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For every goldendoodle, there are 995 potential buyers. Why is the breed more po[CENSORED]r than any other? Top of the pups … a goldendoodle. Photograph: Oscar Wong/Getty Images Pass notes Dogs Reign of the goldendoodle: how it became the UK’s top dog For every goldendoodle, there are 995 potential buyers. Why is the breed more po[CENSORED]r than any other? Mon 19 Feb 2024 15.24 GMT Name: Goldendoodle. Age: The first goldendoodle is thought to have been bred by Monica Dickens, the great-granddaughter of Charles, in 1969. Our mutual (four-legged) friend? Stop that. A dog, I’m guessing? As opposed to an absent-minded scribble with a metallic pen … yes, a goldendoodle is a dog. Created by breeding a golden retriever with a poodle. AKA a Groodle. Not to be confused with Dougal. Who’s Dougal? Google him; he’s a skye terrier from The Magic Roundabout and not important here. And pass notes is interested in the goldendoodle/groodle because? It is the nation’s most sought-after dog. Not the labradoodle? Nope. It’s down at No 6. Still po[CENSORED]r, mind. Cavapoo? Currently seventh and now beaten by the maltipoo at No 3. What is this chart, anyway – top of the pups? Pretty much. The data comes from studying the sales and adverts on the Pets4Homes website, the UK’s largest online pet marketplace. Last year, there were 995 potential buyers for every goldendoodle advertised. Can’t argue with that. And what it is about goldendoodles that makes them so po[CENSORED]r? Well, their coats are more hypoallergenic than other breeds, which mean they are easy to care for, and they have an easy-going temperament. Axel Lagercrantz, the chief executive of Pets4Homes, said: “After the baby boom of the pandemic, many homes are searching for dogs that will go well with their new young family.” Best not go for an American XL bully then. You can’t; they’re banned. I wonder if that’s why the doberman is at No 2, with 795 views per listing … Anyway, back to goldendoodles – Adele could also be a factor. Is Adele a goldendoodle? She’s a pop star. Oh, the Adele! She has a pair of goldendoodles, Freddie and Bob. They are, she says, a “spark of joy”. Then there’s Brodie … Ian Broudie of the Lightning Seeds? No, Brodie is a goldendoodle, with 13 million combined followers on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Brodie’s human, Cliff Brush Jr, is said to have made more than a million dollars last year from Brodie’s viral videos and brand endorsements. I’m getting confused about who is a human and who’s a goldendoodle. Funny you should say that; another viral goldendoodle, named Sunny, is also confused and thinks he is a human; he stands on two legs. Oh my God, that is soooo cute. I want one! How much? Goldendoodles now sell for up to £1,600, which might sound like a lot, but it is less than they cost during the pandemic. Do say: “A goldendoodle is for life, not just for TikTok.” Don’t say: “A return of a million dollars a year, you say, on an initial investment of £1,600 … I’ll take the whole damn litter!” https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/19/reign-of-goldendoodle-how-it-became-uk-top-dog

Amadou Onana shows his delight after equalising. Photograph: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images The manner of his arrival as Crystal Palace manager was unfortunate, to put it mildly, but Oliver Glasner will have drawn encouragement from his first glimpse of Roy Hodgson’s old team at Goodison Park. Palace were worthy of at least a point against a regressing Everton, who need all the help they can get from their appeal against a 10-point deduction to stave off another relegation ordeal. Sean Dyche believed the presence of the new Palace manager galvanised the visitors, who led through a superb Jordan Ayew shot and were on course for a first win at Goodison in almost 10 years only for the substitute Amadou Onana to rescue Everton late on. The draw took Everton out of the relegation zone on goal difference ahead of Luton, who have played a game fewer, but performance-wise they are going backwards. yche’s team remain heavily reliant on set pieces for goals – Onana’s equaliser was their 10th goal from a corner this season – and are now eight games without a win in the Premier League. At home against a Palace team that has suffered a managerial ordeal in the past few days, along with 11 defeats in their previous 18 matches, Everton served up a dreadful display. The manager’s attempt to talk it up was another concern. “Oh no,” said Dyche when asked whether this represented a missed opportunity. “It is another point on the board. We’ve just popped out of the relegation zone as well. Now we wait on the 10 points [verdict], but no I haven’t heard anything yet.” Positives were the preserve of Palace. Glasner sat alongside the chairman, Steve Parish, in the Goodison directors’ box having been confirmed as Hodgson’s successor shortly before kick-off. His predecessor’s coaches, Ray Lewington and Paddy McCarthy, took charge as planned when the former England manager fell ill on Friday. There was a switch to a three-man central defence from the visitors with Daniel Muñoz and Tyrick Mitchell stretching Everton as wing-backs. Glasner’s first impressions of English football were deeply unattractive. The two recent FA Cup ties between the teams had lowered expectations for their fourth meeting of the season and the first half certainly lived down to them. It consisted mainly of Everton launching one long ball after another in the general direction of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Palace centre-halves Joel Ward, Joachim Andersen and Chris Richards absorbing them with ease. There was no plan B from Dyche’s team. The Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish (left) speaks with his new manager, Oliver Glasner, ahead of kick-off. Photograph: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images The visitors’ defensive strength and organisation will have enthused the former Eintracht Frankfurt coach. Palace also had the better chances of a dreadful first half but poor finishing and a goalline clearance reprieved Everton. Odsonne Édouard shot straight at Jordan Pickford and Jefferson Lerma sliced an inviting chance over after being teed up by Muñoz. Jean-Philippe Mateta did go close with a back-post header from Adam Wharton’s deep corner only for Ashley Young to hack clear on the line. Everton’s pre-match hopes centred on the return of leading goalscorer Abdoulaye Doucouré, making only his second appearance since the team’s last league win on 16 December due to hamstring trouble. Doucouré was largely anonymous although released Dwight McNeil for Everton’s brightest moment before the break, when Calvert-Lewin headed the winger’s inviting cross wide. It was the finish of a striker low on confidence and now without a goal in 19 games. In fairness to the Everton centre-forward he was far too isolated to have a meaningful impact. Calvert-Lewin was not only expected to win the first ball but the second too. It was grim fare, and Everton’s lack of quality in possession and tendency to go backwards with it proved a severe test of Goodison’s limited patience. One minute of added time at the end of the first half represented a small mercy. Jordan Ayew’s shot beats Jordan Pickford to give Crystal Palace the lead. Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters Jarrad Branthwaite, who endured a tough night against the powerful Mateta, escaped when appearing to clip the forward’s heels as he broke into the area. Mateta also made light work of James Tarkowski’s attentions and put Mitchell through on goal after holding off the Everton captain. Pickford was off his line smartly to smother the wing-back’s attempted chip. The course of the game appeared to have been shaped by two contrasting moments in two second half minutes. Everton should have taken the lead through Doucouré but instead found themselves trailing to Ayew’s precision strike. The Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was instrumental in both. Johnstone made a point-blank save to prevent Tarkowski heading home a McNeil corner. The rebound fell to Idrissa Gueye who dragged a shot across goal and into the path of his fellow midfielder. Doucouré, all alone at the back post, scuffed a gilt-edged chance from four yards out and Johnstone clawed the ball to safety just in front of the line. Seconds later the Palace keeper launched a goal-kick deep into Everton territory where Édouard headed on to Mateta. The French forward held off Branthwaite to find Ayew, who sent an emphatic drive into Pickford’s far corner from outside the box. Everton were staring at a calamitous defeat with Calvert-Lewin heading another good chance wide from a McNeil cross and Johnstone pushing away a James Garner shot. From the resulting corner, however, swung in by McNeil, Onana soared above the Palace goalkeeper and headed in a vital equaliser from close range. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/feb/19/everton-crystal-palace-premier-league-match-report

Reeder, 77, tries on one of her creations. Photograph: Joshua Bright/The Guardian A new start after 60 Fashion A new start after 60: I couldn’t find a hat for a wedding – so I unleashed my inner artist Anne Reeder always wanted to go to art school, but her father didn’t think it was a suitable education. In her 60s, she finally went back to college to follow her dreams When the eldest of her three daughters got married in February 2009, Anne Reeder searched everywhere for the right hat. “I needed fabric to complement my cashmere coat but the only hats that matched cost a fortune,” she says. “I had to go for a straw one in the end and probably looked a bit ridiculous.” The experience sparked an idea that Reeder only began to pursue three years later, at the age of 65. Deciding to become a freelance consultant after four decades as an occupational therapist and trust manager in the NHS, Reeder signed up for weekend classes in Ipswich to learn millinery, the art of hat making. “I’ve always loved drawing and sewing and I could always do with more hats to round off an outfit,” she says. “Millinery seemed like the perfect combination of my interests.” Her first task was a wide-brimmed white Ascot hat, machine-sewn from large circles of fabric. “It was wonderful watching it eventually come to life between my hands,” she says. “I ended up using it as a sun hat and took it on holidays with me for years after, until it became completely worn down.” Reeder with one of her hats. Photograph: Joshua Bright/The Guardian The experience of making something from scratch reminded Reeder of her early passions. “I really wanted to go to art school but I was one of three girls and my father wanted us to have a career that we could support ourselves with. He didn’t think an art school education was suitable. Making hats decades later released that creativity and allowed me to start again.” Once she retired in 2014, Reeder signed up for an intensive hat-making BTec qualification at Kensington and Chelsea College. Once a week, she would take the train to London and begin the complicated process of handcrafting pieces. “We learned everything from finding inspiration to sketching and making 3D models in paper,” she says. “Once we had our design, we would then ‘block’ it on wooden pieces, steam it, wire the edges, join the crown and brim and finally trim. It was such an absorbing process.” Reeder went on to make a range of hats on the course, from a fungi-inspired creation to a silk hat meant to evoke the harsh edges of the Grand Canyon, a straw hat inspired by glaciers and a felt hat layered like autumn leaves. “I can lose myself in it, put the radio on and get going,” she says. “You can even make flowers and shape fabrics while watching TV.” After receiving a distinction in her BTec, Reeder realised she could begin selling her stock. By 2015 she had launched her website, selling everything from £40 fascinators to intricate set pieces for £200 or more. “The business is mostly word of mouth and it has been lovely meeting ladies who have never worn hats before but want to find something they’ll feel good in,” she says. “In the nine years since we started, I’ve made hundreds of pieces, from a My Fair Lady-inspired hat to trilbies for men and even a free-flowing spiral that took weeks. I’m proud of it all.” Reeder at work. Photograph: Joshua Bright/The Guardian With her creations taking anywhere from an hour for simple fascinators to several weeks for intricate pieces that require drying and setting, Reeder, 77, now has a dedicated hat-making workshop in her home. “It has really refreshed my interest in fashion and fabric,” she says. “I went to India a few years ago and bought lots of offcuts to make headbands, and I also recycle old dresses into hats. I’m thinking of making a whole collection out of preloved fabrics next.” She now has more demand than she can keep up with but she is keen to learn new techniques. “I have to be careful not to make this another full-time job but it’s a wonderful community to be part of,” she says. “I’m part of an online milliners’ academy and I try to go to London Hat Week each year.” Recent cataract surgery and the purchase of a pair of trifocal lenses mean she is confident her eyesight and dexterity can withstand the demands of fine stitching as she nears her 80s. “I wish people would wear hats more, as it makes all the difference to an outfit,” she says. “I’ll keep going as long as I can, since people always need something interesting to wear.” https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/19/new-start-after-60-i-couldnt-find-hat-wedding-unleashed-inner-artist

At least one dead as Israeli forces open fire on crowd of hungry Palestinians waiting for aid convoy in northern Gaza. Displaced Palestinians gather to receive food at a government school in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 19, 2024 [Mohammed Abed/ AFP] At least one Palestinian man has been killed and many others wounded in northern Gaza after Israeli forces opened fire on desperate crowds waiting for food aid, according to witnesses and videos. Footage verified by Al Jazeera shows Palestinians on Monday fleeing to take cover along a ruined coastal road in northern Gaza – which has been almost completely cut off from aid amid Israel’s ongoing war – as the heavy sound of gunfire rings out. The videos also show clouds of grey fumes from smoke bombs billowing as thousands of Palestinians gathered in the area west of Gaza City. At least one person was killed in the incident, according to witnesses who shared images of a man splayed on the ground with a wound to his head. The Wafa news agency said at least 10 people were also injured in the attack. Victims and witnesses told Al Jazeera the Israeli attack was unprovoked. “I went down,” one man said at a hospital where he had been rushed to for treatment. “I heard gunshots then and I don’t know what happened.” Another man said he only went to the area to get flour. “We want to feed our children… just like everyone else so we went to get some flour. But then we were shot at, shells were fired and tanks advanced at us,” he said. The attack is the second of its kind in as many days and comes amid a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of famine-like conditions affecting some 2.3 million people. The footage from Monday also shows Palestinian children rushing to scoop up flour from the ground after one sack broke open. Despite the desperate situation, Israel – which controls entry points into Gaza – has refused to allow more aid in. Several UN agencies on Monday warned that the “alarming” lack of food and water as well as the spread of disease could lead to an “explosion” of child deaths in Gaza. “We’ve been warning for weeks that the Gaza Strip is on the brink of a nutrition crisis,” said Ted Chain, UNICEF’s deputy executive director for humanitarian action. “If the conflict doesn’t end now, children’s nutrition will continue to plummet, leading to preventable deaths or health issues which will affect the children of Gaza for the rest of their lives and have potential intergenerational consequences.” According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 29,092 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. Another 69,028 have also been wounded. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/20/israeli-forces-kill-wound-palestinians-waiting-for-food-aid-in-gaza

The Russian-made car was delivered to Kim for his ‘personal use’, North Korea’s state-run KCNA says. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un met Russian President Vladimir Putin on a visit to Russia last year [FMikhail Metzel/ Sputnik via AP] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been gifted a car by Russian President Vladimir Putin in recognition of their “special personal relations”, state media has reported. The Russian-made car, the make and model of which was not disclosed, was delivered to Kim’s top aides, including his sister Kim Yo Jong, on February 18 for the North Korean leader’s “personal use”, state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Monday. Kim Yo Jong courteously conveyed Kim Jong Un’s thanks to Putin to the Russian side, saying that the gift serves as a clear demonstration of the special personal relations between the top leaders of the DPRK and Russia and as the best one,” KCNA said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Putin’s gift appears to violate Moscow-backed United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang, which prohibit the supply of all “transportation vehicles” to North Korea. Kim is believed to own an extensive collection of high-end cars and has been spotted travelling in luxury models including the Mercedes-Maybach S600, Rolls-Royce Phantom and Lexus LX 570. During his visit to Russia’s far east in September, Kim admired Putin’s presidential Aurus Senat limousine and was invited by the Russian leader to sit in the back seat. Putin and Kim, both of whom are increasingly isolated on the international stage, have forged closer ties since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In October, Kim wished Putin victory over the “imperialists’ anti-Russia scheme” in a letter marking the 75th anniversary of their countries’ bilateral relations, state media reported. The United States and its ally South Korea have expressed concern about growing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. South Korea’s spy agency said in November that Russia likely assisted North Korea’s successful launch of a spy satellite, which Seoul, Tokyo and Washington condemned as a pretext to test ballistic missile technology. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/20/special-relations-north-koreas-kim-gifted-car-by-putin-state-media-say

Music title: Madison Beer - Make You Mine (Lyric Visualizer) Signer: Madison Beer Release date: 2024/02/09 Official YouTube link:

Nick movie: MISSION HONG KONG Time: Hollywood English Collection Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 100Mins. Trailer:

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If you really, really must have your cake and eat it, too, there's the 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Rubicon X. This plug-in-hybrid SUV marries the immense off-road capability we've come to appreciate from the Rubicon name with newfound electric-only capability for almost a couple dozen miles at a time. That pairing works better than you'd think; but then again, for a starting price north of $70,000, it had damn well better. If you're unfamiliar with newer Jeep parlance, the Rubicon X not only brings all the off-road hardware we expect—Dana axles, an electronically disconnecting front anti-roll-bar, locking front and rear differentials—but it also throws a bunch of premium stuff into the equation, like cushy nappa leather seating, a heated steering wheel, a transfer case with a automatic four-wheel-drive engagement mode, additional exterior cameras, and beadlock-capable 17-inch wheels wrapped in 285/70R-17 BFGoodrich All-Terrain K02 tires. HIGHS: Drives nicely in electric mode, still capable of climbing El Capitan, fab cabin tech. Not only does the Wrangler 4xe's electrified powertrain give it the ability to operate emissions-free for an EPA-estimated 21 miles, it also confers some major power benefits. By itself, Jeep's turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four produces 270 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, but the 4xe combo bumps output to an impressive 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. Combined with Dana's full-float rear axle, this will let you tow up to 5000 pounds, so you never need to leave the Jet Skis at home. Of course, all this power made for some impressive figures at testing time as well. Our test ute made its way to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds (not bad for a 5568-pound brute), a bit of an improvement over a non-X 2021 Wrangler Rubicon 4xe, which required 5.5 seconds. Five-to-60-mph sprints show improvement, as well, with the 2024 Rubicon X needing 6.0 seconds against the 2021 model's 6.2. Handling-wise, the two remain even-steven at 0.72 g on our 300-foot skidpad. In non-instrumented driving, the 4xe Rubicon X is the metallic manifestation of "Meets Expectations." The ride quality is on par with the average unladen body-on-frame trucklet, in that it's a little janky. The recirculating-ball steering—now with a slightly slower steering ratio—is old enough to have fought in the Spanish-American War and feels every bit of its age. The brake pedal is a little too firm, causing a fair bit of head-bobbing if the initial press is even a hair too strong. The BFGoodrich tires are aggressive enough to claw out of almost any dilemma, but there's a trade-off in how much they wander on just about every type of pavement. LOWS: Soft-top cabin noise, five-drink-minimum steering, 10-drink-minimum pricing. And then there's the noise. Our long-term Ford Bronco's removable hardtop lacked the optional sound-deadening, and as a result the cabin can be quite noisy at highway speeds—specifically, 76 decibels at wide-open throttle and 72 decibels at a steady 70-mph cruise. This Wrangler 4xe includes the optional (and, at $3995, expensive) Sky One-Touch power soft top. We had hoped for better sealing on the Jeep, but alas, our microphones picked up 76 decibels at WOT and 73 decibels at 70 mph. It never sounds truly sealed, which makes for some interesting white-knuckling at the car wash. Easily the most standout part of this Jeep is the hybrid half of its powertrain. Its 134-hp electric motor provides smooth—and, more importantly, sufficient—acceleration while the 2.0-liter stays in bed. However, when the charge runs low and it's time to operate as a traditional hybrid, things get a little murky. The transition between EV and ICE power isn't the smoothest, and a lot of it comes down to the gas pedal; give it too small of a jab, and the 4xe simply won't accelerate. Lean on it a little too heavily, though, and the engine awakens with a violent surge of forward motion that will catch your passengers off-guard and lead to more unwanted body movements. Not every 2024 Wrangler upgrade concerns the mechanicals. Creature comfort takes a massive step forward this year with the addition of a standard 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, which replaces the puny 5.0- and 7.0-inch units from years past. The software is, in characteristic Stellantis/Uconnect fashion, easy on the eyes and easy to use. It'll let you connect two phones via Bluetooth simultaneously, it's loaded with off-road trail maps, and it includes wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Two USB-C ports are a welcome addition for front-riding occupants, and the Wrangler can be outfitted with seven USB ports in total, split between USB-A and USB-C. VERDICT: If you really want to buy an $80,000 Jeep Wrangler, we're not going to stop you. You could get a plug-in Wrangler for as little as $52,590, since one of the updates for the 2024 model is a new Sport S 4xe trim meant to make its electrified offerings a little less expensive. But our test example is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, replete with higher-end equipment. A nonhybrid Rubicon X will set you back a little under $60,000, but the PHEV sends the price into low-earth orbit, with a starting figure of $72,290 and our test car ringing in at an eye-watering $79,345. Perhaps Jeep hides $20,000 behind one of the fenders; we should've checked. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a46804234/2024-jeep-wrangler-4xe-rubicon-x-test/

Janice Dickinson: ‘For breakfast, I’m digging sourdough with English or Irish salted butter.’ Photograph: Paul Archuleta/Getty Images The Observer Sunday with… Interview Sunday with Janice Dickinson: ‘Growing up in Florida it was all about surfing’ Samantha Rea The model talks about sourdough toast, her two Hungarian bird dogs, reading Barbra Streisand and becoming a grandmother What time are you up? I start spreading my toes at around 10am. That’s the time I should be in the gym and my brain is aware of it. ‘You should be in the gym,’ I think. I feel so much better leaving the gym than I do walking in. What’s for breakfast? I’m into toast lately. I’m digging sourdough with English or Irish salted butter. Sometimes I put a little honey on it, or avocado or blueberry jam. Depends on my mood. Bit of fresh air? I have two Vizslas, Jack and Jimmy. They’re Hungarian bird dogs that need to run a lot, so we take them to the park, let them off the leash and they go up and down saying hi to everybody. Sundays growing up? Our house was in Florida, about 12 blocks from the ocean, so I’d throw beach towels, sun lotion and a snack into the basket of my bike and cycle to this surf spot that people hung out at. I’d spend the day surfing and watching the waves. I did that from the age of nine or 10. A Sunday to remember? A few weeks ago I learned I’m having a granddaughter. My son invited us to his house and had us open a pressie. It was an Etch A Sketch with the news written on it. They watched me reading it and I started to cry. I was so happy, I didn’t hit the ground for about an hour. Sunday evening? I’m reading Barbra Streisand’s My Name is Barbra. It’s hard to get into at the beginning, but if you force yourself to stay with it, it’s worth it. Or there is always Netflix. Ever get the Sunday night blues? Sure, I think everybody does. People would be lying if they say they didn’t get them. It’s a normal reaction to be, like: ‘What time is left that I can call my own?’ Sunday nights belong to me! Janice Dickinson’s EP, I Coined It, is available on all digital platforms. Follow Janice on Instagram @janicedickinson and TikTok @officialjanicedickinson https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/18/sunday-with-janice-dickinson-growing-up-in-florida-it-was-all-about-surfing-

Tourists beaten by 434 runs in third Test and trail 2-1 in series Captain raises fresh concerns over Hawk-Eye after India’s win Ben Stokes complained about the technology after England’s defeat. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images Ben Stokes insisted England will not let their bruising defeat against India in the third Test eat up his side for the remainder of the series, even if, for the second loss in a row, the captain left the ground unhappy with the technology. The latter did not relate to a turning point given the nature of this reversal; Yashasvi Jaiswal’s brutal unbeaten 214 and Ravindra Jadeja’s five wickets having inflicted a 434-run hammering – England’s second heaviest by way of runs in history. If anything, the grumbles from Stokes about Zak Crawley’s dismissal – lbw to Jasprit Bumrah and the ball projected to be grazing the leg stump bail by a whisker – were more a symptom of his side being rolled for 122 all out. It was their second collapse in the match after losing eight for 95 on a ruinous third day. “I’ve played 100 Test matches now and I know that thinking too deep can send you on a downhill spiral,” said Stokes, whose side now trail 2-1 with two to play. “Whenever I speak after we lose it’s what we do next that counts. Games are lost in the head. If we carry anything over we’re already going into next week with a disadvantage. I mentioned in the dressing room, we must make sure all the emotion and disappointment is left in there and all the focus goes into the fourth Test.” While Stokes believed Crawley’s lbw on the final day in Visakhapatnam was simply “wrong”, this latest complaint – one that prompted Stokes and the head coach, Brendon McCullum, to speak to the match referee, Jeff Crowe – was based on confusion over a Hawk-Eye projection that, in his eyes, showed the ball was missing. Stokes claimed he was told the calculations were correct but the graphic produced was not and the projected contact was, at best, minimal. But all this risked sounding like deflection from the shortcomings of his team over the four days. “I don’t know what to make of it,” Stokes said regarding his version of the conversation with Crowe. “I think when people are in charge of it say something has gone wrong, that is enough in itself. “My personal opinion is if the ball is hitting the stumps, it is hitting the stumps. They should take away umpire’s call. I don’t want to get too much into it because it sounds like we are moaning, saying that is why we lost the Test.” ‘He knows what he’s doing’: Ben Stokes shrugged off questions over Joe Root’s form with the bat. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images That much was true. More relevant was the dropped catch by Joe Root on day one, 27 runs into Rohit Sharma’s eventual 133, or the first-innings collapse that left bowlers barely recharged. Root cut a bereft figure all match, his much-debated dismissal to the reverse scoop on day three summing a disappointing tour so far. “Who am I to question a guy who has 30 Test match hundreds and nearly 12,000 Test match runs. I think he knows what he’s doing,” Stokes insisted, also pushing back at suggestions his predecessor’s bowling demands are affecting his batting. Stokes revealed he is now mulling a return to bowling himself at some stage in the series, having previously promised the medical staff he would not push things following knee surgery last November. “I had my first bowl [in practice] at 100%,” he said. “As a person, I like to jump the gun a little bit too much. I have to get my whole body to get used to bowling, so I am not saying no but I am not saying yes either.” https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/feb/18/england-will-not-let-thrashing-by-india-affect-rest-of-series-says-ben-stokes

Controversy in West Bengal centres around Akbar and Sita, named for a Hindu deity, being placed in the same enclosure A Bengal safari park on the outskirts of Siliguri has attracted the ire of Vishwa Hindu Parishad Photograph: Diptendu Dutta/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock An Indian Hindu nationalist organisation has launched a court petition to stop two lions named after a Hindu deity and a 16th-century Muslim emperor from sharing a zoo enclosure. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a prominent rightwing Hindu organisation, went to court in the state of West Bengal after reports a lioness named Sita had been put with a lion called Akbar. Akbar was a Mughal emperor who extended Muslim rule over much of the Indian subcontinent, a time Hindu nationalist groups consider to have been a period of slavery. “Sita cannot stay with the Mughal emperor Akbar,” the VHP official Anup Mondal said on Sunday, suggesting it would offend religious sentiments in the Hindu-majority country. “Such an act amounts to blasphemy and is a direct assault on the religious belief of all Hindus,” the VHP said , after having lodged a plea on Friday calling for a name change. Critics say religious intolerance has been growing in the world’s most populous country since the Hindu nationalist government of Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, came to power in 2014. General elections, likely to be held in April, are expected to secure Modi a third term in power. Mondal said the lion called Akbar had previously been named after the Hindu deity Rama when he was in the neighbouring state of Tripura, which is controlled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party. But the lion’s name was changed when he was brought to West Bengal, which is controlled by the opposition Trinamool Congress party. The VHP petition calls for a ban on using religious names for animals in zoos. A West Bengal forest department official, Dipak Kumar Mandal, said “the lion and the lioness are now kept separately”. The case is scheduled for a hearing on 20 February. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/18/hindu-nationalists-court-lion-named-after-muslim-emperor-india

Israeli foreign minister says he will summon Brazil’s ambassador for a reprimand over the remarks which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as ‘disgraceful’. Buildings stand in ruin amid Israel's war on Gaza [UNRWA/Handout via Reuters] Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has accused Israel of committing “genocide” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and compared its war on Gaza with Adolf Hitler’s campaign to exterminate Jewish people. “What’s happening in the Gaza Strip isn’t a war, it’s a genocide,” Lula told reporters in Addis Ababa where he was attending an African Union summit on Sunday. “It’s not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It’s a war between a highly prepared army and women and children,” added the Brazilian president. “What’s happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people hasn’t happened at any other moment in history. Actually, it has happened: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.” Led by Hitler, the Nazis systematically killed six million Jews during World War II. Lula said Israel’s war on Gaza was a ‘genocide’ [Ricardo Stuckert/Brazilian Presidency via AFP] Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he would summon Brazil’s ambassador for a reprimand over the remarks. “No one will compromise Israel’s right to defend itself,” Katz said on X, adding that the envoy would be summoned on Monday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the comments as “disgraceful and grave”. “This is a trivialisation of the Holocaust and an attempt to attack the Jewish people and the right of Israel to self-defence. Drawing comparisons between Israel and the Nazis and Hitler is to cross a red line,” Netanyahu said in a statement. Lula, 78, had condemned the Hamas-led October 7 attack on southern Israel as a “terrorist” act the day it happened. But he has since grown vocally critical of Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza. At least 1,139 people were killed in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, mostly civilians, according to an Al Jazeera tally of Israeli official figures. Hamas members also took about 250 people captive, 130 of whom are still in Gaza, including 30 who are presumed dead, according to Israeli authorities. Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed at least 28,858 people, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian authorities. Lula criticised Western countries’ recent decisions to halt aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, after Israel accused some of its employees of involvement in the Hamas-led attack. Lula, who met with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh Saturday on the sidelines of the summit, has said Brazil will increase its own contribution to the agency and urged other countries to do the same. “When I see the rich world announce that it’s halting its contributions to humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, I just imagine how big these people’s political awareness is and how big the spirit of solidarity in their hearts is,” Lula said. “We need to stop being small when we need to be big.” He reiterated his call for a two-state solution to the conflict, with Palestine “definitively recognised as a full and sovereign state”. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/18/brazils-lula-compares-israels-war-on-gaza-with-the-holocaust

The anti-corruption campaigner and leader of the Russian opposition leaves behind a legacy of ‘the struggle for Russia’s better future’. Flowers and a candle are placed next to a portrait of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny following Navalny's death as people gather near the Russian embassy, in Paris, France, February 16, 2024 [Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters] Alexey Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most high-profile nemesis, has died in a penal colony inside the Arctic Circle. He was 47 years old. The authorities’ seeming reluctance to let his family collect his body has aroused suspicions around the circumstances of his death. The announcement was made by Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service on Friday. Navalny rose to fame as an anti-corruption campaigner, rallying massive demonstrations over the 2011 elections, which were widely believed to be rigged. He and his team released exposés of officials and business figures close to Putin’s inner circle – even Putin himself, accusing him of hiding an extravagant palace by the Black Sea. “It won’t be easy for the opposition to find someone who could stand in Navalny’s place,” said political scientist Gulnaz Sharafutdinova. “Nonetheless, Navalny’s political goal will survive and his name will remain as a symbol of struggle for Russia’s better future.” A woman lays flowers at a monument to the victims of political repressions following the death of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, in Moscow, Russia, February 16, 2024 [Stringer/Reuters] Controversial, but undoubted opposition leader Navalny was a controversial figure. Early in his career, he made hateful remarks about Muslims, immigrants and Georgians, and walked alongside the Russia March, an annual procession attracting monarchists, ultranationalists and far-rightists of all stripes. He later took back some of his comments, was one of the few prominent Russians to support Black Lives Matter, and spoke out against systemic discrimination against Muslims in the prison system. After a suspected poisoning attempt in 2020, Navalny was flown to Germany for treatment but nevertheless returned to Russia in January 2021, where he was immediately arrested and handed a 30-year term for “extremism” and other charges. “Navalny was undoubtedly the leader of the Russian opposition,” said Alexei Krapukhin, a member of the Moscow branch of the centre-left Yabloko Party. “Even after he was poisoned, he remained the leader, and even after he wound up in prison, he maintained his irreproachable authority.” Krapukhin attended Navalny’s rallies and campaigned for him during his bid for Moscow mayor in 2013 (Navalny also ran for president in the 2018 elections). “He was a hero and he inspired me a lot,” said Arshak Makichyan, an environmentalist and anti-war campaigner. “What happened just now is not about what he said 10 or 15 years ago, it’s what he’s been doing for the past three years. When he returned from Germany to Russia, it was very brave and inspirational for us in Russia to continue our struggles.” What will the opposition do now? So, what does Navalny’s death mean for the Russian opposition? Opposition to Putin is broad. There are the ultranationalists and neo-Nazis with whom Navalny has flirted in the past, who believe that by welcoming Muslims and immigrants, Putin is a traitor to their ideal of a white Slavic ethnostate. Hundreds of them have volunteered to fight for Ukraine, though conversely, there are neo-Nazi militias fighting for Moscow as well, for whom the idea of a Greater Russia trumps any misgivings about Putin. Leftists and communists are similarly split – the leadership of the Communist Party has cheered Putin’s invasion, alienating their grassroots members. While liberals are almost universally against Putin and the war, they are few in number, are mostly abroad, and squabble amongst themselves, with Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation and exiled tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky forming two separate camps. Anarchist cells have proactively sabotaged the war effort. Finally, there is dissent within Russia’s far-flung regions and ethnic republics such as the largely-Muslim Bashkira, where protests erupted in January after activist Fail Alsynov was jailed for inciting ethnic discord and discrediting the army, including questioning the war effort and its aims. Nearly 20,000 Russians have been detained for anti-war activities and hundreds have been convicted following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. They include Navalny’s ally Ilya Yashin, imprisoned for eight and a half years for livestreaming about alleged war crimes in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, which the authorities deemed to be spreading misinformation, as well as the Russian-British Vladimir Kara-Murza, sentenced to 25 years for treason. Like Navalny, Kara-Murza has survived two suspected poisonings that have left him suffering from a rare nerve disorder, and his wife has voiced fears that he may not survive the harsh prison conditions. While Yashin and Kara-Murza are liberals, Igor Girkin – aka Igor Strelkov – definitely is not. A former Russian intelligence officer, Strelkov arguably started the Russo-Ukrainian war by leading the original insurgency in east Ukraine in 2014, and had since reinvented himself as a blogger criticising Moscow’s war effort for not being waged fiercely enough. Last year, he was arrested on extremism charges and has since been handed four years’ confinement. Russian prominent nationalist, former military commander and Kremlin critic Igor Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, who is charged with inciting extremist activity, sits behind a glass wall of an enclosure for defendants before a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, January 25, 2024 [Maxim Shemetov/Reuters] On Telegram, Strelkov’s wife expressed her fear of Navalny’s death setting a precedent, a sentiment shared by the Kremlin’s liberal opponents. “Kara-Murza and Yashin and other anti-war, anti-Putin leaders are in danger, because now that Putin established the reputation of a politician who kills to stay in power, he has less to lose,” economist Konstantin Sonin told Al Jazeera. “He can kill more, with no new damage to his reputation. Yet neither of them is an immediate threat to Putin as Navalny was because he was very po[CENSORED]r. “Girkin will be at risk if his ideas would become more po[CENSORED]r, which I do not expect to happen.” The outbreak of full-scale war was accompanied by a mass exodus of anti-war Russians and draft dodgers. However, even there they are not always safe from Moscow’s reach: dissidents who’d moved to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, have been harassed, arrested and even extradited back to Russia. Between mass imprisonment and exile, there’s no one left of Navalny’s stature to rally around. “I think Navalny was a uniquely po[CENSORED]r Russian politician, more po[CENSORED]r than anyone else, including Putin,” said Sonin. “For the opposition, his death leaves the void that will be hard to fill.” One of the last remaining notable Kremlin critics neither incarcerated nor exiled is Yevgeny Roizman, the po[CENSORED]r ex-mayor of Yekaterinburg, an industrial city in the Ural mountains, famed for his colourful social media tirades. Last year, Roizman narrowly avoided confinement after being repeatedly convicted of “discrediting” the armed forces and was slapped with a 260,000-rouble ($3,250) fine instead. Since then, he has kept a lower profile. “I’m certain there’ll be a new wave of repression now,” Krapukhin predicted glumly. “The authorities will stop at nothing. The resistance will continue – some from abroad, some within Russia – but there is also fear, so it remains to be seen how active this resistance will be. Since 2022, the laws have become much tighter and many people are sitting in cells. Our duty is that one day there will be a statue to Navalny and his murderers are punished.” “I think Putin gave us a reason to be more radical because peaceful protests, which Navalny was promoting, don’t work anymore,” added Makichyan. “We need to be more effective against Putin’s regime,” he said, “and we need to change our strategy.” Supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny gather to mourn his death, in Beverly Hills, California, the United States, February 16, 2024 [Jorge Garcia/Reuters] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/18/hard-void-to-fill-navalnys-death-poses-challenges-for-russian-opposition

Nick movie: THE WITCH - Hollywood English Movie | Nicolas Cage Superhit Action Adventure Full Movie In English Time: Hollywood English Collection Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 81Mins. Trailer:

Music title: Melanie Martinez - FAERIE SOIRÉE (Official Music Video) Signer: Melanie Martinez Release date: 2024/02/09 Official YouTube link: