4 h. ago Wales to pick rookies against Springboks as 12 stars can’t play

Steve Tandy announced his first Wales squad on Tuesday

Politics

29 h. ago Wales to name new and old faces as Borthwick refuses to pick England star again

The latest rugby news from around the world on Tuesday, October 21.

Politics

43 h. ago Awkward flirting, 4am breakdowns and a last kiss: David Eldridge on a decade of writing about love

Beginning, Middle and End form a trilogy charting the ups and downs of different relationships. Audiences have taken them to their heart – one couple saw the first play on a date, got married and had its title engraved on their ringsIt’s October 2017 and I’m sitting at the National Theatre, notebook open and pen poised, waiting for the third preview of my play Beginning to begin. The first previews had flown and I felt relaxed, enjoying the preshow music and its house party vibes. But instead of the play’s two characters, Laura and Danny, awkwardly flirting in her north London flat, I found myself imagining a couple 10 years older, in a big house in Essex. A relationship at breaking point. Middle. Fuck, I thought, and pushed the thought away as the show started.Eight years on and the final play of my trilogy, End, is in rehearsal at the National Theatre, with Saskia Reeves and Clive Owen playing a couple knocking 60. The three plays aren’t linked narratively as I wanted audiences to...

Events

65 h. ago Soap stars Max Bowden and Katie McGlynn share a passionate kiss outside pub

The EastEnders actor, 30, and ex-Coronation Street actress have been rumoured to have grown close after his split from his girlfriend as they star together in touring play Murder at Midnight.

Politics

4 d. ago New Zealand v England: first men’s T20 cricket international hit by rain – as it happened

Rain washes out the first match of the series at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch3rd over: England 14-1 (Buttler 9, Bethell 2) Buttler gets a single off the first ball but Bethell can’t get off strike. Some free flowing shots go straight to the fielders and the pressure starts to rise. Play and a miss! Henry moves one off a length late and it is wafty-woo from Bethell. There we go – a tuck off the hip for two gets the youngster off the mark, that’ll settle him down a bit. Just three off the over.2nd over: England 11-1 (Buttler 7, Bethell 0) Jacob Bethell gets an early visit to the middle. Don’t mention the A word! He starts with two dots, a play and miss and a thick outside edge. Good over from Duffy and New Zealand have the better of the early exchanges. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago New Zealand v England: first men’s T20 cricket international abandoned due to rain – live

First T20 called off after Christchurch deluge Series remains 0-0 with two matches to play3rd over: England 14-1 (Buttler 9, Bethell 2) Buttler gets a single off the first ball but Bethell can’t get off strike. Some free flowing shots go straight to the fielders and the pressure starts to rise. Play and a miss! Henry moves one off a length late and it is wafty-woo from Bethell. There we go – a tuck off the hip for two gets the youngster off the mark, that’ll settle him down a bit. Just three off the over.2nd over: England 11-1 (Buttler 7, Bethell 0) Jacob Bethell gets an early visit to the middle. Don’t mention the A word! He starts with two dots, a play and miss and a thick outside edge. Good over from Duffy and New Zealand have the better of the early exchanges. Continue reading...

Society

4 d. ago 'Will not play' Pep Guardiola fires warning to Man City stars after injury boost

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about how his returning players have act if they are to earn a spot in the team

Events

6 d. ago Arsenal star 'could switch national allegiance' in bid to play at World Cup

The defender has admitted there is a chance he could jump ship

Politics

6 d. ago Big Brother housemate set to 'ruffle more feathers' after heated spat

The ITV star claims she is ready to 'really play the game'

Society

7 d. ago ‘I’m all for instilling more playfulness’: the unusual musical world of Stephen Prina

The uniquely irreverent artist, whose work includes everyone from Mozart to Sonic Youth, has a career retrospective at the Museum of Modern ArtOn a recent Friday night in the vast atrium space of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, six string players took their place in a semi-circle and began performing the first movement of one of Mozart’s most sanctified sonatas. For the first five minutes or so, the musicians played his String Quartet No 15 in D Minor exactly as it was written until, suddenly, the conductor began acting like the host of a bingo game by throwing a six-sided die, with each side representing a particular player.“Two,” the conductor cried, before pointing at the second violinist, who immediately stopped what she was performing and began to play her part in the piece back from the start, while the others soldiered on through the score. “Four,” the conductor called after his next toss, pointing at the cellist who, likewise, went back to the beginning of his part, in...

Politics

7 d. ago Long games, less action: how much is the ball in play in the Premier League?

The average Premier League game lasts 100 minutes and 36 seconds, but the ball is only in play for 54.7% of thatBy Opta AnalystThe start of every football match brings a little flutter in the stomach. Will the stars perform? Will the referee have a good game by giving your players every decision? And will the football gods shine down on your team? A more pertinent question to ask this season, though, is how much football will we actually see?We wrote about ball-in-play time a few seasons ago, revealing that fans were not seeing as much football as in previous years. We’re not saying our data nosiness led to referees adding more stoppage time, but there was a notable rise in ball-in-play time over the next two campaigns. It went up from 54 minutes and 49 seconds in 2022-23 to 58 minutes and 11 seconds in 2023-24. It’s still early in the 2025-26 season, but the pendulum may be swinging back the other way. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Harry Potter TV series hires a SECOND child star to play lead role with 'perfect mop of hair and boyish looks' as mystery behind new face on set is solved

The job of playing the boy wizard, who is character from JK Rowling 's books, was originally given to Dominic McLaughlin, who was unveiled earlier this year - but now a second Harry has been spotted.

Society

9 d. ago Pick up Boots' autumn beauty box worth £206 and full of premium product for less than £50

The beauty box is said to be packed full of 'feel good' products

Economics

1 week ago Roman shoppers pick up 'pretty' bow dress for party season before sizes sell out

Bow party dresses are back in a big way and Roman shoppers aren't delaying in picking one up for less than £60 with a special discount code

Politics

1 week ago Start date for Arc Raiders Server Slam and when you can play the game's last test before launch

The Arc Raiders Server Slam is set to give players one final chance to play the game before it launches, and here's everything you need to know about the test

Politics

1 week ago Harry Brook admits Pat Cummins’ absence could boost England’s Ashes chances

Injured Australian captain set to miss at least Perth testBrook expects Stokes to play all five Tests in AustraliaHarry Brook believes Pat Cummins potentially missing the start of the Ashes would play into English hands but warned that Australia’s depth in pace bowlers means any replacement should not be underestimated.With just six weeks to go until the first Test in Perth, the fitness of Cummins remains a major talking point following the detection of a lower back stress injury earlier this year. According to some reports, his entire series could even be in jeopardy. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Harry Brook says Pat Cummins’ absence could play into England’s hands at Ashes

Injured Australian captain set to miss at least Perth testBrook expects Stokes to play all five Tests in AustraliaHarry Brook believes Pat Cummins potentially missing the start of the Ashes would play into English hands but warned that Australia’s depth in pace bowlers means any replacement should not be underestimated.With just six weeks to go until the first Test in Perth, the fitness of Cummins remains a major talking point following the detection of a lower back stress injury earlier this year. According to some reports, his entire series could even be in jeopardy. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Harry Brook says Pat Cummins’ absence could boost England’s Ashes hopes

Injured Australian captain set to miss at least Perth TestBrook expects Stokes to play all five Tests in Australia Harry Brook believes Pat Cummins potentially missing the start of the Ashes would play into English hands but warned that Australia’s depth in pace bowlers means any replacement should not be underestimated.With only six weeks to go until the first Test in Perth, the fitness of Cummins remains a major talking point following the detection of a lower back stress injury earlier this year. According to some reports his entire series could even be in jeopardy. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Saoirse Ronan to reportedly play Linda McCartney in Beatles biopic

Oscar-nominated actor rumoured to play Paul McCartney’s first wife opposite Paul Mescal in Sam Mendes set of moviesThe Oscar-nominated actor Saoirse Ronan is reportedly set to play Linda McCartney in Sam Mendes’ The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event.According to Deadline, multiple sources have claimed that the star of Little Women and Lady Bird will play the first wife of Paul McCartney in the upcoming set of biopics. The singer will be played by Paul Mescal, who starred alongside Ronan in the sci-fi drama Foe. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Women’s Cricket World Cup: Australia beat Pakistan by 107 runs – live

Updates from the ODI at R. Premadasa Stadium Play starts in Colombo at 10.30am BST/8.30pm AEDT Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email1st over: Australia 5-0 (Healy 1, Litchfield 4)I’m so pleased to see Colombo in the sunshine – it looks like a cracking day for cricket out there. Diana is bowling the first over for Pakistan and she starts with a good line and length and Healy is forced to defend the first couple of balls, before a wider one down the leg side appeals to Healy and she flicks it to deep backward square for a single, to give Litchfield her first look at Diana’s bowling. She also plays defensively for the first two balls she faces, then gets her footwork going and drives the last ball of the over to the boundary for four. Continue reading...

Politics