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Despite the hatred the Australian attracts, there's still an air of expectation that hovers around him even as his career continues to stallWhen Australia launch their Fiba World Cup campaign against Finland on Friday, 10 years since Ben Simmons's last two appearances with the Boomers, they will at last be led by a tall point guard with freakish ball handling skills who's been hailed as a generational talent". But it will be Josh Giddey - 6ft 8in, 20 years old, fresh from two stellar opening seasons with Oklahoma City, and the youngest player in NBA history to score a triple double - running the Boomers' offense. Simmons - 6ft 10in, 27, beset by repeated physical and mental setbacks, and the most fined NBA player of all time - will miss the World Cup to recover from a nerve impingement in his back.Giddey represents the future of Australian basketball. Simmons was the future once, but increasingly it seems he is the past - a past that promised so much and delivered only in fits and starts. In his five full (or full-ish) seasons in the NBA, Simmons has shown all the versatility and durability that was expected of him when he emerged with Louisiana State University: but as a meme rather than as a player. There have been, to be fair, glimpses of the talent that saw the 76ers make him the No 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft: the falcon-like court vision, the power under the boards, that godly passing range and rolling, liquid comfort with the ball in hand. But Simmons has missed two full seasons: the first in 2016-17 thanks to injury, and the second, in 2021-22, owing to a combination of injury and the breakdown of his relationship with 76ers management. Since he was traded to the Nets in early 2022, Simmons has spent most of his time in the treatment room, surrounded by accusations that he is simply too weak for the NBA, a quitter. He earned $35m last season but started on the bench towards the end of 2022-23 before being shut down due to injury. Continue reading...

First 2024 debate will be held in a racially diverse Democratic stronghold and a battleground that could decide who winsThe Republican party faces an electability test on Wednesday when candidates including election deniers, climate deniers and anti-abortion extremists take the debate stage in a city that rebukes them and a state they cannot afford to lose.The first presidential primary debate will be held in Milwaukee, a racially diverse Democratic stronghold in Wisconsin, a battleground that could decide who wins the White House in 2024. Continue reading...

Former president had lawyers negotiate booking to take place during prime viewing hours on Thursday to get maximum TV ratings. Plus, could the vagus nerve be the key to depression, obesity, alcoholism - and more?Good morning.Donald Trump is expected to surrender at the Fulton county jail tomorrow evening on racketeering and conspiracy charges over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia, according to two people briefed on the matter.Why isn't Trump taking part in tonight's Republican primary debate? The decision to spurn the debate in favor of a pre-taped interview with Tucker Carlson solves the political question of how to inflict damage on the 2024 field, but it also eliminates concerns his remarks in the high-profile event could increase his legal exposure, Hugo Lowell writes.Have any of the other co-defendants turned themselves in? The first two defendants in the Georgia election subversion case have been booked in the Fulton county jail. Scott Hall, an Atlanta-area bail bondsman, was booked at the Rice Street jail on Tuesday. John Eastman, a Trump attorney and allegedly one of the main people behind Trump's plan to halt the certification of Biden's victory, also voluntarily turned himself in later yesterday morning.What else is happening? Mark Meadows, Trump's former White House chief of staff, has asked a federal court to block his arrest in an emergency motion, according to court documents filed yesterday. Meadows has requested the case be moved to federal court, saying the charges concern his actions as an officer of the federal government.What else did he say? By his own admission, he sexually abused or harassed seven teenagers between about 1966 and 1979. Reports of his misconduct led to the 1988 conversation with the city's archbishop at the time, the late Philip Hannan, to whom he promised to never be in any such circumstances" again.What happened after the 1988 conversation? Hecker continued working. It wasn't until 1999 that persisting reports against Hecker prompted the archdiocese to send him to an out-of-state psychiatric treatment facility which diagnosed him as a pedophile. The facility recommended that the archdiocese prohibit Hecker from working with minors or other particularly vulnerable" people, according to a secret personnel file obtained by the Guardian and shared with WWL-TV. However, even then, Hecker did not stop working. In 2000, he was assigned to a church with an elementary school attached to it. Continue reading...

As cost of living continues to rise in the Golden state, some first responders have moved to Oregon, Arizona, Texas, Alabama, Florida - even AlaskaIs it OK if I talk from the car?" asked Kyle Conforti, a 40-year-old firefighter who works at the Orange county fire authority (OCFA) in southern California. There is still some last-minute preparation - suitcases to pack, bills to cancel and goodbyes to say - before the big day. Tomorrow, Conforti, his wife, Roxanne, and their two young kids will begin a 2,000-mile, cross-country drive from San Luis Obispo county to their new home in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee.In a few weeks, Conforti will arrive back in California to punch in at the same firehouse for another work shift. Continue reading...

Officials from Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand accuse the Denver Art Museum of possessing stolen antiquities and asked for return of eight pieces that were looted from temples and historical sitesHigh-level government representatives from three south-east Asian countries have complained that the Denver Art Museum continues to possesses looted artefacts and are demanding them back - as stolen antiquities remain an ongoing problem in US institutions.Officials from Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand have formally asked the Denver Art Museum (DAM) in Colorado to return eight pieces that were looted from temples and historical sites, the Denver Post first reported. The government officials notified DAM in May and June through correspondence from US investigators. Continue reading...

With the right rebrand, even the most banal concept can capture the zeitgeist. Imagine being the genius who relaunched the ploughman's lunch as girl dinner'In my day, we called it depression". If you spent all day in bed, refusing to face the real world, then you were either 1) lazy, 2) hungover or 3) depressed.I've aged myself there, haven't I? In 2023, spending an entire day lying down may be a sign that you are having a menty-b" (gen Z slang for a mental breakdown) or that you're bed-rotting". Bed-rotting, while an evocative term, is difficult to define. Depending on which articles you consult from the million that have recently been published on the phenomenon, it either means you're practising self-care and opting out of imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy norms, or it means you're a slob. Continue reading...

State Republican lawmakers who allegedly signed on as Trump's false electors in 2020 face anger, prosecution and recallWhen the news broke in 2020 that 16 Republicans in Michigan had signed a certificate falsely claiming to be electors for Donald Trump, Rose Herweyer was dismayed to find a prominent local politician, Kent Vanderwood, listed among the signatories.His willingness to sign a fake elector paper and try to send that in and negate Michigan's actual vote speaks to his integrity," Herweyer said of Vanderwood, who was then a member of the Wyoming, Michigan, city council. How can I trust anything he does?" Continue reading...

Trump could put himself at risk in debate when responding to questions about his four criminal casesDonald Trump's decision to spurn the Republican primary debate on Wednesday in favor of a pre-taped interview with Tucker Carlson solves the political question of how to inflict damage on the 2024 field, but it also eliminates concerns his remarks in the high-profile event could increase his legal exposure.The former president confirmed over the weekend that he would not attend the debate in Milwaukee, saying in a post on his Truth Social platform: New CBS poll, just out, has me leading the field by legendary' numbers... I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES." Continue reading...

Lawrence Hecker, 91, acknowledged he had committed overtly sexual acts' laid out in statement given to church leaders in 1999For the first time ever, one of the New Orleans Catholic church's most strongly suspected abusers has publicly admitted that he sexually abused or harassed several teenagers during his career as a priest. He's also described himself as remorseful yet unsure if he's deserving of any criminal consequences.Lawrence Hecker gave the rare admission when reporters for the Guardian and local news outlet WWL-TV asked him to discuss a statement he gave to New Orleans church leaders in 1999. In the statement, he acknowledged committing overtly sexual acts" with at least three underage boys in the late 1960s and 1970s and revealed his close relationships with four others stretching into the 1980s. Continue reading...

The team won the AL East by seven games last year. This season a series of injuries and a lack of depth have hit them hardAn unsuccessful season for the New York Yankees typically means one where they don't reach the World Series. No MLB team holds itself to higher standards, so it's little wonder there's a sense of despair in the Bronx as it becomes clear that the 2023 squad will miss out on the playoffs altogether. In fact, the Yankees are in danger of putting together their worst season in 30 years.The Boston Red Sox came to Yankee Stadium last weekend with an opportunity to effectively end the postseason hopes of their archrivals. Time may be running out for the mediocre Red Sox to leapfrog the teams ahead of them in the Wild Card race, but they came alive when given the chance to avenge the Boston Massacre" of 1978 (or perhaps its 2006 reboot). Continue reading...

From Germany's CDU to France's Republicains, politicians are looking to fringe ideologies for revitalisationEuropean conservatism is in crisis. Traditional centre-right parties are increasingly facing challenges from their right by parties with more energy and extreme proposals for addressing the multitude of crises facing the continent. While centre-right parties may not have much in the way of ideas to resolve Europe's polycrisis, they do still know how to fight for power. Their instinctive drive for self-preservation means conservatives are radicalising, particularly over issues of race, in order to cut off their insurgent rivals.Take France, where the formerly dominant Les Republicains (LR) party has entered a death spiral, with its last presidential candidate, Valerie Pecresse, failing to reach even the 5% vote threshold required to get her deposit back. LR's response was to elect as leader Eric Ciotti, a far-rightist who once declared that the great replacement" - a fascist conspiracy theory claiming there is a deliberate attempt to demographically annihilate white Europeans - was a priority of national importance. This sort of discourse was until recently confined to figures in the National Rally party (previously the National Front). Continue reading...

Founder of FTX not being provided with a vegan diet and not being given Adderall needed to manage his ADHD attorney tells judgeWhile in federal custody, disgraced cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried has been living off bread and water" because he's not being provided with the vegan diet he requested, his attorney told a judge Tuesday.During a hearing, Mark Cohen, lawyer for Bankman-Fried, said that improper diet and the jail's failure to give Bankman-Fried the Adderall he needs to manage his attention deficit hyperactive disorder, will impact his ability to participate in readying his defense case. Continue reading...

Joan Meyer, who died a day after raid, shouted at six officers who searched her home in incident that has drawn national scrutinyNewly released video shows the 98-year-old mother of a Kansas newspaper publisher confronting police officers as they searched her home in a raid that has drawn national scrutiny, at one point demanding: Get out of my house!"Video released by the newspaper shows Joan Meyer shouting at the six officers inside the Marion, Kansas, home she shared with her son, Marion County Record editor and publisher Eric Meyer. Standing with the aid of a walker and dressed in a long robe or gown and slippers, she seems visibly upset. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Trump had lawyers negotiate booking to take place during prime viewing hours to get maximum television ratingsDonald Trump is expected to surrender at the Fulton county jail on Thursday evening on racketeering and conspiracy charges over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia, according to two people briefed on the matter.The former president - seeking to distract from the indignity of the surrender by turning things into a circus - in essence had his lawyers negotiate the booking to take place during the prime viewing hours for the cable news networks. Continue reading...

The American's thrilling victory in the 100m at the world championships was the culmination of a long journey of transformationSha'Carri Richardson's arms were already spread in triumph before the race was over, but her Usain Bolt impression didn't hold. Once she had crossed the finish line, the 23-year-old went from confidence to self-doubt as she searched the stadium scoreboard for her time. And even after her 10.65sec - and her 100m world title - was confirmed, she still couldn't believe what had happened. Neither could anyone else, frankly.In Budapest on Monday the American shocked the world, rallying past four of the fastest sprinters in history to win gold on the biggest stage outside the Olympics. This was after she scraped into the final and had to race from the outside lane as a result. Meanwhile, her Jamaican rivals Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce - respectively, the world's top-ranked sprinter and a 10-time world champion - started their races from the middle of the track, much too far to see Richardson coming. As with Bolt, you can't help wondering how much faster Richardson's time could have been if she had run all the way through the tape - especially given her 0.07sec margin of victory. But what could have been hardly detracted from what is: a true redemption story. Continue reading...

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Former White House chief of staff is among 19 defendants charged in the Georgia election interference caseMark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff for Donald Trump, has asked a federal court to block his arrest in an emergency motion, according to court documents filed on Tuesday.Meadows, a named defendant in the sweeping election interference case against Donald Trump and 18 others in Fulton county, Georgia, has requested the case be moved to federal court, saying the charges concern his actions as an officer of the federal government. Continue reading...

Court to decide whether to remove them as Greg Abbott and other Republican governors defend militarization of border with MexicoA federal judge heard arguments on Tuesday about whether state authorities should remove huge buoys installed to stop migrants crossing the river that divides Texas from Mexico.The court hearing in Austin came a day after Texas's governor, Greg Abbott, and a group of hardline Republican governors gathered on the riverbank to defend local militarization of the US-Mexico border - while also acknowledging that the 1,000ft (305-meter) floating barrier had been adjusted after complaints that it had mostly drifted into Mexican territory. Continue reading...

About 1.3 million people under warning as storm moves inland over south Texas and governor deploys state's national guardThe skies began to darken over southern Texas on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Harold hurtled toward the state, just as California began cleanup from the historic storm system Hilary.Texas, still grappling with the effects of one of the hottest and driest summers on record, is now bracing for a deluge. As Harold continued on its westward trajectory after sweeping through the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters warned it could drop up to 7in of rain in some areas with risks of flash flooding. Continue reading...

Officials say 52 children were on the bus, which did not have seatbelts and overturned after collision with a minivanA school bus full of children headed to their first day of school for the academic year overturned after a crash with a minivan in Ohio, killing one child and injuring 23 others, authorities said.Tyler Ross of the Ohio state highway patrol said there were 52 children from the north-western local schools district and a driver on the bus at the time of the crash shortly after 8am on Tuesday in the community of Lawrenceville. Continue reading...

Sha'Carri Richardson won the women's 100m at the World Athletics Championships with a stunning run. Contesting her first major final, the American recorded a championship record 10.65 seconds as she overhauled Jamaica sprint rivals Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce from lane nine. Richardson's success marks her comeback to the sport after a few difficult years. In 2021 she was among the favourites for gold in the event at the Tokyo Olympics, only for her dreams to go up in smoke when she tested positive for marijuana at the US trials after the death of her biological mother. Richardson then missed much of last year, but after her biggest success to date said she 'feels great' and credited her redemption to 'knowing to keep who is around me, who genuinely cares for me and who doesn't. And just staying dedicated and focused, blocking out the noise.'

Rising bets that chip designer's revenue target will surpass Wall Street estimates lift the stock about 19% from two-month lowNvidia shares hit an all-time high on Tuesday in a buildup in expectations over the quarterly results of the chip designer that has been the biggest beneficiary of a boom in artificial intelligence.Rising bets that Nvidia's revenue target will once again surpass Wall Street estimates have lifted the stock about 19% from a two-month low hit last week. Continue reading...

Attorney behind payments to porn star questions Trump's refusal to pay legal expenses for the former New York mayorDonald Trump is an idiot" for not paying legal expenses incurred by his attorney the former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani in the Georgia election subversion case, Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen said.Donald's an idiot," Cohen told CNN of the former president. Let me just be very clear when it comes to paying money, he is truly an idiot. Continue reading...

A Tennessee zoo has hosted the birth of what is thought to be the world's only singularly coloured giraffe.The female giraffe, born on 31 July, is a uniform brown colour, lacking the usual distinctive patched pattern

The perfected mafia state uses ostensibly legal procedures and insider loyalty to protect corrupt autocrats from accountabilityCould there be such a thing as Trump indictment fatigue? Every week seems to bring a new set of charges; one might be forgiven for losing any sense of what's what in the four major cases the former president now faces. (Of course, Trump himself has long perfected the art of sowing confusion through falsehoods in response to any criticisms, impeachments and now indictments - or, in the words of Steve Bannon, flooding the zone with shit".) What mitigates this risk, though, is that the different indictments illuminate very different aspects of Trumpism - and the way Trump operated as president, and now continues to operate in his campaign to regain the White House.The Georgia indictment is particularly important: what many have long suspected - that Trump operates like a mafia boss - is confirmed by the ample evidence of Trump and his (increasingly bizarre and brutal) associates forming a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States. Unlike mobsters, Trump used the power of the state itself to try to get his way, even if his making offers one couldn't refuse ultimately failed. If Trump were brought back to power in 2024, there is every reason to believe that he would not only engage in all-out retribution for alleged wrongs against his political clan, but also erect what some observers describe as a mafia state.Jan-Werner Muller is a professor of politics at Princeton University. He is also a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Scott Hall and John Eastman are the first of 19 defendants in the case to voluntarily surrender themselves to authorities

Fish fell from osprey's grip and landed on transponder in Sayreville, New Jersey, causing about 2,000 to lose powerAn unusual suspect is being sought by police for a power outage in New Jersey: an osprey that dropped a fish on to power lines, causing a nearby community to temporarily lose their electricity.A fish that fell from the grip of the bird in question landed on a transponder in Sayreville, New Jersey, on 12 August, causing the coils within it to become misaligned, according to Jersey Central Power & Light, a utility company. Continue reading...

Lawrence Larry' Rudolph also ordered to make restitution on the money he got from the life insurance policies by paying $15mA wealthy dentist from Pennsylvania who was convicted of killing his wife while they were on a hunting trip in southern Africa has been ordered to spend the rest of his life in prison and to pay about $15m in financial penalties.Lawrence Larry" Rudolph, 68, fatally shot his wife Bianca Rudolph with a shotgun while the couple were on a safari in Zambia in October 2016. He also collected almost $5m from numerous life insurance policies for his wife to help set up a future with his longtime girlfriend - his ex-employee - before a federal jury last year convicted him of murdering a US national in foreign country as well as mail fraud. Continue reading...

Is it the extra caffeine hit? The appeal of coffee shops? The array of options? Maybe it's not even about the drink itselfLast year I was queuing with my tea-loving mum at the Marks & Spencer's cafe. Did you know they've stopped using the cup and saucer?" she sighed. It's a mug now. So sad." Kitchenware isn't usually something to get emotional about, but on this day I could see her point.Before then, tea at M&S cafes had been served in a pot to pour into a delicate china teacup with its matching saucer. It was a touch of elegance on the high street, enabling nearly anyone to treat themselves to the ceremony of a raised pinky finger; a drink that felt considered, and as if it were served with care (hence, a saucer to rest your teaspoon: an additional piece of washing up, but worth it for your comfort). And now it was a mug. A mug! A functional, joyless mug that, sure, saves on energy amid rising bills, because more can fit in the dishwasher (as M&S itself reasoned), but also says that ordinary people just can't have nice things.Coco Khan is commissioning editor for Guardian B2B and a writer Continue reading...

Decision leaves families of transgender children, who had been receiving puberty blockers and hormones, scrambling for careA federal appeals court ruled Monday that Alabama can enforce a ban outlawing the use of puberty blockers and hormones to treat transgender children, the second such appellate victory for gender-affirming care restrictions that have been adopted by a growing number of Republican-led states.A three-judge panel of the 11th US circuit court of appeals vacated a judge's temporary injunction against enforcing the law. The judge has scheduled trial for 2 April on whether to permanently block the law. Continue reading...

Ordered to remove unsuitable books from their libraries, school administrators in Iowa outsourced the job to AI. So long, The Color Purple, Beloved, The Handmaid's Tale ...What do you get when you combine artificial intelligence with human stupidity? There are, unfortunately, numerous responses to that question. But in this particular case the answer can be found in Iowa's Mason City Community School District, where school administrators are using ChatGPT to help them ban books.Ahead of the new school year, school staff have been busy trying to comply with a new state law, Senate File 496, the Parental Rights and Transparency Act, requiring every book in Iowa public school libraries to be age appropriate" and devoid of descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act". Of course, nobody wants hardcore porn in school libraries, but this sweeping bill, which also restricts education about gender identity and sexual orientation, isn't trying to prevent that nonexistent problem: it's about indoctrination. Republicans don't want kids learning anything that goes against their narrow worldview so, over the past couple of years, they've gone on a censorship orgy, trying to ban everything from gender studies to psychology to African American studies. Continue reading...

Shooter had history of posting hateful content online, sheriff says, and shot Laura Ann Carleton with gun not registered to himA 27-year-old man who fatally shot a store owner in California had torn down her Pride flag and shouted homophobic slurs, officials said on Monday.Laura Ann Carleton, 66, who went by Lauri", died at the scene of the shooting on Friday outside her Mag.Pi clothing store in Cedar Glen, an unincorporated community in the mountains roughly 60 miles (100km) east of Los Angeles. Continue reading...

Tropical Storm Hilary has pummelled the US west coast with historic amounts of rain and strong winds. The storm downed trees, flooded streets and left cascades of mud and debris in its wake. Footage from California showed people trapped in a motorhome after rain triggered mudslides. Other videos circulating on social media showed cars stranded in debris and blocked highways

850 people are still missing after the devastating wildfires as president and first lady visit the town of Lahaina. Plus, why sweat is our secret superpower

Experts on Greek life offer students tips on what to wear and what to post, in a bid to smooth out the rough edges'I need more friends. Or, specifically, I need more photos on social media where I'm posing with my friends. That's what Lorie Stefanelli, a sorority recruitment consultant who trains girls on how to get into the toughest houses in the country, would recommend if I were an incoming freshman.If your whole grid is just you by yourself, it looks like you don't have any friends," she says, bluntly. Though in real life I am a boring 28-year-old woman with no plans to rush anywhere except home to my couch, I have asked Stefanelli to advise me as if I were a freshman joining a sorority. Continue reading...

Yes, Romeo the staffie has a lovely smile. But it hides such wickedness ...The note I have to leave for dog-sitters reads like a document from the previous, now deceased inhabitants of a haunted house. Never, ever off a lead - nowhere is safe"; If you see the boston terrier from next door, back away; if you see the husky from over the road, run - don't walk"; If you walk after 10pm, that is the hour of the fox, and will go hard on you unless you want to sacrifice the fox". It is embarrassing, and my preference is to have the same dog-sitter who I've known since he was 10 and doesn't need me to say all this twice. Plus, he remembers my last dog, so he knows that I'm not the problem. The dog is the problem.Last weekend, he was away, so he got his friend to fill in. I love dogs and haven't been able to spend any time with one since I left Ecuador," was her first message. Oh, lady, no: this is not that kind of dog. Among people, Romeo may exude a delightful, enthusiastic energy, and remind you of pleasant dog-related moments you have had in other lives. Around other dogs, he will remind you of the savagery that lives in even the sunniest heart; he'll remind you that life is hard and the wages of sin is death. A bit later, she sent a video. He was sniffing a flower; he looked like Ferdinand the Bull, the gentle animated giant who didn't want to fight, who only wanted to appreciate the botany. I mean, he didn't look unlike a bull in the first place - he's a bull breed - but this was different: this bull heralded peace.Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The presidential candidate took his pitch to Florida, which overwhelmingly backed Trump in 2020 and DeSantis last yearIt's a little after 6.30am on a steamy Friday in South Miami. A road sweeper appears in the pre-dawn twilight and trundles noisily past a man fixing red, white and blue bunting to a hedge at the Casa Cuba restaurant.Chris Christie is up early for his campaign event, as he has been on many mornings of his ambitious presidential run. Yet this one has a different feel. It's essentially a raid on an enemy stronghold. This turf is held by Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, the two prominent Floridians in the race for the Republican nomination. Christie is aware he has to make a good impression. Continue reading...

In Sandpoint, Idaho, the maternity ward closed down. Within months, medical care for women in the rural community was hollowed out

Supreme court ruling on abortion has led to specialists leaving restrictive states, with 36% of counties maternity care desertsWhen Caslin Gilroy learned she was pregnant in May, she immediately contacted her doctor's office to book prenatal care. She'd visited the same clinic for years - including for her first pregnancy in 2020 - and thought booking an appointment would be straightforward. But Gilroy was told her doctor had no availability until August, when she would be close to 12 weeks along.Unable to get a pregnancy confirmation appointment, which ideally happens between eight and 10 weeks, Gilroy grew anxious, and even struggled to convince herself that the pregnancy was real. Continue reading...

Hilary has drenched southern California, swept people into swollen rivers, toppled trees on to homes and flooded roads. It is the first tropical storm to hit southern California in 84 years Continue reading...

New York's Nasdaq to host IPO after British government failed to persuade tech firm to list in UKThe British chip designer Arm has started the process of listing its shares on New York's Nasdaq, in one of the biggest flotations of recent years after the London Stock Exchange lost out.The company, owned by Japanese investor SoftBank, registered to list its shares late on Monday night, after months of waiting amid tricky conditions for stock market floats. Continue reading...

Veteran team leaders are often extensions of their coaches. But, until salary cap concerns intervened, the roles were often combinedWhen NBA veteran Tree Rollins got a call from his old friend Brian Hill in the summer of 1993, the wheels started to turn. Hill was the new coach of the Orlando Magic, a team that included a young Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. Hill wanted Rollins to come in as an assistant to work with O'Neal, specifically. The 7ft 1in Rollins, who had just come off two seasons with the Houston Rockets backing up Hakeem Olajuwon, contemplated the offer and after a few weeks accepted. For Rollins, in his late 30s, it was a great chance to start the second phase of his basketball life. Little did he know, however, what it would soon turn into.I went to Orlando to be an assistant coach," Rollins tells the Guardian. I would get out and practice with the team. With the big guy, Shaquille, you couldn't stop him. But I could trick him, with my experience, and make him work harder." Continue reading...