth Bears, Tasmania Devils and Dolphins from Redcliffe. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Indiana Pacers v Oklahoma City Thunder: NBA finals Game 7 – live updates

Thunder host Pacers in winner-take-all Game 7Send David an email at david.lengel@theguardian.comThey said this series would suck. They said this series would be short. But I am here to say now, hello and welcome to our live coverage of Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Seven games, that’s as long as it can go. You don’t get bad seven game series, it doesn’t happen. The Thunder and Pacers match-up is no exception.For those of you new to basketball and wanted to see what all the fuss was about, the season ends tonight, and we’re guaranteed to have a new champion. So yeah, it’s kind of a big deal, which is why you’re here. Continue reading...

Sport

2 w. ago Stephen Mulhern's '£1million Butlin's magic show ends' as presenter suffers another blow after Dancing on Ice and game series axed

The TV personality, 48, has performed at the entertainment resort for the last three years but will not return next summer.

Economics

2 w. ago Stephen Mulhern's '£1million Butlin's magic show scrapped' as presenter suffers year from hell with Dancing on Ice and game series axed

The TV personality, 48, has performed at the entertainment resort for the last three years but will not return next summer.

Economics

2 w. ago ‘We’re all connected – but it’s not the connection I imagined’: Hideo Kojima on Death Stranding 2

The legendary video game designer discusses directing actors in Mexico from Japan, how Mad Max inspired his career and the unique reason why he wants to go to spaceHideo Kojima – the acclaimed video game director who helmed the stealth-action Metal Gear series for decades before founding his own company to make Death Stranding, a supernatural post-apocalyptic delivery game this publication described as “2019’s most interesting blockbuster” – is still starstruck, or perhaps awestruck. “George [Miller] is my sensei, my God,” he proclaims gleefully.Kojima is visiting Australia for a sold-out chat with Miller, the creator of the Mad Max film franchise, at the Sydney film festival. The two struck up an unlikely but fierce friendship nearly a decade ago, and Kojima says that, as a teenager, the first two Mad Max films inspired him to become a movie director and thus, eventually, a video game maker. At the panel later, Miller is equally effusive, calling Kojima “almost my brother”; the Aus...

Events

2 w. ago Queensland stay alive after holding off stirring NSW comeback in State of Origin classic

Maroons win 26-24 after Blues rallied from 26-6 down at half-timeResult at Optus Stadium in Perth sends series to decider in SydneyThey had been all but written off, rudderless and adrift with a rattled coach at the helm, but a spirited Queensland kept the State of Origin shield alive after a wet, wild and often bizarre Game 2 victory over New South Wales in Perth.The memorable 26-24 triumph wasn’t certain until the final moments after a titanic Blues comeback – highlighted by a Brian To’o hat-trick – brought them back to within two points with eight minutes to go. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Merciless Panthers win second successive Stanley Cup after beating Oilers again

Florida win Game 6 to claim series 4-2Panthers also beat Oilers in last year’s finalThe Florida Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup champions by beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the final on Tuesday night, becoming the NHL’s first back-to-back winners since Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021, and the third team to do so this century.Sam Reinhart scored four goals, becoming just the fourth player in league history to achieve the feat in a Stanley Cup final game. His third to complete the hat-trick sent rats, along with hats, flying on to the ice. Matthew Tkachuk, one of the faces of the franchise, fittingly scored the Cup clincher. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Ruth Jones joins Saltburn and Game of Thrones stars in new BBC series

The BBC confirmed the new series is being produced by Welsh production company Bad Wolf and is also being shot in Wales

Events

2 w. ago Thunder move one win from first NBA title in 46 years after holding off Pacers

Oklahoma City beat Indiana 120-109 in Game 5 of finalsWilliams leads way as OKC hold serve on home floorThunder one win from franchise’s first title since 1979The Oklahoma City Thunder moved within one win of their first NBA championship in 46 years on Monday night, beating the Indiana Pacers 120–109 in Game 5 of the NBA finals to take a 3-2 series lead.Jalen Williams erupted for a career playoff-high 40 points, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 points and 10 assists, and the Thunder held off a furious Indiana rally to secure a chance at clinching their first title since 1979 in Game 6 on Thursday in Indianapolis. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Thunder move one win from franchise’s first NBA title in 46 years after holding off Pacers

Oklahoma City beat Indiana 120-109 in Game 5 of finalsWilliams leads way as OKC hold serve on home floorFranchise last won title when based in SeattleThe Oklahoma City Thunder moved within one win of the franchise’s first NBA championship in 46 years on Monday night, beating the Indiana Pacers 120–109 in Game 5 of the NBA finals to take a 3-2 series lead.Jalen Williams erupted for a career playoff-high 40 points, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 points and 10 assists, and the Thunder held off a furious Indiana rally to secure a chance at clinching their first title since 1979 in Game 6 on Thursday in Indianapolis. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago A £2.5m dud? Fresh doubt cast on authenticity of National Gallery Rubens

Former curator’s comments, later withdrawn, reignite debate over attribution of Samson and Delilah paintingIt is an unwelcome question, but an important one: did the National Gallery buy a £2.5m dud?This has remained the suspicion of many experts since one of Britain’s premier cultural institutions acquired Samson and Delilah, a long-lost masterpiece by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, in 1980. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Major league could return in EA FC 26 as Konami remove 14 teams from eFootball

A league that hasn't featured in FIFA or EA Sports FC since FIFA 22 could be destined for a return to EA Sports' game series in EA FC 26.

Sport

3 w. ago Stanley Cup final: Panthers score six in Game 3 demolition of Oilers to take series lead

Edmonton Oilers 1-6 Florida PanthersChampions take 2-1 lead in best-of-seven seriesBrad Marchand and Sam Bennett scored again, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe each got their first goal in the Stanley Cup final and the defending champion Florida Panthers capitalized on the Edmonton Oilers’ worst performance in weeks to win Game 3 in a 6-1 rout Monday night and take a 2-1 series lead.The 37-year-old Marchand became the oldest player to score in each of the first three games of a final and the first to open the scoring the next time out after notching an overtime winner. His 11 goals in the final are the most among active players, one more than similarly ageless Corey Perry. Continue reading...

Sport

4 w. ago CNN and HBO owner Warner Bros Discovery announces breakup plan

Shares jump 9% before market open as cable operations to be separated from movie studiosWarner Bros Discovery, the mega media conglomerate behind Hollywood movie studios and a string of TV networks, from HBO to CNN, has announced plans to break into two companies in a bid to revive its fortunes.The group will separate Warner Bros, the DC Studios comic book franchise, its Max streaming service and HBO, the premium cable network behind hit series including The Last Of Us, Game of Thrones and Succession, away from its other linear TV networks, which include CNN, Discovery and free-to-air channels across Europe. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago NBA finals: Ruthless Thunder show Pacers no mercy as they level series 1

Indiana Pacers 107–123 Oklahoma City ThunderThunder level best-of-seven series at 1-1The Oklahoma City Thunder blew Game 1 of the NBA finals after holding a significant lead over the Indiana Pacers. In Game 2, they made sure there was no repeat, utterly dominating their opponents in a 123-107 victory that leveled the series at 1-1.In Game 1, the Thunder had a 12-point lead at half-time and a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter before losing to the Pacers courtesy of a Tyrese Haliburton basket in the final second. On Sunday night, they took control of the game early on, but this time they didn’t let their advantage go. Continue reading...

Culture