Coast Guard investigating deaths of 2 crew members on barge off Alaska

Two tugboat crew members were killed and two others were injured in what the Coast Guard called a "confined space incident" aboard a barge in Alaska.

Middle East crisis live: Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ entire South Pars gasfield if Iran strikes Qatar

US president says Israel will not launch another attack on the giant gasfield shared by Iran and Qatar, but promises to destroy it if Tehran retaliates

• The war cost the US $12.7bn by day six. Here’s how it’s been spent – in charts

Turning to Australia now, a petrol tsar will manage “unprecedented” supply issues caused by the Middle East conflict as the finishing touches are put on measures to address dire shortages in many regional areas.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese convened a snap virtual meeting of the national cabinet on Thursday to discuss major price shocks and shortages driven by the US-Israel war on Iran.

My government will be announcing more measures to prepare the nation for supply chain challenges over coming days and weeks.

Our fuel supply is currently secure. However, I want us to be over-prepared.

Number of meningitis cases linked to Kent outbreak rises to 27

Seven new cases confirmed as hundreds of students at University of Kent take up offer of meningitis B vaccination

Seven new cases of meningitis in Kent have been confirmed, taking the total number of cases to 27, the UK Health Security Agency has said.

Officials believe that the current strategy of preventive antibiotics and targeted vaccination is proving effective, as the bacteria causing the outbreak is a known strain of meningitis B, the Guardian understands.

Jeffrey Epstein’s elite relationships visualised: the banker, the economist and the director

Day 2 of our Guardian analysis of more than a million Epstein emails exposes the child sex offender’s deep relationships with more high-profile figures

The Epstein files have led to intense scrutiny over links between the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the rich and powerful. But the vast trove of information has made it difficult to assess the extent of some of those connections.

In this second of a two-part series, The Guardian has focused on Epstein’s links to high-profile people in business and the arts – including the renowned economist and former US treasury secretary Larry Summers, the New York film director Woody Allen and Jes Stalay, the former head of Barclays.

The Killer review – John Woo’s gun-filled melodrama remains a blood-soaked classic

The director’s 1989 Hong Kong action touchstone is a wild melding of maximalist violence and surreal sentimentality – with added harmonica

John Woo’s 1989 thriller is a reminder of the director’s habit of hitching the craziest of mayhem to a mile-wide streak of earnest emotionalism and sentimentality; a strong and under-acknowledged part of why his films are so addictive. There’s a lot of bleeding in these violent movies – and bleeding hearts also. With The Killer, Woo somehow became the Douglas Sirk of Hong Kong action cinema, in a gonzo melodrama that borrows from Magnificent Obsession (which Sirk remade from a 1935 film by John Stahl), about the redemption of an assassin falling in love with a woman whose sightlessness he has inadvertently caused.

Chow Yun-fat is Ah Jong, a hired killer who, in the course of whacking someone in a nightclub, accidentally blinds a singer called Jennie (Sally Yeh) by firing too close to her eyes. He becomes stricken with guilt and obsessed with Jennie, hanging out at the club where she continues to sing, now a somewhat morbid and poignant celebrity. Ah Jong talks to Jennie after her shows – without revealing who he is, naturally – and plans one last job to earn enough to pay for her eye operation, taking on the assassination of a bigwig at a Hong Kong carnival. It’s a spectacular set piece, which shows that as, well as influencing Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, Woo may also have influenced the recent TV version of The Day of the Jackal.

I let AI guide me through London for a day. Why do I keep being sent underground?

In week three of Rhik Samadder’s diary, our resident AI skeptic let AI give him a tour of London’s best-kept secrets

I recently met a friend for a drink who’d just visited three galleries. She was having a cultural day – curated for her by AI. Based on what it knew about her, it suggested exhibitions she’d enjoy, places to eat, even the best routes between stops. I was stunned. (Was I part of the itinerary?)

As part of my skeptic AI diary, I decide to use it to rediscover my hometown. I ask the ChatGPT to plan a full day out about town in London, packed with activities I might not normally choose. I tell the AI to ask me a few questions first, to gauge what I’ll enjoy and steer clear of neighbourhoods I already know well. I also ask it to check in after each stop, to vibe-check what comes next and offer backup options.

Hungary’s Orbán says he won’t back down and allow EU’s €90bn loan to Ukraine – Europe live

Hungarian PM, who is facing an upcoming election, appears in no mood to compromise as EU leaders meet in Brussels this morning

Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz also called for de-escalation in the Middle East, welcoming what he said were signals by US president Donald Trump that combat action in Iran could come to an end, which could allow Europe to contribute to securing peace in the region.

“I am expressly grateful that the US president sent a signal in this regard last night that he is prepared to bring the fighting to an end,” he told reporters ahead of an EU summit in Brussels in comments reported by Reuters.

Hegseth and Caine holding briefing on Iran war

Despite U.S. and Israeli strikes against senior Iranian leaders, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told senators Wednesday the regime "appears to be intact," although "largely degraded."

Eli Lilly’s next-generation obesity drug retatrutide clears first late-stage diabetes trial

Lilly is betting big on retatrutide as the next pillar of its obesity portfolio after its weight loss injection Zepbound and its upcoming pill, orforglipron. 

Tropical Cyclone Narelle to make landfall in far north Qld on Friday as category 5 storm, bringing 315km/h wind gusts

Massive storm tracking a path to Queensland coast, which intensified offshore Thursday morning to category 5, fuelled by warm waters in Coral Sea

• Cyclone Narelle path tracker map

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle is expected to make landfall in far north Queensland on Friday morning as a monster category 5 storm, bringing destructive wind gusts of 315km/h, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The severe cyclone rapidly intensified over the past 48 hours and on Thursday morning had built to a category 5 storm that was barrelling west, sitting about 355km east of the small town of Coen. Coen has a population of approximately 330.

Japan's prime minister visits the White House under shadow of Iran war

Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will be the first U.S. ally to visit the White House since President Trump asked for help in sending ships to patrol the Strait of Hormuz.

Rapper wins lawsuit against police over mocking their raid in music videos

The case tested the limits of parody and the license artists can take in social commentary directed at public figures.

US rapper Afroman cleared after police sued him over use of home raid footage

Artist who topped UK charts with Because I Got High created comedic videos from footage, which officers claimed invaded their privacy

Chart-topping US rapper Afroman has been cleared of wrongdoing after Ohio police filed a lawsuit against him, alleging defamation, emotional distress and invasion of privacy after the artist used footage from a police raid on his home in a series of mocking videos.

In 2022, police searched the rapper’s home for evidence of drug possession and trafficking, and kidnapping. No evidence was found and no charges were filed.

Trump warns will 'blow up' South Pars gas field in Iran if strikes against Qatar energy continue

World leaders are scrambling to contain a spiraling Middle East conflict on Thursday after Israel and Iran traded strikes on gas production facilities.

Epstein's longtime lawyer to testify to House committee today

A lawyer who worked closely with Jeffrey Epstein for decades before becoming an executor of his estate will be questioned Thursday by the House Oversight Committee.

Gabbard, intel chiefs to testify at second hearing on worldwide threats

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and other top officials will testify to the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday.

US startup advertises ‘AI bully’ role to test patience of leading chatbots

$800-a-day position involves exposing a chatbot’s inconsistencies as it forgets, fudges or hallucinates

Imagine a day at work where your main task is to pick a fight with a computer. No meetings, no emails – just you, a chair and a chatbot with the maddening tendency to think it has the cleverest mind in the room.

The job title alone raises an eyebrow: “AI bully”. But this is precisely what a California startup called Memvid is offering: $800 to spend eight hours testing the patience and memory of artificial intelligence.

‘We keep secrets because we’re scared’: Guvna B on porn addiction and recovery

After writing about a racist attack on his last album, the award-winning musician wanted his new work to be happier. Then life took him down a different path. He discusses stigma, shame and how he got help

The past five years have been punishing for Isaac Borquaye, AKA the British rapper Guvna B. In 2021, he was left without sight in one eye for several months after being targeted in an unprovoked racist attack at his local coffee shop in east London. It left him shaken, but also motivated him to write his searing 2023 album The Village Is on Fire, which questioned structural racism. The album’s cover featured a closeup image of his bloodied eye.

In the opening track, the 36-year-old musician intersperses his own words – “Coffee in his hand and he dashed it in my face / Five seconds later, right hook to my socket” – with voice notes his cousin, the actor and writer Michaela Coel, left him in the days after the attack. The record immediately became one of his most streamed, with listeners drawn not only to his frank recounting of the attack but also to his thoughts on youth violence and gentrification, and his grief at the death of his father in 2017. His new, equally confessional album – more on which shortly – tackles even more thorny themes.

We can tell you who will really get rich from this oil crisis – and how we can stop them | Isabella Weber and Gregor Semieniuk

Soaring oil costs signal the great transfer of wealth away from households, but also a new opportunity to redistribute it

The strait of Hormuz is now at the centre of the world. While the US-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic leads to death, destruction and pollution across the Middle East, the whole of the global economy is bracing for the fallout from the conflict. Shipping through the narrow passage has come to a near halt. Already, crude oil prices have shot to above $100 per barrel, up from $60 a barrel at the beginning of the year, while gasoline prices are jumping and airlines are announcing price hikes. Governments of oil-importing countries are scrambling to contain the fallout, announcing measures ranging from shorter work weeks to conserve fuel to price regulations. What they are not yet discussing – and what they should – is who, exactly, is about to get very rich from this.

The 2022 oil and gas crisis offers a template. It was the last time we saw a price explosion of this magnitude, triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In our recently published paper in Energy Research & Social Science we map, in unprecedented detail, where those profits went. We also suggest there are ways to prevent profiteering, and redistribute the gains and losses from these shocks more fairly.

Isabella Weber is an associate professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and author of the forthcoming book Anti-fascist Economics. Gregor Semieniuk is an associate professor of public policy and economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and researches the economics of climate change mitigation

New autism group meets to counter MAHA's 'ideological agenda'

Autism experts plan to convene in Washington Thursday to propose a research agenda at odds with the one endorsed by the Trump Administration.

Iran will boycott the US but not the World Cup, country’s football head says

• Video released of federation president Mehdi Taj

• Fifa has no plans to move Iran games to Mexico

Iran will “boycott the United States” but “not the World Cup”, the Iranian football federation president, Mehdi Taj, said in a video released by the Iranian press agency Fars.

Iran are scheduled to play their group matches in the US in this summer’s tournament. “We will be preparing for the World Cup,” Taj said. “We will boycott the United States but not the the World Cup.”

Cursive is back. But should students be learning the skill?

A Virginia after-school cursive club went viral. More than two dozen states require cursive in their curriculums. Is it an effective learning tool or just nostalgia?

Midwinter Break review – sad, spiky and brilliantly acted portrait of rupture and rapture

Polly Findlay’s barnstorming drama about interpersonal and religious tumult in late middle age is a triumph, swerving any sense of sentimentalism

Movies about ageing empty-nesters going on a bittersweet holiday and unexpectedly having to confront something about their relationship are common enough. Roger Michell’s Le Week-End starred Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan as an oldster couple having a Eurostar break in Paris; and in Paolo Virzì’s sucrose The Leisure Seeker, Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren impulsively head off in a Winnebago. There is often something soft and fuzzy and depressing in the wrong way about these films’ lenient sunset-sentimentalism – but not so with Polly Findlay’s fiercely sad, spiky and wonderfully acted film, based on a novel by Bernard MacLaverty (the author of Cal).

Gerry and Stella, played by Ciarán Hinds and Lesley Manville, are a late-middle-aged couple from Northern Ireland who left for Scotland in the 1970s, traumatised by the Troubles, and are taking a restorative midwinter break in Amsterdam. They appear perfectly happy and affectionate, but Gerry has a drinking problem and Stella feels lonely because Gerry does not share her Catholic faith. In Amsterdam, Stella is struck with epiphanic rapture at the peaceful beauty of the Begijnhof, the city’s enclosed 14th-century courtyard that historically housed unmarried Catholic women who wanted to devote themselves to God.

A Queer Inheritance by Michael Hall review – the National Trust’s LGBTQ history revealed

It’s recently been accused of turning ‘woke’ – but the institution has been gay since the beginning, argues this deeply researched book

When it emerged that the National Trust had put vegan scones on the menu, it was seized on by some newspapers as a marmalade dropper – or strawberry jam dropper, perhaps – proof that the institution was woke. Wait until they hear about all the queer men and women who helped to make the Trust what it is today. The charity’s 5.4 million members and others visit its grand piles for a nice day out and a tea towel, unaware that they are surrounded by the ghosts of these figures. They are brought to life by Michael Hall, a former architecture editorof Country Life and author of books on Waddesdon Manor and the gothic revival in Britain.

Some of them, such as the buttoned-up Henry James, who lived at Lamb House, Rye, merely lent their lustre to properties that were later taken over by the trust. Others introduced features to the estates that continue to delight trippers to this day. They include Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson, partners in a lavender marriage, who created the gardens at Sissinghurst, appropriately enough.

Trump started a war with no clear end in sight. They rarely end well for presidents

President Trump started a war with no clear end in sight. If his predecessors' experiences are an indication, conflicts don't bode well for presidential approval ratings.

Kick your tiredness with these 7 natural energy boosters

A full calendar doesn't mean you have to feel exhausted all the time. Experts share natural ways to boost energy and beat the constant battle of tiredness.

Morning news brief

Iran attacks world's largest liquified natural gas complex, Sen. Markwayne Mullin faces lawmakers at DHS confirmation hearing, organizers reckon with abuse allegations against activist Caesar Chavez.

Is anyone as ill-suited for great office as Donald Trump? Yes, Pete Hegseth – that’s why Potus likes him | Emma Brockes

Bizarre outbursts at the press, a backstory full of mishaps – the US ‘secretary of war’ earns his keep as the loyalty hire par excellence

Has there ever been a more ludicrous political character than Pete Hegseth, the US government’s so-called secretary of war, who makes Ronald Reagan look understated and urbane? Last week, Hegseth launched an attack on the American press for its coverage of Iran, which he called insufficiently “patriotic”. (A CNN commentator and former Republican congressman came back with “punk” and “cry baby” to describe Hegseth’s own demeanour.) When he stands at the podium with his Mr Incredible jaw and head extended, turtle-like, way out in front of his body, all you can think is this: which is a greater threat to American national security, Iran’s nuclear ambitions or Hegseth’s failure to meet even the most entry-level requirements for a person in his position?

The majority of Americans who know who he is – only about 70% of them, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center – don’t like the guy, and his petulant outbursts last week at the Pentagon can’t have helped. Since Donald Trump appointed him in January last year, what has become evident about Hegseth is that, like so many bullies, he backs down sharpish if he meets any significant pushback. “Jennifer, you’ve been about the worst,” snapped Hegseth to a Fox News reporter last June in a phrase we should all have had printed on T-shirts. (Jennifer Griffin elegantly countered “I take issue with that,” and Hegseth backed away and pivoted to another point.)

You be the judge: should my boyfriend hold my hand in public?

Chantelle would like Hugo to show more affection when they are out. You decide who is being touchy
• Find out how to get a disagreement settled or become a juror

Friends and family have noticed that we don’t hold hands and it’s become a running joke

I find holding hands annoying. Besides, I’m quite caring and I tell her I love her on a daily basis

‘The only thing left for me was death’: meet the meth-addict long jumper who has been to hell and back

Three years ago Luvo Manyonga knew he must change his life or die. In Poland this week, the former world champion makes an extraordinary return to athletics’ top table

Sprawled prone in the dirt, the cold metal of a baseball bat cracking against his skull, spine and down to the legs that had once propelled him to glory, Luvo Manyonga experienced an epiphany. This existence could not continue; he must change his life or die.

Manyonga had been a drug addict for as long as he could remember, seeking recreational highs that provided the opposite of the performance-enhancing shortcuts that some of his deceitful athletics rivals might have pursued.

Manure dryers and devil dancers: the British empire’s attempt to use photography to control India

In a new exhibition, the featured images reflect Britain’s attempts to classify and curb the subcontinent’s population, but they also demonstrate the nobility of their subjects – and the futility of the task

At first, and without the context, someone looking at this collection of 150-year-old photographs of Indian men and women might think they were looking at compelling portraits. The faces are of individuals with piercing eyes and a striking presence.

But context changes everything. The images were taken by British colonialists as part of a great project of photographic ethnography, intended to classify and categorise their subjects.

Untitled (Indian family in Singapore), late-19th century, GR Lambert & Co

Mare by Emily Haworth-Booth review – profound story of a woman’s love for a horse

Where does it come from, this passion for an animal that isn’t even hers? An astonishing debut delves into deep truths about love, motherhood and care

Mare, Emily Haworth-Booth’s wonderful first novel for adults, is about a woman confronting three life-altering crises. The first is an early menopause that means that she can now never have a child. Second, after years of success as a children’s book writer, she finds herself bereft of ideas. The third should, by all rights, be the least important: a passion for a horse that isn’t even hers. She pays to ride, feed, groom and muck out for the animal a few times a week. Perverse though it seems, this horse soon becomes the centre of her life: her beloved.

In a sense, Mare is about childlessness. It opens with reflections on motherhood: “I knew a mother who said, You want to know what it’s like? Write a list of all the things you love doing and then cross them out, one by one.” But also: “I knew a mother who knew all the other mothers. As she walked through the park … this mother stopped every few strides to be greeted by other mothers, some with buggies, some pregnant. Other mothers stuck to this mother like burrs. Meanwhile I hung by her side, dragged along like a limp kite.” The narrator has decided against having a baby, not for things-you-love-doing reasons, but because the idea of her child’s future in this ailing world terrified her. Considering it, her mind filled with images of “abandoned landscapes hostile to life. Burning cities, flooded cities, desertified meadows.”

Can an Austrian hostel give a luxury ski chalet a run for its money?

Ski accommodation can be prohibitively expensive, but a cosy youth hostel puts the Montafon resort and its glorious runs within reach for those on a budget

‘Want to come skiing in Austria at half-term?” I asked my 13-year-old son. “It’ll be just like one of those luxury chalet holidays, only we’ll make our own beds, cook our own dinners and carry our gear back to our accommodation ourselves.” Osian didn’t hear the caveats. “Sounds amazing,” he said, his eyes glazing to a cinematic sweep of white powder and the chance to perfect his 360.

For many families, the dream of a catered chalet – and its ready-lit fires, homemade strudels and chauffeured lift shuttles – remains just that. Apartments offer access to the slopes at less vertigo-inducing prices, but they tend to come with a minimum seven-night stay. If you only have a few days to spare, or a budget that won’t stretch to a full week’s lift pass, hotels fill the gap, but then you’re back navigating the moguls of cost.

Thousands of seabirds dying on western Europe’s coasts

Puffins, guillemots and razorbills are being washed up dead or dying on Europe’s Atlantic coast in what scientists call a ‘wreck’

Thousands of seabirds – mostly puffins, but also many guillemots and razorbills – are being washed up dead or dying on the Atlantic coasts of western Europe, in what scientists call a “wreck”.

This year’s events, the consequence of a series of severe storms during the late autumn and winter, are the worst since 2014, when as many as 54,000 birds were found stranded. Of these, well over half – between 30,000 and 34,000 – were puffins.

Nigel Farage Cameo videos backed cryptocurrencies that collapsed in value

Cameo videos produced by the Reform UK leader were used to drum up interest in obscure memecoins

• Newly unearthed Nigel Farage videos reveal support for rioter, neo-Nazi event and far-right slogans

Nigel Farage has profited by producing Cameo videos that endorsed or provided support to cryptocurrencies which later collapsed in value.

The videos were discovered by the Guardian within a collection of more than 4,000 clips he has created on the Cameo platform, which allows public figures and celebrities to sell personalised recorded messages to members of the public.

We need to be honest about Iran – and how our rampant greed for oil is causing mayhem | George Monbiot

Oil has empowered capitalism, and some of the world’s most exploitative regimes. Move away from it and we can solve some of the key issues we face

I realise this is a serious breach of etiquette. But could we perhaps abandon good manners and contextualise Donald Trump’s attack on Iran? The intense western interest in the Middle East and west and central Asia, sustained for more than a century, and the endless attempts by foreign governments to shape and control these regions, are not random political tics. They are somewhat connected to certain fuel sources situated beneath the ground.

Trump’s war aims are typically incoherent: apparently incomprehensible even to himself. But Iran would not be treated as an “enemy of the west” were it not for what happened in 1953, when Winston Churchill’s government persuaded the CIA to launch a coup against the popular democratic government of Mohammad Mossadegh. The UK did so because Mossadegh sought to nationalise the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company: to stop a foreign power from stealing the nation’s wealth. The US, with UK support, tried twice to overthrow him, and succeeded on the second attempt, with the help of some opportunistic ayatollahs. It reinstated the shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In 1954, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company became British Petroleum, later BP.

George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist

Thursday news quiz: weird particles, Welsh conquests and web issues

Test yourself on topical news trivia, pop culture and general knowledge every Thursday. How will you fare?

It is time for the Thursday news quiz, where, thanks to Anaïs Mims’ illustration, you will discover whether you are standing over a nerveless, history-making putt with the crowd hushed in awe, or moments away from a wild shank that ricochets off a water hazard, a rules official and your own self-esteem. Fifteen questions on topical news headlines, pop culture and general knowledge await you. There are no prizes, but we always love it when you share your results in the comments. Allons-y!

The Thursday news quiz, No 239

Rachel Roddy’s recipe for spaghetti with mushrooms, soft cheese and herbs | A kitchen in Rome

Hidden depth and flavour can be found in mushrooms, while the cheese brings a silky texture to this simple supper

Before cooking something, it is never a bad idea to turn to the expert on the science of food and cooking, Harold McGee. This week, I had mushrooms, which, as he notes, are fruiting bodies, specialised structures that, encouraged by the parent body underground, force themselves up through the soil and open their umbrella-like cap so the gills or pores can release spores into passing air currents. The aim is the same as for all pushy parents: get the next generation into the world and hope they don’t get eaten in the process.

I am hoping that a few million spores got out before the white and chestnut mushrooms I bought at our local supermarket were picked and packed. Mushrooms are often described as smelling and tasting earthy, but, as with most things, McGee is right. After I’d brushed the actual earth off the base of the stems and wiped the caps with a bit of damp kitchen towel, the mushrooms in fact smelled faintly of waxy citrus peel, yeast, almond and chicken fat – which are the octanol molecules, apparently. ‘“Faintly” being the key word here, though that scent is enhanced by cooking, in particular the almond aspect, which is then joined by the meat-malt flavour that emerges when mushrooms meet heat in a frying pan, lose water and take on colour alongside butter and garlic.

Japan’s ruthless streak poses fresh challenge for rising Matildas in Women’s Asian Cup final | Martin Pegan

The world No 6 team have scored 28 goals and conceded just one, starting Saturday’s final against hosts Australia as clear favourites

If the Matildas needed any warning of the huge challenge they will face in the Women’s Asian Cup final on Saturday, Japan fired a shot across their bow in a commanding semi-final victory over South Korea. The world No 6 arrived at the tournament as the team to beat and have since cemented their place as the favourites across a near-flawless campaign.

Japan’s emphasis on a controlled, possession-heavy style within a well oiled machine might be a fever dream for Joe Montemurro and how he envisages the Matildas evolving across his tenure. But for now the former Lyon, Juventus and Arsenal manager will be plotting to avoid the final turning into a nightmare, as Australia’s much-vaunted golden generation chases elusive silverware on Saturday night.

Jihadist violence in Nigeria and DRC rose sharply last year even as global deaths from terror fell

Nigeria had largest increase in terrorism-related deaths, ranking fourth in global index behind Pakistan, Burkina Faso and Niger

Jihadist violence rose sharply in Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo last year, even as global deaths from terrorism dropped to their lowest level in a decade, according to a new report.

Nigeria recorded the largest increase in terrorism deaths globally in 2025, with fatalities rising by 46% from 513 in 2024 to 750, placing it fourth in the Global Terrorism Index, behind Pakistan, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Disgraced Juan Carlos wants to return from exile a hero. But Spain’s murky history still dogs him | Giles Tremlett

The ex-king has been stranded in Abu Dhabi after a series of scandals. Now newly released files support his claim to have saved Spanish democracy

When Spain’s King Juan Carlos fell over and broke his hip while on an elephant hunt with a girlfriend in Botswana in 2012, he probably thought that Spaniards would accept this as a minor gaffe after a lifetime of public service. The monarch had, after all, weathered numerous scandals, including a string of extramarital affairs and investigations into his family’s financial affairs, during the previous 37 years of his reign. Money was hardly a problem in his life.

This time, however, Spaniards had had enough. It was the height of the eurozone crisis and there was outrage that Juan Carlos was on what was reported to be a free hunting trip while people endured the poverty, mass unemployment and terror of an economy in freefall. Within two years, the king had abdicated and was passing the crown to his son, Felipe VI.

Country diary: Daffodils and chiffchaffs are here, the wet months behind us | Virginia Spiers

St Dominic, Tamar Valley: Our wooded enclave is alive again with bursting magnolia and questing bumblebees, while primroses amass on the lanes

Brilliant yellow daffodils and the pale foam of the first fruit tree blossom (cherry plum or myrobalan) draw attention from the lichens and mosses that have thrived in winter’s rain and mild gloom.

At home, in this steep orchard and encroaching woodland, the ground was used as a market garden until the 1950s. Hardy, old fashioned narcissi from those days still flower, many in their original rows and plots. Earliest to emerge are the yellows of double Van Sion (known locally as the Lent lily), Henry Irving with dainty trumpets on long stems, Princep, Helios and Carlton, already fading and past their best, succeeded by Victoria. A woodpecker has drummed for weeks and particularly cheering is the sound of a chiffchaff, returned to this partially wooded enclave.

The Myanmar nurses dodging drones to graduate from a secret jungle school

This week, the first students completed a three-year degree course, ready to treat displaced people and pro-democracy fighters unable to risk government-run hospitals

It was a remarkable, but secretive, ceremony that took place earlier this week for a class of 21 students graduating with nursing degrees in Myanmar. Hidden away from the spy drones of the country’s military junta, and working around internet blackouts, the students had trained as part of an underground health system, which has been evolving in Myanmar since the coup in February 2021 crushed a pro-democracy uprising and ignited civil war.

“Safety is never guaranteed,” says Khun Sue Reh, 23, who on Monday was among the group graduating with the specially designed three-year nursing qualification.

Possum found nestled in with plush toys at airport gift shop in Tasmania

A brushtail possum was found peering out among the toy kangaroos and dingoes in a retail store in Hobart’s airport, delighting staff and customers

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

A passenger browsing in a gift shop in Hobart airport has stumbled across a remarkable discovery in the plush toy section.

A real living and breathing brushtail possum had decided to join its fluffy friends in the shelves of Lagardère AWPL gift shop on Wednesday morning.

‘Criminal’ or ‘kids throwing snowballs’? How a viral snow fight provoked Mamdani’s schism with NYPD

Though two men were arrested for allegedly pelting officers with snow, the mayor waved off the incident

A blizzard brought New York to a standstill on 23 February, with schools across the city closed. Restless young people without anywhere to go began to gather in Washington Square Park, summoned by Instagram chatshow Sidetalk, which wanted to stage an almighty snowball fight. A sea of young men in ski goggles gathered, armed with phones in one hand and balls of ice in the other. Cannonballs of snow flew across the sky. Others backflipped off snowmen or wrestled on the snow. The scene was of good-natured pandemonium.

“But it started getting chaotic once people were throwing gigantic blocks of ice. That’s when I left,” says Gabriella Yankovich who stopped by on her lunchbreak. “Boys being boys.”

House Democrats walk out of tense briefing with Bondi over Epstein files

A group of House Democrats walked out of a closed-door briefing with Attorney General Pam Bondi on the Jeffrey Epstein probe late Wednesday, as tensions over the DOJ's handling of the Epstein case continue to simmer.

FBI probing US counter-terrorism chief who resigned over Iran war, reports say

The reported inquiry predates Joe Kent’s departure on Tuesday from his post as director of the national counter-terrorism center

The resignation of Joe Kent, a senior counter-terrorism official who spoke out against the US war in Iran, took a dramatic turn on Wednesday with a report that he is under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over an alleged leak of classified information.

The inquiry predates Kent’s departure on Tuesday from his post as director of the national counterterrorism center, where he had overseen the analysis of terrorist threats, according to Semafor and CBS News. The FBI declined to comment on the existence of any such investigation.

Here are the five key takeaways from this week's Fed meeting

While no one expected the Fed to cut — much less hike — at this meeting, the market always looks for clues about what's next.

Fed votes to hold rates steady, notes 'uncertain' impacts from Iran war

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday released its decision in interest rates.

Russian oil tanker heading to Cuba amid US economic blockade

Vessel with 730,000 barrels of crude set to reach Cuba on 23 March, according to maritime data, after Donald Trump said he expects to have ‘honour of taking’ country

Hundreds of thousands of barrels of Russian oil are heading to Cuba, according to maritime tracking data, as the communist island suffers blackouts under a US economic blockade and Donald Trump threatens to take it over.

The sanctioned Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin loaded 730,000 barrels of crude in the Russian port of Primorsk on 8 March, and on Wednesday at 1600 GMT was in the eastern Atlantic, bound for Cuba, maritime analytics firm Kpler said.

Hong Kong apartment fires: hearings to begin into Wang Fuk blaze that killed 168 people

Independent committee to investigate safety standards and whether building practices contributed to worst residential fires in decades

• How the Hong Kong fire unfolded – visual guide

Public hearings in Hong Kong begin on Thursday into a devastating fire that ripped through a housing complex last year, killing 168 people.

A judge-led independent committee will investigate whether fire safety standards were inadequate, if construction practices contributed to the fire, and if there were failures on the part of government officers or contractors.

What to know about Joe Kent, Trump counterterrorism chief who resigned

In a resignation letter, Joe Kent said Iran "posed no imminent threat to our nation," and he asserted that "we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby."

Democrats walk out in protest over ‘outrageous fake’ Epstein briefing from Pam Bondi

Lawmakers leave closed-door meeting after AG refuses to commit to honoring subpoena to testify under oath

Democrats on the House oversight committee walked out of a closed-door briefing from attorney general Pam Bondi about the Jeffrey Epstein files on Wednesday, leaving what California congressman Robert Garcia called “an outrageous fake hearing” after Bondi refused to commit to honoring a subpoena to testify under oath.

The committee voted to subpoena Bondi earlier this month, with five Republicans joining Democrats to demand that the attorney general answer questions about the justice department’s failure to properly release files from the federal investigations into Epstein.

3/18: The Takeout with Major Garrett

Sen. Markwayne Mullin faces tense confirmation hearing for DHS secretary job; DNI Tulsi Gabbard discusses Iran war on Capitol Hill.

How to sign up for TSA PreCheck Touchless ID and save time at airports

Travelers hoping to bypass some of the increasingly long wait times at U.S. airports can enroll in the TSA PreCheck Touchless ID program, which is now operating at 65 locations.

Gabbard says Iranian regime is "intact but largely degraded" at Senate hearing

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told senators that the Iranian regime "appears to be intact but largely degraded" by ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes.

Maps show forecast for extreme heat wave scorching the West

A long-duration heat wave is taking shape over the western half of the U.S. and forecast to stick around in the days ahead.

Son and brother of Afghan man who died in ICE custody demand answers

The family of an Afghan immigrant who died one day after being taken into custody by ICE in Texas says it has received no answers as to what caused the man's death.

Salah springs to life and plays retro Mo in his own tribute act for Liverpool | Barney Ronay

The Egypt forward led Galatasaray a merry dance for 17 second-half minutes to Anfield’s delight

Welcome back, Mo. The old place has missed you. How many more of these are we going to get?

It would be incorrect to say this was Mohamed Salah’s night at Anfield. It was instead Mohamed Salah’s 17 second‑half minutes, although these were the decisive 17 minutes in this Champions League tie, and one of those interludes at this ground where a kind of voodoo descends, the night goes a little wonky and ghosts flicker at the edge of things.

Check mates: analysis of medieval chess sets reveals vision of equality and mutual respect

Far from being a metaphor for racial tension, chess reveals world where people could engage as equals

On the chessboard, black and white pieces are lined up against each other for an unrelenting battle.

But in the middle ages, the game was not a metaphor for racial tension – but often a vehicle for equality and mutual respect, research has found.

Instagram worse for mental health than WhatsApp, global study finds

World Happiness Report finds platforms focused on connection less harmful than algorithm-driven apps

Social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok, which encourage algorithm-driven scrolling, are worse for mental health than platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp, which prioritise social connection, according to an annual barometer of global happiness.

The World Happiness Report found excessive use of social media was causing unhappiness among young people across the world, although the impact was worse in English-speaking countries and western Europe.

Seoul raises terror alert as it prepares to host BTS comeback concert

Thousands of police prepare to deploy to South Korea’s capital ahead of K-pop’s most anticipated comeback

Seoul has stepped up security ahead of BTS’s huge comeback concert on Saturday, which more than a quarter of a million fans are expected to attend, with authorities raising the terror alert in the area and preparing to deploy thousands of police to the capital.

South Korean president Lee Jae Myung warned at a cabinet meeting this week that “the issue is safety” and urged heightened vigilance by the interior ministry and emergency services to prepare for every possibility. He described the concert as an important occasion to reaffirm the country’s global cultural standing.

Official warns some airports could shut down if TSA sick calls climb

Acting deputy TSA administrator Adam Stahl says the situation will get worse the longer the agency and the Department of Homeland Security​ don't receive funding.

Xavi Simons provides spark of inspiration as Spurs show overdue fight | Nick Ames

Two-goal display against Atlético gives Tudor hope his playmaker can inspire strugglers to Premier League safety

The kind of night that saves a season? That might be pushing it. A comeback for the ages was on, then off, then on again for a little while: a flickering traffic light that, like Tottenham’s season to date, stopped ultimately on red. But they will hoover up any morsels of hope at this point and at least, when a considerably sub‑capacity crowd applauded them off at the end, the appreciation was deservedly heartfelt. If the adage goes that a win can work wonders, perhaps Igor Tudor will be able to cajole a brand of magic now that he has finally achieved one.

Most of the inspiration here, on a night when nobody let a customarily depleted Spurs down, came from the sparkly feet of Xavi Simons. His year in north London has taken on the same stuttering pattern, weeks of liftoff and others of inconsequence. He had started Tudor’s first two games, a reward of sorts for the dynamic form that could not ultimately save Thomas Frank, but his new manager’s affections had quickly waned. Recalled to chase an essentially lost cause, Simons’ task was to display the ingenuity and drive that might propel Spurs out of peril in the longer term.

Dogue, parody fashion magazine for dogs, sued by Vogue owner Condé Nast

Dogue, a fashion magazine for dogs, is being sued by Condé Nast, the parent company of Vogue. Tony Dokoupil has details.

Family of Afghan man who served with U.S. forces seeks answers about his death in ICE custody

An Afghan father who served with U.S. forces died in immigration custody less than a day after being arrested in Texas. Camilo Montoya-Galvez spoke to his family, who are struggling to make sense of his death.

Record-breaking heat wave hits West Coast

The West Coast is facing a winter warm up that feels more like the sizzle of summer. As Kris Van Cleave reports, some cities are on high alert.

Kash Patel admits under oath FBI is buying location data on Americans

Admission came during questioning at Senate intelligence committee worldwide threats hearing

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has started buying location data on Americans, Kash Patel, FBI director, said under oath at the Senate intelligence committee worldwide threats hearing on Wednesday.

Patel’s admission came in response to a question from the senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who is a longtime opponent of the warrantless surveillance of Americans. Wyden told Patel that his predecessor, Christopher Wray, testified in 2023 that the FBI did not at that time purchase location data derived from internet advertising, although he acknowledged that it had done so in the past.

Family desperate for help to find college student who vanished on Spain trip

A University of Alabama student from the Chicago suburbs was reported missing while on a trip to Barcelona, Spain. Ash-har Quraishi has details.

TSA workers visit food banks during shutdown as airport chaos intensifies

There's no relief in sight for long lines at airport security checkpoints. TSA workers, unpaid due to the partial government shutdown, continue to call out sick in droves. Mark Strassmann has the latest.

Tulsi Gabbard, John Ratcliffe field questions on Iran threat at Senate hearing

Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and other top officials presented the intelligence community's annual report on threats facing the U.S. around the world. Caitlin Huey-Burns reports.

Iran women’s football team arrive back home after asylum drama in Australia

• All but two of party complete long journey back to Iran

• Welcome ceremony planned for ‘children of the homeland’

The Iranian women’s football team, whose plight has become embroiled in the Middle East war, have returned to Iran where they were promised a welcome ceremony in Tehran.

Seven members of the delegation had sought asylum in Australia last week after their decision not to sing the national anthem before their opening game at the Women’s Asian Cup.

Micron revenue almost triples, tops estimates as demand for memory soars

Micron's stock has soared this year while its tech peers have struggled, as the impact of rising memory costs ripples across the industry.

3/18: CBS Evening News

Tulsi Gabbard, John Ratcliffe field questions on Iran threat at Senate hearing; Israelis brace for more Iranian cluster bombs.

Paul calls Mullin a "man with anger issues" in confirmation hearing

Sen. Markwayne Mullin is appearing before the Committee on Homeland Security after President Donald Trump nominated him to replace Kristi Noem​ as the Homeland Security Secretary.

U.S. gas prices rise as oil hits $111 a barrel

A barrel of Brent crude topped $111, while the U.S. benchmark also rose as the Iran war intensifies.

Dolores Huerta alleges assault by Cesar Chavez amid abuse claims

Allegations of abuse of women and girls by union leader Cesar Chavez were first reported by the New York Times​ on Wednesday.

‘Absolutely transformative’: Willem de Kooning exhibition uncovers raw intensity of early work

A Princeton University Art Museum show captures the urgent power of the iconic abstract expressionist’s 1945-50 breakthrough years

Artist Willem de Kooning held his first solo exhibition at Charles Egan Gallery in spring 1948, just shy of his 44th birthday. A smash success, the exhibition made his reputation, repositioning the artist and catapulting him to international renown by the early 1950s. By the decade’s end, many would consider him the world’s pre-eminent painter.

Princeton University Art Museum now offers a kind of revisiting of de Kooning’s transformative star-making show with Willem de Kooning: The Breakthrough Years, covering 1945-50. Featuring 18 paintings that reveal an artist feeling his way between figuration and abstraction, it shows de Kooning finding his own unique relationship with both styles. Although The Breakthrough Years does not feature the exact lineup of paintings from the Egan show, it does take audiences intimately into the artist’s creative life from that period.

Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady, citing economic uncertainty

Fed officials are grappling with a host of economic challenges, from stubborn inflation to a slowing job market.

Amazon says U.S. Postal Service 'walked away at the eleventh hour' in negotiations

Amazon said it was working toward a new agreement with the U.S. Postal Service to increase volumes before talks fell apart.

Analysis: The Fed's Powell just delivered a new blow to Warsh's plans for swift rate cuts

Oil prices were always going to be a problem for the next Fed nominee. On Wednesday, Jerome Powell outlined another worry.

DOJ blocked release of secret Epstein drug probe file, Sen. Wyden says

Sen. Ron Wyden says he believes the government had "ample evidence" that Epstein was involved in drug trafficking.

Jack Draper adds new string to his bow as he rebuilds his game

The British No 1 has made changes to both his racket and his serve, and reaped the rewards by beating Novak Djokovic

Two and a half hours into one of the most unforgettable battles of his career, Jack Draper resolved to attack without hesitation, regardless of the outcome. On two pivotal points in his Indian Wells fourth-round match against Novak Djokovic, at 4-4 in the tie-break and then on match point at 6-5, Draper forced himself inside the baseline and unleashed two backhands, those shots driving him to victory.

It would have been understandable for Draper to have played passive tennis in those decisive moments. Not only did Indian Wells mark his second ATP tournament back after sustaining a bone bruise to his left arm that forced him off the tour for seven months, the injury has forced him to make dramatic changes to his game.

Testy Mullin confirmation hearing: DHS nominee Mullin says he would require judicial warrants to enter homes, businesses

President Donald Trump tapped Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to replace Kristi Noem as the head of the Department of Homeland Security.

Stonehenge tunnel plan officially scrapped after years of protests

Campaigners have been fighting proposals to build traffic tunnel under the world heritage site since 1994

A controversial plan to build a tunnel under the Stonehenge site has been officially cancelled after millions were spent on the doomed project.

Campaigners have been fighting proposals to dig a tunnel for cars under the location of the world heritage site since the idea was first proposed in 1994.

The Guardian view on Rachel Reeves and the EU: the right ambition is held back by outdated red lines | Editorial

The chancellor makes a compelling case for alignment with the EU, but her strategic analysis isn’t matched with political urgency in Downing Street

In an age of attention-grabbing algorithms and amplified outrage on social media, politicians have few incentives to make arguments at any length. That makes Rachel Reeves’s Mais lecture earlier this week refreshing as a detailed exposition of the chancellor’s thinking.

Ms Reeves returned to an argument she first made in opposition, about the growing need for government intervention to mitigate public anxiety and destabilising volatility in a dangerous world. She calls this “securonomics” and it is intended as a rebuttal to the laissez-faire, small-state theories that, as applied by Conservative governments, starved Britain of investment, amplified regional inequalities and created the fallacious case for Brexit.

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 Guardian view on the legacy of Jürgen Habermas: philosophical sustenance for illiberal times | Editorial

In an age of demagogues and big tech, the work of one of Germany’s greatest scholars points the way to a new politics of the human

In his later years, Jürgen Habermas was sometimes described as “the last European” – a reference to his passionate commitment to the ideals of the European Union (although not always its modern reality). The great German philosopher was also the last surviving exemplar of a generation of postwar intellectuals formed by the experience of the second world war. Like Jean-Paul Sartre in France, Habermas was as at home in the public square as the seminar room, debating the future of a continent that needed to be rebuilt ethically as well as physically.

In the new age of unreason, where brute exercise of power is explicitly prized above the force of moral argument, the loss of any such figure is to be mourned. But Habermas’s death at the age of 96, as the US and Israel wage an illegal war of choice, and the far right is in the ascendant in France and Germany, feels particularly poignant. A member of the Hitler Youth as a boy, Habermas then made it his life’s work to philosophically ground the democratic values which are now under threat again.

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.

Expectations for the next Fed rate cut get pushed back after hot inflation report

Futures markets took any realistic chance of a cut off the table until at least December.

Ben Jennings on Nigel Farage’s content creation – cartoon

• Discover and buy more of Ben’s cartoons here

• Order your own print of this cartoon from the Guardian Print Shop

Here's what changed in the new Fed statement

This is a comparison of Wednesday's Federal Open Market Committee statement with the one issued after the Fed's previous policymaking meeting in January.

Oh deer! Rory McIlroy puts elk on the Masters champions dinner menu

• Reigning champion reveals elk helped fuel 2025 win

• Champ, a traditional Northern Irish side, is an accompaniment

Elk as the key to Masters success: who had any i-deer? Rory McIlroy will serve starters made from the meat of the North American animal at Augusta National next month in tribute to his food of choice before winning the Masters last year.

The wine McIlroy drank to toast victory, food that conjures ­memories of his childhood in Belfast and a dish made by his mother, Rosie, also ­feature in the ­Masters ­champion’s dinner for 2026. In a nod to the venue’s attention to detail, McIlroy revealed that chefs from Augusta made a special visit to a New York restaurant to replicate his favourite tuna recipe.

Israel says it has killed Iran’s intelligence minister in third assassination in two days

Israel's Defense Forces said Wednesday that Iran's intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, had been killed in a "targeted strike" in Tehran.

‘There’s no flag for people like us’: electro-punk duo Chalk on spanning divides in post-Troubles Belfast

Ross Cullen and Benedict Goddard’s music is as hybrid as they are, with their Protestant-Catholic and English-Irish heritages. They explain why they still need to counter hate

In Belfast’s Kelly’s Cellars, a bar that has been bringing the city’s people together since 1720, trad music bleeds from somewhere deep within as Ross Cullen and Benedict Goddard arrive mizzle-damp from the street. They settle into a corner alcove and reach for two pints of stout.

Together they form the duo Chalk. As Kneecap have exploded out of Belfast, Chalk’s longer fuse has been quietly burning alongside them. Formed when the pair met studying film at university, they have spent five years building a live show that can compete with the best in the UK and Ireland: imagine Underworld’s rave beatitude and the coiled menace of Nine Inch Nails but rooted in Belfast music, from the punk of Stiff Little Fingers and Rudi through to the beats of David Holmes and the Sugar Sweet-era rave scene. “We wanted to make as much noise as we could with just two people,” says Goddard. “But we never wanted to be limited by that.”

Oscars 2027: who might be up for next year’s awards?

First-time winners Michael B Jordan and Jessie Buckley might have just been crowned but here’s a too-early look at who might be winning this time next year

• Oscars 2026 winners: the full list

While this time last year we might have already been aware of Oscar-winning films like One Battle After Another and Hamnet, Sunday’s ceremony showed that the race isn’t always easy to predict so far out. Horror films like Sinners, Weapons and Frankenstein and the phenomenon of KPop Demon Hunters were all not seen as contenders, while international films continue to surprise.

It makes this annual game increasingly difficult but here once again are some absurdly early picks for next year’s Oscars:

Wholesale prices rose 0.7% in February, much more than expected and up 3.4% annually

Wholesale prices rose sharply in February, providing another sign that inflation continues to percolate even aside from rising energy prices.

‘Prince laughed like a kid as I painted “Free” on his stomach’: Steve Parke’s best photograph

‘The art director wanted it to read “1999”. But Prince wasn’t having that. So the next thing I knew, I was writing “Free” on him with my fingers in cold paint’

I grew up loving Prince’s music and remember thinking: “I’m gonna work for that guy one day.” Through high school and college I photographed local bands. I’d say I worked for a newspaper but I didn’t tell them it was the high-school newspaper, so they’d give me passes to U2 or Boy George. Once, when I went to photograph Lionel Richie, Sheila E was supporting, who I knew had a Prince connection. I ended up talking to her guitar-player and told him I was a photographer and artist. He asked me to draw something, so I did a quick portrait of him on a napkin and he said we should stay in touch.

Around the Sign o’ the Times album he called to say he was joining Prince’s band, and said: “I’m gonna take you with me.” He showed Prince some of my artwork, which he apparently liked. I was asked to paint a stage for him – that was the first job I did, and one day he asked: “Have you ever taken photos?” I was in the right place at the right time. I got a digital camera and became in-house art director at Paisley Park, taking photos from 1988 until 1996.

Why an up-and-coming indie developer is returning Microsoft’s money

In this week’s newsletter: the creators of All Will Rise on standing up to the tech giant – and joining the No Games for Genocide movement

• Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here

Video games are in a funding crisis. Investor money flowed freely during the pandemic gaming boom, but now the well has run dry. It is increasingly difficult, for indie developers especially, to get the capital to make games. It is extremely unusual, then, to hear of a developer returning an investor’s money. Yet that is what Speculative Agency, developers of All Will Rise, have just done.

Last year, All Will Rise, a deck-building game about a team of activists fighting for the future of their oligarch-run city, received money from Microsoft as part of a developer acceleration programme. In late-2025, however, the team became aware of No Games for Genocide, a collective of developers, journalists, union organisers and others that came together as a result of Israeli assault on Gaza to protest against “material and commercial ties between the games industry and enabling genocide, war crimes, and the military industrial complex”.

‘You never know whether they’re acting’: my encounter with the man who spent £50,000 renting girlfriends

A new documentary delves into the phenomenon of men who pay women to role-play their romantic partners. The masked 27-year-old at its heart, and director Ben Zand, tell all

‘From the get go, T was incredibly transparent about the fact that he wants a completely subservient woman he can control. He didn’t even necessarily know that what he was saying was offensive.” Ben Zand is a 35-year-old documentary-maker, right in the eye of the millennial cohort that sees the contours of the manosphere, takes it seriously, but understands its logic for what it is: misogynistic neofascist swill. Through his independent production company, Zandland, he has made films about “incels”, QAnon and looksmaxxing – along with tangential matters, such as: what does a Mexican drug overlord have for breakfast (in the Bafta-nominated film he made for Channel 4, Kingpin Cribs).

Inside the Incels Who Rent Girlfriends is an intense one-to-one with T, a British 27-year-old with a good job, who over the past eight years has spent £50,000 renting girlfriends. In the film, his voice is disguised and he is wearing an Anonymous-style mask, which does nothing to offset the menace of the whole picture. He is, as Zand says, completely open about what he wants: a girlfriend who always says yes. I speak to him with his camera off but he’s using his regular voice, so he sounds – well, obviously – much more human and more vulnerable.

An evil spirit and a police homecoming: photos of the day – Wednesday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

The BTS comeback album is almost here – and you best believe I’m slipping back into my K-pop obsessive era | Aastha Agrawal

I used to be embarrassed by my teenage fandom of the Korean boyband. Now I look back at that version of myself with so much softness

When I heard the surprise news that BTS are releasing a comeback album, it pulled me back into a past version of myself, one that was all-consuming in its obsession but equally marked by shame.

At the ripe old age of 14, I had mastered the art of lowering my screen brightness and switching tabs to hide my shameful secret from any passerby or seat-sharer.

Aastha Agrawal is a writer, illustrator and multidisciplinary creative based in Naarm. Find more of her work at enchantedclub.net