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The Current Standings There are seven players tied for the lead, and another 42 within three shots of them. The day before Moving Day is going to feature a lot of jostling for position. Here's what the top of the leaderboard looked like at the end of the first day: -3: Potgieter, Jaeger, Lee, Hisatsune, Kaymer, Scheffler, Smalley -2: Brown, Theegala, Greyserman, Schauffele, Conners, Reed, Lowry Weather Conditions at Aronimink It shouldn't be too different to the first day. A little bit warmer, but with the wind expected to occasionally pick up again. It's blowing pretty briskly right now. There's not much chance of rain, and the course didn't get a soaking tonight, so it'll be a little bit firmer and the ball should scuttle further. Which, given so many of the fairways at Aronimink tilt towards penal rough, may not necessarily be a good thing. But it's a great day for golf! Michael Block's Remarkable Run Block party. It's happening again. He's happening again. Michael Block, the club pro who lit up the 2023 tournament with three rounds of 70 and a 71 that included an ace with Rory McIlroy in attendance, is doing it again. A round of 70 yesterday, and now a 20-foot putt for birdie at the par-three 5th. He's -1 overall and already beginning to dream of making the cut. It'd be an early birthday present: he's 50 next month. Good luck finding a single punter at Aronimink who won't be cheering him on. Today's Tee Times Starting on the 1st: 1145 Michael Block, Rasmus Højgaard, Dustin Johnson 1156 Mark Geddes, Steven Fisk, David Lipsky 1207 Sungjae Im, Austin Hurt, Casey Jarvis 1218 Andrew Putnam, Michael Kartrude, Matt Wallace 1229 Martin Kaymer, Elvis Smylie, Davis Riley 1240 Jason Dufner, Haotong Li, Jimmy Walker 1251 Nick Taylor, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Jordan Smith 1302 Emiliano Grillo, Patrick Reed, Pierceson Coody 1313 Brian Campbell, Adam Schenk, Christiaan Bezuidenhout 1324 Marco Penge, Sepp Straka, Patrick Rodgers 1335 Aaron Rai, Travis Smyth, Sami Valimaki 1346 Sam Stevens, Jayden Schaper, Garrett Sapp 1357 Timothy Wiseman, Matti Schmid, Austin Smotherman 1715 Aldrich Potgieter, David Puig, Denny McCarthy 1726 William Mouw, Chris Gabriele, Taylor Pendrith 1737 Tom Hoge, Bryce Fisher, Joaquin Niemann 1748 Keith Mitchell, Billy Horschel, Ian Holt 1759 Gary Woodland, Jason Day, Sam Burns 1810 Wyndham Clark, Cameron Smith, Brian Harman 1821 Patrick Cantlay, Min Woo Lee, Sahith Theegala 1832 Si Woo Kim, Derek Berg, Joe Highsmith 1843 Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Aberg, Rickie Fowler 1854 Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton 1905 Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm 1916 Daniel Hillier, Ryan Vermeer, Max McGreevy 1927 Paul McClure, Mikael Lindberg, Angel Ayora Starting on the 10th: 1150 Andrew Novak, John Parry, Jordan Gumberg 1201 Ben Polland, Kurt Kitayama, Nico Echavarria 1212 Akshay Bhatia, Ricky Castillo, Michael Thorbjornsen 1223 Luke Donald, Jesse Droemer, Stewart Cink 1234 Hideki Matsuyama, J.J. Spaun, Max Homa 1245 Ben Kern, J.T. Poston, Russell Henley 1256 Adam Scott, Corey Conners, Daniel Berger 1307 Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry 1318 Chris Gotterup, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood 1329 Cameron Young, Keegan Bradley, Justin Thomas 1340 Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose 1351 Zach Haynes, Alex Smalley, Chandler Blanchet 1402 Bernd Wiesberger, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Andy Sullivan 1710 Braden Shattuck, Alex Fitzpatrick, Ben Griffin 1721 Francisco Bide, Harry Hall, Ryan Gerard 1732 Johnny Keefer, Rico Hoey, Nicolai Højgaard 1743 Shaun Micheel, Michael Brennan, Garrick Higgo 1754 YE Yang, Jhonattan Vegas, Matt McCarty 1805 Lucas Glover, Tom McKibbin, Stephan Jaeger 1816 Daniel Brown, Adrien Saddier, Harris English 1827 Jacob Bridgeman, Bud Cauley, Alex Noren 1838 Chris Kirk, Max Greyserman, Kristoffer Reitan 1849 Maverick McNealy, Thomas Detry, Padraig Harrington 1900 Ryan Lenahan, Ryan Fox, Kazuki Higa 1911 Jared Jones, Michael Kim, Ryo Hisatsune 1922 Tyler Collet, Kota Kaneko, Brandt Snedeker

The LeadPunk, intellectual, feminist, theorist, brave as hell, vulnerable, funny—Valie Export was a hero to many women. Since the 1960s, she was driven by a fierce conviction that art and media would play an essential role in women's liberation: that women must picture their own reality in the name of social progress. In Women's Art: A Manifesto (1972), she wrote that women must "use art as a means of expression, so as to influence the consciousness of all of us". What she demanded was revolution.The Revolutionary Art of Valie ExportI keep returning to her work. Can't stay away. Her work was heavy with explicit threat and pain, and she made evident the violence of forcing women's bodies to inhabit structures that were not designed for them. For the 1973 performance Hyperbulia she crept naked through a corridor of electrified wires, exposing herself voluntarily to shocks. Her 1976 photocollage The Birth Madonna shows a woman positioned like a Renaissance Madonna seated on a drying machine from which spews a bloody towel—it still provokes shock.Challenging Societal ConstraintsExport spoke with tremendous clarity about her work and the ideas underpinning it. Her father died during the war, and she was sent to a convent with her two sisters while their mother worked as a primary school teacher. The first of her many expulsions came aged 10 when she was discovered exploring the nun's living quarters. Her experience of girlhood was of constraint—of having little or no control over her own life.In 1967, aged 27, she swapped her married name Waltraud Höllinger for the moniker VALIE EXPORT. A play on a cigarette brand, written in capital letters, it was a decisive rejection of patriarchal structures. She would be known neither by her father's name, nor by her ex-husband's.The Power of PerformanceHer work was intended to explode the structures containing her—in cinema, in art and in the wider society. In Action Pants: Genital Panic (1969) she walked along the rows of a Munich art cinema with her exposed pubic region level with punters' faces, and plastered the walls of Vienna with posters of herself in crotchless trousers holding a gun.For Tap and Touch Cinema in 1968, she constructed a theatre in a box strapped to her chest, with people on the street invited to reach into the darkness and touch her breasts while she watched them. Documentary of the performance exposes the shifting power dynamic between Export and the men who accept the invitation. It was brilliantly subversive and unsettling.More recently, her 1968 performance From the Portfolio of Doggedness has drawn attention—during which she led Peter Weibel crawling through the streets of Vienna by a dog lead. Weibel was dressed in a business suit, a disturbing echo of the commuters milling around him.A Lasting Feminist LegacyHer 1972 manifesto described how the spark kindled by women's art might ignite far-reaching social change. It concludes by stating the importance of documenting and honouring the life and work of those who had come before, as we must now do hers. "The future of women will be the history of woman."I grieve her in the most selfish way: there were so many things I wanted to ask her about. Having survived decades in which women's art was marginalised and ignored, she had so much to tell us. Like a fool, I kept delaying a planned interview. Now it's too late.

The LeadRenowned actress Linda Bassett reflects on her distinguished career spanning decades of theatre work, her celebrated collaboration with playwright Caryl Churchill, and her upcoming role in Alexander Zeldin's "Care" at the Young Vic. Known for her understated yet powerful performances, Bassett shares insights into her approach to acting and the profound impact of theatre on her life.The Career JourneyBassett's path to acting wasn't conventional. Despite coming from a non-theatrical family, she discovered her passion at age four when she was unexpectedly thrust into a Sunday school Easter play. "I was in bliss," she recalls. Her formative years included ushering at the Old Vic during Laurence Olivier's legendary tenure, where she witnessed groundbreaking performances and even sold ice creams during intermissions.After briefly studying English at Leeds University, where she focused on drama rather than academics, Bassett began creating devised work in Leeds and Coventry. This experience, she suggests, "made me a bit gobby," developing her confidence to make suggestions as an actor, though she admits she sometimes oversteps when working with certain playwrights.The Churchill ConnectionBassett's most significant artistic relationship has been with playwright Caryl Churchill, beginning with "Fen" in 1983 and continuing through to "What If If Only" in 2021. She describes auditioning for Churchill as "enormous" because it launched her on a particular trajectory. Her disconcerting clarity has made her a peerless interpreter of Churchill's work, which some audiences find forbidding."They're not hard to watch," Bassett protests of Churchill's plays. She recalls her iconic monologue in "Escaped Alone" where the phrase "terrible rage" is repeated 25 times in succession. "It was the only thing to say at that point. The words fed the feeling, and it was the audience who felt it, not me, which is ideal." Churchill's writing, she notes, is "so distilled, no excess baggage," requiring actors to find "the one way" to play them.From Call the Midwife to CareDespite notable film roles including "East Is East" and "Calendar Girls," many audiences know Bassett as stern nurse Phyllis in the BBC's "Call the Midwife." "Complete strangers come up and say, I love you. My wife loves you, my mother loves you. It's extraordinary," she remarks of the public's connection to the character. Despite playing Phyllis for over a decade, she found fresh aspects to explore, learning "how to be" more matter-of-fact and practical than her natural disposition.Currently rehearsing Alexander Zeldin's "Care" at the Young Vic, Bassett plays Joan, a woman who after caring for her family begins showing signs of dementia and needs care herself. "She's convinced, as many people are, that she's just in for respite. She never loses the idea that she's going home," Bassett explains. The role draws from personal experience; after a heart attack, she spent two weeks recuperating in a care home, giving her "an insight into what it's like when you become helpless."The Actor's Philosophy"Every part is an education," Bassett states. "That's the glory of being an actor. You learn about human feelings and frailty and rottenness. The writer puts their soul on the page, and you inhabit that. I've always felt I was a writer's actor." This philosophy has guided her selective approach to roles, resulting in a "remarkably free of crap" CV despite turning down numerous opportunities.Though she hasn't performed as many classics as she might have hoped—"I think I'm seen as a working-class actress"—Bassett values the authenticity she brings to her roles. With Zeldin directing "Care," she appreciates his desire for "absolute truthfulness," which "suits me down to the ground." As she prepares for this new challenge, she acknowledges the nerves: "Every new part you're starting again. It's a bit scary, but I think we'll be all right."The Future of TheatreAs a veteran performer who has witnessed theatre's evolution, Bassett remains committed to the medium's power. She recalls the impact of Ronald Pickup's messenger speech in Peter Brook's production of Seneca's "Oedipus": "People fainted every night. You didn't see anything, his voice was enough. That's the power of theatre, isn't it?"Looking ahead, Bassett continues to seek roles that challenge her and explore the human condition. Whether through her meticulous interpretation of complex playwrights like Churchill or her willingness to portray the vulnerability of aging in "Care," she remains dedicated to the craft that has defined her life. "Every part is an education," she reiterates, and with each new role, Linda Bassett continues to learn, grow, and enrich the theatrical landscape.

The Trump-Xi Summit: Low Expectations US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set to meet, but expectations for a significant trade deal are low due to deep-seated mistrust and competing interests between the two nations. Setting the Stage for the Summit Before arriving for his high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump aimed to set expectations high. He said he’d urge Xi to “open up” China’s economy and announced a delegation of top business executives, including Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, to accompany him. The Data Analysis: Economic Implications The average US tariff on Chinese goods stood at 47.5 percent after the South Korea summit, up from 3.1 percent before Trump’s first term, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. China’s average tariff on US goods stood at 31.9 percent, up from 8.4 percent in 2018, according to the think tank. Two-way goods trade amounted to about $415bn in 2025, down sharply from its 2022 peak of $690bn. The Impact Analysis: US-China Relations “It is important to be clear eyed about the state of relations here,” Claire E. Reade, a senior counsel at Arnold & Porter who previously worked on China at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), told Al Jazeera. “China does not trust the US, and China wants to beat the US in what it sees as long term global competition,” Reade said. “This limits what can be agreed.” The Prediction: Future Outlook “A realistic ‘opening up’ of the Chinese market would likely focus first on sectors where the economic complementarity is most obvious,” Taiyi Sun, an associate professor of political science at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, told Al Jazeera. “Agricultural goods such as soybeans and beef, as well as high-value-added manufacturing products like Boeing aircraft, are natural areas for expansion because they match existing Chinese demand with American export strengths.”

The Emergence of Recursive Superintelligence Richard Socher, known for founding You.com and his work on Imagenet, has joined the current generation of research-focused AI startups with Recursive Superintelligence, a San Francisco-based startup that came out of stealth with $650 million in funding. The Vision for Recursive Self-Improvement Socher, along with prominent AI researchers Peter Norvig and Tim Shi, aims to create a recursively self-improving AI model that can autonomously identify its own weaknesses and redesign itself to fix them without human involvement. The Unique Approach: Open-Endedness The startup's unique approach is to use open-endedness to achieve recursive self-improvement. This involves building a system that can automatically generate research ideas, implement, and validate them, potentially leading to a new kind of sense of self-awareness. The Technical Meaning of Open-Endedness Open-endedness refers to the ability of an AI system to create and interact with new concepts, worlds, and agents. Examples include Google DeepMind's Genie 3 and rainbow teaming, where two AIs co-evolve to improve safety. The Future of AI Research and Compute Socher believes that compute will become the only important resource in the future of AI research, and the question will be how much compute humanity wants to spend to solve which problems. The Path to Product Development While Recursive Superintelligence is focused on research, Socher expects the company to develop products that people will love to use, with a positive impact on humanity, in the near future, with timelines potentially being pulled up.

The Prize Rene Matić, a photographer from Peterborough, has been awarded the prestigious Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation prize. The prize, which comes with a £30,000 award, is one of the most respected art awards in Europe. The Exhibition Matić's winning exhibition, 'As Opposed to the Truth', was showcased at CCA in Berlin. The exhibition features photographs, flags with slogans sewn on them, and a collection of black dolls from second-hand stores. The work explores themes of queer love, nationalism, and various subcultures. The Artist's Inspiration Matić's work is often inspired by subcultural movements, including the skinhead movement their father was part of in the 1980s, and Northern Soul. Matić has also been inspired by the photography of Derek Ridgers, who documented the fascist scene of 1970s Britain. The Judging Panel's Decision Shoair Mavlian, director of the Photographers' Gallery and chair of the Deutsche Börse jury, praised Matić's use of photography in a fluid and experimental way. The judging panel was impressed by the construction of the installation, where different dialogues are created through the pairing and reorganizing of images. The Artist's Background Matić was also nominated for the Turner Prize in 2025. Their work has been exhibited widely in the UK and across Europe, including a joint show with Oscar Murillo at Kunsthalle Wien in Austria.

Lead: Frankfurt’s Women’s Squad Poised for a Return to Europe’s EliteAfter a series of top‑three finishes and a semi‑final run in the inaugural Europa Cup, Eintracht Frankfurt is on the brink of securing a Champions League berth, driven by a clear strategic vision and recent on‑field successes.Recent On‑Field Success and Strategic AppointmentsThe club’s momentum stems from a 3‑1 victory over second‑placed Wolfsburg and a decisive win against Union Berlin, which would clinch third place. Early 2026 saw former German international Babett Peter join as sporting director, bringing World Cup, Euro and Olympic experience.2020 merger created the current structure of the women’s side.2026: Peter appointed sporting director.Key signing: Swedish defender Amanda Ilestedt on a three‑year deal.Numbers That Define the Club’s Legacy and Current Push1999‑2008: 1. FFC Frankfurt won the Frauen‑Bundesliga seven times.2002‑2015: Four European titles secured by the predecessor club.Babett Peter earned 118 Germany caps and multiple major trophies.2026 season: Semi‑final appearance in the Europa Cup, losing to eventual winners Häcken.Impact on German Women’s Football LandscapeEintracht’s resurgence challenges the recent dominance of Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich, signaling a more competitive top tier. The club’s emphasis on sustainable growth, smart investment, and player‑centred development could set a new benchmark for other German clubs aiming to balance ambition with financial prudence.Future Outlook: Targeting Champions League Qualification and BeyondWith the season‑ending fixtures, a third‑place finish would grant Eintracht a direct Champions League group‑stage spot. Peter’s long‑term roadmap envisions the club becoming a regular European contender, narrowing the gap with Bayern while leveraging its unique position to attract talent like Ilestedt.

The LeadNew South Wales has claimed the Women's State of Origin series for the second consecutive year, surviving a nail-biting 14-10 victory over Queensland in Brisbane. The match was decided in the final minute when Teagan Berry's desperate tackle prevented Queensland's Jasmine Peters from scoring what would have been a game-winning try.The Dramatic FinishThe margin was just a few pixels in the video review bunker, but it was enough for NSW to secure the shield. Peters crossed in the right corner in the final minute, triggering wild celebrations among Queenslanders on the field and in the Suncorp Stadium stands, filled with a healthy crowd of 23,846. However, when the decision was reviewed, Peters' toe was swept over the line in the tackle by a desperate Berry, who had initially appeared beaten. In the end, she was celebrated as a Blues hero as NSW lifted the shield.The Match StatisticsThe match showcased the intensity of State of Origin rugby, with NSW dominating possession in the first half, enjoying two-thirds of the ball before Queensland's Tamika Upton scored just before halftime. The Maroons took the lead early in the second half through hooker Jada Ferguson, but NSW responded with Jess Sergis powering through the defense. Jesse Southwell, who also kicked the winning field goal in game one, was instrumental in NSW's victory with both a try and a crucial try-saving tackle.The Significance of Back-to-Back WinsThis victory represents a significant achievement for NSW Women's rugby league, as they have now secured back-to-back State of Origin shields. The win helps consign the pain of the 2024 series to the past, when they won game one but allowed Queensland's resurgence to take root in game two. This year, despite letting Queensland back into the contest, they held firm at the death to secure the result, demonstrating their growth as a team under pressure.The Future of Women's State of OriginThe growing attendance of 23,846 fans and the increasing quality of play suggests that Women's State of Origin is continuing to gain momentum and popularity. With NSW establishing themselves as the dominant force, Queensland will likely regroup and aim to reclaim the series in 2027. The dramatic nature of this match, particularly the final minute decision, will undoubtedly generate even more interest and anticipation for next year's series, further cementing Women's State of Origin as a premier sporting event in Australia.

The New Year’s Eve Giant Parade in LostwithielOn New Year’s Eve 2025, environmentalist Lisa Schneidau welcomed 2026 amid a spectacular procession of handcrafted giants, lights, drums and music in the town of Lostwithiel, Cornwall. The event marked the latest public celebration organized by the art collective The Lost Giants (TLG), showcasing giants built from wooden frames, cloth, papier‑mâché and card. How The Lost Giants Recreate Traditional Processional GiantsFounded three years ago by theatre designer Ruth Webb and illustrator Amy Webb, TLG draws on medieval guild traditions where villages crafted enormous mascots for festivals. Their repertoire includes the lantern parade giant in Tregona, a harvest procession for Hauser & Wirth’s Somerset gallery, and the iconic Peter – the first giant to parade Lostwithiel’s streets in 1990. Funding and Community Support Driving the RevivalGrant from the Ffern Folk Foundation (2026) to develop the Big Folk Archive and fund a new giant for a southwest environmental campaign.Community‑based creation model: local volunteers and artists pool skills, materials and ideas for each giant.Public call‑out for environmental groups to commission bespoke giants, emphasizing the “spirit of the land.” Why Giant‑Making Resonates with Modern Environmental ActivismTLG’s giants carry ecological messages – from the sisal mountain goat Ooelle to Old Crockern, a vengeful guardian spirit used in a Dartmoor re‑wilding protest. By giving land a “personhood” through towering figures, the collective helps campaigns visualise and vocalise otherwise abstract environmental concerns. Future Prospects for Community Giants Across the UKWith growing interest in seasonal celebrations and folk theatre, TLG expects more environmental groups to commission giants, expanding the practice beyond Cornwall into other regions. The online Big Folk Archive will document the movement, potentially inspiring a new generation of community‑driven, activist art.