In America, the social fabric is starting to collapse. Australia must also learn that words shape our world | Martin Luther King III

The work of strengthening social cohesion begins with a commitment to responsible language and civility that goes beyond legislation

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As I travel the world, I am reminded again and again that the health of a society is revealed not only in its laws or its institutions but in the way its people speak to, and about, one another. My father taught that nonviolence begins with language and the discipline to choose words that uplift rather than degrade, that clarify rather than distort and that build community rather than fracture it.

Last month in the United States, we marked the holiday that bears his name at a time when our own social cohesion is under immense strain. The rhetoric of public life has grown sharper, more cynical and more divisive. Too often, we speak as if our neighbours are adversaries rather than fellow citizens. But this erosion of respect is not unique to America. It is a global challenge and Australia is not exempt.

‘Major failing’ in psychiatric care before Joel Cauchi stabbed six people at Bondi Junction, coroner finds

Cauchi, who lived with schizophrenia, killed six people in 2024 Westfield shopping centre stabbing before being shot dead by police inspector Amy Scott

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It was a “major failing” for Joel Cauchi’s former psychiatrist not to recognise he had relapsed in the lead up to the Bondi Junction stabbings in 2024, a coroner has found.

The state coroner, Teresa O’Sullivan, handed down her findings in an 837-page report on Thursday after she had delayed its release following the Bondi beach terror attack in December.

Penny the Doberman pinscher wins best in show at Westminster Dog Show

A Doberman pinscher named Penny won best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Doberman gets moment of redemption as Best in Show at Westminster

History was made at the 150th Westminster Dog Show after a doberman pinscher named Penny was awarded the top prize. Tony Dokoupil has more.

Software experiencing 'most exciting moment' as AI fears hammer the stocks

Shares of software companies have been getting beaten up, and the selloff accelerated this week after Anthropic's latest unveiling.

Tesla, Waymo execs defend self-driving cars before Senate committee

"Right now we have the Wild West. I want to see some rules of the road," said Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

Trump says he'll stay out of Netflix, Paramount Skydance fight to take over WBD

Trump in December said he would be involved in the review of whether Netflix should be allowed to buy parts of Warner Bros. Discover, as WBD leadership wants.

Trump says the lesson from Minneapolis is to use a "softer touch" in immigration enforcement

President Trump told NBC News the call to remove 700 immigration officers from Minneapolis came from him.

Waymo and Tesla face lawmakers' questions over safety issues

Top executives at Tesla and Waymo made the case for the safety of their driverless vehicles before a Senate committee, insisting their driving systems are safer than human drivers, despite recent incidents. Kris Van Cleave has details.

Homan announces 700 federal agents being pulled out of Minnesota

Border czar Tom Homan said federal authorities will "draw down" 700 law enforcement personnel in Minnesota immediately. Omar Villafranca has more.

7/27: Face the Nation

This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, joins to discuss President Trump’s trip to a Federal Reserve facility with Fed Chair Jerome Powell ahead of his departure for Scotland. Meanwhile, The Ohio State University President Ted Carter joins to explain how he’s handling a new era of higher education amid the Trump administration’s push to assert control over private and public institutions across the U.S.

6/15: Face the Nation

This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," as Iran and Israeli strikes continue for the third day, Holly Williams and Debora Patta have the latest from the Middle East. Plus, Sen. Alex Padilla joins days after he was briefly detained by Homeland Security officers.

4/13: Face the Nation

This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer and Minneapolis Fed president Neel Kashkari discuss the latest with the U.S. economy. Plus, the FDA's former top regulator, Dr. Peter Marks, joins.

3/16: Face the Nation

This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," as the U.S. launches airstrikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, Margaret Brennan speaks to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Plus, President Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, joins.

3/9: Face the Nation

This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," after a whiplash week of on-again, off-again tariff announcements, Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman joins to discuss the costs and consequences of a trade war. Plus, former White House Russia expert Fiona Hill discusses President Trump's diplomatic pivot on Ukraine.

3/2: Face the Nation

This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," as fallout continues from the unprecedented Oval Office meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Margaret Brennan speaks to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, GOP Reps. Mike Turner and John James and Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly.

2/23: Face the Nation

This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," the president's mission to shrink the federal workforce intensifies, and his foreign policy dealmaking reaches a critical juncture. We'll speak with President Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York and more.

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy voices hope for new prisoner exchange as talks continue

Ukrainian president says Abu Dhabi talks expected to lead to a fresh exchange, as US-led talks enter day two. What we know on day 1,443

• Ukraine-Russia talks: how close is a peace deal and what does each side want?

Kyiv’s lead negotiator called the start of two days of US-led peace talks in Abu Dhabi “productive” on Wednesday. “The work was substantive and productive, focused on concrete steps and practical solutions,” Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, wrote on X. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking in his nightly video address, said it was critical for the talks to lead to real peace and not offer Russia a new opportunity to continue the war. Ukraine’s partners, he said, had to exert more pressure on Moscow.

Zelenskyy also said Ukraine expected the talks to lead to a new prisoner exchange soon. The president, interviewed by French television channel France 2, said the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed on the battlefield as a result of the war with Russia was estimated at 55,000. He had previously cited a figure of more than 46,000 Ukrainian servicemen killed in an interview with US television network NBC in February 2025.

The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Wednesday that “the doors for a peaceful settlement are open,” but Russian forces would continue fighting until Kyiv made “decisions” that could bring the war to an end, underlining Moscow’s hardline stance even as negotiations resumed. Moscow has said it would not tolerate European troops on Ukrainian soil, a condition Kyiv sees as essential for credible security guarantees.

In a show of wartime alignment, Russian president Vladimir Putin held a video call on Wednesday with China’s president, Xi Jinping, with both leaders hailing the strength of bilateral ties.

The Kremlin also reacted to comments made by French president Emmanuel Macron that he was looking to resume contact with Putin on the war in Ukraine. According to Reuters, the Kremlin confirmed ongoing technical discussions between Russia and France, but provided no further details or indicated any dialogue between Putin and Macron. In Paris, diplomatic sources said French Macron’s most senior diplomat, Emmanuel Bonne, met Russian officials in the Kremlin on Tuesday.

Russia used cluster munitions Wednesday in an attack on a busy market in the eastern Ukraine town of Druzhkivka that killed seven and wounded 15 others, officials said. The attack darkened prospects for progress in the UAE, with Donetsk regional military administration chief Vadym Filashkin describing Russian talk of a ceasefire as “worthless.” Russia also launched 105 drones against Ukraine overnight, and air defenses shot down 88 of them, the Ukrainian air force said Wednesday. Strikes by 17 drones were recorded at 14 locations, as well as falling debris at five sites, it said.

The southern city of Odesa also came under a large-scale attack, regional military administration head Oleh Kiper said on Telegram, with strike drones damaging “civilian, residential and industrial infrastructure”. About 20 residential buildings were damaged, with four people rescued from under the rubble and one injured, he said.

Senior EU diplomats meeting on Wednesday approved a long-awaited €90bn loan for Ukraine, Jennifer Rankin reports from Brussels. The financial aid is a crucial lifeline for Ukraine, which has been enduring months of brutal Russian attacks damaging its energy and heating systems, while the country is in the grip of a bitterly cold winter.

1/5: Face the Nation

This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Senate Majority Leader John Thune joins to discuss the GOP's priorities with President-elect Donald Trump coming into the White House, while House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi discusses the legacy of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack with the House set to count the electoral votes again.

Google parent earnings beat projections amid plans to invest deeply in AI

Alphabet reports $34.5bn profit and revenue soars 48% in recent quarter as it plans a sharp increase in AI spending

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, beat Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, and is planning a sharp increase in capital spending in 2026 as it continues to invest deeply in AI infrastructure.

Alphabet on Wednesday reported profit of $34.5bn in the recently ended quarter, as revenue from cloud computing soared 48%.

Google parent beats on revenue, projects significant AI spending increase

Alphabet beat on the top and bottom lines in its fourth-quarter earnings report, and said it expects to significantly increase spending on AI in 2026.

Ciena returns to S&P 500 after getting booted 17 years ago

Ciena is predicting the fastest growth since 2011 in the current fiscal year, thanks to its position in artificial intelligence.

Flawed economic models mean climate crisis could crash global economy, experts warn

States and financial bodies using modelling that ignores shocks from extreme weather and climate tipping points

Flawed economic models mean the accelerating impact of the climate crisis could lead to a global financial crash, experts warn.

Recovery would be far harder than after the 2008 financial crash, they said, as “we can’t bail out the Earth like we did the banks”.

Green energy sector drove more than 90% of China’s investment growth last year, analysis finds

Industry bigger than all but seven world economies, and accounts for more than third of China’s economic growth

China’s clean energy industries drove more than 90% of the country’s investment growth last year, making the sectors bigger than all but seven of the world’s economies, a new analysis has shown.

For the second time in three years, the report showed the manufacture, installation and export of batteries, electric cars, solar, wind and related technologies accounted for more than a third of China’s economic growth.

‘Leave things better than you find them’: the volunteer army cleaning New Zealand’s remote hiking huts

Armed with rubber gloves and cleaning supplies, helpers trek through the wilderness to spruce up remote huts dotted across the country

From two-person shelters to a 54-bunk fortress, New Zealand’s countryside is scattered with huts that offer weary hikers a safe place to rest. Some huts sit along the popular Milford and Routeburn tracks, others are perched in remote valleys in the wilderness, with views ranging from snowy peaks to flourishing bush.

But the publicly owned network is too vast for the government to maintain, so ordinary people in New Zealand are filling their backpacks with cleaning supplies and hiking into the hills to clean and maintain the huts.

Snap shares rise on fourth-quarter earnings that beat on sales

Snap on Wednesday released fourth-quarter earnings that beat on sales but missed on revenue guidance.

Fans race to learn Spanish before Bad Bunny's Super Bowl half-time show

The Puerto Rican singer’s highly anticipated Super Bowl half-time show has inspired non-Spanish speakers to study Puerto Rican dialect and slang

Bad Bunny is expected to perform the Super Bowl half-time show on Sunday entirely in Spanish – which has inspired fans to quickly learn the language.

In October, the Puerto Rican singer – born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio – kicked off the 51st season of Saturday Night Live expressing pride over the achievement in Spanish, after which he said in English, “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn!”

No suspect identified in disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's mom

The disappearance of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie, is being investigated as a crime.

Washington Post begins sweeping layoffs as it scales back news coverage

Former WaPo executive editor Martin Baron told CBS News the paper's coverage will be "dramatically diminished" because of the job cuts.

Autistic girls much less likely to be diagnosed, study says

By age 20 diagnosis rates for men and women almost equal, research finds, challenging assumptions of gender discrepancy

Females may be just as likely to be autistic as males but boys are up to four times more likely to be diagnosed in childhood, according to a large-scale study.

Research led by the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden scrutinised the diagnosis rates of autism for people born in Sweden between 1985 and 2020. Of the 2.7 million people tracked, 2.8% were diagnosed with autism between the ages of two and 37.

Qualcomm stock sinks as memory shortage drags on forecast

"We're starting to see that memory is going to define the size of the mobile market," Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said in an interview.

Researchers say no evidence of TikTok censorship, but they remain wary

Posts have been going viral on social media accusing TikTok's new owners of suppressing content, but eight academics examined the issue and found no evidence to support the claims.

LaMonte McLemore, Grammy-winning singer with 5th Dimension, dies aged 90

Singer was member of vocal group that scored 1960s hits with Up, Up and Away and Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In

Singer LaMonte McLemore has died. He was a founding member of the 5th Dimension, a vocal group whose smooth pop and soul sounds with a touch of psychedelia brought them big hits in the 1960s and 70s.

McLemore died on Tuesday aged 90 at his home in Las Vegas, surrounded by his family, his representative Jeremy Westby said in a statement. He died of natural causes after having a stroke.

Consumer Reports' top 10 vehicles for 2026 — see which cars made the list

For the first time, the top 10 cars on Consumer Reports' annual list of best new vehicles also include electric or hybrid models.

U.S.-Iran talks set for Friday in Oman after drone and tanker incidents

The talks are expected to be held after the U.S. military said it shot down an Iranian drone​ and Iranian forces threatened to seize a U.S.-flagged vessel.

ICE lawyer in Minnesota tells judge "this job sucks"

A government lawyer who told a judge that her job "sucks" during a court hearing stemming from the Trump administration's immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota has been removed from her Justice Department post.

Broadcom, Nvidia shares rise on surging Google capital expenditures for AI

Much of Google's AI software doesn't run on industry-standard Nvidia chips, but instead on its own tensor processing units. Broadcom helps Google make its TPUs.

Newly released court records reveal misconduct inquiry into federal judge

A federal judge said he retired to speak out about threats to the rule of law. Newly released court orders suggest his exit coincided with a misconduct inquiry that ended when he stepped down.

Manchester City set up Arsenal final after Marmoush double sinks Newcastle

Strap yourself in for a Wembley showdown between Manchester City and Arsenal that should be as fascinating on the grass as the sideline where Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta bid to outsmart each other.

City’s manager was the Arsenal No 1’s tutor from 2016 to 2019 when Arteta was his coach. This forged a friendship, but there may be fireworks between them after Guardiola was incensed by the Spaniard’s claim that he had “all the information” on City after they complained about Arsenal’s “dark arts” tactics in the 2–2 draw at the Etihad Stadium last season.

Michelle Obama documentary rises 13,000% in views as Melania film opens

Becoming garners 47.5m minutes viewed on same weekend as current first lady’s documentary released in cinemas

Michelle Obama’s 2020 documentary Becoming saw a major rise in views over the same weekend that Melania was released in cinemas.

The film, which followed the former first lady in the wake of her hit book, saw a rise in views of more than 13,000% over the past weekend, with 47.5m minutes viewed, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The weekend before saw only 354,000 minutes watched, according to Luminate.

EEOC investigating Nike over alleged discrimination against White workers

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Nike may have engaged in "a pattern or practice of disparate treatment against White employees."

US agency investigates Nike for alleged discrimination against white workers

EEOC demands firm turn over ‘DEI-related objectives’ amid Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity initiatives

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has launched an investigation into Nike over allegations that the sports giant discriminated against white employees and job applicants.

The federal agency is demanding that Nike turn over information related to the allegations, including the company’s “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-related 2025 Targets and other DEI-related objectives”, it announced on Wednesday.

Welcome to new cold war as world descends on Italy amid global political chaos | Sean Ingle

Organisers are hoping for a celebration of winter sport at Milano Cortina 2026 but tensions will not be far from the surface

A short stroll from where the grandees of the International Olympic Committee are staying in Milan sits the Museum of Illusions – a place devoted to magic and misdirection. Mirrors distort. Perspectives shift. And nothing is quite what it seems. It is an apposite metaphor for these Winter Olympics, which officially open in Italy on Friday.

Over the following 16 days, the world will be enraptured by the dazzle and spin of these Games: downhill skiers bombing down mountains at 95mph, snowboarders twirling like gyroscopes, the balletic grace of the world’s best skaters. But in Milano Cortina a fresh cold war is also brewing amid global political chaos.

Democrats lay out demands in prickly DHS funding fight as Republicans balk

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security still needs to be worked out after President Trump signed a law that reopened most of the federal government.

US and Iran talks brought back from the brink after White House relents on move to Oman

Talks that had been scheduled in Turkey salvaged after Arab states convince White House not to walk away from negotiations

Talks between the US and Iran scheduled for Friday have been brought back from the brink of collapse after the US initially rejected Iran’s request to move them from Turkey to Oman without the presence of a group of Arab states.

Iran’s foreign minister said late on Wednesday that the talks would proceed in Oman after reports of a last-minute effort by Arab states to convince the White House not to walk away from negotiations.

With latest Minnesota fraud case looming, lead prosecutors have quit

The four prosecutors who spearheaded a $250 million Minnesota fraud case have all left the U.S. Attorney's Office in a growing wave of resignations.

Moltbook is the newest social media platform — but it's just for AI bots

A new message board for artificial intelligence agents has prompted some strange conversations, and existential questions about the inner lives of bots.

Eli Lilly's GLP-1 growth is only getting started as Novo Nordisk braces for a decline in 2026

The split in outlook underscores Lilly's strong position in the obesity market, underpinned by more effective drugs and its direct-to-consumer sales strategy.

Millions of Americans face higher utility bills after rate hike approvals

Over 50 million Americans will face higher utility costs as a result of rate hikes approved in 2025, according to PowerLines.

Man who tried to shoot Trump at Florida golf course gets life in prison

Ryan Routh, the man convicted in a 2024 assassination attempt of President Trump at his Florida golf course, has been sentenced to life in prison.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy picks marketplace exec to be his new 'shadow' advisor

Jassy was Jeff Bezos' shadow in the early 2000s before going on to lead Amazon Web Services.

Democrats grill Bessent at House oversight hearing: 'Stop covering for the president'

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took flack from Democrats while testifying before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday.

Starmer faces rising anger over Mandelson as MPs agree to release files to security committee – as it happened

Starmer faces criticism from MPs on all sides of the Commons

• This liveblog is now closed. Read the politics team’s report on today’s developments here

PMQs is starting soon. Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.

The Reform UK MP Lee Anderson has dismissed claims that his party’s plan to support the pub industry would cost far more than the £3bn it claims.

To be honest with you, we’re not interested in who you’ve been talking to. We’re more interested who we’ve been talking to, and we’ve been talking to landlords and small businesses up and down the country, and every landlord that I speak to … they want this VAT cut.

We can go on all day about the numbers. I’m not interested in the numbers that the BBC have sourced. You’re hardly a bastion of truth at the BBC when it comes to things like this.

This doesn’t add up. This is an unfunded tax cut which also pushes hundreds of thousands of children into poverty.

Reform says that reinstating the two-child limit for most, but not all, families would save £2.29bn in 2026/27. The party claims its package of tax cuts would also cost £2.29bn – making it cost neutral – with the bulk coming from a proposal to halve VAT on hospitality, which it estimates would cost £1.7bn.

Supreme Court lets California use new congressional map in midterms

The Supreme Court declined to block California's new congressional map​ that could net Democrats five seats in the upcoming midterm elections.

Labour MPs say Starmer’s days as PM are numbered amid fury over Mandelson

MPs say release of papers on Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador could trigger leadership challenge

Labour MPs have warned that Keir Starmer’s days as prime minister are numbered after a day of fury over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

The government was on the brink of a defeat in the Commons until a mid-debate amendment brokered by Meg Hillier and Angela Rayner to force the release of documents about Mandelson’s appointment and the depth of his relationship with the convicted child sex offender.

Dupont’s France return can rock Ireland’s unstable foundations in Six Nations opener

If Les Bleus click, the results could be spectacular against a much-altered Ireland with umpteen questions to answer

The Six Nations is kicking off on a Thursday this year to avoid a direct clash with the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. In at least one key respect, even so, the two events are perfectly aligned: one early stumble for France or Ireland and a potentially painful descent awaits.

Despite the possibility of first‑night nerves and some Parisian drizzle it should still make for more intriguing viewing on ITV1 than the alternative of Dragons’ Den and The Apprentice on BBC One. Unless, of course, France are so far out of sight inside 40 minutes that they cannot be caught and the audience are free to switch over in good time to watch Sir Alan Sugar say: “You’re fired!”

Microsoft brings back executive Hayete Gallot to run cybersecurity, as Charlie Bell takes new role

Under Charlie Bell, Microsoft's cybersecurity business grew, but the company also dealt with the fallout from cyberattacks.

Treaty limiting U.S., Russian nuclear weapons expiring as leaders mull what's next

The last remaining nuclear treaty between the U.S. and Russia is set to expire Thursday, ending decades of arms control between the two countries with the largest nuclear arsenals.

Anthony Davis reportedly heads to Wizards in eight-player megatrade

• Davis played sporadically after arriving in Luka Doncic trade

• Eight-player swap comes ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline

The Dallas Mavericks are sending 10-time All-Star forward Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards in an eight-player trade, ESPN reported Wednesday.

The Mavericks will receive Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham and Marvin Bagley III plus two first-round draft picks and three second-round selections, per the report.

Weston McKennie is in the form of his life for Juventus, in any position

The American has earned the trust of Luciano Spalletti in Italy, but his role with the USMNT remains an open question

Juventus have tried to get rid of Weston McKennie. They even succeeded once, sending him on loan to Leeds United only for the American to return six months later. When he got back to Turin, as US coach Gregg Berhalter told the story at the time, Juve had emptied his locker and given away his parking spot. Despite this, McKennie stuck around.

It’s just as well for the Old Lady that he did – McKennie is now in the form of his life. The 27-year-old has scored four times in just eight games since the start of 2026. He has become one of Juve’s most important players and arguably the biggest driving force behind their recent upturn in form. Luciano Spalletti – among the most big-name coaches currently working in Italian football – has used McKennie to mould the team in his own image.

Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott believes Fed Chair Powell committed no crime in testimony

President Donald Trump recently said the investigation into Jerome Powell, led by U.S. Attorney for Washington Jeanine Pirro, should continue to the end.

Pinterest CEO rebukes, fires 'obstructionist' employees who created tool to track layoffs

Pinterest CEO Bill Ready lashed out at staffers who created an internal tool to track layoffs at the company, and fired those involved.

Want to see Super Bowl 2026 commercials early? These ads are already live.

Many Super Bowl 60 ads are already online, along with teasers for commercials that will be unveiled during the NFL championship on Feb. 8.

The Supreme Court lets California use its new, Democratic-friendly congressional map

The Supreme Court has cleared the way for California to use its new congressional map for this year's midterm election. Voters approved it as a Democratic counterresponse to Texas' new GOP-friendly map.

EU deal on Ukraine loan could boost UK if it agrees to help pay costs

British firms could get more opportunities to supply defence equipment to Kyiv if agreement can be reached

The UK could reap greater benefits from a €90bn (£78bn) EU loan for Ukraine, if it agrees to help pay the cost of borrowing, after European countries signed off long-awaited financial aid for Kyiv.

British firms could have greater opportunities to supply defence equipment to Ukraine funded by the loan if the government agrees a “fair” contribution towards EU borrowing costs.

January jobs report will be released on Feb. 11 after shutdown delay

The January jobs report delayed by the brief government shutdown will be released next week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday.

Steve Bannon calls for immigration agents at polling sites during midterms

Ex-Trump adviser adds to elections officials’ concern about potential interference from Trump administration in voting

Steve Bannon, the former White House strategist and rightwing podcast host, said he wants to see immigration agents at the polls in November, a proposal that election officials have feared.

Bannon has no formal power, but is an influential figure on the far right and is closely tied with the Trump administration.

Son of Norway’s crown princess ‘does not remember’ taking videos of alleged sexual assault

Marius Borg Høiby, 29, on trial accused of 38 crimes, broke down in tears as he claimed press had harassed him for years

Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway’s crown princess, has told a court he does not remember taking pictures and videos found on his phone that police say show him sexually assaulting a woman at a royal residence.

Høiby, Mette-Marit’s son from a relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, is on trial accused of 38 crimes, including four rapes and assaults.

The Guardian view on Epstein, power and accountability: full transparency is the least survivors deserve | Editorial

As the wheels of justice begin to turn in Britain, a spotlight should also shine on the financier’s wealthy enablers in the US

“The more Epstein documents get released, the more we see how he had so many powerful friends, and that’s ultimately what helped him,” commented the US lawyer Lisa Bloom in an interview with the Guardian this week. As Ms Bloom, who represents 11 of Jeffrey Epstein’s dogged and brave victims, drily notes: “That’s not the way the justice system is supposed to work.”

From the outset, the Epstein affair has offered a textbook example of the ability of the influential and well-connected to avoid scrutiny and intimidate those who would exert it. A ruthless pursuit of transparency, both institutional and personal, is the only way to combat such tactics and hold power to account. In the extraordinary days following the release of further Epstein files last week, the wheels of justice in Britain are belatedly beginning to turn on that basis.

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.

Murdered son of Muammar Gaddafi was perceived as a threat to Libya’s elite

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, shot dead on Tuesday, appealed to ‘a nostalgia for a past that is remembered as more secure’

The assassination of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the second son of Libya’s late dictator Muammar Gaddafi, is a reminder of both how violent Libya remains more than 15 years after his father’s demise – and how much Saif had come to be perceived as a threat to Libya’s governing elite.

The loyalist Gaddafi green movement remained a potent gathering point for some Libyans nostalgic for a return to imagined past security that Saif’s father symbolised.

Is the U.S. heading into a dictatorship?

The Atlantic writer Robert Kagan says as Trump violates norms, laws and the Constitution, including his call to nationalize elections, "we're on the edge of the consolidation of dictatorship."

Nigel Farage’s two-day trip to Davos cost more than £50,000, documents reveal

Reform UK leader received two guest passes from Iranian-born billionaire and declares attendance at event on register of MPs’ interests

Nigel Farage’s two-day trip to Davos cost more than £50,000 after he was given two guest passes by an Iranian-born billionaire, documents show.

The Reform UK leader officially declared his attendance at the conference on the register of MPs’ interests, after giving speeches at the Switzerland summit in which he pledged to “put the global elites on notice”.

Yum Brands posts mixed quarter, Taco Bell shines

Taco Bell's same-store sales spiked 7% in the quarter.

Reporter's notebook: A peek inside the Olympic Village

NPR reporters visited the Milan Olympic Village in the days before the opening ceremony to investigate the dining hall dessert situation and other pressing questions.

Lindsey Vonn forced to wait as first women’s Winter Olympics downhill training cancelled

• US skiing icon must wait to test injured knee

• Coach confident skier will be competitive at Games

Lindsey Vonn has been forced to wait for her chance to test her injured knee after heavy snowfall led to the cancellation of the first women’s downhill training at the Winter Olympics.

The American skiing icon was due to take part in Thursday morning’s training session in Cortina d’Ampezzo as she attempts to compete at the 2026 Games with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.

Boy, 13, who took family campervan on 70mph joyride given points on future licence

Teenager admitted it was not the first time he had taken the vehicle but told the court he ‘won’t do it again’

A 13-year-old boy who drove his family’s Volkswagen campervan on a 70mph road in the middle of the night for a joyride in Dorset has been given penalty points for a future licence, a court heard.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was spotted by other motorists driving the 2.5-litre silver van on the A35, a busy dual carriageway in Poole. His father told the judge at Poole magistrates court his son would be “washing cars for the next year” to pay off his debt.

Dark showering: is this the very best way to wash?

A shower before bed, with the bathroom lights off, is said to get you to sleep more quickly and rinse off the day’s stress. No wonder it’s suddenly so popular

Name: Dark showering.

Age: The name is new; the idea is not.

Uber reports 20% revenue growth in fourth-quarter, but issues soft profit guidance

Uber said revenue in its food delivery business increased 30%, beating analysts' estimates.

What is happening in Fulton county is a warning to America | Jamil Smith

The FBI raid in Georgia is not an aberration. It fits a broader playbook, with troubling historic precedents

What in the hell were FBI agents doing in an election facility in Fulton county, Georgia, last week? They surely weren’t investigating a crime. Nor were they serving the public.

Justifying Donald Trump’s “big lie” about winning the 2020 election may seem like his own lost cause – but like his Confederate forebears, he is weaponizing it, damage be damned. Not even his subsequent election victory has quieted Trump’s appetite for more power, earned or otherwise.

Jamil Smith is a Guardian US columnist

Democrats lay out demands for DHS funding, urging GOP to "get serious"

Democratic leaders outlined their demands for funding the Department of Homeland Security beyond next week.

Nicola Jennings on Keir Starmer and Peter Mandelson – cartoon

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The Pup Cup: thousands of dogs compete in the Westminster Dog Show – in pictures

Penny, a doberman pinscher, won best in show at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York

No suspect yet in apparent abduction of Savannah Guthrie’s mother

Sheriff’s department says detectives are speaking with anyone who may have been in contact with Nancy Guthrie

Authorities in Arizona have still not identified a suspect in the investigation surrounding the apparent abduction of Nancy Guthrie, the elderly mother of the Today show host Savannah Guthrie.

In a statement posted on X, the Pima county sheriff’s department said that detectives were continuing to speak with anyone who may have been in contact with Nancy Guthrie and were working with the Guthrie family.

Goofy! Pouty! Unvampy! With nine films on the go, can Charli xcx act?

She’s the edgy British brat who conquered the world with her hard-partying, electro-banging aesthetic. But can the star now go where Beyoncé and Harry Styles stumbled – and smash the silver screen?

In the back of a cab, Charli xcx drags a makeup wipe across her face. A closeup of that face, with its distinctive halo of dark hair, the lipstick-smeared pout and lush, overgrown eyebrows, is perhaps the most striking scene in her new film The Moment. Charli peels a strip of ugly stick-on gems from her lower lash line, regret and shame flashing across her face. It’s a rare raw few seconds in Aidan Zamiri’s clever and knowing satire of 21st-century pop stardom, which wonders what would have happened if the singer had lost her head after the success of her 2024 album Brat. The film is billed as a mockumentary, but its ambition to be taken seriously is no joke.

The Moment is already being positioned as Charli’s pivot from pop to the silver screen, after a buzzy premiere at the Sundance film festival last month. Charli was there to promote it, alongside two other films she’s starring in. I Want Your Sex, a dark romp of a comedy from new queer cinema pioneer Gregg Araki was mostly warmly received, though early consensus has declared The Gallerist, which stars Natalie Portman, something of a dud.

China ramps up threats over Panama Canal ruling that handed Trump a major victory

The Panama Canal has been thrust into the middle of a power struggle between the U.S. and China, the world's two largest economies.

Bill Gates says he ‘regrets’ knowing Epstein as ex-wife alludes to ‘muck’ in marriage

Melinda French Gates insists Microsoft founder has questions to answer over his relationship with Epstein

Bill Gates has said he “regrets” ever knowing Jeffrey Epstein, as his former wife Melinda French Gates alluded to “muck” in their marriage, and insisted the Microsoft founder has questions to answer over his relationship with the deceased child sex offender.

Allegations that Gates hid a sexually transmitted disease from his wife after contact with “Russian girls” surfaced in the latest release of the Epstein files, which have provided remarkable insight into the disgraced financier’s multiple celebrity connections and activities.

Epstein files: did Mandelson commit a crime? - The Latest

Peter Mandelson faces a criminal investigation over allegations he leaked Downing Street emails and market-sensitive information to the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2009. The Metropolitan police are investigating Mandelson, who was then business secretary, on suspicion of misconduct in public office, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Police are also reviewing fresh allegations about the former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Lucy Hough speaks to the head of national news, Archie Bland.

Search for Nancy Guthrie, mother of 'Today' show host Savannah Guthrie, enters 4th day

Police in Arizona believe Nancy Guthrie, 84, was taken by force from her Tucson area home this weekend. So far, no suspect or person of interest has been identified.

Shamed by the Epstein scandal, riven by infighting: have the UK royals ever been in a bigger mess than this? | Stephen Bates

The sad truth is that we are witnessing a legacy of the over-indulgent late queen: an organisation unable to meet today’s challenges

Curious that the Epstein scandal, which has caused such an overwhelming furore in the US, should so far have done more to damage the British royal family than the US presidency. Even though many Americans have an obsession with the minutiae of the monarchy and all its works – despite proudly revolting against the institution themselves 250 years ago – their concerns have understandably focused more on their own big beasts, Donald Trump and the Clintons, than ours. It’s as if King Charles and his brother, the artist now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, are some quaint curlicue, a baroque adornment to the main event. Which, of course, is how they see the British monarchy anyway.

Kings and queens have always been susceptible to men with money and power. In the past they were able to bestow both on their loyal followers. Now it is more transactional. It is evident that what appealed to Epstein was access to class and status: the chance to sit jokily on the throne in Buckingham Palace or have a weekend in Balmoral or Sandringham and thereby tie a susceptible royal into his web of contacts and obligations. What appealed to Andrew and his importunate and permanently hard-up former wife, Sarah, was access to cash and the luxuries that went with it. Hard to believe given the royal family’s wealth, but what probably appealed most was cosying up to the sort of money that has brownstone mansions in Manhattan to stay in and private islands for holidays in the Caribbean.

Stephen Bates is a former royal correspondent of the Guardian

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Things reek, stink and pong – but why are there no verbs for describing a delightful odour? | Adrian Chiles

We don’t have a single verb to express smelling something nice. Welsh and Croatian, by contrast, are never caught short when something fragrant gets right up your nose

I remember the first time I remembered a smell. This was remembering to the extent that it stopped me in my tracks, taking me back to a specific moment, a specific place and a specific feeling. The smell was that of a bike shop. Mainly rubber, with notes of oil and plastic and a strong hint of sheer excitement. In that instant I was about 10 years old, in Bache Brothers Cycles at Lye Cross, near Stourbridge, in the West Midlands. My grandad was next to me, with the shop man. I was getting a bike for my birthday.

When I was talking about the power of smell on the radio, Speth, a Welsh speaker from Manchester, got in touch to say that in Welsh you can hear a smell as well as smell it. At first this sounded charming, if far-fetched. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. While I can’t – in English, anyway – exactly hear the smell of that Black Country bike shop in 1977, I can smell, hear and see it very clearly. I can feel it too. I can feel the shop man’s grip as he lifts me into the saddle. And I can hear him saying to my grandad: “Blimey, he’s a lump, isn’t he?” Ever sensitive about my weight, that was a sour note. But I’ll let it pass, because all I can feel, then and now, is the general joy.

Pinterest fired 2 engineers who built an internal layoff tracker

Pinterest says two engineers lost their jobs after writing custom scripts to identify employees who were cut in a recent round of layoffs.

Private payrolls rose by just 22,000 in January, far short of expectations, ADP says

The U.S. labor market barely budged in January, with hiring below even muted expectations.

Microsoft promotes sales leaders as company pursues AI growth

Judson Althoff, CEO of Microsoft's commercial business, wants to reduce the customer feedback loop as the company sells artificial intelligence services.

Researcher paid people for testimony about Daily Mail, high court told

Former phone hacker Graham Johnson denies claims, saying payments were part of effort to draw attention to unlawful behaviour by media

A researcher investigating lawbreaking by the media paid private investigators and ex-journalists for their testimony about alleged unlawful activity at the publisher of the Daily Mail, the high court has heard.

Graham Johnson, a former phone hacker who later turned to researching unlawful activity in the press, confirmed he had made payments to six people who all feature in the case Prince Harry and others have brought against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL).

‘The right has won the family’: my relentless search for lefty mommy bloggers

The most popular mom content tends to be rightwing tradwife propaganda or not political at all – pushing progressive creators out of the algorithm

For someone who doesn’t have a marble island in their kitchen I spend a disproportionate amount of time staring at marble kitchen islands, slack-jawed, brain turned half off. That’s because I consume a lot of videos from mommy bloggers, mom influencers and the like. In kitchen “closing shift” videos, they wipe down their islands and reset by lighting luxury candles, the glow accentuating their respectable cosmetic procedures. Other times I watch them waltz through their morning routines: getting kids out the door, sweating it out in boutique fitness classes, showing off Amazon hauls, or explaining their children’s matching holiday photoshoot outfits.

For better or worse, this is how I have chosen to spend my one wild and precious life: consuming blissfully low-stakes motherhood content on my phone. It is domestically competent ASMR that also satiates my desire to peek into everyone’s bathroom cabinets. I nod in unsolicited approval as a TikTok mom I follow shares her green juice order. Fascinating. I should drink something like that. Another posts timestamps of her baby’s night-time sleep schedule. I, who lives between walls that have never heard the wail of an infant, ingurgitate the entire video.

‘It’s an absolute bloodbath’: Washington Post lays off hundreds of workers

Former Post executive editor blasts owner Jeff Bezos’s ‘sickening efforts to curry favor’ with Trump

The Washington Post laid off hundreds of employees on Wednesday, which its former executive editor said “ranks among the darkest days” in the newspaper’s history. Approximately one-third of employees were affected.

Staffers at the Post have been on edge for weeks about the rumored cuts, which the publication would not confirm or deny. “It’s an absolute bloodbath,” said one employee, not authorized to speak publicly.

Senate Banking Democrats demand delay on Warsh nomination until Powell and Cook investigations end

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has separately vowed to hold up the nomination until the DOJ resolves its criminal investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

Relationship Goals review – Kelly Rowland and Method Man flirt through breezy romcom

The Valentine’s Day offerings begin with Amazon’s fast-paced, millennial-coded film that’s a fun enough watch even if its messaging is a little suspect

On its face, Relationship Goals is a classic romcom, calibrated for viewers of a certain generation. The perennially resplendent Kelly Rowland is Leah, a boss babe morning TV producer in line to replace her retiring boss (the omnipresent Matt Walsh) as showrunner. Just as she’s poised to break the glass ceiling, the network higher-ups stick her in a bake-off with Jarrett, a ringer from her romantic past played with devil charm by Method Man. The promise of one of Destiny’s Children playing the will they/won’t they game with the hunk of the Wu-Tang Clan could well prove too strong a lure to stop the scores who grew up on their music from clicking on the Prime Video thumbnail just out of nostalgic curiosity.

It’s a tractor beam made stronger by director Linda Mendoza’s extraordinarily fast pace. I mean, those 90 minutes just breeze by. Relationship Goals’s three-headed writer team – led by Michael Elliott, whose credits include Queen Latifah’s Just Wright and Beyoncé’s Carmen hip-hopera – are bracingly efficient with their paint-by-numbers set-up. Leah’s besties – Treese, the tragically single makeup girl (Flamin’ Hot’s Annie Gonzalez); Brenda, the wistful morning anchor (A Black Lady Sketch Show’s Robin Thede), Roland, the omniscient assistant (Pose’s Ryan Jamaal Swain) – helpfully fast-talk through backstory points and punctuate scenes with snappy one-liners and winks at the audience. (Brenda titles her emergency engagement plan: Project Put a Ring on It.) Only Dennis Haysbert slows things down as Leah’s grieving father, but not enough to be a drag.

A surprising share of homeowners have high mortgage rates. Here's the breakdown

About 20% of borrowers have mortgages with a rate over 6%.

Fed pick: Tillis doubles down on Warsh blockade over concerns about central bank independence

Sen. Thom Tillis told CNBC he is committed to blocking Kevin Warsh's confirmation as Fed chair unless the Trump administration ends its probe of Chair Powell.