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Hulk Hogan was an era-defining American brand: big, brash and bizarre | Jesse Hassenger

The late wrestling star found various kinds of fame outside of the ring but the more we knew about him, the more we often wish we didn’t

Hulk Hogan broke containment. As popular as professional wrestling became during the 1980s, its ins and outs were not as well-publicized as the highlights of more superficially respectable sports such as football, baseball and basketball. Even non-sporty 80s kids could probably name a bunch of teams and a few ultra-famous players such as Michael Jordan, Joe Montana or Darryl Strawberry. Wrestlers, meanwhile, were essentially both the players and the teams, which should have made them easier to differentiate – but, in reality, made the whole thing seem like a TV show that you either watched, or you didn’t. Hulk Hogan, who died this week just shy of 72, was different. For better or worse.

Hogan, born Terry Bollea, had a wrestling career that synced near-perfectly with wrestling’s growing 1980s-era popularity. After bouncing between the World Wrestling Federation (the Vince McMahon-run organization now known as WWE) and the American Wrestling Association in the early 80s, Hogan returned to the WWF in 1983 and presided over an outbreak of what was diagnosed as “Hulkamania”. Even those who received the proper vaccinations against Hulkamania – namely, not paying attention to wrestling – could see the symptoms manifesting in others, and especially in the Hulkster himself. The red-and-yellow shirt he would tear off, the biker stache, the bandanna atop his thinning blond mane became instantly recognizable trademarks even for non-fans.

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© Photograph: Paul Kane/Getty Images

© Photograph: Paul Kane/Getty Images

© Photograph: Paul Kane/Getty Images

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Judge allows 12-year-old to play after ‘unsportsmanlike’ bat-flip suspension

  • Marco Rocco was suspended for bat-flip celebration

  • Family sought emergency ruling to overturn penalty

  • Judge granted relief hours before state tourney game

The 12-year-old Little Leaguer who faced suspension from his team’s first state tournament game for flipping his bat after hitting a game-winning home run will be allowed to play Thursday night.

Marco Rocco of Haddonfield, New Jersey, tossed his bat in the air on 16 July after his sixth-inning, two-run homer in the final of the sectional tournament. Marco was ejected and suspended for a game over what the family was told were actions deemed “unsportsmanlike” and “horseplay”.

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© Photograph: AP

© Photograph: AP

© Photograph: AP

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Musk’s Starlink satellite system hit by network outage, company says

Thousands of users left with no service as Musk says ‘SpaceX will remedy root cause’

Starlink was experiencing a network outage, Elon Musk’s SpaceX-owned satellite internet company said on Thursday, with Downdetector showing that the service was down for thousands of users.

“Starlink is currently in a network outage and we are actively implementing a solution,” it said in a post on X.

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© Photograph: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

© Photograph: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

© Photograph: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

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Raducanu races into quarter-finals with win over Osaka to regain British No 1 slot

  • Briton wins 6-4, 6-2 to make last eight in Washington

  • Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans go out in straight sets

Emma Raducanu will reclaim the British No 1 ranking after winning her first meeting with the four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka in confident fashion. The clash was hotly anticipated but proved to be not that much of a contest, with Raducanu comfortably clinching a 6-4, 6-2 victory to reach the quarter-finals of the Citi Open in Washington.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Raducanu said: “I thought it was going to be a really difficult match. Naomi’s won four slams, she’s been world No 1, won Masters [titles]. She’s so dangerous and on the hard courts I think she’s particularly comfortable. I knew I was going to have to play really well and manage my own service games, which I’m really proud of how I did.

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© Photograph: Kyle Gustafson/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Kyle Gustafson/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Kyle Gustafson/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

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BBC, AFP and other news outlets warn journalists in Gaza at risk of starvation

Reuters and AP among those urging Israeli authorities to allow reporters in and out of war-ravaged strip

Some of the world’s biggest news outlets, including BBC News, have joined forces to voice concern over the desperate plight of journalists in Gaza, warning they are “increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families”.

Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Associated Press, BBC News and Reuters said they were “desperately concerned” about the journalists in Gaza after widespread warnings of mass starvation.

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© Photograph: Khamis Al-Rifi/Reuters

© Photograph: Khamis Al-Rifi/Reuters

© Photograph: Khamis Al-Rifi/Reuters

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Chuck Mangione, Grammy-winning jazz musician and composer, dies aged 84

Celebrated flugelhorn and trumpet player released over 30 albums and sold millions of records throughout his career

The Grammy-winning jazz musician and composer Chuck Mangione died on Tuesday, according to a statement from his family. He was 84.

“The family of Chuck Mangione is deeply saddened to share that Chuck peacefully passed away in his sleep at his home in Rochester, New York on July 22, 2025,” his family said in a statement released on Thursday to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

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© Photograph: Paul Natkin/Getty Images

© Photograph: Paul Natkin/Getty Images

© Photograph: Paul Natkin/Getty Images

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England’s unashamed icon: Chloe Kelly renews starring role at Euro 2025

Effortless content generator’s rare gift for catching the eye has been key to the Lionesses’ run to latest major final

It was Chloe Kelly’s wedding anniversary on Thursday. We know this because she posted about it to her 1 million Instagram followers, because everyone saw her personalised shin pad adorned with her wedding photo, and because she joked last week that she still hadn’t got her husband, Scott, a card.

But then Kelly has always had a rare gift for catching the eye. Her shirt-waving celebration at Wembley remains the defining image of the Euro 2022 triumph. Her trademark headband renders her instantly recognisable in a squad full of above-average-height blond women. Her hop-skip penalty run-up is unique. In a profession where many are naturally wary of being seen to court attention, Kelly is luxuriantly comfortable with being the focus of your gaze. As her teammate Esme Morgan puts it: “She just doesn’t really care what people think.”

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© Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

© Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

© Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

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Artist Amy Sherald cancels Smithsonian show over censorship

Portraitist withdrew her National Portrait Gallery show over reports that a transgender Statue of Liberty painting could offend Trump

Artist Amy Sherald has decided to withdraw her upcoming show at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery over fears of censorship.

Sherald, who gained wider recognition after her portrait of Michelle Obama, was set to become the first contemporary Black artist to have an exhibition at the gallery.

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© Photograph: Harry McNally

© Photograph: Harry McNally

© Photograph: Harry McNally

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Rapper GloRilla arrested on drug charges after police respond to burglary call

Police arrested rapper after finding a ‘significant amount of marijuana’ in her Atlanta home during investigation

The American rapper GloRilla was arrested on felony drug charges the night before her performance at the WNBA all-star game, after police responded to a report of a burglary at her home in Atlanta on Saturday.

The Forsyth county sheriff’s office confirmed to Atlanta’s WSB-TV that authorities responded to a call about a burglary at a home owned by the rapper, legal name Gloria Hallelujah Woods, around 1.30am on Saturday. Woods was in Indianapolis at the time to perform at the WNBA all-star game that evening.

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© Photograph: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for ESSENCE

© Photograph: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for ESSENCE

© Photograph: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for ESSENCE

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Kneecap lambast Viktor Orbán over ‘outrageous’ ban from Hungary

Band say three-year order is ‘attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people’

The Irish hip-hop band Kneecap have criticised Hungary’s far-right prime minister, Viktor Orbán, after they were banned from entering the country for three years ahead of a scheduled appearance at a music festival there.

The group, who are outspoken supporters of Palestine, were due to perform at Sziget festival on 11 August. But the Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said on Thursday they had been banned because their “members repeatedly engage in antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups”.

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© Photograph: Jaimi Joy/Reuters

© Photograph: Jaimi Joy/Reuters

© Photograph: Jaimi Joy/Reuters

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The Guardian view on Ukraine’s protests: Zelenskyy must heed critics at home and abroad | Editorial

Stripping anti-corruption agencies of their independence was a terrible – and unpopular – move. There are broader lessons for the president in this crisis

When Russian troops rolled across the border in 2022, it established a new contract between Ukrainians and their president. The existential need for unity was cemented by admiration for Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s courage, and recognition of his ability to articulate the national mood and rally international support.

Ordinary politics were suspended. Critics who were already suspicious of his populist instincts and centralising tendencies did not want to aid Russia’s cause. They understood that wartime could require a different mode of leadership. This informal contract essentially held despite growing concerns about the concentration of power, the role of Mr Zelenskyy’s right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, and the departure of popular figures seen as potential rivals – notably the military chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, now ambassador to London, and the foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

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© Photograph: Francesco Fotia/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Francesco Fotia/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Francesco Fotia/Shutterstock

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The Guardian view on global inequality: the rising tide that leaves most boats behind | Editorial

The world’s assets are piling up in the hands of the few as growth is built on widening gaps. That’s not just unfair – it’s economically unsustainable

This year’s global wealth report by the City bank UBS confirms what is self-evident but rarely confronted: while riches are accumulating, their distribution remains starkly unbalanced. In the 56 countries and economic areas surveyed, the report says global personal wealth grew 4.6% in 2024. However, not all boats have been lifted by this tide. The gap is growing between those who hold assets and those who don’t.

The figures are shocking: just 60m of the world’s adults – 1.6% of the population – have net personal wealth of $226tn, or 48.1% of all the world’s riches. At the other extreme, four in 10 adults – 1.57bn people – have only $2.7tn, or just 0.6% of all the world’s personal wealth. Economists now argue that inequality is no longer a by-product of growth but a condition of it.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

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© Photograph: Abdul Saboor/Reuters

© Photograph: Abdul Saboor/Reuters

© Photograph: Abdul Saboor/Reuters

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Venezuelans deported by Trump to El Salvador describe ‘horror movie’ mega-prison

Men recently reunited with loved ones in their home country detail months of abuse at the facility

Venezuelan men who were deported by the US to a notorious prison in El Salvador without due process are speaking out about treatment they described as “hell” and like a “horror movie”, after arriving back home. A total of 252 Venezuelan nationals were repatriated in the last week in a deal between the US and Venezuelan governments, with many able to reunite with family after their ordeal in El Salvador.

Carlos Uzcátegui tightly hugged his sobbing wife and stepdaughter on Wednesday morning in western Venezuela after he had been away for a year.

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© Photograph: Ricardo Mazalán/AP

© Photograph: Ricardo Mazalán/AP

© Photograph: Ricardo Mazalán/AP

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Ginastera: String Quartets album review – compelling and colourful

Kiera Duffy/Miró Quartet
(Pentatone)

The passionate settings of Spanish poetry in the Argentinian composer’s third string quartet are the real discovery of this career-spanning trilogy

Alberto Ginastera divided his own composing career into three phases, and each of his string quartets falls conveniently into one of those phases. Composed in 1948, String Quartet No 1 belongs to what Ginastera called his period of “objective nationalism”, when, following the example of his teacher Aaron Copland, he incorporated the folk music of his native Argentina more or less unaltered into his own music; 10 years later, in the “subjective nationalism” of the second quartet, those colouristic elements have been absorbed into the energised textures of his works, which are organised using Schoenberg’s 12-note technique.

As the Miró Quartet’s performances of the first two quartets show, both are attractive works, full of vivid incident, which deserve to be included in recitals far more often than they are. But it’s the third quartet that’s the real discovery here. By the time it was composed in 1973, Ginastera was living in Europe (he would die in Geneva in 1983) and in what he described as his “neo-expressionism” phase. Taking its cue from Schoenberg’s second quartet, it adds a solo soprano to the lineup, for passionate, dramatic settings of texts by three 20th-century Spanish poets: Juan Ramón Jiménez, Federico García Lorca and Rafael Alberti. The recording places the soprano, Kiera Duffy, rather farther forward than ideal, but there’s no denying that the effect is totally compelling.

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© Photograph: Tania Quintanilla

© Photograph: Tania Quintanilla

© Photograph: Tania Quintanilla

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Duckett and Crawley’s 166-run stand hurts India on England’s dominant day

After the mature, pragmatic climb to a match-winning first innings total at Lord’s came the return of England’s natural, more freewheeling rhythms. Wickets tumbled, runs flowed and a raucous second day in Manchester ended with the hosts in the ascendancy.

It began with a successful dousing of India’s lower order either side of lunch as the second new ball moved lavishly under cloud cover. Ben Stokes claimed his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket for eight years, Jofra Archer furthered optimism about his comeback with three, and the tourists were rolled for 358 in 114.1 overs. Rishabh Pant bravely emerged with his fractured foot but 17 more runs was all he could muster.

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© Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

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New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields carted off with toe injury at camp

  • Fields suffers toe injury during team drill

  • Coach Glenn unsure of injury severity

  • Tyrod Taylor takes over first-team reps

New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields was carted from the practice field Thursday morning with a toe injury.

Fields threw an incomplete pass to Jeremy Ruckert on his fifth play of team drills when he went down. The quarterback, in his first season with the Jets, sat on the grass for a few moments before getting up and limping to the sideline while helped by a trainer.

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© Photograph: Frank Franklin II/AP

© Photograph: Frank Franklin II/AP

© Photograph: Frank Franklin II/AP

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Tour de France: Onley lays down a marker as Pogacar keeps grip on yellow

  • Young Scot closes on podium as Pogacar extends lead

  • Australia’s Ben O’Connor claims stage 18 victory

Oscar Onley edged closer to a surprise podium finish in the 2025 Tour de France, as Tadej Pogacar moved further ahead of second-placed Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour’s toughest mountain stage to Col de la Loze.

Urged on by the band of OnleyFans at the roadside, the 22-year-old from Kelso produced the ride of his young life in the Tour’s queen stage, won by Ben O’Connor, to climb to within 22sec of a top-three placing.

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© Photograph: Thibault Camus/AP

© Photograph: Thibault Camus/AP

© Photograph: Thibault Camus/AP

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Lionesses of 2025 echo Southgate’s 2024 England with bumpy ride to Spain final

There are uncanny parallels in the journey of both teams but Sarina Wiegman’s side know how to win a Euros

A lauded coach under scrutiny, super-sub strikers, “Who else?” moments from world-class players, a Bayern Munich star labouring after injury, a statement performance against the Netherlands and some luck at penalties. It’s England at the Euros, but is it 2024 or 2025?

When Michelle Agyemang drove unerringly through the ball in the fifth minute of added time on Tuesday night, the mind flicked back to this time last year and Ollie Watkins burying a shot in similar fashion. His was a late winner against the Netherlands in Dortmund, Agyemang’s a crucial equaliser against Italy in Geneva. But both were clutch finishes with seconds left on the clock from substitutes who had barely been on the field.

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© Composite: Getty Images

© Composite: Getty Images

© Composite: Getty Images

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Hulk Hogan – a life in pictures from wrestling fame to Trump rallies

The controversial wrestling star died at the age of 71 after a cardiac arrest at his home in Florida. He was one of the most successful wrestlers of the 1980s before starring in films such as Mr Nanny, Rocky III and Suburban Commando. He was also a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, taking part in campaign rallies for the president

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© Photograph: AP

© Photograph: AP

© Photograph: AP

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Oleksandr Usyk ordered to defend WBO heavyweight title against Joseph Parker

  • Both parties have 30 days to agree terms before purse bid

  • Mandatory challenger Parker is on a five-fight win streak

Oleksandr Usyk has been ordered by the World Boxing Organisation to defend his heavyweight world title against Joseph Parker. Saturday’s spectacular knockout of Daniel Dubois in front of more than 80,000 people at Wembley ensured the Ukrainian was crowned undisputed world champion once again.

Both parties have 30 days to agree terms or the WBO will proceed to a purse bid. Parker, the former world champion, is on a five-fight winning streak, including impressive wins over the former WBC world champion Deontay Wilder, Martin Bakole and Zhilei Zhang.

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© Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters

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It is one of the deadliest chemicals on Earth – but even Mexico’s cartels can’t resist the lure of mercury

An undercover investigation reveals 200 tonnes of the deadly substance is being smuggled across South America, where it is poisoning rivers, soil and air

Mercury is one of the world’s 10 deadliest chemicals – once extracted from the Earth’s crust, it can take centuries to break down. In 2013, more than 100 countries signed up to the Minamata convention, committing to restrict its production, export and use, and phase it out altogether.

Yet while Latin American countries claim to have ended production of the toxic element and controlled its movement across borders, they have simply driven the trade underground. A new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has found that mercury production is “out of control” in Mexico – the world’s second largest producer – driven by high gold prices and cartel involvement.

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© Photograph: SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

© Photograph: SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

© Photograph: SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

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Justice department forms ‘strike force’ to investigate Obama over 2016 election

Formation comes after intelligence chief accused Obama of ‘treasonous conspiracy’ for suggesting Russian interference

The US justice department has formed a “strike force” to investigate claims that the Obama administration carried out a “treasonous conspiracy” by using false intelligence to suggest Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to help Donald Trump.

Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, announced the new force’s formation after the release of a trove of declassified documents from Barack Obama’s national security team by the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.

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© Photograph: Eric Lee/Pool/Eric Lee - Pool/CNP/Avalon

© Photograph: Eric Lee/Pool/Eric Lee - Pool/CNP/Avalon

© Photograph: Eric Lee/Pool/Eric Lee - Pool/CNP/Avalon

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‘Horner exit won’t influence my future’: Verstappen on whether he stays at Red Bull

  • World champion insists he just wants car to be quicker

  • Reveals sacked principal still ‘like a second family to me’

Max Verstappen has insisted that the dismissal of Christian Horner as team principal would not be a factor in deciding whether he remains at Red Bull.

The world champion also revealed that the shock move after the British Grand Prix was led by the team’s parent company Red Bull GmbH, which had been embroiled in a power struggle with Horner for a year and a half.

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© Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock

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