Day three report: sun setting on England’s Ashes dream
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“As I reach the end of another working week, I am once again reminded of the cruelty of cricketing disappointment. It’s hard enough being an Englishman living in Brisbane at the moment, but no cricket on my weekend seems excessively cruelty...”

There’s cricket on today, Phil Withington. It might not last very long, that’s all.

At event in California, US defense secretary says Trump has power to take military action ‘as he sees fit’

Pete Hegseth on Saturday doubled down on his defense of US military strikes on alleged drug cartel boats in the Caribbean, arguing that Donald Trump has the power to take military action “as he sees fit” and dismissing concerns that the strikes violate international law.

Hegseth spoke on Saturday at the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, California, amid growing scrutiny over the legality of the attacks and his leadership of the Pentagon.

George Strait, ‘Sly’ Stallone and Kiss accept medals from president, who says he was ‘98% involved’ in choosing them

Donald Trump on Saturday evening hosted the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees in the Oval Office for a medal-presentation ceremony, celebrating country music singer George Strait, actor-singer Michael Crawford, actor Sylvester “Sly” Stallone and the members of the rock band Kiss.

“This is a great evening, it’s a great honor,” Trump said. “And I’m delighted to welcome to the Oval Office – the world-famous, most famous office in the world, most powerful office in the world – our truly exceptional 2025 Kennedy Center honorees.”

Positive tone after Florida talks with Ukrainian president heading to London Street to see Starmer, Macron and Merz. What we know on day 1,383

Although people reported ‘things falling off shelves and walls’, no injuries or structural damage were reported

A powerful, magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck a remote area near the border between Alaska and the Canadian territory of Yukon on Saturday. There was no tsunami warning, and officials said there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck about 230 miles (370km) north-west of Juneau, Alaska, and 155 miles (250) west of Whitehorse, Yukon.

Fire broke out at midnight in the popular club in Arpora in the North Goa district, according to reports

At least 23 people have been killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in the Indian resort city of Goa, officials said.

Several tourists were among the dead in the fire, which broke out at about midnight at a club in Arpora in the North Goa district, according to the Press Trust of India.

While the tension between meritocracy and ‘jobs for mates’ is always there, the best boards are more than the sum of their parts

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Many years ago, I was encouraged to put my name forward to chair a significant government board. It seemed like a long shot to me, I wasn’t in anyone’s club, but my supporters were insistent. I agreed to let my name go into the mix.

It was a surprise then when the chair of the selection committee called a few weeks later and said with an apologetic tone: “Sorry Julianne, it’s just not your turn.”

Julianne Schultz is deputy chair of the Sydney writers’ festival board

Mediators of delicate truce say troop removal and deployment of international force crucial to second phase

Qatar and Egypt, the guarantors of the Gaza ceasefire, called on Saturday for the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the deployment of an international stabilisation force as the necessary next steps in fully implementing the fragile agreement.

The measures were spelt out in the US- and UN-backed peace plan that has largely halted fighting, though the warring parties have yet to agree on how to move forward from the deal’s first phase.

• Messi sparks Miami’s opening goal

• De Paul scores 71st-minute winner

• Inter Miami 3-1 Vancouver – as it happened

As the confetti flew, the Philip F Anschutz trophy was lifted into the air, and a player commonly thought to be the greatest ever to kick a ball celebrated the 48th title of his professional career, it was nearly impossible to believe that at several points, there were doubts. Serious doubts. Questions, large and small, about this Inter Miami squad, their manager, and nearly every player on the roster other than Lionel Messi.

Consider them answered. The Herons are MLS Cup champions after a 3-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in the last game at their temporary home, Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Next year, they will open their new stadium, Miami Freedom Park, as champions, and will face a high bar to clear to top a turbulent 2025 that saw them play 58 games – an all-time MLS record for games played by a team in a calendar year – for five separate trophies.

• Forward launches astonishing attack on Arne Slot

• Salah benched at Leeds for third consecutive match

Mohamed Salah has accused Liverpool of throwing him “under the bus” after being left out of the starting lineup for the third game running as the champions drew at Leeds, saying he has been made a scapegoat for the poor start to the season and casting severe doubt on his future at the club.

“I can’t believe … I’m sitting on the bench for 90 minutes,” the Egypt international said. “The third time on the bench, I think for the first time in my career. I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why.

Several additional people, including children, have severe liver damage amid 21 cases of amatoxin poisoning

California officials are warning foragers after an outbreak of poisoning linked to wild mushrooms that has killed one adult and caused severe liver damage in several patients, including children.

The state poison control system has identified 21 cases of amatoxin poisoning, likely caused by death cap mushrooms, the health department said Friday. The toxic wild mushrooms are often mistaken for edible ones because of their appearance and taste.

So long as the Premier League invests in its players and Fifa pays it lip service, the continent’s flagship tournament will always struggle to fit in

Perhaps attitudes are not quite as parochial as they once were, but it remains true that, in England at least, the Africa Cup of Nations is discussed less as a tournament in its own right than in terms of what it means for the Premier League.

There will be the usual harrumphing about why the tournament is played in the middle of our season, but the Confederation of African Football has tried to satisfy European clubs only to be thwarted by Fifa and the increasing demands of the calendar.

• Inter Miami host Vancouver for MLS championship

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3 min: Miami pinned Vancouver deep in their own half for quite a while, and after a short break the other way, they get it back. Allende gets the first shot of the game, putting it over from near the corner of the penalty area.

1 min: The atmosphere is lively as we have a frantic midfield battle, with neither team sustaining possession.

Last season, there was a coldly efficient streak to Liverpool. They rolled out a series of unremarkable 2-0 wins, a title rooted in unfussy competence. This season could hardly be more different; they are neither unfussy nor competent. They led 2-0 and, four minutes intostoppage time, they led 3-2, and yet still they didn’t win it. It was tremendous fun, but Arne Slot will have hated it.

Just as no side can be sure whether a win at West Ham in their previous away match means they’ve played well or were just playing West Ham, so it would be unwise to read too much into this mishmash of the haplessness and excellence. Their three goals all resulted from fine finishes and one from clever buildup play, but the image of the game – once again – would be Virgil van Dijk standing hands on hips, steam rising both literally and metaphorically as he glared in disbelief at the bizarrely diffident defending around him.

Montmorency Bakehouse decided to tackle online abuse head-on, asking viewers to ‘please stop with the thirsty comments’

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Lawrence Du knew instinctively that his parents’ bakery had the potential to pop off on social media.

Shaun Du and Cindy Vuong opened Montmorency Bakehouse on the fringe of Melbourne’s east in 2003, after migrating to Australia from Vietnam. They started selling pillowy, coconut-dusted lamingtons, vanilla slices, chunky steak pies and crusty loaves of bread alongside crispy banh mi and rice paper rolls, creating a traditional country-style Australian bakery with a Vietnamese twist.

From his home town of Los Angeles, the architect designed a career around defying what was predictable

In Frank Gehry’s world, no building was left untilted, unexposed or untouched by unconventional material. The Canadian-American architect, who died in his Los Angeles home at 96, designed a career around defying what was predictable and pulling in materials that were uncommon and, as such, relatively inexpensive.

Gehry collaborated with artists to turn giant binoculars into an entryway of a commercial campus, and paid homage to a writer’s past as a lifeguard by creating a livable lifeguard tower. And while dreaming this up, he transformed American architecture along the way.

After meeting Miranda at a footy screening, Darcy Green found her a little terrifying. Months later, their feelings came pouring out

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In 2018 I moved from Sydney to Oxford to complete my masters. My mum was born in London, and I was raised on my gran’s stories about England, so moving to Oxford felt oddly like going home.

I was excited to get my degree, visit as many beautiful libraries as possible and play all the sports I could cram into my calendar. Falling in love wasn’t on my wishlist, but then I met Miranda.

• Socceroos open against European qualifiers in Vancouver

• US game in Seattle then Paraguay match in San Francisco

Australia’s path through the group stages of the World Cup will pass through Vancouver, Seattle and San Francisco, after Fifa confirmed the venues and kick-off times for the 2026 tournament.

Drawn in Group D alongside the co-hosts the United States, Paraguay and the European qualifier to emerge from the playoffs involving Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkey and Romania, the Socceroos will start their campaign against their European foes at BC Place in Vancouver at a local time of 9pm on 12 June (2pm on 13 June AEST).

• England to play Croatia at Dallas Cowboys’ stadium

• Scotland’s opener against Haiti starts 2am UK time

England will kick off their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Dallas at 9pm UK time on Wednesday 17 June. They will play at the Dallas Stadium, home of the NFL’s Cowboys, which has a retractable roof and air conditioning. That will mitigate the effects of a 4pm EST kick-off (3pm local time). The roof will be closed for the opener.

England learned the specifics of their group phase schedule at part two of the World Cup draw in Washington DC, on Saturday. Their second game, against Ghana, on 23 June, will be played in Foxborough, near Boston at 4pm EST. It is an open-air stadium. The average June daily temperate high there is 26C.

Andrew Wolfe was shot in the head on 26 November, while Sarah Beckstrom died from her injuries

The West Virginia national guard soldier who was wounded in the 26 November shooting that killed a colleague of his in Washington DC is “slowly healing”, according to West Virginia’s governor.

Andrew Wolfe, 24, was shot alongside fellow West Virginia national guard soldier Sarah Beckstrom, 20, while they patrolled the US capital as part of the Trump administration’s push to deploy military members on to the city’s streets. Beckstrom died of her injuries the day after she was shot while Wolfe was hospitalized in critical condition.

⚽ Premier League updates from the 5.30pm GMT kick-off
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1 min: Bradley shields the ball on the right touchline, only to be skittled by Gruev. Szoboszlai swings in the free kick … but it’s not very good. It’s half-cleared by the first man, then Ekitike is caught offside.

A quick blast of the piccolo-fest Marching On Together … then Liverpool get the ball rolling. A fantastic atmosphere.

Ahmed al-Sharaa says Israel justifies aggression in the name of security amid airstrikes on southern Syria

Syria’s interim president has accused Israel of fighting “ghosts” and exporting its crises to other countries after the war in Gaza.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s comments come amid persistent airstrikes and incursions by the Israeli military into southern Syria.

A moment of sheer brilliance in the 65th minute from Rayan Cherki had all at the Etihad Stadium sucking air in awe. The Frenchman burst along the right and cut back, then delivered a scintillating rabona plum on to the head of Phil Foden, who nodded home off the bar. Manchester City had cruised to a 3-0 lead and were heading for second, two points off the top, after Arsenal’s defeat at Aston Villa.

The manager will adore Cherki’s man-of-the-match display as much as there being no second-half defensive horror show to follow the one at Fulham, and you have to wonder if City will again break the hearts of the Gunners come May. If Cherki continues to play as he did here then he will join Foden and Erling Haaland as City’s gun attackers who will give them the best chance of yet another crown.

Everton were unrecognisable to Sean Dyche on his return to the club he saved from relegation and potential administration not so long ago. In plush new surroundings, the former Everton manager encountered a contented fanbase and incisive, confident opponents as David Moyes’s team climbed to fifth in the Premier League with a comfortable win over Nottingham Forest.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall delivered another immaculate performance in the heart of Everton’s midfield as a fourth win in five games reinforced the strides made since Moyes replaced Dyche in January. Dewsbury-Hall engineered a rapid opener and scored the third, while in between Thierno Barry lifted the roof of Hill Dickinson Stadium by scoring his first Everton goal in his 17th appearance. Forest were flat and second best throughout.