How's stat? Why head-to-head battles only add to the rich tapestry of Test cricket drama

Let's start, as all bad pieces of writing should, with a cliche: cricket is an individual sport dressed as a team game. Every match comprises hundreds or thousands of contests between a batter and a bowler.

Designer labels owed millions after collapse of Matches

Designer brands including Gucci and Anya Hindmarch have been left millions of pounds out of pocket and some customers will not get refunds after online fashion site Matchesfashion collapsed owing more than £210m last month.

Bend it like the Mona Lisa? Yoga in Louvre to celebrate Paris Olympics

The Louvre museum in Paris is planning yoga and sport sessions in its galleries as part of a city-wide cultural programme before this summer's Olympics.

Spears taken by Captain Cook returned to Aboriginal owners

Four spears stolen from Kamay, now known as Botany Bay in Australia, by Captain James Cook and his crew have been returned to their traditional owners after more than 250 years.

Idaho's abortion rules too tough to comply with federal health law, supreme court told

The US supreme court faced its second judgment on abortion rights in the space of a month yesterday, as judges prepared to rule whether the state of Idaho's tough rules on the procedure breached a federal law.

Iran steps up hijab arrests Videos show women being dragged from the streets

Harrowing first-hand accounts of women being dragged from the streets of Iran and detained by security services have emerged as human rights groups say the country's hijab rules have been brutally enforced since the country's drone strikes on Israel on 13 April.

Pro-Palestinian protests Mass suspensions and arrests as tensions rise at US universities

Tensions over pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, and campuses across the US, continued to rise yesterday as the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, prepared to visit the New York institution to address what he called \"virulent antisemitism\" at universities nationwide.

Israel troop mobilisation and pitching of refuge tents signal assault on Rafah

Israel appears to be readying to send troops into Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, the only corner of the strip that has not seen fierce ground fighting and where more than half of the Palestinian territory's population of 2.3 million has sought shelter.

Migration a key theme in 'brilliant, compelling' Women's prize shortlist

Anne Enright, Kate Grenville and Isabella Hammad are among the contenders for this year's Women's prize for fiction, on a shortlist that features migration as a recurring theme.

Sunak suggests he won't 'shy away' from cuts to lift defence spending

Rishi Sunak has suggested he will not \"shy away\" from further public spending cuts to raise defence spending as he faced questions over how the policy would be funded.

Cleverly pledges several Rwanda flights a month 'indefinitely'

Several flights a month will deport asylum seekers to Rwanda \"indefinitely\", the home secretary said, as he argued that the £1.8m a head cost of the scheme was justified.

Mosquitoes spreading diseases to new parts of Europe

Mosquito-borne diseases are spreading across the globe, and particularly in Europe, because of climate breakdown, an expert has said.

Former DUP leader appears in court to hear rape charge

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist party, appeared in court yesterday charged with rape, gross indecency and other offences spanning 21 years, in a case that has stunned Northern Ireland.

Barenboim, Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic in lineup for Proms

Daniel Barenboim and Sir Simon Rattle will return to the Royal Albert Hall this summer as part of the BBC Proms, which will include 90 concerts taking place over eight weeks.

Woman who died after drinking excess water suffered 'failings in care'

A woman who suffered a heart attack at a private mental health hospital due to complications from drinking excessive amounts of water experienced \"gross failings in her care amounting to neglect\", an inquest jury has found.

Teenage girl arrested after two teachers and pupil stabbed at south Wales school

A teenage girl has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after two teachers and a pupil were stabbed at a school in south-west Wales.

'It was mayhem': Four people injured as runaway military horses bolt through central London

Four people have been taken to hospital after several military horses broke loose during a morning exercise and bolted through central London, colliding with vehicles.

Turner prize shortlist puts identity in the spotlight

Claudette Johnson has been nominated for the Turner prize for her work, which includes a portrait of the African-American slavery abolitionist Sarah Parker Remond commissioned as part of the Guardian's award-winning Cotton Capital series.

Ofsted to keep single-word ratings despite backlash

Ofsted's single-word judgments are here to stay, the government has ruled, in a blow to campaigners who hoped they would be scrapped after the primary school headteacher Ruth Perry took her own life.

UK is worst country in world for underage drinking, WHO says

The UK has the worst rate of child alcohol abuse worldwide, according to a major report that found more than half of children had drunk alcohol by age 13.

"The era of peace in Europe is over,' Kyiv warns west

Ukraine's foreign minister praised US politicians yesterday for approving a long-delayed military aid package but said western allies needed to recognise that \"the era of peace in Europe is over\" and that Kyiv would inevitably need more help to fight off Russia.

Labour pledges to nationalise rail network within five years

Vow to end shareholder dividends and cut waste to prioritise cheap fares

Ukraine Putin Makes Gains In East As Offensive Gathers Pace

Russian forces have made significant advances in a narrow corridor in eastern Ukraine as an offensive by Moscow to take territory before western military aid arrives appears to be gathering pace.

UN Official 'Horrified By Gaza Mass Graves'

The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, has said he is "horrified" by reports of mass graves containing hundreds of bodies at two of Gaza's largest hospitals.

Sales Of Electric And Hybrid Cars Forecast To Reach Global Record

Electric and plug-in hybrid car sales will jump to a global record in 2024 despite slowing growth in some markets, according to forecasts from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

PM To Raise Defence Spending And Put Arms Industry On 'War Footing

Sunak makes 2.5% GDP pledge to take budget to 87bn a year by 2030

Hunt's Scope For Lower Tax Hit By Higher Than Expected Borrowing

Jeremy Hunt's scope for a substantial pre-election tax giveaway has been hit after the latest set of official figures showed the UK's public finances in worse shape than thought at last month's budget.

Fossils Reveal Shark That Made Great White Look Like Small Fry

Fossil experts have gained unprecedented insights into an enormous prehistoric shark, after finding complete skeletons of the creature.

EU Green Deal At High Risk Of Being Killed Off, Says Green Co-President

The EU's green deal to restore biodiversity, clean the continent's soil, air and water, and mitigate climate breakdown is at high risk of being killed off, the co-president of the Green group of MEPS has warned.

Childcare Expansion Plan May Struggle To Hit Targets Watchdog

The rollout of the government's childcare scheme to tens of thousands more families is facing "significant uncertainties" and may struggle to meet its own targets, according to a damning report by Whitehall's spending watchdog.