Bordeaux Bègles’ dual Wallabies and Tonga international says holders are primed for clash of cultures against Bath

There are in truth few Bordeaux Bègles players better qualified to explain just how it feels to be in the eye of the storm with European rugby’s newest force quite like Adam Coleman. Three years ago their paths collided in almost perfect timing, with Bordeaux mid-table and Coleman unceremoniously dropped into rugby purgatory.

Coleman’s career looked to be over when London Irish went out of business in the summer of 2023 before a move to France with Bordeaux. It has proven to be an inspired decision for both parties, with Coleman playing a pivotal role in UBB’s rise to the top of the club game, culminating in their Champions Cup triumph over Northampton last year.

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With ‘oeno-flation’ as it is, it’s hip to be square and branch out into less exclusive – and cheaper – varieties from often overlooked regions

The sommelier Honey Spencer, of Sune in east London, struck a real chord on Instagram earlier this year: “I’m so fucking sick of expensive wine,” she lamented. There followed an angry plaint about the “unrelenting rise” in the cost of bottles from “artisans making wine properly … and FORGET BURGUNDY”. In a difficult climate, this is “one of the hardest pills to swallow” for the restaurateur.

It’s not an easy swallow for the customer, either, given the mark-up on hard pills these days: according to UKHospitality , the price of wine has gone up 40% since 2020, which will surprise no one who has quietly wept into a £59 rioja.

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The edifice suggests a Silicon Valley-style desire to protect the president from national crises of his own making

A self-declared “secretary of war” keeps committing war crimes; people are dying in Africa because of Musk’s cuts to USAid; farm bankruptcies in the US are surging ; ICE keeps acting with impunity; measles is spreading … and we are worried about a ballroom? The ballroom is not just the president’s peculiar obsession, but a symbol for many of the character of Trump 2.0: the unprecedented corruption; the destruction of checks and balances (as Congress, with its power of the purse, keeps being ignored); the sheer desire for vandalism. The swift pivot of Trump and his acolytes from the assassination attempt to pro-ballroom propaganda in the name of security adds two new, disturbing elements: the ballroom-as-bunker is appropriate for a leader afraid of his own people; less obviously, it also aligns Trump with the Silicon Valley figures who are anticipating an apocalypse (which their own conduct is hastening) – and who seek refuge on private islands, in newly founded cities, and indeed in what has become known as “ apocalypse bunkers ”.

“It cannot be built fast enough,” Trump announced after the incident on Saturday night; but reasons for his ballroom obsession predate the White House correspondents’ dinner: his biographers have pointed out that catering and ballrooms have been one of his few successful business ventures; a ballroom, just as with the space at Mar-a-Lago, provides a stage for grand entrances and adulation by crowds whose composition can be perfectly controlled; and, not least, as other aspiring autocrats have shown, a huge edifice is a statement about power: it sends a signal to critics that the leader has triumphed over them, and that his legacy – at least what he has done to the built environment – cannot be undone.

Jan-Werner Müller is a Guardian US columnist and a professor of politics at Princeton University

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Order last week is only partial rescheduling, making ‘an already complex process more confusing,’ expert says

The Trump administration is making good on its promise to reschedule cannabis , but only partially – raising plenty of questions for those in the cannabis industry.

Todd Blanche , the acting attorney general, signed an order last week that removes products sold under state medical cannabis licenses and FDA approved cannabis products from schedule I – defined as substances with no accepted medical use, to schedule III – which includes legal but regulated substances including certain doses of Tylenol with codeine and ketamine.

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Mid and West Wales fire and rescue service has been trying to extinguish fires in Elan valley since Sunday

Firefighters are struggling to control wildfires raging though the scenic Elan valley in mid-Wales for a fifth day.

The Mid and West Wales fire and rescue service has been working to extinguish fires in and around the Powys beauty spot since Sunday. It is not yet clear how much damage the biodiverse area has suffered: 80% of the valley is designated as sites of special scientific interest , raising fears for flora and fauna.

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Man had been referred to scheme to try to stop people becoming terrorists in 2020 but case was closed the same year

Here are some of the latest images from the newswires in Golders Green this morning:

A 45-year-old man, who is a British national, born in Somalia, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said he came to the UK lawfully as a child.

The Metropolitan police said he was initially taken to hospital after being arrested but has since been discharged. He was taken to a London police station where he remains in custody.

The Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, said the suspect has a history of mental health issues, drug use and convictions for violence.

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As well as penning a Sunday Times bestseller, the terrier had been a regular in the BBC comedy series since 2020

Sad news for fans of Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. Ted has died.

The dog, a patterdale terrier mix, first appeared on the BBC fishing series alongside Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse in 2020 and had regularly joined them on their river-based adventures since.

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Artist has not yet confirmed whether large statue on plinth in Waterloo Place is by him

Banksy’s signature has appeared scrawled at the base of a large new statue in central London.

The elusive artist, known for his provocative works of graffiti, has not yet confirmed whether the statue is by him. He often posts confirmation on his website shortly after a work is discovered by the public.

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• New board unveiled without PIF’s Yasir al-Rumayyan

• LIV held calls with big names before announcement

LIV Golf has launched its search for fresh investment in a race against time to save its future after all but confirming Saudi funding will cease at the end of the 2026 season.

In a statement, LIV announced two members of a new independent board minus Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), who has been the driving force behind the start-up since it began in 2022 and invested about $5bn (£3.7bn). For now, at least, the tour is confident it can source the necessary sponsors and partners to allow LIV to continue in some form.

More details soon

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