Smaller, cheaper cars built for narrow city streets are becoming more stylish – but require careful design decisions

The winding backstreets of London, Paris and Rome are a large part of their charm. But they are also a problem for electric carmakers. For a long time, squeezing big batteries into smaller, cheaper cars to fit European streets was too much of a problem, so manufacturers focused on bloated SUVs instead.

But that is finally changing. Battery technology has improved and Europe’s carmakers havecut manufacturing costs enough that they can now sell cars that might have a chance of fitting down a medieval lane or two.

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It is difficult for the meeting to sell itself as the pinnacle of Flat racing if so many of its races favour runners on one side of the track

Big numbers were something of a theme at Royal Ascot this year. Aidan O’Brien became the first trainer to saddle 100 winners at the meeting when Scandinavia took the Gold Cup on Thursday. Attendances were up throughout the week leading up to Saturday’s annual sell-out, by an average of 3.5% and the high-numbered stalls carried all before them on the straight course, with one winner after another powering up to the line against the near-side rail.

There are always talking points after a meeting like Royal Ascot, where the occasion and competition are so intense that everything feels exaggerated. This time around, there was a team tactics debate on Tuesday, as Christophe Soumillon picked up an eight-day ban for riding Puerto Rico “in a manner to assist” Gstaad in the St James’s Palace Stakes, though the decision is subject to an appeal to be heard this week. There was a furore, too, after Juan Hernandez was allowed to weigh in again after an easy win on Bacio in the last race on Friday, having being light first time round.

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Serena Williams’ appearance plus Raducanu and Boulter doing so well put the men’s event in the shade this year

One of the more amusing sights at the Queen’s Club tournament each year comes before even entering the grounds. On the first day of play on Monday, a deluge of spectators invariably descend on Barons Court station, just 150 metres from the entrance.

So many people passing through a tiny London Underground station naturally means long queues at the barriers. That congestion is not helped by many of them comically pausing in front of the gates to frantically search for their debit cards or desperately try to unlock their phones.

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• Gritty display leaves American in complete control

• Scheffler closest threat after McIlroy charge fades

Wyndham Clark’s lead shrank, then grew, then all but swallowed the tournament whole. The 2023 US Open champion watched a four-shot advantage get cut in half on Saturday while still on the first hole, only to respond with a masterclass in survival golf as Shinnecock Hills finally delivered the bruising examination players had anticipated all week.

By day’s end, Clark had stretched his lead to a yawning six shots despite shooting an even-par 70. Scottie Scheffler’s one-under 69 was enough to emerge as the closest pursuer, but the world No 1 will begin Sunday’s final round needing something extraordinary to prevent Clark from capturing America’s national championship for a second time in four years.

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⚽️ Kick-off time: 9pm local/2pm AEST/5am BST/12am EDT
⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Jonathan

Changes for Japan too with Tomiyasu and Itakura coming into the back three, and Ito and Tanaka into the front three. Expect the same 3-4-3 structure that has served Moriyasu well in recent months as he has built Japan from a side capable of dominating Asia to one equipped to handle the rest of the world.

Japan (3-4-3) 1 Suzuki; 22 Tomiyasu, 4 Itakura, 21 Ito; 10 Doan, 24 Sano, 15 Kamada, 13 Nakamura; 14 Ito, 7 Tanaka, 18 Ueda.

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The gaming news site Aftermath reports:



Four gamers are suing Sony Interactive Entertainment for allegedly breaking a California law that requires digital storefronts selling games to make it clear people are buying licenses, not actually owning the games.

Sony Interactive Entertainment's PlayStation store uses language like "Buy Now" and "Confirm Purchase," lawyers wrote in a complaint filed on Thursday... "In reality, consumers who 'purchase' digital games through PlayStation do not obtain ownership of those products," lawyers wrote. "Instead, PlayStation grants only a limited, revocable license to access the software, subject to multiple restrictions contained in a separate Software Product License Agreement"....

[T]he PlayStation store does have a disclosure. Above the "Confirm Purchase" button, there's a note: "By selecting [Confirm Purchase], you agree to complete the purchase in accordance with the PlayStation Terms of Service before using this content. You further acknowledge that your purchase of this digital product amounts to a license subject to the Software Product License Agreement." These four gamers aren't satisfied with that; they said in the complaint that it's too small, and that "a reasonable customer completing a purchase would not necessarily notice this disclosure."



"It's a proposed class action complaint, meaning the group of four gamers is asking a judge to grant them class action status."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Rambo2100 has added a photo to the pool:

Nawi Cove and Crown area of Barangaroo. The Vivid water spray is Constellation, a projection onto a cloud of mist. We were invited to tear through the heart of a black hole and while it wasn't quite like a hologram from another universe as promised, it did get us wet as the wind blew it onto the harbourside.

Thousands of green sea turtle hatchlings swim to sea in conservation win. The project at Raine Island, where 90 per cent of northern green sea turtles nest, has been working for a decade to improve hatching success. (Australia)

WASHINGTON (ANP/RTR) - De Amerikaanse president Donald Trump heeft op Truth Social gezegd dat er meerdere personen zijn gearresteerd wegens vandalisme bij de Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington. Een van de mensen die zou zijn aangeklaagd is de 67-jarige David Carter Hearn, een drievoudig olympiër.

Hearn, die op de Olympische Spelen deelnam bij het kanoën, zei dat hij vrijdag alleen even was gestopt om een kijkje te nemen bij de vijver en met zijn hand een strook loslatende blauwe verf had aangeraakt die tussen de algen dreef.

De vijver werd onlangs gerenoveerd, een project dat meer dan 14 miljoen dollar kostte. De renovatie is onderdeel van Trumps ingrijpende plannen om de Amerikaanse hoofdstad te transformeren. De bodem van de vijver werd in een kleur geverfd die Trump "Amerikaanse vlag-blauw" noemde.

De verf begon echter snel los te laten en de vijver raakte na de snelle renovatie bedekt met wolken algen. Volgens Trump moet de vijver waarschijnlijk gedeeltelijk worden leeggepompt voor "noodzakelijke reparaties", na wat hij omschrijft als "vandalisme" op de locatie.