Looking back at all of the Patriots' past Super Bowl victories and appearances

The New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl once again in 2026, hoping to add another ring to their list of wins. Here's a look back at their appearances, losses, how many they've won, and more.

Federal judge orders Fulton County Georgia election case documents unsealed by Tuesday

The FBI last month raided an election facility central to President Donald Trump's debunked claims of fraud in the 2020 election.

Super Bowl 2026 live updates on today's Seahawks vs. Patriots showdown

The Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots Sunday in the 2026 Super Bowl. Get live updates here.

Winter Olympics 2026: Malinin and Glenn go for gold in figure skating team event – live

• USA, Japan, Italy, Georgia and Canada in medal contention

• Schedule | Results | Medal table | Briefing

• Email [email protected] with your thoughts

The lowest free skate score this season for Italy’s Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii is 130.92, but that was early on. In Grand Prix competition, their low was 134.89.

So they’ll need to be on point to knock the USA off the top spot. Will skating at home be a boost, or will it bring extra pressure?

Democrats will stop Trump from trying to nationalize midterms, Jeffries says

Top House Democrat says president’s suggestion for Republicans to ‘take over’ elections really means ‘steal it’

Democrats will stop Donald Trump from trying to steal this year’s midterm elections, Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives said on Sunday.

Jeffries’ comments come amid widespread concern after Trump said Republicans should “take over the voting”. The US constitution gives states the power to set election rules and says Congress can pass laws to set requirements for federal elections. The constitution gives the president no authority over how elections are run.

Lawmakers in standoff over ICE reforms as DHS funding deadline approaches

Republicans and Democrats in Congress are locked in a standoff over reforming the nation's immigration enforcement operation as a deadline to reach a resolution and fund the Department of Homeland Security approaches.

Super Bowl 2026: Seattle Seahawks v New England Patriots – live

• Latest scores as teams meet for NFL title at Levi’s Stadium

• Predictions: Our writers’ picks for the winner, MVP and more

• Email [email protected] with your thoughts

David will be here shortly. In the meantime, here are our writers’ score predictions:

Landslide win beckons for centre-left candidate in Portugal’s presidential runoff

Exit polls give António José Seguro 67%-73% of vote over far-right populist André Ventura

The moderate socialist António José Seguro appeared to be headed for a landslide victory in Portugal’s presidential runoff on Sunday, with two exit polls putting him in the 67%-73% range, well ahead of his far-right, anti-establishment rival, André Ventura.

The exit polls conducted for the television channels RTP, SIC and TVI/CNN placed Ventura at 27%-33%, still a better result than the 22.8% his anti-immigration Chega party achieved in last year’s general election.

Starmer in fight to reassert control over Labour party after McSweeney exit

Allies hope aide’s departure can quell anger over Mandelson scandal but others say it leaves PM dangerously exposed

• Profile: Labour election guru undone by poor judgment

• ‘Only honourable course’: resignation statement in full

Keir Starmer is fighting to reassert control over his party after accepting the resignation of his closest adviser, Morgan McSweeney, amid anger over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

After days of pressure over the scandal, his departing chief of staff said on Sunday he took “full responsibility” for his advice to send Mandelson to Washington despite his ongoing relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, which McSweeney conceded had undermined trust in Labour and in politics itself.

For some, McSweeney resignation removes obstacle to eventual downfall of Starmer

Those pushing to oust the prime minister are unlikely to be deterred by his right-hand man’s departure

• UK politics live – latest updates

For some Labour MPs, the sight of Keir Starmer accepting the resignation of his long-term consigliere, Morgan McSweeney, encapsulated everything they think is going wrong with the prime minister’s leadership.

After days of mounting criticism over McSweeney’s role in advocating for the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Washington ambassador, the prime minister’s chief of staff left Downing Street on Sunday.

Epstein files: Republican lawmaker Massie calls for Trump Commerce chief Lutnick to resign

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick previously said on a podcast that he had cut ties with the notorious sex offender since an initial 2005 encounter.

Lindsey Vonn undergoes surgery for leg fracture after crash at Winter Olympics

Lindsey Vonn, who came out of retirement to compete in the Milano Cortina Games, is in stable condition after her crash.

Full transcript of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Feb. 8, 2026

On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Tony Gonzales join Margaret Brennan.

Manchester City keep up title chase with late comeback win at Liverpool

Pep Guardiola threw himself back into his seat in the dugout. The Manchester City manager had just witnessed a moment of sheer brilliance and, like everyone connected to his club, he had to fear the worst. Because bad things tend to happen to him at Anfield.

The blow had been administered by Dominik Szoboszlai, the stand-in Liverpool right-back, and it is worth dwelling on it for a moment – if only a moment as it would be rapidly overtaken by a bonkers finale. When the Hungarian addressed a free-kick 30 yards out, City did not look overly concerned. They only put two men in their wall. Perhaps they had not remembered what Szoboszlai did to Arsenal from a similar position at the start of the season.

Sanae Takaichi’s conservatives cement power in landslide Japan election win

Results mean coalition of recently installed PM has supermajority in lower house of parliament

Japan’s conservative governing coalition has dramatically strengthened its grip on power after a landslide victory in Sunday’s elections in what will be seen as an early public endorsement of the new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi.

Her Liberal Democratic party (LDP) was projected to win as many as 328 of the 465 seats in parliament’s lower house, well above the 233 it needed to regain the majority it lost in 2024. With her coalition partner, the Japan Innovation party, she now has a supermajority of two-thirds of seats, easing her legislative agenda as she can override the upper chamber, which she does not control.

WSL roundup: Chelsea get back into the groove at Spurs as Madonna watches on

• Walsh and Thompson seal 2-0 success at Tottenham

• Liverpool and West Ham win to boost survival hopes

Chelsea defeated Tottenham 2-0 to boost their faint hopes of retaining the Women’s Super League title, as Madonna watched from the stands at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Goals from Keira Walsh and Alyssa Thompson either side of half-time ended Chelsea’s run of back-to-back defeats and left Sonia Bompastor’s team nine points off the leaders Manchester City, who lost 1-0 against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium earlier on Sunday.

U.S. gave Ukraine and Russia June deadline to reach peace agreement, Zelenskyy says

"The Americans are proposing the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer," Zelenskyy said, speaking to reporters on Friday.

Valentine’s Day ideas from romance novelists: ‘I always want books. I want chocolate. I want a scented candle.’

Looking for Valentine’s Day gift ideas? Creative gift ideas for him and sentimental gifts for her

• This story was originally published in the Filter US newsletter on buying fewer, better things. Sign up here to get early access to it

Each week we cut through the noise to bring you smart, practical recommendations on how to live better – from what is worth buying to the tools, habits and ideas that actually last.

When it comes to Valentine’s Day, I’m nostalgic for candy hearts and childhood crushes. But like many facets of adulthood, the holiday becomes more complicated as I grow older.

26 sentimental and practical US Valentine’s Day gifts for her in 2026

24 creative and unexpected Valentine’s Day gifts for him

Chilean olive oil, a Scottish necktie and more: nine Valentine’s gifts Americans haven’t caught on to yet

The 28 best fashion gifts in the US – curated by our favorite stylists and creators

The 20 best US beauty gifts for makeup and skincare lovers – curated by dewy-skinned content creators

DNI whistleblower complaint has intercept of call between foreign nationals

A whistleblower complaint includes highly-classified details about a National Security Agency intercept of a call between two foreign nationals who discussed a person close to President Trump, two sources said.

Where you can watch the 2026 Super Bowl live today

Not sure where to watch the 2026 Super Bowl live? There are multiple ways to watch the game for free today. Here's how.

Savannah Guthrie says "we will pay" in new plea for mother's safe return

Savannah Guthrie released a new video​ on Saturday, saying her family is willing to pay for the safe return of their mother.

Ella Baron on Jeff Bezos’s cuts to the Washington Post – cartoon

‘It felt hypocritical’: child internet safety campaign accused of censoring teenagers’ speeches

Exclusive: Childnet, a UK charity part-funded by US tech firms, edited out warnings by two young speakers at its 2024 Safer Internet Day event

An internet safety campaign backed by US tech companies has been accused of censoring two teenagers they invited to speak out about the biggest issues facing children online.

Childnet, a UK charity part-funded by companies including Snap, Roblox and Meta, edited out warnings from Lewis Swire and Saamya Ghai that social media addiction was an “imminent threat to our future” and obsessive scrolling was making people “sick”, according to a record of edits seen by the Guardian.

Thai PM’s party on track to win election in blow to pro-democracy camp

Staunch royalist Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai party builds commanding lead on disappointing night for rivals

The party of the Thai prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul, a staunch royalist and shrewd political dealmaker, is on track to win the most seats in Sunday’s election after a disappointing night for his rivals in the youthful, pro-democracy People’s party.

“We are likely to take first place in the election,” the 59-year-old told reporters at the headquarters for his Bhumjaithai party in Bangkok. “The victory today belongs to all Thais, no matter whether you voted for us or not,” he said.

Morgan McSweeney’s fall offers a new beginning. Starmer and his cabinet had better grab it | Polly Toynbee

If he and his philosophy were to blame for the government’s ills, now it can change tack. There can be no more excuses

Here is something they can’t take away from him: Morgan McSweeney is often credited for Labour’s remarkable turnaround from the abyss of the 2019 election to the astounding landslide of 2024. Few thought it could be done. The Tories did all they could to help, but it took clever strategy and ruthless tactics to pull off what no pollsters predicted in the immediate wake of Boris Johnson’s 80-seat majority. But it turned out that the skills that win election campaigns are not those that run a government.

His resignation today will do little to shore up Keir Stamer’s precarious position. “Man or woman overboard!” has been the frequent cry from the decks of No 10. After just 18 months, here’s a roll call of the drowned, all from senior posts selected by Starmer with fanfare, only to make them walk the plank: Sue Gray, Steph Driver, Liz Lloyd, James Lyons, Matthew Doyle, Nin Pandit, Paul Ovenden and probably more I’ve forgotten. It’s not a good look: in a company, shareholders would ask what was wrong with their CEO.

Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist

The Guardian view on the scramble for critical minerals: while powers vie for access, labourers die | Editorial

A mining disaster in the Democratic Republic of Congo underscores the human cost of extraction. Intensified competition for resources isn’t helping

When Donald Trump boasted recently that he had stopped the conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – though fighting persists in the DRC, at appalling human cost – he made clear that his goals went beyond a long-sought Nobel Peace prize.

“They said to me, ‘Please, please, we would love you to come and take our minerals.’ Which we’ll do,” the US president added. Now he is following through. Last Monday he launched a new strategic reserve plan, “Project Vault”, worth almost $12bn. Two days later, JD Vance hosted a summit seeking to create a trade zone for critical minerals.

Iran sentences Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi to seven more years in prison

Women’s and human rights activist, arrested at a demonstration in December, is said to be on hunger strike

Iran has sentenced the Nobel peace prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to more than seven more years in prison after she began a hunger strike, her supporters said Sunday, as Tehran cracks down on all dissent following nationwide protests and the deaths of thousands at the hands of security forces.

The new convictions against Mohammadi come as Iran tries to negotiate with the US over its nuclear programme to avert a military strike threatened by Donald Trump. Iran’s top diplomat said on Sunday that Tehran’s strength came from its ability to “say no to the great powers”, striking a maximalist position just after negotiations in Oman with the US.

Gladys West obituary

Mathematician whose work at the US Naval Weapons Laboratory was pivotal to the development of GPS

It was only late in life that the mathematician Gladys West, who has died aged 95, was recognised for her role in the development of today’s global positioning system, or GPS. She came to be thought of as another “hidden figure” – a reference to the 2016 book and subsequent film about three black women who worked at Nasa during the space race.

While West’s story may have been less dramatic – it took decades of painstaking work at the US Naval Weapons Laboratory for her to come up with the geodesic systems that would allow the precise measurements and mapping needed for the technology – her work nevertheless transformed modern life.

French police arrest six over crypto-linked magistrate kidnapping

Arrests follow discovery on Friday of magistrate and her mother in a garage in south-east of country

French authorities have arrested six suspects, including a child, after a magistrate and her mother were held captive last week for about 30 hours in a cryptocurrency ransom plot.

Four men and one woman were detained, three overnight and two on Sunday morning, the Lyon prosecutor Thierry Dran told Agence France-Presse. He later confirmed a child had been arrested on Sunday afternoon.

Trump’s EPA reapproves contentious weedkiller dicamba for some GM crops

Environmental groups said dicamba drift has damaged vegetable farms, trees and other critical plants

The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday reapproved the weedkiller dicamba for use on genetically modified soybeans and cotton, a pesticide that has raised widespread concern over its tendency to drift and destroy nearby crops.

The agency said dicamba was critical for farmers who would otherwise have their crops threatened by fast growing weeds. To ensure the pesticide is used safely, the agency said it imposed strong protections and limits on its use.

The teams and players with the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history

Ahead of Super Bowl 2026 today, Feb. 8, here's a list of the teams and players with the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history.

Feyi-Waboso a major doubt for rest of England’s Six Nations campaign

• Exeter winger injured hamstring in training

• Furbank and Genge also doubts for Scotland match

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has been ruled out of England’s forthcoming pursuit of the triple crown and is a major doubt for the rest of the Six Nations tournament, while Steve Borthwick has fitness concerns over George Furbank and Ellis Genge as his team seek to end their Murrayfield hoodoo on Saturday.

Feyi-Waboso pulled out of the 48‑7 victory against Wales 24 hours before kick-off after sustaining a hamstring injury and was replaced by Tom Roebuck. The Exeter winger will be out for “a number of weeks”, ensuring he misses the trip to Murrayfield and the visit of Ireland to Twickenham a week later. He has not yet been ruled out of England’s entire campaign but the chances of him appearing seem remote and he has been left out of the 36‑man squad called into camp on Sunday night.

Athletes to watch from Team USA at the Winter Olympics

American athletes are going for the gold at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. These are some of the top Team USA competitors to watch.

Noam Chomsky’s wife apologizes for their ‘grave mistake’ in Epstein ties

Valeria Chomsky says Epstein had deceived them and they were ‘careless’ not to thoroughly research his background

Noam Chomsky and his wife, Valeria, made a “grave mistake” and were “careless” not to thoroughly research the background of Jeffrey Epstein, Valeria Chomsky said in a lengthy statement on Saturday, adding also that Epstein had deceived them.

The relationship between Noam Chomsky, the 97-year-old linguist and philosopher, and Epstein has been under scrutiny after documents released by the justice department shed light on their friendship. As Epstein came under scrutiny for sex trafficking allegations in 2019, he asked Chomsky for advice on how to respond. “I’ve watched the horrible way you are being treated in the press and public. It’s painful to say, but I think the best way to proceed is to ignore it,” Chomsky wrote in a message signed “Noam” that Epstein shared in email with an associate.

‘It would have been a horrible one to lose’: Curran relieved after England’s Nepal scare

• ‘You can’t underestimate these guys any more’

• Curran’s final-over heroics sealed four-run win

England flirted with one of the great T20 World Cup upsets in Mumbai before getting their campaign under way with victory against Nepal by four runs and, although they did not lose the game, Sam Curran insisted they had lost any sense of complacency.

“We take those two points and take great confidence, because it wouldn’t have been a nice dressing room this evening,” said Curran, who conceded just five runs in the final over to decide the game.

US companies accused of ‘AI washing’ in citing artificial intelligence for job losses

While AI is having an impact on the workplace, experts suggest tariffs, overhiring during the pandemic and simply maximising profits may be bigger factors

Over the last year, US corporate leaders have often explained layoffs by saying the positions were no longer needed because artificial intelligence had made their companies more efficient, replacing humans with computers.

But some economists and technology analysts have expressed skepticism about such justifications and instead think that such workforce cuts are driven by factors like the impact of tariffs, overhiring during the Covid-19 pandemic and perhaps simple maximising of profits.

Russia says man suspected of shooting general detained in Dubai

Man in his 60s ‘arrested and handed over to Russia’ after fleeing to UAE, according to media reports

Authorities in Dubai have arrested and handed over to Russia a man suspected of shooting and wounding a senior officer in Russia’s intelligence services, according to Moscow’s security service.

The announcement on Sunday came two days after a gunman shot Lt Gen Vladimir Alekseyev three times on the stairwell of his Moscow apartment, leaving him in a critical condition.

U.K. leader's chief of staff quits over hiring of Epstein friend as U.S. ambassador

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff resigned Sunday over the furor surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to the U.S. despite his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Veteran French politician quits as head of prestigious institute after Epstein links revealed

Former culture minister Jack Lang resigns from Arab World Institute in Paris and is also subject of tax investigation

Jack Lang, a former French culture minister, has resigned as head of Paris’s prestigious Arab World Institute after revelations of his past contacts with the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the launch of a financial investigation by French prosecutors.

The 86-year-old resigned on Saturday night before he was due to attend an urgent meeting called by the French foreign ministry to discuss his links to Epstein.

Trump administration lauds plastic surgeons' statement on trans surgery for minors

A patient who came to regret the top surgery she got as a teen won a $2 million malpractice suit. Then, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons clarified its position that surgery is not recommended for transgender minors.

From New York to New Mexico: new Epstein files shed light on his sprawling ranch outside Santa Fe

Several men appear in photos on the nearly 10,000-acre Zorro ranch, which included a 26,700 sq ft mansion

For years, Jeffrey Epstein took respite at a sprawling ranch in the desert scrub outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. Epstein’s nearly 10,000-acre (4,000-hectare) property – known as Zorro ranch – was dotted with cholla cactus and Angus cattle, and came to include a 26,700 sq ft mansion, as well as a private runway and hangar.

For years, Epstein abused teenage girls and young women on this ranch with impunity, according to testimony from several women. In court proceedings, survivors detailed horror after horror they say unfolded on this isolated expanse of land.

The risk of nuclear war is rising again. We need a new movement for global peace | David Cortright

With the end of the New Start treaty, we face a potentially catastrophic arms race. It can still be prevented

The risk of nuclear war is greater now than in decades – and rising. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists recently set its famous Doomsday Clock closer to midnight, indicating a level of risk equivalent to the 1980s, when US and Soviet nuclear stockpiles were increasing rapidly. In those years, massive waves of disarmament protest arose in Europe and the United States. Political leaders responded, the cold war ended, and many people stopped worrying about the bomb.

Today, the bomb is back. Political tensions are rising, and nuclear weapons have spread to other countries, including Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea. China is rapidly increasing its nuclear arsenal. The US-Russia arms competition may accelerate soon with the expiration on 5 February of the last remaining arms control agreement, the New Start treaty. To prevent the growing nuclear threat, we need a new global peace movement.

David Cortright, a visiting scholar at Cornell University’s Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, was the executive director of Sane, the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, during the 1980s

Readers replies: why does a song sometimes get stuck in our heads – and what makes an earworm?

The series in which readers answer other readers’ questions explores the sounds and music that play on repeat mentally – and how to escape their aural clutches

• This week’s question: can you acquire courage?

I know a song that’ll get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a so … you get the gist! Why does a song sometimes get stuck in our heads? (And good luck stopping this one now!) Laura Ashton, Haslemere, Surrey

Send new questions to [email protected].

Archaeology against the clock: the race to salvage fragments of early Brisbane

Tens of thousands of artefacts were unearthed not by careful excavation but by the 2011 floods. Now, students are piecing together Queensland’s history

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

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

In a white and sterile office that could belong to any one of the warehouses that dot this industrial strip between Brisbane’s airport and horse-racing precinct, a young woman is engrossed in a puzzle.

Only this puzzle comprises, perhaps, three different sets, each almost (but not quite) identical to the other – and none likely to be completed.

Seized, subverted, shuttered: a year in Trump’s assault on the Kennedy Center

Since a presidential post on Truth Social the Washington DC arts hub has lost its leadership, had its name changed and will now be closed for years

The Brentano String Quartet had finished their performance when a special guest dropped in backstage: the US supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “We thanked her for everything she had done for our country,” recalls violinist Mark Steinberg. “It was a nice moment.”

The year was 2016 and the place was the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. Fast forward a decade and old certainties have been shaken: Ginsburg is dead, Donald Trump is president and the Kennedy Center has become a case study in how a seemingly solid American institution can quickly unravel.

Lindsey Vonn’s crash is violent but honest ending to an unprecedented Olympic bid

The gruesome finish to the US star’s comeback, at age 41 and with a ruptured ACL, is a reminder of skiing’s unforgiving nature

There was always a version of this story that ended in a single, violent instant. Lindsey Vonn was 13th to push out of the start gate on Sunday in Cortina d’Ampezzo knowing exactly what she was racing with: a fully ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, a heavy brace wrapped around the joint, and the accumulated wear of a career spent flirting with speed and consequence.

Vonn barely made it out of the opening phase of the run.

Memorial for Swiss bar fire victims goes up in flames

Blaze probably caused by candles at makeshift tribute near Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, say police

A memorial for the victims of a deadly fire at a new year party in Switzerland caught fire early on Sunday, probably sparked by candles left burning inside, police have said.

The memorial was a makeshift tribute to the 41 people killed and the 115 injured in the fire that erupted in the early hours of 1 January at Le Constellation bar in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana, which was packed with mainly teenagers and young adults.

Politicians ‘don’t live how we live’, voters tell me. Morgan McSweeney's resignation won’t change their minds | John Harris

Whoever succeeds Keir Starmer will still have an almost impossible task: convincing voters that politicians will serve the people, not themselves

So, there goes Morgan McSweeney, leaving Keir Starmer even more exposed, and the British side of the vast Jeffrey Epstein scandal still unfolding. The resignation note penned by the prime minister’s former chief of staff is as clear as it had to be, and acknowledges that McSweeney advised Starmer to make the most fateful choice of his time as Labour leader. “The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong,” it says. “He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself.” The vetting process for such decisions, it goes on, “must now be fundamentally overhauled”. But the key question festers on, and it has always been political rather than procedural: between late 2024 and early 2025, despite knowing that Mandelson had maintained his friendship with Epstein after the latter’s conviction for what US law calls soliciting prostitution from a minor, why did McSweeney, Starmer and their inner circle still conclude that he was the right man to be the UK’s ambassador in Washington DC?

There is a very important contextual element of the story, which began to surface at the end of last week, about the absence of alarm – in both politics and the media – at the appointment at the time it was made, suggestive of an amazing collective amnesia about details of the Mandelson/Epstein relationship that had been made public. But even so, that doesn’t detract from the awfulness of what the prime minister and his people did, which sits at the heart of the story like an incurable headache. They surely know it, and so does everyone else: presented with a due diligence report based on a vivid account of what Mandelson had been up to (much of which was well known anyway), they apparently took his denials at face value. Despite warnings to the contrary – from, we now hear, the-then foreign secretary David Lammy and Starmer’s then-deputy Angela Rayner – they gave Mandelson exactly what he wanted.

John Harris is a Guardian columnist

Breezy Johnson's downhill gold is America's first medal of 2026 Winter Olympics

Breezy Johnson's first Olympic medal is a gold, won in a race marred by the crash of teammate Lindsey Vonn

North of England 2040? Andy Burnham backs plan for multi-city Olympics bid

Northern leaders urge government to support proposal as Manchester mayor says a London bid ‘wouldn’t be right’

The north of England is seeking to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games to boost a region “left out of the national story”.

Northern leaders have written to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, urging the government to back a multi-city games spanning an area with a population of 15 million people.

Rightwing critics blame Mamdani as New York snow fails to melt

Murdoch tabloid leads charge as big freeze persists – could the mayor please do something about the weather?

It snowed two weeks ago in New York. Since then, the temperature has barely risen above freezing – a temperature science naturally dictates is necessary to melt snow and ice.

But science isn’t enough for some US political critics, however, who have instead blamed Zohran Mamdani, New York’s new socialist mayor, for the snow not having melted and still clogging up some of the city’s streets.

How to cook the perfect brigadeiros for Valentine’s Day – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to cook the perfect …

These chocolatey Brazilian treats are endlessly customisable to fit your sweet tooth preferences – and they’re quick and easy for those in a last-minute romantic rush

If you’re not au fait with these soft, chocolatey treats, you clearly haven’t spent much time in Brazil, where, in the words of blogger Olivia Mesquita, they’re national treasures, “a must-have at special celebrations, from kids’ parties to weddings”. As content creator Camila Hurst puts it, “It’s basically not a party without them.” Quick and simple to make from everyday ingredients, they’re also an ideal last-minute gift for someone you love.

Resting seals and floating Marilyns: photos of the weekend

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

Mystery plaintiff challenges Karl Lagerfeld’s will – but pampered cat can rest easy

Relatives shut out of €200m fortune reportedly receive letters from executor saying will could be overturned

The late German-born Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld was famously precise, exacting and known to hold a grudge, but his final wishes concerning the beneficiaries of his vast fortune could now be overturned beyond the grave in a looming court battle.

Seven years after Lagerfeld’s death from cancer, an unnamed plaintiff has come forward to challenge the haute couture titan’s last will and testament.

Office buzz: UK employers turn to beehives to boost workplace wellbeing

Providers report rise in demand as companies seek mental health benefits and increased sense of community

In a growing number of workplaces, the soundtrack of the lunch break is no longer the rustle of sandwiches at a desk, but the quiet hum of bees – housed just outside the office window.

Employers from Manchester to Milton Keynes are working with professional beekeepers to install hives on rooftops, in courtyards and car parks – positioning beekeeping not as a novelty but as a way to ease stress, build community and reconnect workers with nature in an era of hybrid work and burnout.

Did a popular acne medication drive a Texas teen to shoot his friends?

Connor Hilton, 17, said that after taking Accutane, a prescribed acne medication, he began to have suicidal and homicidal thoughts – thoughts that, his defense argued, led him to shoot two friends in the head at his Friendswood, Texas, home. Prosecutors weren't convinced.

I spent years meeting strangers for masochistic hook-ups. Was I a sex addict?

After a sexually frustrating marriage led to divorce, I chased increasingly extreme BDSM encounters. But I never felt truly satisfied. Had I been looking for the wrong thing all along?

To everyone else, it probably looked like a regular summer’s evening. Couples and families enjoying the beer garden, people playing cricket on the green – and I was being handcuffed in the passenger seat of a 4x4 by a man I barely knew.

My name is Leesa, and I’m a recovered sex addict.

Dining across the divide: ‘Tariffs are the one thing I agree with Donald Trump on’

Two Cornishmen agreed on the problems facing their home county. Would they see eye to eye on the solutions?

John, 41, St Austell

Occupation Automotive engineer

Who's performing at the Super Bowl halftime show? Here's the full list

Bad Bunny is set to take the stage at halftime for the 2026 Super Bowl. Here's who else is performing at Super Bowl 60.

Bad Bunny to meet political moment as Maga fumes over Super Bowl show

Puerto Rican superstar promises ‘the world will dance’ in all-Spanish half-time gig that comes as Trump agents wage deadly crackdown

For 13 minutes on Sunday night, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara will pulse with reggaeton, Latin trap and Caribbean rhythms as Bad Bunny headlines a historic Super Bowl halftime performance, primarily – or perhaps entirely – in Spanish. The Puerto Rican megastar, whose songs fuse the raw energy of música urbana, Boricua pride and resistance politics, has promised a “huge party”.

At a moment when masked federal agents are sweeping through American cities, rounding up long-settled immigrants, legal residents and even US citizens, Bad Bunny’s presence on the grandest stage in US sports offers a striking contrast – a joyful celebration of pride and solidarity for millions of Latinos.

This is how we do it: ‘Having sex with other people brought us closer, but also exposed insecurities’

Amber feared having sex with other women had ruined the best thing in her life, but Todd says exploring together has ultimately strengthened their partnership
• How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously

The first time we had sex with a couple, I didn’t anticipate how destabilising it would feel

Thailand counts votes in early election with 3 main parties vying for power

Vote counting was underway in Thailand's early general election on Sunday, seen as a three-way race among competing visions of progressive, populist and old-fashioned patronage politics.

Mandelson should hand back US ambassador payout, says cabinet minister

Pressure grows on Keir Starmer as Labour peer reported to have received payment worth three months’ salary when he quit in September

• UK politics live – latest updates

A cabinet minister has called for Peter Mandelson to hand back the payout he received after quitting as ambassador to the US last year, as pressure increased on the prime minister to quit for having appointed him in the first place.

Pat McFadden, the welfare secretary, said on Sunday he thought the Labour peer should give back his Foreign Office payout, which is reported to be as much as £55,000. The Foreign Office is understood to be reviewing the payment.

U.S. ski star Lindsey Vonn is in 'stable condition' after crash in Olympic downhill

In an explosive crash near the top of the downhill course in Cortina, Vonn landed a jump perpendicular to the slope and tumbled to a stop shortly below.

How many Super Bowls have the Seahawks won?

As the Seahawks prepare to face the Patriots in the 2026 Super Bowl, here's what to know about Seattle's past appearances, wins and losses.

Full list of Super Bowl winners throughout history

Here is the full list of every Super Bowl winner by year in NFL history, including who won the most recent championship in 2025.

The sneeze secret: how much should you worry about this explosive reflex?

It is one of the most powerful involuntary actions the human body can perform. But is a big sneeze a sign of illness, pollution or something else entirely?

How worried should we be about a sneeze? It depends who you ask. In the Odyssey, Telemachus sneezes after Penelope’s prayer that her husband will soon be home to sort out her house-sitting suitors – which she sees as a good omen for team Odysseus, and very bad news for the suitors. In the Anabasis, Xenophon takes a sneeze from a soldier as godly confirmation that his army can fight their way back to their own territory – great news for them – while St Augustine notes, somewhat disapprovingly, that people of his era tend to go back to bed if they sneeze while putting on their slippers. But is a sneeze an omen of anything apart from pathogens, pollen or – possibly – air pollution?

“It’s a physical response to get rid of something that’s irritating your body,” says Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist and professor at the University of Manchester. “Alongside the obvious nasal hairs that a few people choose to trim, all of us have cilia, or microscopic hairs in our noses that can move and sense things of their own accord. And so if anything gets trapped by the cilia, that triggers a reaction to your nerve endings that says: ‘Right, let’s get rid of this.’ And that triggers a sneeze.”

‘16 years later, I’m not unhappy’: the rise of Britain’s multigenerational flatmates

Fewer under-25s leaving home, and older renters being priced out of ownership or solo renting, is fuelling a change in house-share demographics

When Nicola Whyte first moved into a four-bedroom house share in Balham 16 years ago, she never imagined she would still be living there at 45. But with rents soaring, and ongoing challenges in saving up for a house deposit, she has ended up as a housemate far longer than she anticipated.

“I didn’t think I was going to be here 16 years later, but I’m not unhappy,” she said. “My friends sometimes think I’m a bit weird, they ask me how I can still do it. But I really enjoy it. The rent is really reasonable, it’s close to work and I think it gives you a deeper understanding of people.”

All about "Lift Every Voice and Sing," known as the Black national anthem

As the 2026 Super Bowl begins, Coco Jones will take the field to sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing," widely known as the Black national anthem. Here's what to know about the song.

Will Bad Bunny be paid for his Super Bowl halftime performance?

Here's how much Bad Bunny is expected to earn from his halftime performance at Super Bowl LX.

‘I’m the psychedelic confessor’: the man who turned a generation on to hallucinogens returns with a head-spinning book about consciousness

With the Omnivore’s Dilemma and How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollan transformed our understanding of food and drugs. Can he do the same for our sense of self?

Several years ago, Michael Pollan had a disturbing encounter. The relentlessly curious journalist and author was at a conference on plant behaviour in Vancouver. There, he’d learned that when plants are damaged, they produce an anaesthetising chemical, ethylene. Was this a form of self-soothing, like the release of endorphins after an injury in humans? He asked František Baluška, a cell biologist, if it meant that plants might feel pain. Baluška paused, before answering: “Yes, they should feel pain. If you don’t feel pain, you ignore danger and you don’t survive.”

I imagine that Pollan gulped at that point. I certainly did when I read his account of the meeting in his latest book, A World Appears. Where does it leave our efforts at ethical consumption, if literally everybody hurts – including vegetables?

In your face: Close-up Photographer of the Year Awards 2026 – in pictures

Animals, insects, flora and fauna – the world photographed in close-up in the annual competition dedicated to micro and macro photography. Cupoty 7 was won by underwater photographer Ross Gudgeon, triumphing over 12,000 entries from 63 countries

Winter Olympics briefing: Italy’s golden moment and Sweden stick it to Norway

Francesca Lollobrigida brought the house down at the Milano Ice Park and then searched out her son to share her joy

Even before the final pairing of the women’s 3,000m speed skating had finished, two-year-old Tommaso was being hurried towards the middle of the track, where his mother had just broken the Olympic record and was on the verge of winning gold on her 35th birthday. When the final pairing of Joy Beune and Isabelle Weidemann had failed to beat Francesca Lollobrigida’s phenomenal time, the Italian sprinted through the bowels of the stadium to fetch her son.

Still basking in the glow of an excellent opening ceremony and the thrill of two medalists in the men’s downhill skiing earlier in the day, the hosts celebrated a new star. Lollobrigida, the silver medalist from Beijing in 2022, struck gold for the first time in her fourth Olympics. She brought the house down at the Milano Ice Park as she crossed the line in a time of 54.28sec, knocking two and a half seconds off Irene Schouten’s record from 2022.

Why western Sicily is Italy’s emerging arts hub

Art is helping to revitalise Sicily’s ghost towns and deserted urban spaces, with the earthquake-hit town of Gibellina becoming Italy’s first Capital of Contemporary Art

From the ostentatious baroque square of Quattro Canti all the way up to the Teatro Massimo, Palermo’s Via Maqueda is thick with tourists. Pomegranate juice sellers are setting up pyramids of fruit on their carts at gaps in the crowd and waiters are trying to reel in passersby with happy hour prices for Aperol spritzes. Amid the noise and movement, it’s easy to walk straight past number 206, whose arched doorway features a stone cross stained black with dirt – a clue to the building’s former use.

Convento dei Crociferi was abandoned for 30 years, until Sicilian power couple Andrea Bartoli and Florinda Saievi took over and transformed it into Palermo’s newest arts space, the Museum of World Cities, due to open at the end of February. Inside, a cloister with high, scalloped porticoes frames a verdant courtyard filled with palms and banana trees. Bartoli comes to meet me and enthusiastically pumps my hand before leading me up to the grand, marble-floored rooms on the first floor, which have been given over to a rather self-referential exhibition on urban change.

Water bosses in England exploiting bonus loophole face crackdown

Exclusive: Ministers to act after last year’s legislation ‘outwitted’ by failing firms paying millions to executives

The government is to close loopholes which allow bosses of failing water companies to continue to receive large bonuses despite a ban passed last year, it can be revealed.

Bosses of companies that illegally dumped sewage into England’s rivers and seas and presided over water shortages which left thousands of people in misery have still been paid millions in bonuses despite the ban.

No one owns our Arctic land, we share it, say Greenland’s Inuit

Greenland and its people were thrust into the global spotlight last year when Trump revived his demand that the US take control of the island for national security and to access its abundant mineral resources. For the Inuit people, who have lived here for centuries, no one owns the Arctic land

As goes the Washington Post: US democracy takes another hit under Trump

Jeff Bezos’s axing of more than 300 jobs at the storied newspaper has renewed fears about the resilience of America’s democracy to withstand Trump’s attacks

The email landed in Lizzie Johnson’s in-tray in Ukraine just before 4pm local time. It came at a tough time for the reporter: Russia had been repeatedly striking the country’s power grid, and just days before she had been forced to work out of her car without heat, power or running water, writing in pencil because pen ink freezes too readily.

“Difficult news,” was the subject line. The body text said: “Your position is eliminated as part of today’s organizational changes,” explaining that it was necessary to get rid of her to meet the “evolving needs of our business”.

After years spent documenting state terror, I know it when I see it. And I see it now in the US and Israel | Janine di Giovanni

It’s chilling to watch as Trump and Netanyahu adopt the methods of regimes their countries once condemned

• Janine di Giovanni is a war correspondent and the executive director of The Reckoning Project, a war crimes unit in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza

In Syria, where I worked during the years of Bashar al-Assad’s terror, people were often taken away to torture cells before dawn by masked men. The timing was deliberate. It disoriented them at their most vulnerable, ensuring the torture to come would be even more agonising. The testimonies I recorded from survivors almost always contained the same phrase: “The morning they came for me.” One young woman, shattered by rape and violence, later told me that her life had split in two – before and after the masked men came for her.

In Iraq, those who spoke against Saddam Hussein – even abroad, even casually – were punished in cruel ways by a vengeful leader determined to crush any hint of dissent.

Janine di Giovanni is a war correspondent and the executive director of The Reckoning Project, a war crimes unit in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza. She is the author of The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria.

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‘I don’t have to create his legacy, I just have to protect it’: Chadwick Boseman’s widow Simone on grieving a global star – and guarding his secrets

Black Panther made him a megastar, but in private the actor and his wife Simone Ledward Boseman were dealing with his terminal cancer diagnosis. In a rare interview, she talks about the shock of losing him, and how a revival of one of his plays has helped her heal

Simone Ledward Boseman is reflecting on the five years that have passed since the death of her husband, actor and writer Chadwick Boseman. “The edges of grief get less sharp over time,” she says. “Five years definitely feels like a marker. I’ve had to gradually figure out how I talk about Chad. What do I want to share, and what do I feel comfortable sharing? Can I find something that I might want to share in the midst of something I don’t want to share?” We meet on a video call across time zones – it’s 9am in California, where she lives. “Except for my mom, I’m not talking to anybody before 10am,” she laughs. She’s made an exception to give a rare interview ahead of the UK premiere of her late husband’s play Deep Azure, which is currently in previews in London at Shakespeare’s Globe.

When Boseman’s death was announced at the end of August 2020, the shock reverberated across the globe. He was devastatingly young – only 43 – and the world was just getting to know him. The release of the movie Black Panther two years earlier, in which he played the eponymous character also known as T’Challa, had skyrocketed his fame. Before then, he had been a successful Hollywood actor. Now? He was a global megastar – the first Black superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The news was doubly shocking because the family had not previously revealed that he had been suffering with colorectal cancer.

For many U.S. Olympic athletes, Italy feels like home turf

Many spent their careers training on the mountains they'll be competing on at the Winter Games. Lindsey Vonn wanted to stage a comeback on these slopes and Jessie Diggins won her first World Cup there.

Spice up your life! 17 soups with a kick – from chicken curry laksa to roast pumpkin

What could be more warming than a tangy soup? Here are some excellent options, whether you’re using up leftover veg or exploring unexpected new flavours

Technically, many soups are spiced in some way, even if it’s just with pepper. But we all know what is meant by a spiced soup: something with a jolt to it, and a bit of heat to warm up a winter evening. When it comes to soup, spice is the ultimate companion to a main ingredient that may otherwise be considered boring or bland. In this sense, the spices are the most important component: they are what the soup will taste of.

But which spices go with which ingredients, and how? Here are 17 different recipes to help you figure that out.

NSA detected foreign intelligence phone call about a person close to Trump

Whistleblower says that Tulsi Gabbard blocked agency from sharing report and delivered it to White House chief of staff

Last spring, the National Security Agency (NSA) flagged an unusual phone call between two members of foreign intelligence, who discussed a person close to Donald Trump, according to a whistleblower’s attorney who was briefed on details of the call.

The highly sensitive communique, which has roiled Washington over the past week, was brought to the attention of the director of national intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard.

The world heard JD Vance being booed at the Olympics. Except for viewers in the US | Bryan Armen Graham

The real risk for American broadcasters is not that dissent will be visible. It is that audiences will start assuming anything they do not show is being hidden

The modern Olympics sell themselves on a simple premise: the whole world, watching the same moment, at the same time. On Friday night in Milan, that illusion fractured in real time.

When Team USA entered the San Siro during the parade of nations, the speed skater Erin Jackson led the delegation into a wall of cheers. Moments later, when cameras cut to US vice-president JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance, large sections of the crowd responded with boos. Not subtle ones, but audible and sustained ones. Canadian viewers heard them. Journalists seated in the press tribunes in the upper deck, myself included, clearly heard them. But as I quickly realized from a groupchat with friends back home, American viewers watching NBC did not.

Hilary Knight shows the world why she's one of the greatest at 2026 Olympics

Ice hockey forward Hilary Knight showed the world why she's one of the greatest players ever. With her 14th goal, the captain of Team USA moved into a tie for the most goals scored by a U.S. Women's hockey player at the Winter Olympics. Andres Gutierrez reports on her career and her last Olympic run.

Why has food become another joyless way to self-optimise? | Emma Beddington

The age of ‘liquid salad’, fibremaxxing and recolonising your microbiome is here – but our meals should be about pleasure, too

The crisis point came with the sea moss. Or perhaps the hemp protein powder? Certainly, when I started adding goose-poo-coloured dust to my breakfast, the unease I have been feeling around food culture deepened. Turning an already drab meal (plain vegan yoghurt, enough seeds to kill a gerbil) into what looked, and tasted, like mud felt more like self-harm than self-care. But, no, what pushed me over the edge was the tiny £2 Marks & Spencer sea moss shot. Sorry, not just sea moss: “High-quality red algae sea moss … high in iodine, vitamins C, B1, B6 and B12.” It was blue and tasted awful, with hints of bubble bath. Of course it did – I’m not a limpet; I’m not supposed to consume sea moss!

When did food become medicine? There’s all the pseudoscientific supplementary stuff, but even normal food has started to feel functional, mere units of nutrition. A tally runs in my head of things I “need” to eat: am I getting enough oats, beans, leafy greens? What about nuts? I cut back on crisps to cram more nuts in and chuck tofu into everything, because neglecting protein is the worst crime a middle-aged woman can commit. I’m not sure I remember what I actually enjoy eating any more. I’m certain no one on earth enjoys eating flaxseeds – they have all the personality of polystyrene packaging chips – but I choke them down daily, for my cholesterol and gut health.

Sunday night's matchup is about more than a game for Levi's, aiming to share their story

The countdown is on for the big game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. Kris Van Kleave is outside what's been called the Field of Jeans.

What to know after the Winter Olympics' first full day

Saturday marked the first full day of the Olympic Winter Games in Italy. Switzerland took the first gold medal in men's downhill skiing. In all, five medal events were held, but no gold yet for Team USA. Seth Doane has the latest details from Cortina, Italy.

White House removes Trump post with racist footage of Obamas hours after defending it

The footage is included in a video that promotes false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against Mr. Trump.

Fallout over Epstein files directly threatening Prime Minister Keir Starmer

The political fallout in Britain following the latest Epstein documents release became so intense that on Saturday, there were growing calls for the U.K.'s prime minister to step down.

Trump refuses to apologize for racist video despite outrage, condemnation

President Trump refused to apologize after sharing a racist video on Truth Social and then later taking it down. Willie James Inman has more.

Massive release of Epstein files includes 3 million documents and photos

The Justice Department released more new documents on Jan. 30 from the Jeffrey Epstein files, more than a month after the DOJ's original deadline to do so.

Savannah Guthrie makes another video plea: "This is very valuable to us and we will pay"

Saturday marks one week since Nancy Guthrie, mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen by her family. Andres Gutierrez has the latest on the investigation.

In the decade since my sons left home, walking has brought us together

The exodus of grown children mostly happens without fanfare. For Lisa Walker, hiking the Camino turned into both a goodbye and a glimpse at the future

• Read more summer essentials

Don’t let them push you around, my youngest son said halfway through the Camino de Santiago. You don’t have to get up early if you don’t want to.

I didn’t know that was an option, replied his brother from his bunk.

Immigrant whose skull was broken in 8 places during ICE arrest says beating was unprovoked

Alberto Castañeda Mondragón was hospitalized with eight skull fractures and five life-threatening brain hemorrhages. Officers claimed he ran into a wall, but medical staff doubted that account.

Nancy Pelosi to endorse Jack Schlossberg in New York congressional race

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to endorse Jack Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy's grandson, a source familiar confirmed to CBS News.

‘Sea puppy pancakes’: what it’s like to pat a 300kg wild stingray

Visitors to a site near Gisborne in New Zealand’s North Island get to interact with the animals in their habitat and learn about their importance to Māori culture

In a shallow reef close to New Zealand’s east coast shore, a group of 30 people wearing khaki overalls and boots huddle together like a crescent moon, waiting for the stars of the show to arrive.

They don’t have to wait long.

A timeline of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance as search stretches into 6th day

Savannah's Guthrie's mom, Nancy Guthrie, went missing over the weekend, and authorities have still not identified a possible suspect or person of interest.

What we know about the massive sewage leak in the Potomac River

A collapsed sewer line, about 8 miles from the White House, pumped 368 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of wastewater into the Potomac. Repairs could take longer than previously expected.

Washington Post publisher Will Lewis resigns just days after paper enacts mass layoffs

Will Lewis, CEO and publisher of the Washington Post, has resigned just three days after the storied newspaper laid off about one-third of its staff.

Pentagon says it's cutting ties with 'woke' Harvard, ending military training

Amid an ongoing standoff between Harvard and the White House, the Defense Department said it plans to cut ties with the Ivy League — ending military training, fellowships and certificate programs.