India's Nifty 50 jumps 3% as long-awaited trade deal with U.S. boosts investor sentiment

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday stateside said that U.S. will cut reciprocal tariff on India to 18% from 25%.

Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv and Kharkiv under Russian air attack after Trump says US may have ‘good news’ on war

Buildings hit, energy sites targeted and four people injured in multiple strikes hours after US president says ‘we’re doing very well with Ukraine and Russia’. What we know on day 1,441

Appeals court overturns former UCLA gynecologist's sex abuse conviction

It was ruled Dr. James Heaps was denied a fair trial because the judge did not share with his defense counsel a note by the court's foreman pointing out concerns that one juror lacked sufficient English to carry out their duties.

Judge blocks Trump administration from ending protections for Haitians

A federal judge on Monday blocked the end of protections that have allowed roughly 350,000 Haitians to live in the U.S., dealing President Donald Trump's immigration agenda another legal setback.

Student loans: why is Martin Lewis clashing with Rachel Reeves?

MoneySavingExpert founder has said changes that will lead to some graduates in England and Wales paying more are ‘not moral’

• Graduates in England and Wales: share your views on student loan repayments

A fairly technical-sounding change to student loans tucked away in last November’s budget has become the catalyst for an increasingly bad-tempered row pitting the UK consumer champion Martin Lewis against the chancellor, Rachel Reeves.

In one interview, Lewis – the founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, who boasts a vast following – said he did not think the planned change to repayment terms “was a moral thing”.

War, a Trump-imposed deal or internal regime collapse: for Tehran, none of the options are good | Sanam Vakil

Iran’s leaders now face unprecedented peril. The regime has lost its footing, and the global mechanisms to avoid conflict no longer work

• Dr Sanam Vakil is the director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa programme

Forty-seven years on from the Iranian revolution, Iran is confronting a strategic reality it has never faced before – a simultaneous crisis of domestic legitimacy and a credible threat of external attack so severe that regime survival can no longer be taken for granted. Until now, Tehran has survived wars, sanctions, assassinations, mass protests and international isolation through a strategy of projecting strength abroad, repressing dissent at home and generating a permanent crisis to justify poor leadership and political failure.

Today, Donald Trump has mobilised an “armada” to the Middle East that includes the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, guided-missile destroyers, an expanded air presence and missile defence systems. This force projection suggests the US is no longer focused on containing Iran but rather compelling a final resolution of a long-running conflict. The choice at hand is either the acceptance of a US-imposed settlement or the destruction of the Islamic republic as it exists today.

Bridget Christie: Jacket Potato Pizza review – how menopause set the standup free

Bristol Beacon
If the comic’s political fervour is dialled down, there is much to enjoy in a show delivered with flair and 10-ton sarcasm

Inner peace and contentment are not always gifts to the comedian, and – who knows? – maybe that’s why Bridget Christie’s latest show is a teensy bit less thrilling than its predecessors. For Christie has found her happy place: serenely single, professionally triumphant (on the telly too, after years not finding a niche there), and absolved by menopause of the need to give a toss about almost anything. There’s comedy in that freedom from care, and Christie mines it plentifully in an entertaining 90 minutes majoring – like her Channel 4 show The Change – in what life looks like for women (or at least, this woman) when oestrogen gets out of the way.

But Jacket Potato Pizza feels like a placeholder of a show, lacking the fervour or clownish fury of her best work. Its short first half begins by contrasting quotations from Presidents Obama and Trump – but that gives a misleading impression of what’s in store. More indicative is the routine that follows, in which Christie re-enacts a story as told by her menopausal pal, a banal tale of a night out turned into a symphony of digressions, malapropisms (mixing the Benjamins Zephaniah and Netanyahu, most memorably) and vocabulary tantalisingly out of reach. It’s as much sketch as standup, and our host brings it to life with characteristic pop-eyed dismay.

Sheriff believes Savannah Guthrie's missing mother was abducted while she slept

Authorities in the Tucson, Arizona, area are searching for the mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie.

China to ban hidden car door handles on all EVs over crash safety concerns

Sleek car doors reduce vehicle drag but are prone to losing operability in the event of a crash, officials say

China will soon ban concealed door handles on electric vehicles (EVs), becoming the first country to do so after several deadly incidents triggered global scrutiny of the controversial design first popularised by Tesla.

According to regulations announced on Monday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, cars sold in China will now be required to have a mechanical release on both the inside and outside of every door except the boot.

Teen swims four hours through rough seas to save mother and siblings off Western Australia

The 13-year-old attempted to kayak back to shore to get help, but the vessel took on water, forcing him to swim 4km

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A teenager has saved his mother and two younger siblings by swimming for four hours in fading light and rough conditions after they were swept out to sea in south-west Western Australia.

The family were holidaying in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth, when strong winds pushed their inflatable paddleboards and kayak offshore from Geographe Bay on Friday afternoon.

2/2: CBS Evening News

Sheriff believes Savannah Guthrie's mom, Nancy, was "abducted"; Bomb cyclone pummels South with snow, ice and freezing temperatures.

Minnesota Olympians, other athletes speak up about federal agents in Minneapolis

"I want to make sure you know who I'm racing for," wrote Minnesota-born cross-country skiing star Jessie Diggins. Meanwhile, a hospitality center for Team USA families dropped the name "Ice House."

Why are women turning to testosterone? – podcast

Just like men, women are increasingly being told by online influencers that the classic symptoms of middle age could be down to low testosterone. In the second part of this miniseries exploring the hormone, Madeleine Finlay finds out what testosterone supplementation is doing for women. She hears from science journalist Linda Geddes, who is taking testosterone for low libido, and from prof Susan Davis, a consultant endocrinologist and head of the Monash University Women’s Health Research Programme. Susan explains what the evidence really shows about the benefits and risks of women taking testosterone

‘Frightening’ how easily women can get hold of testosterone, say doctors

Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod

Music and dancing signify defiance at celebratory funerals of Iran’s protesters

Euphoric scenes are a snub to theocracy’s culture of piety, say analysts, and carry message of rebellion

Iranians killed in recent protests that rocked the country have been laid to rest in boisterous funerals featuring loud pop music and dancing, apparently intended to convey defiance to the ruling Islamic regime.

Instead of holding sombre traditional mourning ceremonies presided over by a Shia cleric, bereaved relatives are turning the burials into exultant celebrations of the lives of their loved ones in what analysts say is an intentional snub to the culture of piety demanded by Iran’s theocracy.

A romance fraudster ruined my life – how I survived two years with a psychopath

At first, Mike made Tamsin feel good about herself – and his love-bombing led her to leave her family and resign from her job. Soon she had lost her car, phone and all her money

Tamsin met Mike in the summer of 2022. He was a mechanic in a garage that she walked past twice each day between home and work. After a while, he’d call out “good morning” or “good evening” and she’d wave and smile back. Then the exchanges got a little longer. (“Hard day?” “Looking forward to dinner?”) Six months later, Mike and Tamsin exchanged numbers.

Within two years, her life was wrecked. She had left her marriage, lost her home, quit her job, and sold her car and her phone, spent all her savings and racked up tens of thousands in debt. (Under her current repayment plan, it will take another eight and a half years to pay back her creditors.) Tamsin’s story seems scarcely credible and she is mortified to have to tell it. She stumbles through, piles of notes on her lap and a support worker from Victim Support at her side. Every few minutes, she breaks off to say, “It sounds so stupid”, “I sound like an absolute nutter” or “Where was my head?” In truth, she spent two years in the company of a psychopath, a master manipulator. He is in prison now, serving a 22-year sentence, but not for romance fraud, or anything involving Tamsin. Her experience, police have told her, “would not stand up in court”.

Monsoons, mould … and a million visitors: welcome to Kerala’s ‘people’s biennale’

Work by almost 70 artists – including Marina Abramović – has made an art fair in Kochi one of the hottest tickets in south Asia. This sixth instalment uses farmers’ fields and patched-up buildings to take visitors ‘back to nature’

Say someone brings you a bouquet of flowers. You get a vase and one by one intuitively place each stem inside, allowing an arrangement to unfold on its own. It was on this level, as lead curator Nikhil Chopra suggests, that the Kochi-Muziris Biennale was not curated so much as created.

On a stroll through the largest contemporary art biennale in south Asia, creation takes centre stage. Against the backdrop of the coastal city’s lush strip of backwaters and the historic Fort Kochi, works by 66 artists animate Kerala’s grand colonial warehouses and bungalows where art feels less installed than encountered.

Shock, awe, death, joy and looting: how the Guardian covered the outbreak of the Iraq war

In spring 2003, exuberance at the fall of Saddam was swiftly followed by a descent into deadly chaos. Whether moving independently or embedded with troops, Guardian reporters witnessed the violence on the ground

The allied attack on Iraq began on 20 March 2003. The Guardian’s 4am edition on Friday 21 March carried the headline: “Land, sea and air assault.” The report was by Julian Borger in Washington and Rory McCarthy in Camp As Sayliyah, on the outskirts of Doha, the capital of Qatar. It opened: “The ground war began in Iraq last night as British and American marines stormed beaches on the Gulf coast in an assault on the south-eastern city of Basra, while explosions lit up Baghdad under a heavy bombardment by cruise missiles.”

The first British fatalities came shortly afterwards when a US helicopter crashed in Kuwait, killing all on board. Suzanne Goldenberg’s front-page report from Baghdad revealed that only two hours after the decapitation effort, Saddam Hussein himself had made a defiant appearance on television. A Guardian leader stated that the plain fact was this first “surgical strike” had missed its mark. Even had it reached its target, it would have been difficult to applaud. “State-ordered assassination sets an abominable precedent that encourages unwelcome emulation … The US must tread carefully – for the legal and moral grounds for this war are already very shaky.”

Good luck Dua Leaper: scientists return frogs wiped out by fungal disease to wild

Researchers dig ‘spas’ and install ‘saunas’ in ACT wetlands to give green and golden bell frogs the best chance of survival

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Scientists have reintroduced green and golden bell frogs to the Australian Capital Territory for the first time since the species became locally extinct four decades ago.

The first cohort of 25 frogs was released on Tuesday morning, a milestone for conservation of the animals, whose numbers have been devastated by the chytrid fungal disease that has wiped out 90 amphibian species in 50 years.

Melania: Amazon’s $106m documentary takes $982 per screen in Australian opening weekend

Documentary about the US first lady debuted at No 31 at Australian box office, making $32,399 from 33 screens

Melania, Amazon’s $106m (US$75m) documentary about the US first lady, has bombed at the Australian box office on its opening weekend, debuting at No 31 on the charts and taking just $982 (£503, US$688) per screen.

The documentary, directed by Brett Ratner, was screened in 33 cinemas across Australia and made $32,399 overall.

Musk's xAI needs SpaceX deal for the money. Data centers in space are still a dream

In merging SpaceX with xAI, Elon Musk may be providing his artificial intelligence startup with a much-needed cash infusion.

Mark of Cain singer comes out as trans ‘to finally live as myself’

Josie Scott, who has played in the Australian heavy metal band with her brother Kim for 40 years, writes to fans: ‘I’ve decided to embrace, rather than endure, who I am’

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The guitarist and vocalist in Australian heavy metal band the Mark of Cain has come out as a trans woman, writing that seeing younger trans people live freely had “helped shine a light on the possibility that maybe I can finally be me in my autumn years”.

On Monday night, Josie Scott wrote a statement to fans on the band’s social media, announcing that her family know her as Josie or Jo and “given where I identify on the gender spectrum, I fit within the paradigm of being a trans woman”.

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Gold and silver rebound after historic wipeout as analysts say thematic drivers stay intact

Gold and silver prices rebounded after suffering a historic selloff, with analysts suggesting that the recent violent correction was more a positioning reset.

Will China replace the US on the world stage? – podcast

A succession of political leaders have been trooping to Beijing in recent months. Is it an indication of a new world order? Tania Branigan explains

Xi Jinping had a busy January. First came the Irish taoiseach, Micheál Martin. Then it was Mark Carney of Canada’s turn. He was followed by the Finnish prime minister, the Uruguayan president and then, last week, Keir Starmer.

But what does this rush to China mean? The Guardian leader writer Tania Branigan says much of it is to do with Trump. “There are real opportunities that people see in China – and at a point where the US looks so erratic, so hostile to people who have traditionally been among its staunchest allies. There is a sense that it just makes sense,” she tells Helen Pidd.

1/29: CBS Evening News

Border czar shifts tone in Minneapolis, announces "drawdown"; Buddhist monks' 2,300-mile walk for peace captures widespread attention

Judge blocks DHS from ending deportation protections for 350,000 Haitians

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from revoking Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, granting a last-minute reprieve to 350,000 immigrants who were set to lose protections on Tuesday.

Judge blocks Trump administration’s stripping of Haitians’ protected status

Up to 350,000 Haitians legally live and work in the US due to being granted temporary protected status

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from stripping temporary protected status from up to 350,000 Haitians, a status that allows them to legally live and work in the United States amid the turmoil in their homeland.

Judge Ana Reyes issued a temporary stay that prevents Kristi Noem, the US homeland security secretary, from implementing her decision to remove the status known as TPS, which was scheduled to expire on Tuesday.

Massive release of Epstein files includes 3 million documents and photos

The Justice Department released more new documents Friday from the Jeffrey Epstein files, more than a month after the DOJ's original deadline to do so.

Man who had affair with au pair found guilty of murdering wife, another man

Brendan Banfield, who was having an affair with the family's Brazilian au pair, was found guilty on Monday of murdering his wife and another man.

Survivors blast Justice Department over Epstein file redactions: "Egregious"

After another trove of Epstein files was released, some survivors, like Dani Bensky, are blasting the Justice Department for withholding potentially millions of additional pages from the files while also mistakenly releasing images and identities of survivors. Scott MacFarlane has more.

Man who had affair with au pair found guilty in double murder

A Virginia man having an affair with the family's au pair was found guilty Monday of murdering his wife and another man. Elaine Quijano has details.

The exiled Awami league members plotting a political comeback in Bangladesh – from India

As Bangladesh prepares for the first election since Sheikh Hasina fled to India, Awami League figures living in Kolkata believe she can still return a hero

Back in Bangladesh they are deemed criminals and fugitives, facing charges of crimes against humanity, murder, sedition or embezzlement. But in the comfort of the crowded food courts of Kolkata shopping malls, over black coffee and Indian fast food, the exiled politicians of the Awami League sit plotting their political comeback.

More than 16 months ago, a revolution against Bangladesh’s autocratic prime minister Sheikh Hasina forced her to dramatically flee the country, jumping on a helicopter to India as an enraged onslaught of protesters marched towards her residence. The streets she left behind were bloody; her regime’s final crackdown on protesters in the July uprising had left as many as 1,400 dead, according to a UN report.

House hardliners complicate ending government shutdown as Speaker Johnson moves ahead

The U.S. government partially shut down Saturday morning after Congress failed to pass legislation to keep it funded.

Who won Grammy Awards for 2026? See the full winners list here

The 2026 Grammy Awards recognized the best of the best in music from last year, with big wins for Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny. Here's the full list of winners and nominees.

Teammates pool money to bring Clemson player's mom for surprise visit

Rusne Augustinaite is from Lithuania, and her mom had never been to the U.S. to see her play a college game in person.

Trump says he wants proposed arch to be world's "biggest"

The proposed site is situated along a flight path for nearby Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.

Clemson basketball teammates surprise player with visit from mom

For Rusne Augustinaite, home is more than 5,000 miles away. The 22-year-old junior guard at Clemson University grew up in Lithuania, and while she has now spent years playing in the U.S., one person had never seen her play a college game in person: her mom. That was until her teammates pulled off an emotional surprise. Tony Dokoupil has the story.

Bad Bunny makes history, Ozzy Osbourne honored and more top Grammy moments

Bad Bunny was visibly emotional when he won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, making his the first ever Spanish language album to win. Anthony Mason has more.

NASA detects hydrogen leak during Artemis II moon rocket fueling test

A hydrogen leak at the base of NASA's Artemis II moon rocket threw a wrench into a carefully planned countdown "wet dress" rehearsal, interrupting a test intended to help clear the way toward a possible weekend launch for four astronauts on a flight around the moon. Mark Strassmann has details.

Immigration officers in Minneapolis will start wearing body cameras, Noem says

All federal immigration agents in Minneapolis will begin wearing body cameras, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Monday, a policy that could be rolled out nationwide.

Figure skater forced to scrap Olympic routine after Minions music copyright dispute

• Guarino Sabaté thrown curveball days before Games

• Music rights disputes create Olympic chaos for skaters

• ISU pushes for global music clearance system fix soon

The Spanish figure skater Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté faces a last-minute scramble to redesign his Olympic short program after a copyright dispute blocked him from using music from the Minions franchise just days before competition begins at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.

The six-time Spanish national champion, who is set to make his Olympic debut in the men’s singles event, said he learned late last week that the routine he has performed throughout the 2025-26 season would not be cleared for Olympic use. Guarino Sabaté said he had submitted the music through the International Skating Union’s recommended rights-clearance process months ago and had competed with the program without issue during the season, including at last month’s European championships in Sheffield.

Winter storm hits Southeast as much of East Coast sees frigid temperatures

Blizzardlike conditions stemming from a "bomb cyclone" brought heavy snow to the Southeast and ushered in frigid temperatures to much of the East Coast.

Minneapolis schools face impact of escalating immigration crackdown

Protestors rallied outside of Target headquarters in Minneapolis, demanding the new CEO take a stand against the immigration crackdowns. Meanwhile, in suburban Minneapolis, schools are feeling the impact of escalating tensions. Omar Villafranca reports.

Bomb cyclone pummels South with snow, ice and freezing temperatures

Snow, ice and freezing temperatures are generating a long term crisis across the South. Dave Malkoff reports and Rob Marciano has the forecast.

Sheriff believes Savannah Guthrie's mom, Nancy, was "abducted"

"Today" show host Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, is missing in Arizona in what police believe was an abduction from her home while she slept, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS News. Jonathan Vigliotti has details.

Beijing condemns Dalai Lama’s Grammy win as ‘anti-China political manipulation’

Buddhist spiritual leader wins best audiobook and says he sees win ‘as a recognition of our shared universal responsibility’

• Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar win big in Grammys ceremony filled with anti-ICE sentiment

The Dalai Lama has taken home his first Grammy award, prompting criticism from China.

The 90-year-old Buddhist spiritual leader, who lives in exile in India, was announced as the winner for the narration and storytelling category for his spoken word album, Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama – adding the award to a collection that includes a Nobel peace prize, a presidential medal of freedom and the Gandhi peace prize.

DHS’s account of two Venezuelans shot by border patrol falls apart in court: ‘A smear campaign’

Immigration officials said agent shot two ‘vicious gang members’ in Portland, but records obtained by the Guardian reveal US prosecutor contradicted claims

Immediately after a US border patrol agent shot two people in Oregon last month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the targets were “vicious” gang members connected to a prior shooting and alleged they had “attempted to run over” officers with their vehicle.

In the weeks since, key parts of the federal government’s narrative have fallen apart.

Bill and Hillary Clinton agree to testify in House Epstein investigation

Decision to give testimony comes days before House was expected to vote to hold pair in contempt of Congress

• US politics live – latest updates

Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed on Monday to testify in a House investigation into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, days before the chamber was expected to vote to hold them in contempt of Congress.

The concession follows a tense back-and-forth between the Clintons and the Republican James Comer, chair of the House oversight committee, who on Monday said that he would insist both Clintons sit for a sworn deposition before the committee in order to fulfill the panel’s subpoenas.

United is upgrading its computers. Here's how that could impact travelers.

Starting early Wednesday, United customers won't be able to book flights and access other services as the airline upgrades its reservation system.

Handful of sick and wounded Palestinians allowed through Rafah crossing on first day

Numbers Israel permitted to enter Egypt after reopening border were far lower than expected following delays

A small number of sick and wounded Palestinians have begun crossing into Egypt to seek medical treatment after Israel permitted a limited reopening of the Palestinian territory’s Rafah border post as fragile diplomatic efforts to stabilise the conflict inch forward.

About 150 people were due to leave the territory on Monday, and 50 to enter it, according to Egyptian officials, more than 20 months after Israeli forces closed the crossing. However, by nightfall, Reuters reported that Israel had permitted 12 Palestinians to re-enter the territory, according to Palestinian and Egyptian sources. A further 38 had not cleared security and would wait on the Egyptian side of the crossing overnight, it said.

Talbi’s stunning strike in Sunderland caps woeful night for ‘childish’ Burnley

Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi sat behind opposing dugouts during the acrimonious Africa Cup of Nations final last month, as Senegal defeated Morocco in Rabat.

While suspension deprived Diarra of his starting place for the victors, Morocco’s Talbi was an unused substitute. But, on a freezing Wearside night, they were reunited as Sunderland teammates and duly revelled in taking their frustrations out on Burnley.

Elon Musk merges SpaceX with artificial intelligence company xAI

Deal comes as Musk pursues plans for datacenters and solar-powered satellites in space to propel AI

Elon Musk’s aerospace firm SpaceX has acquired his artificial intelligence business xAI, in a merger that consolidates part of Musk’s empire as SpaceX prepares to go public later this year, at a valuation likely to exceed $1tn.

The two companies announced the deal on Monday in a statement on SpaceX’s website, saying the merger would form “the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world’s foremost real-time information and free speech platform”.

Dr. Peter Attia apologizes for "indefensible" emails to Jeffrey Epstein

Peter Attia, a doctor and author well known for his research on longevity, is apologizing for what he calls "embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible" emails he exchanged with Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump says DOJ should continue Fed Chair Powell probe 'to the end'

Sen. Thom Tillis said he would oppose any new Fed nominees until the Powell probe is resolved, the same day Trump announced Kevin Warsh as his Fed chair pick.

Virginia man having affair with au pair found guilty of murdering wife and another man

Prosecutors say other man was lured to Brendan Banfield’s house as a fall guy in scheme to get rid of Banfield’s wife

A Virginia man having an affair with the family’s Brazilian au pair was found guilty Monday of murdering his wife and another man that prosecutors say was lured to the house as a fall guy.

Brendan Banfield, a former IRS law enforcement officer, told police he came across Joseph Ryan attacking his wife, Christine Banfield, with a knife on the morning of 24 February 2023. He shot Ryan and then Juliana Magalhães, the au pair, shot him, too.

Lover, Liar, Predator review – forget Adolescence … this horrifying film should be shown in every school

This documentary about four women, victimised as teenagers by the same man, is an instant rebuttal to that most unsympathetic question: why don’t women just leave their abuser?

Last year I began a review of the BBC documentary To Catch a Stalker with the words “Welcome to part 86,747,398,464 of the continuing cataloguing via television documentary of the apparently infinite series Ways in Which Largely Men Terrorise Largely Women and Prevent Countless Millions of Them from Living Their Lives in Freedom and Contentment.” Welcome now to part 86,747,398,465 (providing, that is, we limit ourselves only to products from the BBC. To include Netflix’s contributions could break calculators.)

Lover, Liar, Predator tells the stories of several women who were coerced, abused and raped by a man called Aaron Swan over his decades-long career. He was 17 when he approached Natalie at a party. She was 17 too but, as a devout Christian with a very protected upbringing, effectively younger and highly vulnerable to his charms. He put pressure on her to give up her virginity. She got pregnant and they married. He was “demeaning and unkind” to her, insulting her looks, claiming to be in love with his ex and subjecting her to violent, unwanted sex (“I endured whatever was required … I thought that’s what sex was”) for years.

Arteta calls Arsenal ‘most exciting team in Europe’ after Scholes’ criticism

• ‘We have the most goals, the most clean sheets’

• Liam Rosenior predicts ‘physical’ Carabao Cup second leg

Mikel Arteta has laughed off a suggestion from Paul Scholes that Arsenal would be the most boring team to win the Premier League, insisting his side are considered “the most exciting in Europe” in other countries.

Scholes, the former Manchester United midfielder, pointed to the lack of goals from Arsenal’s front four this season and reliance on set pieces as evidence for his claim. Viktor Gyökeres is the club’s top scorer in the league with six, and Arsenal have scored 17 goals from set pieces – three more than any other club.

Kennedy Center to close for construction for 2 years, Trump says

Complete closure of the performing arts center in Washington, D.C., will start on July 4, Mr. Trump said. It's not yet clear how extensive the changes to the building might be.

Target faces pressures to take a stand against ICE's actions in Minneapolis

The American Federation of Teachers called on Target CEO Michael Fiddelke to "clearly state" that the company wants ICE agents to leave Minnesota.

Trump announces $12 billion U.S. stockpile of rare earth minerals

"Project Vault" will be funded by a $10 billion loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank, along with $2 billion in private-sector financing, President Trump said.

Australia to face debutants Hong Kong in opening match of 2027 Rugby World Cup

• Hosts’ big clash with All Blacks on second weekend

• England will begin against Tonga in Brisbane

The 2027 World Cup will get off to a low-key start with Australia kicking off against Hong Kong after the organisers opted against beginning the tournament with the Wallabies’ blockbuster pool fixture against New Zealand. When Australia were drawn in the same pool as their arch-rivals in December it was widely expected that such a mouth-watering fixture would raise the curtain on the tournament.

However, with the first match taking place on Australia’s west coast in Perth on 1 October, organisers have opted to pit Hong Kong – competing at their first World Cup – against the Wallabies in what is sure to be a one-sided affair. The opening weekend of the tournament features just one fixture involving two tier-one nations – South Africa against Italy.

Populist conservative Laura Fernández wins Costa Rica's presidential election

Candidate Laura Fernández won a resounding victory, promising to continue the aggressive reorienting of the Central American nation's politics started by her predecessor.

Neil Gaiman claims sexual assault allegations are result of ‘smear campaign’

Author says accusations ‘spread and amplified’ by people more interested in ‘outrage and getting clicks’

Neil Gaiman has said that multiple sexual assault allegations against him are “simply untrue” and claimed to be the victim of a “smear campaign”, in the first post addressing the accusations for almost a year.

Gaiman, 65, author of novels including American Gods and the Ocean at the End of the Lane, has faced allegations of sexual abuse and coercive behaviour, which were outlined in a podcast by the Tortoise Media team in July 2024.

New York AG issues warning around prediction markets ahead of Super Bowl

New York Attorney General Letitia James is cautioning all New Yorkers about placing trades on prediction markets ahead of the Super Bowl.

Trump pardon attorney Ed Martin reportedly sidelined from investigations

Martin's role at DOJ was narrowed following a protracted feud with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, sources told MS NOW.

Mexico’s president pledges to send aid to Cuba despite US efforts to cut oil access

Move from Claudia Sheinbaum comes after Trump signed an order threatening tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba

Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum has pledged to send humanitarian aid this week to Cuba and said Mexico was “exploring all diplomatic avenues to be able to send fuel to the Cuban people,” despite efforts from Washington to cut off oil to the Caribbean nation.

Donald Trump last week signed an executive order allowing the US to slap tariffs on countries sending crude oil to Cuba and on Saturday said that Sheinbaum had agreed to halt shipments of oil at his request – a claim the Mexican leader rejected.

What Jared Kushner's 'New Gaza' plan includes, and what it leaves out

President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner laid out a plan for a "New Gaza." A close look suggests it makes room for fewer Palestinians and less housing.

Ed Martin removed from role as weaponization czar at Justice Dept., sources say

Martin was tapped to lead the Weaponization Working Group after he failed to win enough support from the Senate to be confirmed as D.C.'s U.S. attorney.

Trump administration sued over visa freeze on immigrants from 75 countries

A group of nonprofit organizations and U.S. citizens Monday filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's sweeping suspension of immigrant visa processing for people from nearly half of the world's countries.

US judge allows last of five offshore wind projects halted by Trump to proceed

Ruling clears Denmark’s Ørsted to resume construction on its Sunrise Wind project off the coast of New York

All five offshore wind projects halted by the Trump administration in December can resume construction after a federal judge’s ruling on Monday that cleared Denmark’s Ørsted to proceed with its Sunrise Wind project off the coast of New York.

Ørsted’s request for an injunction blocking the interior department order was the fifth brought by an offshore wind developer since the 22 December pause on five leases. The agency stopped work on the multibillion-dollar facilities due to national security concerns around radar interference.

The notable names in the Epstein files

A slew of notable individuals appear in the latest Justice Department release of Jeffrey Epstein files.

U.S. sledder Katie Uhlaender appeal denied, won't race at Milan Cortina Olympics

International officials say a point-rigging scheme denied American Katie Uhlaender a shot to compete in the Milan Cortina Olympics. But a sports tribunal based in Switzerland says it can't intervene.

Crystal Palace seal £48m Strand Larsen deal after Mateta’s Milan move collapses

• Mateta to rejoin squad following medical concerns

• Palace fail with loan bid for Everton’s Dwight McNeil

Jean-Philippe Mateta will be reintegrated into Crystal Palace’s squad after the France striker’s deadline-day move to Milan collapsed, but he faces competition for his place from the new club-record signing Jørgen Strand Larsen.

The Norway striker’s move from Wolves was confirmed just before the 7pm deadline on Monday for an initial £43m plus £5m in bonuses, with Palace having already broken their transfer record this month in signing Brennan Johnson from Tottenham for £35m.

The Trump Administration exempts new nuclear reactors from environmental review

The announcement comes just days after NPR revealed the administration had secretly rewritten safety and environmental standards.

France passes budget after months of wrangling and no-confidence motions

PM Sébastien Lecornu pushes budget through using constitutional powers that avoided vote in parliament

France has finally passed a budget for this year after the minority government survived a series of no-confidence votes in a long-running political saga that has unsettled debt markets and alarmed the country’s European partners.

The prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, told parliament on Monday, after months of wrangling, that French people “refuse this disorder and want our institutions to function”.

How much did the Epstein poison infect Britain? Starmer had better find out, and fast | Gaby Hinsliff

Serious questions need to be asked about Mandelson, Andrew and what the PM knew when. The credibility of UK politics is on the line

Peter Mandelson did not want, he wrote disdainfully to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to “live by salary alone”. Not for him the life of the little guy, slave to a mere six-figure salary: he had always aspired to something grander, a lifestyle well beyond his means, to which rich men such as Epstein were so often his passport.

First it was his millionaire colleague, Geoffrey Robinson, from whom Mandelson secretly borrowed money to buy a house he couldn’t afford. In 2003 and 2004 it was Epstein, at least according to files released in the US this week, suggesting the financier paid £55,000 into Mandelson’s bank account, though he now says he can’t find records of it. Five years later, in 2010, the files record Mandelson confiding in Epstein of his hopes for a gig with merchant bankers JP Morgan, where he could leverage his “networks” to make the really big deals.

Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist

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.

The 'Melania' movie audience: Older white women

The pricey Amazon documentary did well in areas like Dallas, Tampa, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta and West Palm Beach. Amazon says a docuseries is also on the way.

Trump says he's closing the Kennedy Center for renovations. We have questions

After President Trump announced plans for a "Complete Rebuilding" of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., what exactly did he mean, and what does it mean for the arts?

‘Where r u? I miss you’: how vivid new Epstein emails sealed Mandelson’s fate

The latest revelations and reaction to them may mean he has finally encountered a scandal he is unable to outrun

It was the evening of 6 May 2010 and, months after being released from jail for procuring a child for prostitution, Jeffrey Epstein was curious as to the result of Britain’s general election.

“Well?” he emailed Peter Mandelson, the then de facto deputy prime minister in Gordon Brown’s government.

Trump lowers tariffs on India, saying Modi agreed to stop buying Russian oil

President Trump announced that he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have agreed to a trade deal that will lower tariffs and halt India's purchase of Russian oil.

The Guardian view on the Mandelson-Epstein emails: unavoidable questions of misconduct in public office | Editorial

Leaking crisis policy to financiers demands investigation, not evasion. Gordon Brown understands this. Credibility can’t be pursued at the expense of trust

Finally, a Labour prime minister has taken a necessary step. Ordering the cabinet secretary to investigate Peter Mandelson’s contacts with Jeffrey Epstein recognises an elementary truth: if a cabinet minister discusses private government business with financial interests during a crisis, the state must act. Gordon Brown understood this instinctively. Sir Keir Starmer has moved later, and under pressure, but movement alone is not enough. Sir Keir said that Lord Mandelson should be stripped of his peerage while stopping short of legislating to make that happen. That is a choice. And it’s the wrong one to make.

The Epstein files make it hard to dismiss the question of misconduct in public office as frivolous. In 2003/04 it appears that as a Labour MP he received $75,000 from Jeffrey Epstein. Lord Mandelson says he has no recollection of these payments. Six years later, Lord Mandelson leaked sensitive government information during the banking crunch in 2009 to Epstein, a convicted sex offender, while serving in the cabinet. Emails suggest he advised US bank JP Morgan to “threaten” the UK chancellor, which by all accounts it did, over a proposed tax on bankers’ bonuses. The peer’s lobbying firm Global Counsel later had JP Morgan as a client.

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.

This week's jobs report will be delayed by government shutdown

The latest partial government shutdown is disrupting the release of closely watched economic data.

Friday's jobs report will be delayed because of the partial government shutdown

Following last year's record shutdown, the BLS also was forced to delay a number of its releases.

Ben Jennings on Keir Starmer, Peter Mandelson and the Epstein files – cartoon

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Pakistan boycott shows growing divide between cricket’s commercial needs and political reality | Taha Hashim

Latest row to hit T20 World Cup raises difficult questions for the sport’s governing body, with lucrative TV deal to protect

The announcement on Sunday, fittingly, was made by Pakistan’s government, a reminder that this episode goes well beyond a game of cricket. In a post on X, the government approved the national side’s participation at this month’s T20 World Cup, but with a significant caveat.

“The Pakistan cricket team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15 February 2026 against India,” read the statement. The disintegration of this global tournament continues, that one line prompting serious concern for the sport’s economy. No further explanation was provided.

Top players reject offer to have greater say in running of major tennis championships

• Grand slams proposed setting up a player council

• Australian Open not involved in the pay dispute

The tennis pay row has escalated further with the world’s top 10 male and female players rejecting an offer from the grand slams to set up a player council that would give them a greater say in the running of the major championships.

In correspondence sent to Wimbledon, the French Open and US Open last week, the players turned down the offer of a meeting with representatives of the three grand slams at the Indian Wells Masters in March and accused the tournament organisers of ignoring their concerns about pay and player welfare.

Infantino apologises to British fans and defends awarding Trump peace prize

• Fifa president sorry for comment about arrests

• Infantino says it is time to look at readmitting Russia

The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, has apologised over remarks he made about British fans and defended the decision to award a peace prize to the US president, Donald Trump.

Infantino said at last month’s World Economic Forum in Davos that the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 had been special because “for the first time in history no Brit was arrested”.

Son of Norway’s crown princess arrested on new charges before start of rape trial

Detention of Marius Borg Høiby comes as Epstein files pile pressure on his mother, crown princess Mette-Marit

The son of Norway’s crown princess, Marius Borg Høiby, has been arrested on new charges just days before the start of his rape trial, as his mother continues to face questions over her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

The Oslo police district said Høiby had been arrested on Sunday evening on suspicion of assault, making threats with a knife and violating a restraining order.

‘His holiness’ Santi Cazorla leads the way as Oviedo find relief … and belief | Sid Lowe

A second-half cameo from 41-year-old talisman helped end strugglers’ long wait for win against Girona

First there was applause and then they started singing, the sound coming from the narrow street outside. In the bars and terraces where Real Oviedo’s fans were still picking over the game – in La Patatina, La Pepica, La Competencia and the rest – some put down their drinks and came to see what was going on. Somewhere among all the people filling Calle Juan Ramón Jiménez, a short walk from the Carlos Tartiere stadium, was a 5ft 5in footballer trying to make his way home, which was going to take a while. Santi Cazorla signed autographs, took pictures and shook a hundred hands, going from the crowds of kids to the little old lady as his son Enzo, who can play a bit too, kicked a Coke bottle across the square it opens on to.

On Plaza Pedro Miñor they have seen him many a day but this wasn’t any day and they couldn’t love him more. The son of an ambulance driver from Fonciello, 15 minutes away, Cazorla is something like their son too: an Oviedo fan who joined at eight and finally made his debut 32 years later. Forced to leave at 18, door closing just as it might have opened and his club collapsing into crisis, twice on the verge of disappearing entirely, he returned a man two decades on. He came on the minimum wage – “I would play for free but you’re not allowed,” he said – and helped take Oviedo back to the first division a quarter of a century later, a lifetime since the last time. Then this Saturday, at 41, he led them to the World Cup.

No more get-out clauses, no way back. It’s surely the end for Peter Mandelson, finally | John Crace

The only question now is how it took this long for Labour’s greedy, reckless Prince of Darkness to meet his reckoning

This is the end, beautiful friend, the end. There have been many Peter Mandelson resignations. Twice from the cabinet, once as the UK ambassador to Washington. But the announcement late on Sunday night that Mandelson was resigning from the Labour party somehow felt more final.

In the past, there had always been get-out clauses. Unexpected routes back to the centre of power. Not this time. Somewhat late in the day, the establishment had closed every door. For the first time in decades, Mandy was truly on his own. You might ask what had taken everyone so long. Mandelson hadn’t exactly made much effort to hide his tracks.

Man City’s snakebitten second halves are destroying their title challenge | Jonathan Wilson

Pep Guardiola’s side would be on top of the league had they not consistently struggled to hold leads

• Sign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson here

The focus had been on Arsenal. They had not won in three Premier League games before this weekend and it was reasonable to ask how secure their position at the top of the table was. But the impact of their wobble was not that their lead was eaten into, but that they missed opportunities to extend it, because those in the chasing pack were also dropping points.

In their six league games since the New Year fixtures, Arsenal have dropped seven points. But City in the same period have dropped 11, as have Aston Villa and Liverpool. Fulham have dropped 10, Everton have dropped nine, Brentford and Newcastle have dropped eight, Chelsea seven and Manchester United six; hardly anyone in the top half of the table has closed the gap on Arsenal at all, which is why, after Saturday’s comfortable win at Leeds, their lead remains at six points.

Nvidia shares are down after a report that its OpenAI investment stalled. Here's what's happening

Nvidia's Jensen Huang criticized OpenAI's business strategy as the chip giant plans to invest up to $100 billion into the AI startup, per reports.

Wolff urges Mercedes rivals to ‘focus on themselves’ amid 2026 engine row

• Mercedes principal insists their new car is within rules

• ‘Other teams are finding excuses before they have started’

Toto Wolff has dismissed claims from rivals over the legality of his team’s new engine, insisting it is within the regulations. The Mercedes team principal said that the onus lay with the other manufacturers who had missed an opportunity and that they should get their “shit together”.

The row over whether Mercedes and Red Bull have stolen a march on the opposition in their engine design has dominated the buildup to the new season and Wolff notably did not rule out other teams protesting against the legality of their engines after they are used competitively for the first time at the Australian Grand Prix on 8 March.

Arizona college student dies after fraternity rush event; 3 arrested

An 18-year-old student at Northern Arizona University died after a fraternity rush event, police said. Three students were arrested and charged with hazing.

One win after another: Paul Thomas Anderson film dominates London Critics’ Circle awards

Counterculture comedy One Battle After Another wins four awards, including best picture, director, screenplay and supporting actor for Sean Penn

Paul Thomas Anderson’s counterculture comedy One Battle After Another continued its march to Oscars glory at the London Critics’ Circle film awards on Sunday evening, taking four awards, including best picture, director, screenplay and supporting actor for Sean Penn.

In his speech to pick up the screenplay award, Anderson said he wanted to share the award with the Guardian’s Xan Brooks for his review of Brett Ratner’s Melania, which was published on Friday. “It was one of the best pieces of writing,” said Anderson. “Pretty damn good.”

Damning EU report lays bare bloc’s ‘dangerous dependence’ on critical mineral imports

Auditor calls renewable energy targets ‘unrealistic’ unless ‘EU ups its game’ in mining, refining and recycling of metals such as rare earths

The EU is struggling to free itself from dependence on China and countries in the global south for critical minerals and rare earths needed for everything from smartphones to wind turbines and military jets.

A damning report by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) in Luxembourg found that the bloc’s targets for 2030 were “out of reach” because of lack of progress in domestic production, refining and recycling.

Oracle rises after company announces $50 billion fundraising plans. Here's what's happening

The tech giant has invested huge sums in the AI infrastructure buildout in recent times.

‘This is history, it should be free’: Rome’s €2 Trevi fountain fee divides opinion

Charge is designed to protect much-loved monument from overtourism, but not all visitors like the idea

Teresa Romero is in Rome to celebrate a milestone birthday and one of the first things she did on Monday was visit the Trevi fountain to participate in the ritual of tossing a coin into the waters of the late baroque masterpiece.

But before the Portuguese tourist could get close to the fountain, she had to hand over €2 (£1.70) – the cost of an access fee that has finally been enacted by Rome council officials after years of discussions.

The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford review – Peter Mullan gives weight to quirky Scottish dramedy

The formidable Mullan delivers a tender performance in Sean Robert Dunn’s first feature, playing a cranky local historian obsessed with his obscure, unscrupulous ancestor

Peter Mullan brings his formidable presence to this quirky dramedy from first-time feature director Sean Robert Dunn: he is angry and weary, disillusioned but kind-hearted, someone who got his feelings hurt a long time ago … but wouldn’t dream of making a fuss about it.

It’s Mullan who gives weight and flavour to a film that might otherwise be a bit watery and unsure quite how sharp a sting it wants to deliver.

Damp January: is the age of abstinence coming to an end?

This year, there has been a significant softening of the dry January trend. But why?

Name: Damp January.

Age: New.

Speaker Johnson: 'Confident' government shutdown will end by Tuesday

The government shut down on Saturday after Senate Democrats demanded changes to a spending package following the killings of U.S. citizens in Minnesota.