Aryna Sabalenka v Elena Rybakina: Australian Open 2026 final – live

Women’s singles final in Melbourne, 8.30am GMT start
Rybakina poses threat | Follow us on Bluesky | Mail Katy

G’day everyone! After this tournament suddenly and belatedly exploded into life yesterday with two men’s semi-finals for the ages, today we could have another blockbuster as Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina face each other for the women’s title, in a repeat of the 2023 final.

Sabalenka came from a set down then to win her first grand slam, and has gone on to not only become a four-time major champion and undisputed world No 1 but accumulate serious numbers on hard courts that have surpassed even some of Serena’s stats. This is Sabalenka’s seventh consecutive major final on the surface – something matched only by Martina Hingis and Steffi Graf in the open era – and victory would secure her third Australian Open title in four years. She’s the female version of Jannik Sinner on hard courts – well, Sinner before he lost to Novak Djokovic.

Alarm raised over Chinese CCTV cameras guarding ‘symbol of democracy’ Magna Carta

Campaigners criticise use of ‘vulnerable’ devices at Salisbury Cathedral and Parthenon despite their removal from sensitive UK government sites

Security cameras guarding Magna Carta are provided by a Chinese CCTV company whose technology has allegedly aided the Uyghur “genocide” and been exploited by Russia during the invasion of Ukraine, it has emerged.

In letters seen by the Guardian, campaigners called on Salisbury Cathedral, which houses one of four surviving copies of the “powerful symbol of social justice”, to rip out cameras made by Dahua Technology, based in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.

UK and EU to explore renewed talks on defence cooperation

Keir Starmer says he wants to ‘go further’ in relations with Brussels as ministers look to restart stalled negotiations

The UK and the EU are exploring the prospect of new talks on closer defence cooperation, as Keir Starmer stressed on Friday that he wanted to “go further” in the UK’s relationship with Brussels.

Maroš Šefčovič, the EU’s trade commissioner, is due in London for talks next week, with trade, energy and fisheries on the agenda. But diplomatic sources said the UK is keen to discuss restarting negotiations on defence as soon as it can.

Talks for the UK to join the EU’s €150bn (£130bn) Security Action for Europe (Safe) defence fund collapsed in November 2025 amid claims that the EU had set too high a price on entry to the programme.

Electric ​cars ​go ​mainstream as ​adoption ​surges ​across ​rich and ​developing ​nations

A wave of affordable Chinese-made EVs is accelerating the shift away from petrol cars, challenging long‑held assumptions about how transport decarbonisation unfolds

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Last year, almost every new car sold in Norway, the nature-loving country flush with oil wealth, was fully electric. In prosperous Denmark, which was all-in on petrol and diesel cars until just before Covid, sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) reached a share of 68%. In California, the share of zero-emissions vehicles hit 20%. And at least every third new car now bought by the Dutch, Finns, Belgians and Swedes burns no fuel.

These figures, which would have felt fanciful just five years ago, show the rich world leading the shift away from cars that pump out toxic gas and planet-heating pollutants. But a more startling trend is that electric car sales are also racing ahead in many developing countries. While China is known for its embrace of electric vehicles (EVs), demand has also soared in emerging markets from South America to south-east Asia. BEV sales in Turkey have caught up with the EU’s, data published this week shows.

The Fukushima towns frozen in time: nature has thrived since the nuclear disaster but what happens if humans return?

The UK government didn’t want you to see this report on ecosystem collapse. I’m not surprised

The 16-month battle to reveal the truth about Sydney Water’s poo balls

Powering up: how Ethiopia is becoming an unlikely leader in the electric vehicle revolution

‘My Tesla has become ordinary’: Turkey catches up with EU in electric car sales

The electric vehicle revolution is still on course – don’t let your loathing of Elon Musk stop you joining up

Ulez bomber: the retired electrician who turned bomb-making extremist

Shy 63-year-old’s decision to blow up London traffic camera linked to online conspiracy theories and Islamophobia

To his neighbours, Kevin Rees did not seem like an extremist. The shy 63-year-old lived on a tree-lined street in suburban Sidcup, in Bexley, south-east London. He appeared to be enjoying retirement after a career mending dishwashers and other domestic appliances. “He’s a quiet character – I’ve lived opposite him for 10 years and never really spoken to him,” says Sam, who declined to give her full name.

Behind the lace curtains, Rees was much more abrasive, at least online. Under the user name the “Exterminator” he ranted about London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, and the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) which in 2023 was expanded to the capital’s outer borough, including Bexley.

‘Humanity’s favourite food’: how to end the livestock industry but keep eating meat

Bruce Friedrich argues the only way to tackle the world’s insatiable but damaging craving for meat is like-for-like replacements like cultivated and plant-based meat

For someone aiming to end the global livestock industry, Bruce Friedrich begins his new book – called Meat – in disarming fashion: “I’m not here to tell anyone what to eat. You won’t find vegetarian or vegan recipes in this book, and you won’t find a single sentence attempting to convince you to eat differently. This book isn’t about policing your plate.”

There’s more. Friedrich, a vegan for almost four decades, says meat is “humanity’s favourite food”.

What makes Finland the happiest place on Earth?

For the last eight years, Finland has topped the list of the world’s happiest countries. Our writer embarks on a tour to discover their secret

I’ve been visiting the happiest country on Earth every year since I was a baby. At first glance, Finland doesn’t seem like an obvious breeding ground for happiness. In midwinter the sun only appears for two to five hours a day and temperatures can plummet to below -20C. (It would seem a warm-year-round, sunny climate is not a prerequisite to happiness.)

The World Happiness Report is based on a survey in which people rate their satisfaction with life – and the Finns have been happiest with their lot for the last eight years. Not short of marketing savvy, Visit Finland latched on to this with a “Masterclass of Happiness” advertising campaign. And it’s probably no coincidence that Lonely Planet named Finland in its 2026 Best in Travel guide as a country “for finding happiness in wild places”.

Can you eat pineapple leaves and how do our taste buds work? The kids’ quiz

Five multiple-choice questions – set by children – to test your knowledge, and a chance to submit your own junior brainteasers for future quizzes

• ​Submit a question

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book, as well as her new title, Everything Under the Sun: All Around the World.

Venezuela announces amnesty bill that could lead to release of political prisoners

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Friday announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners detained for political reasons.

Tim Dowling: the dog’s training regime has taken a weird turn

Intermediate Dog School involves hiding behind trees in the park …

It is rare for my wife and I to do a midweek dog walk together, but on this particular afternoon I find myself at a loose end, and volunteer to come along.

Joint walks require a bit of negotiation: my wife expects a minimum level of conversation, which is not a normal feature of my weekday afternoon. To solve this, we take turns delivering monologues of complaint – my wife going first. Because I’m a good listener, I can’t help but notice that a lot of my wife’s complaints are about me. Finally, she exhausts herself.

We have lost so much of ourselves to smartphones: can we get it back?

My use of mobile phones has been compulsive – has it been for better or for worse?

• From a priest to a pensioner, a teenager to a tech CEO: can you guess our screen time?

In 2003, the Stanford social scientist BJ Fogg published an extraordinarily prescient book. Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do predicted a future in which a student “sits in a college library and removes an electronic device from her purse”. It serves as her “mobile phone, information portal, entertainment platform, and personal organiser. She takes this device almost everywhere and feels lost without it.”

Such devices, Fogg argued, would be “persuasive technology systems … the device can suggest, encourage, and reward.” Those rewards could have a powerful effect on our relationship with these devices, akin to gamblers pumping quarters into slot machines.

Starmer hopes his China trip will begin the thaw after recent ice age

PM flies out after courting world’s second biggest economy aware of difficult balance of risks and potential rewards

The last British prime minister to visit China was Theresa May in 2018. Before the visit, she and her team were advised to get dressed under the covers because of the risk of hidden cameras having been placed in their hotel rooms to record compromising material.

Keir Starmer, in Beijing this week, was more sanguine about his privacy, even though the security risks have, if anything, increased since the former Tory prime minister was in town.

Blind date: ‘Numbers have been exchanged and dates have been suggested’

Ursula, 29, an events coordinator, meets Culann, 34, a charity worker

What were you hoping for?
To meet someone fun, maybe a bit of romance.

‘Homes may have to be abandoned’: how climate crisis has reshaped Britain’s flood risk

As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictions

When flooding hit the low-lying Somerset Levels in 2014, it took two months for the waters to rise. This week it took two days, said Rebecca Horsington, chair of the Flooding on the Levels Action Group and a born-and-bred resident. A fierce barrage of storms from the Atlantic has drenched south-west England in January, saturating soils and supercharging rivers.

Meera Sodha’s vegetarian recipe for patates yahni

Sometimes, all that’s required for supper is simply stewed Mediterranean vegetables and potatoes with a dollop of yoghurt on top …

The world over, you’ll find home cooks trying to turn bags of potatoes into dinner, myself included. Sometimes, my answer is a Sri Lankan potato curry, or a Gujarati one. Perhaps a slow-cooked Spanish omelette if it’s a date night with Hugh at the kitchen island (like this Friday) but today, the solution is Greek. Yahni is the Greek word for a style of cooking: vegetables braised in plenty of olive oil and tomatoes, until tender. It’s a way of being, a vote for the simple and the slow and the good (but it is also dinner, if you wish).

Can you guess our screen time? A priest, pensioner, tech CEO and teenager reveal all

From the person who scrolls on the toilet to the one without any social media, what do their digital habits tell us?

• Will Storr: we have lost so much of ourselves to smartphones – can we get it back?

Dayeon, 16: the teenager who spends less than an hour a day on screens

Epstein files show Elon Musk apparently discussed plans to visit sex offender's island, host him at SpaceX

Elon Musk corresponded with Jeffrey Epstein in 2012 and 2013, according to newly released files, and sought to visit Epstein's island and host him at SpaceX.

1/30: CBS Evening News

Catherine O'Hara, star of "Home Alone" and "Schitt's Creek," dies at 71; He saved a snowball for 50 years after one perfect snow day

DHS keeps making false claims about people. It's part of a broader pattern

Trump administration officials have falsely linked Alex Pretti and Renee Macklin Good to domestic terrorism. It's part of a larger pattern by the Department of Homeland Security.

Partial government shutdown begins as funding lapses despite Senate deal

The Senate passed a deal on a package of spending bills late Friday, sending it to the House, though funding for dozens of government agencies has still lapsed.

U.S. government partially shuts down; House vote could reopen it by Monday

The funding deal addresses concerns Democrats have about funding the Department of Homeland Security because of enforcement actions in Minnesota.

What to know about the partial government shutdown

The Senate passed a measure to avert a shutdown on Friday. But with the House on recess, funding for broad stretches of the federal government has technically lapsed.

US government shuts down partially over homeland security funding

Democratic senators refuse to vote for bill authorizing continued DHS spending after killings of two US citizens

Funding lapsed for several US government departments on Saturday, the result of a standoff in Congress over new restrictions on federal agents involved in Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign following the killings of two US citizens in Minneapolis.

The partial government shutdown is the result of Democratic senators refusing to vote for a bill authorizing continued spending by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), after federal agents killed Alex Pretti in Minnesota’s largest city last week, and Renee Good earlier in January. The minority party’s blockade imperiled a push by Republicans for approval of larger package of legislation funding other departments, which needed to pass the Senate before the government’s spending authorization expired Friday.

Is Harry Styles losing his ‘Mr Perfect’ image? Six things you need to know

After a three-year hiatus, the former One Directioner has announced a record-breaking tour. But this week he’s facing a backlash. Will his big comeback go to plan?

God save Harry Styles! Thus far in his career, the former One Direction frontman and unproblematic fave has been the golden boy of British music, one of our few stars to successfully crack America and not embarrass us in the attempt. Amid ever-dwindling sources of national pride, Styles has been a constant, the UK’s preferred Prince Harry and even less controversial than Paddington. But is his charmed run about to come to an end?

As Styles gears up for his big comeback, after a three-year hiatus from music and in large part public life, there are signs he may have set his sights too close to the sun, with controversy over ticket prices and a backlash brewing. Can Harry style it out?

‘I never imagined this!’ How KPop Demon Hunters could make history at the Grammys and the Oscars

As the film’s megahit song Golden looks likely to sweep everything in awards season, its singer Ejae explains why she’s ready to step out from behind her animated alter ego

‘The directors were crying, the producer was crying, and I thought: Oh my gosh, this is an incredible musical world.” It was February 2025, and Ian Eisendrath was conducting an orchestra through the final flourishes for the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. He knew that the team had built something special – “but I never thought it would be like this,” he laughs, marvelling at what came next.

Mere weeks after its release in June, the animated film – about Korean girl band Huntr/x who battle soul-hungry demons through song – became Netflix’s most-watched title ever. The film’s soundtrack, a fleet of emotionally charged, devilishly catchy hits crafted by real K-pop heavyweights, became a platinum-rated phenomenon all its own.

Venezuela announces mass amnesty plan for political prisoners dating back to Chavez era

Delcy Rodríguez also plans to close notorious El Helicoide prison as opposition figures remain wary over new leadership

Venezuela’s acting president announced on Friday a proposal for mass amnesty in the country, in her latest significant reform since the US toppling of Nicolás Maduro just weeks ago.

In a speech at the Venezuelan supreme court attended by top government officials, Delcy Rodríguez said she would propose a “general amnesty law covering the entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present”.

1/26: CBS Evening News

Brutal cold temperatures move in as U.S. digs out from deadly winter storm; Bovino and other agents leaving Minneapolis after Pretti killing.

Journalist Don Lemon appears in court following arrest over protest at Minnesota church

Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents in Los Angeles, where he had been covering the Grammy Awards, his attorney said.

"Dances With Wolves" actor Nathan Chasing Horse convicted of sexual assault

A Nevada jury convicted "Dances With Wolves" actor Nathan Chasing Horse of multiple charges of sexually assaulting a minor.

Dozens confirmed dead as extreme cold continues to grip much of U.S.

The death toll continues to rise from a massive winter storm that left an ongoing spell of freezing weather in its wake.

'Melania' is Amazon's airbrushed and astronomically pricey portrait of the First Lady

Amazon paid $40 million to acquire the documentary, and is spending $35 million more to promote it.

Photos: Thousands once again protest ICE in Minneapolis and across the U.S.

Demonstrators in Minneapolis and other U.S. cities participated in protests as part of a "national shutdown" to end immigration enforcement operations.

Don Lemon arrested after covering Minnesota church protest

Journalist Don Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles, his attorney and multiple sources with direct knowledge told CBS News. The arrest comes nearly two weeks after Lemon was at an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a service at a church in Minnesota. Matt Gutman reports.

Amazon asks FCC for extension for Leo satellite internet service

The company needs to bring more of its satellites online so it can begin offering an internet-from-space service that was recently rebranded as Amazon Leo.

Heatwave across Australia’s south-east continues for eighth day ahead of a welcome cool change

The BoM forecasts parts of inland NSW will exceed 45C on Saturday, with Thargomindah in Queensland to reach 46C, Mildura 45C and Canberra 41C

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A cool change this weekend is expected to bring an end to eight consecutive days of blistering temperatures above 40C in Australia’s south-east.

But before it does, the heat continued on Saturday. Heatwave warnings remained in place for parts of every state and territory excluding Tasmania, with Canberra forecast to reach a top of 41C and parts of inland New South Wales, including Broken Hill, expected to climb higher than 45C.

Severe cold persists as forecasters track another potential East Coast storm

Maps show where the next blast of Arctic air and a potential winter storm are expected to travel this weekend, according to the latest forecast models.

Rookie NYPD officer saves 2 choking babies within months

A rookie cop in New York City faced not one, but two life or death tests of his police academy training. As Tony Dokoupil reports, he passed them both.

Lindsey Vonn suffers injury one week before Olympics

Lindsey Vonn said in a social media statement her "Olympic dream is not over" after a crash in her final downhill before the Milan Cortina Games left her limping and keeping weight off her left knee. Seth Doane has more.

Trump, Bill Gates and more referenced in more Epstein files released by DOJ

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the Justice Department is releasing more than 3 million pages, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images and videos related to its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Ed O'Keefe has the latest.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (Feb. 1)

A look at the features for this week's broadcast of the Emmy-winning program, hosted by Jane Pauley.

Judge drops possibility of death penalty for Luigi Mangione

Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will not face the death penalty if convicted on federal charges, a judge ruled Friday.

What to expect as possible bomb cyclone may hit East Coast

As much of the country continues to grapple with the icy snowy aftermath of last weekend's storm, a potential bomb cyclone has set its sights on the East Coast. Skyler Henry and Rob Marciano have details.

Catherine O'Hara, star of "Home Alone" and "Schitt's Creek," dies at 71

Actor Catherine O'Hara, known for her roles in "Home Alone," "Beetlejuice" and "Schitt's Creek," has died at 71, according to a statement from her agency, CAA. Mark Strassman has more on her life and legacy.

I endured the Melania film so you don’t have to – my only regret is not buying popcorn so one of my senses was entertained | Caitlin Cassidy

‘Everyone wants to know,’ Melania says at the beginning of the two-hour extravaganza – but do we?

It’s Friday afternoon at Hoyts on Sydney’s northern beaches, and the atmosphere is horrific. I am here to see Amazon’s $75m “documentary” on Melania Trump, which has already been condemned as a flop ahead of its release.

When I arrive, I panic for a second that I have the time wrong. There are no Melania posters anywhere and the screening is tucked into the back bottom corner of the large movie theatre, like the weird leftover table at a wedding.

The arrest of Don Lemon is blatant censorship. And he is not the only one | Seth Stern

Thursday’s arrests of Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort demonstrate the administration’s lawless crusade against routine journalism

Two federal courts reviewed the government’s evidence against journalist Don Lemon and declined to approve his arrest last week. But nevertheless, the attorney general, Pam Bondi, persisted, desperate to please her authoritarian boss no matter what the constitution and law say or what her ethical obligations as an attorney require.

Thursday’s arrests of Lemon and Georgia Fort, an independent journalist – like the recent raid on Hannah Natanson, the Washington Post reporter – demonstrate the administration’s lawless crusade against routine journalism. In normal times the expectation is that even when a journalist’s conduct might technically fit the legal elements of a crime – jaywalking to get footage of a protest, for example – prosecutors will exercise their discretion and judgment to not apply the law in a manner that chills the free press.

Seth Stern is the director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation and a first amendment lawyer

One in seven food delivery businesses in England are ‘dark kitchens’, study shows

University researchers say growth of the hidden fast food industry may pose risks to public health

One in seven food businesses on major delivery platforms, including Deliveroo and Just Eat, is now a “dark kitchen”, a university study shows.

The findings, which shine a light on the scale of the hidden takeaway industry, found that 15% of all online food retailers in England were dark kitchens.

Emails reportedly show Epstein scouted women for New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch

• Giants owner appears in newly released emails

• Messages show Epstein arranging women for Tisch

• DoJ releases 3.5m pages tied to Epstein case

New York Giants chairman and co-owner Steve Tisch appeared throughout a newly released trove of emails related to Jeffrey Epstein, including communications in which Epstein arranged for Tisch to meet specific women.

The emails, which were sent in 2013, were released Friday by the Department of Justice among 3.5 million documents related to Epstein’s sex trafficking case and were first reported on by the Athletic.

Amazon wraps controversial week ahead of 'Melania' premier, fourth-quarter earnings

Amazon's week included a White House screening of the "Melania" documentary and another massive round of layoffs.

Jeffrey Epstein victims blast DOJ for 'incomplete' release of files

"We did not protect President Trump ... or anybody," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said as he revealed there would be no more release of Epstein files.

A new $45 fee for travelers without Real IDs goes into effect Feb. 1

Passengers without Real IDs can still fly if they pay a $45 fee, which covers the cost of additional identity verification screening.

Judge rules Luigi Mangione should not face death penalty

A federal judge dropped two of the charges against Luigi Mangione — the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson — making his case no longer eligible for the death penalty.

Greg Biffle wasn't flying plane before crash that killed him and 6 others, NTSB says

Federal safety officials have concluded that retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle was not flying his jet when it crashed last month in North Carolina, killing him and six others.

Prosecutors in Luigi Mangione case can't seek death penalty, judge rules

Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will not face the death penalty if convicted on federal charges, a judge ruled Friday.

More than 200 killed in coltan mine collapse in eastern DRC, officials say

Rubaya mine produces about 15% of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum, used in mobile phones

More than 200 people were killed this week in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, a spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of the province where the mine is located, told Reuters on Friday.

Rubaya produces about 15% of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum – a heat-resistant metal that is in high demand by makers of mobile phones, computers, aerospace components and gas turbines. The site, where local people dig manually for a few dollars a day, has been under the control of the M23 rebel group since 2024.

Man accused of falsely confessing to killing Charlie Kirk faces up to 15-year sentence

George Zinn, 71, further admitted to possessing child sexual abuse material and pleaded no contest to allegations

A man accused of trying to thwart authorities investigating Charlie Kirk’s killing by falsely confessing to the deadly shooting faces up to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to the allegation – and separately admitting to possessing child sexual abuse material.

The case centering on George Zinn, 71, all but concluded at a court hearing on Thursday in Provo, Utah, about 5 miles away from the college campus where the Turning Point USA executive director was fatally shot on 10 September 2025.

3 key questions for investors about Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh

Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor, is in line to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell in May. Here's what Wall Street wants to know.

Once Upon a Time in Harlem review – remarkable Harlem Renaissance documentary

Sundance film festival: a once-in-a-lifetime dinner party from 1972 is transformed into a thrilling and inspiring hang-out movie

In August 1972, the experimental film-maker William Greaves convened a once-in-a-lifetime dinner party at Duke Ellington’s townhouse in Harlem. The occasion was a celebration and reconsideration of the Harlem Renaissance, the watershed African American cultural movement of the 1920s. The guest list included its still-living luminaries, some of the 20th century’s most influential – and still underappreciated – musicians, performers, artists, writers, historians and political leaders, all in their sunset years. Over four hours and untold glasses of wine, talk wheeled freely from vivid recollections to consternation, lively anecdotes to contemplations of ongoing struggle. Greaves, by then niche renowned for his innovatively meta documentary Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One, lightly directed the conversation but otherwise let the energy flow. He considered it the most important footage he ever recorded.

You could probably release that remarkable footage in full, completely unedited and unstructured, and still have a good documentary; every piece is now, 50 years later – the same distance to us as the Harlem Renaissance was to them – a bridge to a time no living person can remember, each face and gesture informed by decades of aftermath no straightforward nonfiction film on the period could capture. But Once Upon a Time in Harlem, directed by Greaves’s son David, who was one of four cameramen that day, manages to seamlessly clip and contextualize the party into 100 mesmerizing minutes. It’s both a sublime hang-out of a film and a celebration of individual achievements, a fascinating map of a long-ago scene and a referendum on legacy.

Once Upon a Time in Harlem is screening at the Sundance film festival and is seeking distribution

Eli Lilly CEO says Medicare coverage of obesity drugs could 'change the game' for upcoming pill launch

Lilly CEO Dave Ricks is confident in the ability of the company's pill to compete and is preparing for a "full launch" in the second quarter.

Blue Origin pauses space tourism flights to focus on lunar lander

Blue Origin, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, says it's stopping human spaceflights for at least two years. The move will allow it to "shift resources" to the company's lunar landing capabilities.

Luigi Mangione won't face death penalty in CEO murder case, federal judge rules

Luigi Mangione is accusing of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York City street in December 2024.

Patients are being hit with this surprise fee just for seeing their doc

One patient reports getting stuck with a $2,418 "facility fee" after seeing her doctor. "I didn't even know such a thing existed," she said.

US justice department releases more than 3 million new pages of Epstein files

Batch includes more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images related to disgraced financier, Todd Blanche says

• Elon Musk had more extensive ties to Epstein than previously known, emails show

• Epstein files release – latest updates

The US deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, said on Friday that the justice department had released more than 3m pages of documents related to its investigation into the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in a long-awaited announcement that appears to represent the bulk of the so-called Epstein files that have dogged Donald Trump politically.

In a testy news conference, Blanche said that the release would include more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, which will have “extensive redactions”. He added that the Trump administration had produced roughly 3.5m pages in an effort to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. He said that they include large quantities of commercial pornography and images “that were seized from Epstein’s devices”.

Tim Walz says Trump administration wants to 'twist reality' in Minnesota

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz about the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in his state.

Lila Iké learned what "self-love" means with her Grammy-nominated album

Lila Iké's full-length debut album, Treasure Self Love, has been nominated for a Grammy. Iké spoke to All Things Considered about being one of the only women ever to receive a nomination for best reggae album.

Texas A&M University cancels programs in women's and gender studies

The university said it had also modified hundreds of courses and cancelled six in efforts to eliminate teaching related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon arrested by feds over Minnesota church protest

Lemon's "constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done," his lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said.

Trump nominates Kevin Warsh for Federal Reserve chair to succeed Jerome Powell

President Trump named Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as Fed chair, ending an odyssey that has seen unprecedented turmoil around the central bank.

The week around the world in 20 pictures

ICE in Minneapolis, Russian airstrikes in Kyiv, Alex Honnold climbing a Taipei skyscraper and Sabalenka at the Australian Open – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

Harry Brook adds to England woes by admitting he lied about nightclub incident

• White-ball captain claims he was protecting teammates

• Bethell and Tongue investigated over drinking session

Harry Brook, the England white-ball captain, has admitted teammates were present on the night he clashed with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand last year.

Speaking at the start of England’s tour of Sri Lanka, Brook said that he was on his own when he was punched by a bouncer on the eve of the third one-day international against New Zealand in Wellington.

Wealth inequality and the 'K-shaped' economy are more striking than ever, data shows

The K-shaped economy is as apparent as ever and isn't going away anytime soon, economists say.

Arsenal’s terminally online Premier League title pursuit is a symbol of our times | Barney Ronay

A robotic team fuelled by data and scrutinised relentlessly in a climate of angst and rage feels like a digital-age metaphor

Like most people who have no talent for business ideas, I have a huge number of highly promising business ideas always on the go, ideas that are available for investment from any passing billionaire or Dragons’ Den rainmaker type.

Not one of the A-listers, obviously. I’m not insane. Not a Meaden or a Paphitis. But perhaps one of the minor ones, some strangely groomed South African retail magnate called Dork van Frotwangle who looks as if he keeps a bag of human fingers in his freezer and will mysteriously disappear mid-series and never be mentioned again.

Trump nominates Federal Reserve critic Kevin Warsh as its next chair

Pick of former Fed governor to replace Jerome Powell comes as White House seeks to tighten grip on central bank

Donald Trump has announced Kevin Warsh as his nomination for the next chair of the Federal Reserve, selecting a candidate who has been an outspoken critic of the US central bank.

The move ends months of speculation about who the president would pick to replace Jerome Powell, as he waged an extraordinary campaign to influence policymaking at the Fed by repeatedly calling for interest rate cuts. Powell’s second term as chair is due to end in May.

Ford to record $600 million pretax pension charge in fourth quarter

Ford will report a pretax charge of $600 million in its fourth-quarter results due to adjustments to employee pension plans and other postretirement benefits.

Press freedom groups denounce arrests of two journalists including Don Lemon after Minnesota anti-ICE protest

Groups say arrests of ex-CNN anchor and Georgia Fort are ‘extremely alarming’ and an ‘attack on the first amendment’

Press freedom groups are warning that the arrests of two independent journalists, including the veteran former CNN anchor Don Lemon, signal a chilling new crackdown on US media by the Trump administration.

Lemon was taken into custody on Thursday night by federal agents in Los Angeles, despite a magistrate judge declining to sign off on charges against him a week ago in connection with a protest at a Minnesota church against violent government immigration enforcement actions.

‘A place of two halves’: how Margate’s art-led renewal has left town ‘splintered’

Madonna labelled it ‘heaven’ on a recent visit, but the cost of living in the seaside resort is hitting many residents hard

Not many chefs working in small, family-run restaurants expect global megastars to turn up for dinner and to design them a menu from scratch.

But that’s what happened to Simona Di Dio last weekend, when she cooked dishes inspired by her Italian grandmother’s recipes for Madonna, who sat on the single wooden dining table in Di Dio’s cosy, candlelit Italian restaurant in Margate’s old town.

Nevada's first-in-the-nation primary bid gets boost from Latino Victory

Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina are vying to be the first state to vote in the 2028 Democratic presidential primaries.

Hassett praises Trump's pick of Warsh to lead Fed, says he has his 'dream job' already

The NEC director, once considered a clear frontrunner for the next Fed chair, said he is fine with his current role.

Trump says he believes Iran wants to make deal as he extols size of US ‘armada’

US president declines to say whether he plans Venezuela-like operation, after Tehran signalled it was ready for talks

• Killing Khamenei? Hitting military sites? It is unclear what a US attack on Iran would achieve

Donald Trump has said he believes Tehran wants to make a deal to head off a regional conflict, as he claimed the US “armada” near Iran was bigger than the taskforce deployed to topple Venezuela’s leader.

“We have a large armada, flotilla, call it whatever you want, heading toward Iran right now, even larger than what we had in Venezuela,” the US president told reporters on Friday.

Trump, two sons, Trump Org sue IRS, Treasury for $10 billion over tax records leak

The Miami federal court lawsuit says the IRS and Treasury failed to prevent the leak of Trump's tax records by former IRS employee Charles Littlejohn.

Catherine O’Hara, actor known for Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek, dies aged 71

Actor, also known for Beetlejuice and her work with Christopher Guest, died after a brief illness

• Catherine O’Hara managed to make difficult characters utterly delightul

• Catherine O’Hara: a life in pictures

Catherine O’Hara, actor known for Schitt’s Creek, Home Alone and Best in Show, has died at the age of 71.

Her manager confirmed the news to Variety. She died after a brief illness.

Everything you need to know about Kevin Warsh, Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve

Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor, has emerged as Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Reserve. Here’s his background, views and why it matters.

Mexico president says Trump tariffs on Cuba’s oil suppliers could trigger humanitarian crisis

Island country only has oil enough to last 15-20 days, and 12-hour blackouts have become commonplace

Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has warned that Donald Trump’s move to slap new tariffs on countries sending oil to Cuba could trigger a humanitarian crisis on the island, which is already suffering from chronic fuel shortages and regular blackouts.

The US president signed an executive order on Thursday declaring a national emergency and laying the groundwork for such tariffs, ratcheting up the pressure to topple the communist government in Havana.

‘Isolation isn’t the way forward’: readers on their unusual living arrangements

We spoke with five people from Atlanta to rural Germany and the UK whose households range from grandparents to three couples who own a farmhouse

In Atlanta, Carolyn Martinez, 65, lives in a household spanning four generations – and a lifelong friendship. Her 90-year-old mother, who has lived with her for more than 40 years due to various disabilities, shares the house with Martinez, 65, her adult daughter, aged 25, and her granddaughter, aged three months. “My mum has lived with me literally all my adult life,” she says. “She just wasn’t able to live by herself.”

Melania review – Trump film is a gilded trash remake of The Zone of Interest

Dispiriting, deadly and unrevealing – there is a decent documentary to be made about the former model from Slovenia, but this one is unredeemable

• One adult for the 9.40am in Sittingbourne: a front row seat for Melania’s ominous UK opening
• Eggs, hats and unfettered ambition: what we learned about Melania Trump from her documentary

My audience with Melania is booked for Friday lunchtime at a retail park on the outskirts of Bristol, inside a large cinema which appears to have been swept and emptied in readiness. When Brett Ratner’s contentious, Amazon-backed documentary previewed at the White House last weekend, the guestlist included Mike Tyson, Queen Rania of Jordan and the president himself. Today it’s just me in the room and Melania on the screen. It makes for a more intimate and exclusive affair.

This mood of cosy conviviality extends all the way through the opening credits; at which point the chill descends and the novocaine kicks in, as the film’s star and executive producer proceeds to guide us – with agonising glacial slowness – through the preparations for her husband’s second presidential inauguration. She glides from the fashion fitting to the table setting, and from the “candlelit dinner” to the “starlight ball”, with a face like a fist and a voice of sheet metal. “Candlelight and black tie and my creative vision,” she says, as though listing the ingredients in a cauldron. “As first lady, children will always remain my priority,” she coos, and you can almost picture her coaxing them into her little gingerbread house.

Israel accepts health authorities’ Gaza death toll is broadly accurate, saying 70,000 have died

Israeli military’s U-turn in accepting official figures comes after years of attacking data as ‘Hamas propaganda’

Israel’s military has accepted the death toll compiled by health authorities in Gaza is broadly accurate, marking a U-turn after years of official attacks on the data.

A senior security official briefed Israeli journalists, saying about 70,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli attacks on the territory since October 2023, excluding those missing.

The Guardian view on China’s military purge: the risks grow in an age of strongmen | Editorial

Xi Jinping’s ousting of the country’s top general underscores the concentration of power in the hands of a few – with dangers for us all

Sir Keir Starmer is only one of the middle power leaders trekking to Beijing to renew relations. No one has forgotten China’s increasing international forcefulness, its handling of the pandemic and its closer relations with Russia as war engulfed Ukraine. But the wildness of Donald Trump’s first year back in power is spurring Canada, France and others to hedge their bets. This, not whisky tariff cuts, is what the British prime minister sought. Mr Trump called the move “dangerous”, but threatens allies and describes Xi Jinping as a “friend”. Set beside this administration, Beijing looks no more benevolent but does appear relatively predictable.

Yet the important news from Beijing in recent days was not Sir Keir’s visit but the news that Xi Jinping had purged its top general, Zhang Youxia. No one is too mighty to be ousted in a system which, while stable, looks increasingly like a “party of one”. The Chinese leader’s campaign has whittled the Central Military Commission, the top military body, from seven figures to just Mr Xi himself and the armed forces’ anti-corruption chief. He had already toppled officials at all levels of the party, including potential heirs, brushed aside term limits and fostered a personality cult. Now he is completely overhauling the People’s Liberation Army.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

FBI now leading investigation into fatal shooting of Alex Pretti

The investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, known as Homeland Security Investigations, had been leading the investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

DOJ releasing more than 3 million pages of Jeffrey Epstein records

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says the Justice Department is releasing millions more records related to its probe into Jeffrey Epstein.

Jayasree Kabir obituary

Actor who was a celebrated figure of Bangladeshi cinema after being discovered by the Indian director Satyajit Ray

Few performers’ careers have encompassed both discovery by Satyajit Ray and working opposite sometime Likely Lad James Bolam. Yet this was the distinction the actor Jayasree Kabir, who has died aged 73, achieved while shifting between the southern and northern hemispheres as work and family commitments required.

Launched while still a teenager in Ray’s 1970 film Pratidwandi (The Adversary), Kabir compiled a modest yet highly selective list of credits, including several key titles of Bangladeshi cinema, before making her final screen appearance in a 2004 episode of the BBC’s primetime ratings winner New Tricks, starring Bolam.

Lindsey Vonn airlifted from course after crash in final downhill before Olympics

• Vonn crashes into nets and clutches left knee

• Race in Crans-Montana abandoned after early falls

• ‘My Olympic dream is not over,’ insists US star

Lindsey Vonn crashed out of the final World Cup downhill before the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday, leaving the American skiing great limping and clutching her left knee as organizers abandoned the race amid worsening conditions.

The 41-year-old lost control after landing a jump on the upper section of the course in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, skidding sideways into the safety netting as snow fell steadily and visibility deteriorated. Vonn’s airbag deployed on impact and she remained down for several moments while medical staff attended to her on the piste.

Galopin chases Gold Cup glory but waits on Leopardstown inspection

Dublin Racing Festival and Sandown card both in danger of washout after heavy rain at both venues

Prospects for the most valuable and significant weekend of racing in the run-up to the Cheltenham festival in March remained in the balance on Friday evening after both Leopardstown and Sandown called inspections for Saturday morning due to fears of overnight rain.

Leopardstown has had nearly 200mm of rain over the last two weeks ahead of the Dublin Racing Festival, which is due to stage eight Grade One races over the weekend. Paddy Graffin, Leopardstown’s clerk of the course, will inspect at 8am.

Eli Lilly plans $3.5 billion manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania to make next-generation obesity injections

The plant will help make Lilly's experimental drug called retatrutide, which has shown the highest weight loss seen to date in a late-stage trial. 

It is beyond naive for Democrats – and Europe – to think Trump’s retreats are real. He never backs down for long | Jonathan Freedland

Whether it’s Minneapolis or Greenland, the US president will do just enough to get through a damaging news cycle, then carry on as before

Don’t be fooled. When it comes to Donald Trump, what might look like a full retreat is almost always a mere tactical withdrawal, designed to buy time. He’ll step back when he’s forced to, under pressure, but will then revert the instant the pressure lets up. Too often, his opponents, whether at home or abroad, allow themselves to be played, confusing a mere pause for a surrender – and the risk is strong that they’re making that same mistake all over again.

This week, the US president won praise in some quarters for moving to “de-escalate” the war he has been waging on the people of Minneapolis. Following the killing of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who posed no threat and yet was shot at least 10 times by masked agents of Customs and Border Protection or CBP, Trump signalled that he wanted to calm things down.

Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist

Jack Kerouac’s 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned

The draft – one of the Beat Generation’s defining artefacts – will be part of a wider sale of pieces from the Jim Irsay Collection at Christie’s in March

Jack Kerouac’s original typescript scroll for On the Road – the 37 metre (121ft) long roll of paper on which he typed his defining Beat novel in a three-week burst – will go under the hammer at Christie’s in March, with a sale estimate of £1.8m to £2.9m ($2.5m to $4m).

The scroll is one of the centrepieces of the Jim Irsay Collection, one of the most extensive private collections of music, literary, film and sports memorabilia ever assembled.

Another blast of freezing weather moves into the US south-east

Arctic air will freeze Tennessee and Florida, as 230,000 households in region remain without power in area

Freezing weather that will reach deep into Florida was moving across the south-eastern US on Friday as millions braced for another weekend blast of winter storms following last week’s deadly assault that killed at least 85 people.

Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in southern states were without power for a sixth day on Friday as the next onslaught of blizzards, ice and biting cold winds approached.

Martin Rowson on Keir Starmer, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping – cartoon

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Groundbreaking director Reginald Hudlin: ‘It’s taken a lot of effort but the reward is always worth it’

The man who created House Party, wrote for the Black Panther comics, produced Django Unchained and briefly ran BET talks his illustrious career

Reginald Hudlin’s home office is a monument to an audacious American dream – the Black scion who grew up far from Hollywood glamour and rose to become one of the industry’s most adaptable storytellers. On the walls, a framed Black Panther comic page he penned glints under glass near a portrait of Jamie Foxx – a souvenir from Hudlin’s stint producing Django Unchained – and a piece of the Martin Luther King memorial that he was gifted while shooting the Disney sports drama Safety. “Look, I’m pleased with my life,” he tells me with a wry smile. “But honestly it’s taken a lot of trickery to get people to let me do these crazy things. It’s taken a lot of effort, but the reward is always worth it.”

Hudlin may be the nearest thing in Hollywood to a real-life Forrest Gump, given the things he’s done, the folks he’s worked with and the history he’s made. On Marvel Comics’ Black Panther graphic novel, Hudlin was the writer who repositioned the franchise as an explicit Black empowerment allegory, laying the foundation for Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster feature films. On the big screen, Hudlin has directed Eddie Murphy in Boomerang, Samuel L Jackson in The Great White Hope and Chadwick Boseman in Marshall.

Sen. Tillis will oppose Trump Fed chair pick Warsh until Powell probe resolved

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has said the DOJ's criminal investigation of him stems from frustration by President Trump over interest rate decisions.

Prediction markets allow trading on Super Bowl commercials, prompting insider trading questions

Prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket are offering trades on which companies will air Super Bowl ads, prompting concerns about potential insider trading.

Saks to shutter most Saks Off 5th stores as bankrupt retailer cuts costs

Saks, which declared bankruptcy on Jan. 14, is set to hold going-out-of-business sales as it closes dozens of retail outlets.