FA opted for World Cup base camp in city Thomas Tuchel’s side have no group matches in but have emphasised home comforts for players to feel at ease

The first thing to say about England in Kansas City is that the locals seem genuinely delighted to have them here. The welcome for Thomas Tuchel and his players has been warm, coloured by the charm and friendliness of the midwest.

Yet there is also a question that people have asked, particularly those who are connected to Argentina, the Netherlands and Algeria – the other World Cup nations who have chosen to base themselves in this area. Why are England here? Unlike the trio, they have no group matches at the city’s Arrowhead Stadium.

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Audi failed to score in Barcelona-Catalunya, but there were some rather strange reasons as to exactly why Nico Hulkenberg could not finish in the top 10.

Lawrence Barretto selects his winners and losers from an eventful 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

Based in the foothills of Cambewarra Mountain in New South Wales, Australia, Tamara Dean captures ethereal images that explore the intrinsic bond between the human body and the natural world. She is driven by what she describes as a desire to “explore the reality that humans are not separate from nature, but intrinsically part of it.”

Using bodies to express this relationship, the figures within her compositions do not emerge as prominent subjects of portraiture. Instead, they exist as elements embedded within each scene, often emerging as extensions of surrounding flora. “I am interested in those moments when the body appears to merge with the landscape, becoming almost plant-like, animal-like or elemental, suggesting that we are participants in nature rather than observers of it,” she explains.

“Introversion” depicts crouching figures hiding inside frilly blue tutus that imitate their neighboring flowers, calling to an almost instinctive impulse to camouflage. In a vibrant pop of color, two hot pink-haired heads in “In Bloom” mimic nearby lotus flower buds, waiting to bloom alongside lotus plants.

Gesture is an integral part of Dean’s process. While directing the figures within her work, the photographer explains, “I often encourage them to respond intuitively to their surroundings. At times, this involves reflecting the structures, rhythms, or symmetries found in nearby flora and foliage through their physical placement, posture, or gesture.” These visible idiosyncrasies further the dynamic exchange between human and other life forms.

Lately, Dean has spent more time painting. “It’s something I have always done quietly in the background as part of my creative process,” she explains. “But only now that my children are 19 and 20 have I been able to dedicate myself to it more fully. I’m enjoying the challenge of working in a different medium and the change in perspective it brings.”

These paintings, alongside several photographs, will be included in a forthcoming solo exhibition early next year at Michael Reid in Sydney. Find Dean on Instagram to follow along with her ongoing interdisciplinary explorations.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Tamara Dean Blurs the Boundary Between Bodies and Natural Landscapes appeared first on Colossal.

Een moeder is niet blij met het vriendinnetje van haar dochter (4), dat druk en brutaal is. Ze vraagt zich af wat wijsheid is. Experts geven advies.

Na een lang traject hebben Oekraïne en Moldavië een nieuwe stap gezet naar het EU-lidmaatschap. Oekraïne heeft zeker nog vier tot vijf jaar nodig om alle formele hordes te nemen, zeggen optimisten in Brussel.

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Voters in Switzerland have rejected an unprecedented far-right proposal to cap the country's population at 10 million in a divisive referendum dubbed "the Swiss Brexit." Some 54.79% of voters were against the proposal by the Swiss People's party (SVP) and 45.21% were in favor. Turnout was 58.86%. A different outcome would have obliged the Swiss government to limit the population, currently 9.1 million, to 10 million by 2050, enacting tough restrictions on family reunification, residency permits and asylum if the number had reached 9.5 million before that date.

Under the proposals, if the threshold of 10 million people was exceeded before 2050, the Swiss government would have been obliged to withdraw from the country's free movement agreement with the EU -- ending its access to the bloc's single market. The SVP, which has the most seats in parliament, has for years fueled anti-immigrant sentiment, especially concerning workers from neighboring EU countries. The party had insisted that a so-called "sustainability initiative" was needed to address the increase in population, which it argued was putting pressure on Swiss infrastructure, housing, social programs, natural resources and way of life. "Voters were worried about negative consequences for Switzerland's relationship with the EU and for the labour market," said Urs Bieri, from the polling firm GFS Bern. "People are also worried about things like having enough care and health workers. Also, there's a feeling that in the current international environment it's not sensible for a small country to do this."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

RAMALLAH (ANP/AFP) - De Palestijnse president Mahmoud Abbas heeft per decreet besloten dat begin 2027, na meer dan twee decennia, weer presidentsverkiezingen gehouden moeten worden. Dat schrijft het Palestijnse persbureau Wafa, zonder te benoemen of de hoogbejaarde Abbas zelf ook weer wil meedoen.

De inmiddels 90-jarige Abbas won de laatste Palestijnse presidentsverkiezingen in 2005. Zijn ambtstermijn liep eigenlijk maar vier jaar, maar er kwamen geen nieuwe verkiezingen en Abbas bleef zitten. Dat leidde tot zowel interne als internationale kritiek. Abbas kondigde in 2021 weer verkiezingen aan, maar die zijn vervolgens voor onbepaalde tijd uitgesteld.

Abbas staat als president aan het hoofd van de Palestijnse Autoriteit, een bestuursorgaan voor Palestijnse gebieden. Hij wil volgens Wafa in november van dit jaar al nieuwe verkiezingen voor de Palestijnse Nationale Raad, die vergelijkbaar is met een parlement. Bij de laatste verkiezing in 2006 versloeg Hamas de Fatah-partij van Abbas.