Six Nations 2016: Stade de France security to be beefed up in light of Paris attacks January 29, 2016 The French Rugby Federation (FFR) has promised increased security at the Stade de France for next month's Six Nations fixtures. Terrorists targeted the stadium during a friendly between France and Germany's football teams on 13 November last year. Three suicide bombers were foiled in their attempts to enter the 81,338 capacity stadium as part of coordinated attacks throughout [...]
Real Madrid and Adidas set to agree huge £100m sponsorship that trumps Manchester United’s record deal January 29, 2016 Adidas and Real Madrid are close to agreeing a huge kit manufacturing deal that would trump the German sportswear brand's record £75m deal with Manchester United. According to reports from Madrid paper Marca, Real will receive €140m (£107m) a season from Adidas in a 10-year extension of their current partnership. The deal will once again make Real [...]
Australian Open 2016: How much has Jamie Murray made in prize money from his doubles career? January 29, 2016 Andy Murray and Johanna Konta have dominated British-themed headlines from the Australian Open this week – but Jamie Murray has been equally impressive in reaching a third consecutive grand slam final. Jamie Murray and Brazilian partner Bruno Soares comfortably won their semi-final in straight sets and will now face Canadian-Czech pairing Daniel Nestor and Radek [...]
West Ham chairwoman Karren Brady warns that Brexit would have “devastating” consequences for football January 29, 2016 West Ham vice-chairwoman Karren Brady has warned that the UK leaving the EU would have "devastating consequences for the competitiveness of British football" and has called on clubs to publicly back an "In" vote ahead of the forthcoming referendum. In a letter to the chairs of all professional clubs in the UK, Brady has written that [...]
Yen at the Royal Court review: A candid exploration of teenage poverty, sexuality and neglect January 28, 2016 Royal Court | ★★★★☆ In the new post-Benefits Street dispensation, references to “poverty porn” have become commonplace. Initially this meant a sort of guilty pleasure at watching the pitiful antics of a presumably scrounging underclass, but the term has become ever less metaphorical. Earlier this month social commentators flaunted their sincerest outrage at popular trouser-free [...]
Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse at the Royal Academy review January 28, 2016 Royal Academy | ★★★★★ At the turn of the century the concept of the modern garden – a tended, cultivated individual plot to be enjoyed as a respite from urban life – increased in popularity throughout Europe and the US, with fervent intellectual interest in botany. The Royal Academy captures the artistic reaction to this in [...]
Herons at the Lyric Hammersmith review: a soaked stage sets the scene for this brutal play January 28, 2016 Lyric Hammersmith | ★★★★☆ It’s testament to Billy Matthews’ excellent performance in Herons that, just a few minutes into the play, I wanted to clamber up on to the flooded stage and punch his character in the face. He plays Scott, a feral, hateful teen who wages a warped campaign of bullying and wild aggression against [...]
Spotlight film review: a real-life story that’s as slow and forceful as a steamroller January 28, 2016 15 | Dir. Tom McCarthy | ★★★★☆ The Da Vinci Code was ridiculed for the moment Tom Hanks cried, “I need to get to a library. Fast!” In Spotlight, a trip to the library is a genuinely exciting proposition. It’s a nuts-and-bolts examination of the Boston Globe’s exposé of systematic child abuse within the Catholic [...]
Getty Images Year in Focus 2015: “The best images of the year” reviewed by our Picture Editor January 28, 2016 The Getty Images Gallery | ★★★★★ Getty Images’ Year in Focus 2015 retrospective showcases the best work by the picture agency’s staff photographers who operate at risk and under high pressure across news, sport, entertainment and portraiture. Refugees arrive in Europe (Source: Getty Images) The escalation of the refugee crisis over the last year makes for [...]
Robert De Niro in Dirty Grandpa, Paul Sorrentino’s Youth and Patricia Riggen’s The 33 reviewed January 28, 2016 Dirty Grandpa 18 | Dir. Dan Mazer | ★★★☆☆ Robert De Niro plays a recently widowed army vet who tricks Zac Efron into driving him to Florida to chase young women. Who'd have thought that De Niro would spend the latter half of his career dropping N-bombs and making dick jokes? But while it's not [...]