Hull City v Chelsea: FA Cup fourth round – live

⚽ FA Cup fourth-round updates, 7.45pm (GMT) kick-off
⚽ Live scoreboard | Follow us on Bluesky | Email John

Hull have been a considerable talent school in recent years: Harry Maguire, Jarrod Bowen, Andy Robertson and lately Keane Lewis-Potter have all carved decent careers in the Premier League. Tom Cairney, too.

Liam Rosenior has FA Cup heritage, and played in this Wembley final classic in 2014. City were unlucky in this game, very unlucky.

Winter Olympics: Ilia Malinin goes for second figure-skating gold – live

• ‘Quad God’ leads contenders in men’s free skate

• Email Beau or get in touch on Bluesky

• Medal table | Live scores and schedule | Results | Briefing

Slovakia’s Adam Hagara attempts a quad toeloop, but it’s obvious as he takes off that he won’t be able to land it. He rebounds with a triple axel-double toeloop, but he falls on a triple axel.

Can he land a planned triple-double axel-double axel? Indeed he can. It doesn’t seem too fluid but gets a positive grade of execution, as does a triple flip. But he drops a triple loop to a double loop.

ICE plans to spend $38.3bn converting warehouses to detention centers, documents show, as DHS shutdown looms – US politics live

Centers would have capacity for tens of thousands of people to be held; talks over funding bill stall hours before shutdown

The annual rate of US inflation eased in January, according to the latest data consumer price index report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Over the last 12 months, the cost of goods has increased by 2.4% – down from 2.7% in last month’s report.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate left Washington on Thursday as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) heads for another shutdown, when stopgap funding lapses tonight. Nearly all Democrats blocked a second attempt to pass the annual DHS appropriations bill as negotiations for guardrails on federal immigration enforcement have stalled. Senator John Fetterman was the only lawmaker to break ranks with the party.

Winter Olympics 2026: Weston chases skeleton gold for GB, Heraskevych’s appeal rejected by Cas – live

• Medal table | Live scores and schedule | Results | Briefing
• Follow us over on Bluesky | Get in touch: mail James

Italian biathlete Rebecca Passler will be able to participate in the Winter Olympics despite failing a doping test, the Italian skiing federation (Fisi) said on Friday. Italy’s anti-doping body (Nado) upheld her appeal against a provisional suspension that followed a positive test for the banned substance Letrozole on 26 January.

Nado’s Court of Appeal acknowledged the possibility of unintentional ingestion or unknowing contamination of the substance. “Passler will rejoin her teammates starting Monday, February 16, when she will be available to the coaching staff for the subsequent competitions on the Olympic programme,” Fisi said in a statement.

What services would be affected by a DHS government shutdown?

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security will expire at the end of the day Friday. Here's what will be affected.

Macron swipes at Trump tariffs and Greenland threats in call for a stronger EU – Munich Security Conference live

The French president said Europe must show “unwavering commitment” to defending its interests

If you need a primer on what’s on the agenda for the next three days, I spoke with the MSC’s head of policy Nicole Koenig, the author of the European part of their security report published ahead of the meeting.

I asked her what is most likely to be the focus of this year’s forum, will Rubio deliver a “JD Vance 2.0” speech or say something more (nomen omen) diplomatic, and what other topics are likely to come up.

“We have had years, decades of complaints by the US about the fact that in Europe, we were not spending enough on defence. That has changed since the summit in The Hague.

The shift in mindset is that yesterday in the room, what we felt, all of us, there was a clear coming together of vision and of unity.

“They want [us] to perceive the Russians as a mighty bear, but you could argue they are moving through Ukraine at the stilted speed of a garden snail, so let’s not fall the trap of the Russian propaganda.”

DOJ drops case against 2 men accused of assaulting ICE, citing new evidence

A judge dismissed charges against two men charged with assaulting ICE officers after the Justice Department said "newly discovered evidence" was "materially inconsistent" with the allegations.

Today's CPI report is the best inflation news in months. Here's why.

The inflation reading, the lowest since May 2025, shows grocery, gas and rent prices are cooling.

Roku stock surges on earnings beat, record quarter for premium subscriptions

Roku executives said in a shareholder letter that it marked "our biggest quarter ever" for net adds to premium subscriptions.

8/10/2025: The Cap Arcona; Jamie Lee Curtis

First, a report on the sinking of the Cap Arcona Nazi ship. And, Jamie Lee Curtis: The 60 Minutes Interview.

11/16/2025: The President's Pardon; Anthropic; Chess Boxing

First, Trump pardon of billionaire sparks concerns. Then, what goes into testing Anthropic's AI. And, inside a chess boxing bout, where brain meets brawn.

Au pair sentenced for scheme to kill lover's wife and another man

A Brazilian au pair got the maximum 10-year sentence after confessing to scheming with her lover to kill his wife and another man.

Virginia court allows Democrats' redistricting vote in their plan to counter to Trump

The ruling allows an April election where voters can let the legislature draw a new congressional map. It could help Democrats win more House seats. Republicans might still fight it in court.

‘It’s not a documentary’: costume designers on ditching accuracy for spectacle

Wuthering Heights is the latest film to turn heads over anachronistic costumes, but it’s not by any means the first

Emerald Fennell’s retelling of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights finally hits cinema screens this weekend. Ever since the first set of photos were released, the anachronisms of the costumes have been central to the conversation.

As fashion industry watchdog Diet Prada put it: “The costume design for Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights scandalised audiences with its freaky mix of Oktoberfest corseting meets 1950’s ballgowns meets futuristic liquid organza meets … Barbie?”

The week around the world in 20 pictures

Protests in Buenos Aires, Lindsey Vonn crashes at the Winter Olympics and Bad Bunny performs at Super Bowl LX – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

Moore says Biden "needed to do more" on immigration, blasts Trump's crackdown

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told CBS News that no administration has ever fully figured out an effective immigration system and only Congress can fix it.

CEO of Dubai's largest port replaced after ties to Epstein revealed

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, CEO and chairman of Dubai's DP World, appears in the Epstein files more than 4,700 times, according to the Justice Dept.

The Guardian view on Starmer’s trust crisis: it is unlikely to be managed away | Editorial

At a moment of stagnation and political drift, Andy Burnham’s push for a new plan suggests the centre-left debate has moved beyond Downing Street

Once a political leader’s net favourability sinks deep into negative territory, recovery is the exception, not the rule. It usually takes an economic rebound, a dramatic political reset or an opposition implosion to reverse the slide. Sir Keir Starmer’s personal ratings are in a danger zone from which few escape.

Yet the prime minister, like the Bourbons, has learnt nothing and forgotten nothing. He made a speech this week after coming close to being ousted suggesting he would “fight” on. He doubled down in parliament despite glaring errors in judgment. He forced out his cabinet secretary while his own failures remain unaddressed. He seemed to blame everyone but himself. When support slips and a leader answers with defiance, voters don’t see strength – they see denial.

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

The Guardian view on the BBC World Service: this is London calling | Editorial

With just seven weeks before its funding runs out, the UK’s greatest cultural asset and most trusted international news organisation must be supported

“The programmes will neither be very interesting nor very good,” said the then BBC director general John Reith, when he launched its Empire Service in December 1932. Nearly a century later, the BBC World Service, as it is now known, broadcasts in 43 languages, reaches 313 million people a week and is one of the UK’s most influential cultural assets. It is also a lifeline for millions. “Perhaps Britain’s greatest gift to the world” in the 20th century, as Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary general, once put it.

But this week Tim Davie, the corporation’s director general, announced that the World Service will run out of funding in just seven weeks. Most of its £400m budget comes from the licence fee, although the Foreign Office – which funded it entirely until 2014 – contributed £137m in the last year. The funding arrangement with the Foreign Office finishes at the end of March. There is no plan for what happens next.

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.

Original Bramley apple tree ‘at risk’ after site where it grows is put up for sale

Tree has never been granted preservation order to protect it under law and prevent it from being cut down

The future of the original Bramley apple tree, which is responsible for one of the world’s most popular cooking apples, is at risk now that the site where it grows has been put up for sale, campaigners have warned.

The tree is situated in the back garden of a row of cottages in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, which has been owned by Nottingham Trent University since 2018 and has been used as student accommodation.

Lindsey Vonn says she will need at least 2 more surgeries after crash

Lindsey Vonn broke her left leg in a crash during her downhill race at the Winter Olympics last weekend.

A familiar move with a new twist: Trump tries to cut CDC funds he just signed into law

A federal judge in Illinois quickly issued a restraining order after the Trump administration slashed more than $600 million in CDC grants to four blue states.

UK Palestine Action ban ruled unlawful, in humiliating blow for ministers

Thousands arrested for supporting group since proscription are now in legal limbo as Mahmood says she will appeal

Judges have humiliated ministers by insisting Palestine Action should not be banned under anti-terrorism laws in a ruling that has left thousands of its alleged supporters in legal limbo.

The high court said on Friday the government’s proscription of the direct action group was “disproportionate and unlawful” and that most of their activities had not reached the level, scale and persistence to be defined as terrorism.

‘His favourite book was by Jordan Peterson, which was a massive ick’: how books perform on dating apps

Mentions of reading in Tinder bios are up 29% in the last year. But is searching for a fellow fan of one’s favourite author really a shortcut to compatibility?

‘One of my Hinge prompts is: ‘What’s the best book you read this year?’ and I swipe left on anyone who says a book I don’t like,” says 29-year-old Ayo*. “Someone once replied with a book by Jordan Peterson, which was a massive ick.”

It’s a blunt approach to romance, but Ayo is far from alone. Books have long functioned as cultural shorthand for personality – signals of taste and worldview – but dating apps have accelerated and intensified that process. In an attention economy that rewards speed, these signifiers have to be legible at a glance.

From vertigo to Van Gogh: 10 things you may have missed at the Winter Olympics

Benoît Richaud is working on the ice with 13 countries, with uniform changes to match, and Korean skiers are having nightmares on wax

Domen Prevc set a men’s ski jump world record of 254.5m on the Planica flying hill in Slovenia last March, known for its steepness and long jumps. Germany’s Philipp Raimund sat it out – he suffers from vertigo. “From time to time, I have the issue that my body is reacting without me controlling it,” he said. “It’s like I am just observing myself while something has a tight grip on me.”

Everybody Digs Bill Evans review – absorbing delve into the tumultuous world of the great jazz man

Grant Gee’s film thoroughly inhabits the creative and personal torment experienced by the American pianist – with a terrific supporting Bill Pullman turn

This elusive, ruminative and very absorbing movie presents its successive scenes like a sequence of unresolved chords carrying the listener on a journey without a destination – and is, incidentally, one of those rare films featuring a wonderful supporting turn that does not undermine or upstage the rest. It’s a film about music. Particularly, about what remains when a musician cannot play and is left to consider the terrible sacrifices made, without conscious consent, to this all-consuming vocation that creates family pain and jealousy almost as a toxic byproduct. It’s a drama to put you in mind of Glenn Gould and Hilary du Pré, sister of Jacqueline.

Screenwriter Mark O’Halloran has adapted the 2013 novel Intermission by Owen Martell about renowned jazz pianist Bill Evans. It focuses on a period of emotional devastation for Evans, when no music was possible – perhaps a restorative intermission, perhaps the start of a calamitous new aridity – when his close friend and bassist Scott LaFaro was killed in a car crash in his 20s.

Bad Bunny gets first solo UK Top 10 hits thanks to Super Bowl boost

The Puerto Rican star’s album Debí Tirar Más Fotos jumps to No 2, while the song DTMF rises to No 4

Despite being one of the most streamed musicians in the world, Bad Bunny had never had a solo UK Top 10 hit – until now.

The Puerto Rican musician has attracted a huge number of curious new fans – and jubilant preexisting ones – after last week’s Super Bowl, where he performed in a half-time show described by many people as one of the greatest in NFL history.

‘A different set of rules’: thermal drone footage shows Musk’s AI power plant flouting clean air regulations

Images confirm xAI is continuing to defy EPA regulations in Mississippi to power its flagship datacenters

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company is continuing to fuel its datacenters with unpermitted gas turbines, an investigation by the Floodlight newsroom shows. Thermal footage captured by Floodlight via drone shows xAI is still burning gas at a facility in Southaven, Mississippi, despite a recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruling reiterating that doing so requires a state permit in advance.

State regulators in Mississippi maintain that since the turbines are parked on tractor trailers, they don’t require permits. However, the EPA has long maintained that such pollution sources require permits under the Clean Air Act.

University expels student who called for accountability over Hong Kong fire

Discipline committee decides to terminate Miles Kwan from studies because of ‘multiple acts of misconduct’

A Hong Kong university student who had called for accountability over a deadly fire at an apartment complex in the city has been expelled by the school for disciplinary offences.

Miles Kwan, a politics student, was detained for two nights by the city’s national security police last year for “seditious intent” after handing out flyers calling for an independent investigation into a fire that killed 168 people in November.

Trump sends second aircraft carrier to Middle East in effort to increase pressure on Iran

USS Gerald R Ford will take about three weeks to sail to region, amid push for Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions

Donald Trump has ordered the world’s largest aircraft carrier to sail from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East in an effort to increase pressure on Iran amid discussions over curbing its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The USS Gerald R Ford and its supporting warships should take about three weeks to return to the region, where they will join the USS Abraham Lincoln, dramatically increasing the military firepower available to the US leader.

Arundhati Roy is right, not Wim Wenders – here are eight films that have changed politics

From ‘honour’ killings to nuclear war, some screen works have led directly legislative action – despite what jury head Wenders suggested at the Berlin film festival

Should film festivals be more than just screenings and red carpets? Should they prompt us to think about the role cinema plays in the world? Novelist Arundhati Roy certainly thinks so. She pulled out of the jury at the Berlin festival in protest at jury president Wim Wenders’ claim that films should “stay out of politics”; she said Wenders’ stance was “unconscionable”, and that to “hear [him] say that art should not be political is jaw-dropping.”

Wenders had suggested that cinema is a way to build empathy, but not directly change politicians’ minds. However this is simply not true. Some films – both documentary and narrative – have not only changed public opinion about social issues but led directly to legislation. Despite evidence to the contrary, politicians are people too. They can be moved. And sometimes they are even moved to action.

18-year-old sentenced to life for fatally shooting 5 in North Carolina

The judge rejected arguments that Austin David Thompson deserved the chance for release decades from now.

Amazon ends Flock partnership after backlash over Super Bowl ad

Amazon's Ring unit touted a "search party" service in its Super Bowl ad, but one critic called the app a "surveillance nightmare."

Deftones review – alt-metal veterans sound exceptionally fresh 38 years on

BP Pulse Live, Birmingham
The US band’s brawny, pit-inciting riffs come laced with blurry waves of distortion, making for music that is oddly reflective and melancholy

Early 00s metal is enjoying a revival, but that alone can’t account for the dramatic surge in commercial fortunes being enjoyed by Deftones. Thirty-one years on from the release of their debut album, they find themselves, as frontman Chino Moreno has put it, “literally bigger than we’ve ever been”. Between the release of 2020’s Ohms and last year’s Private Music their monthly listener figures on Spotify surged from two million to 17 million. The 15,000-capacity venue where they open their UK tour is accordingly heaving.

The reason, with a certain inevitability, is TikTok virality. Tonight, Deftones’ setlist is liberally peppered with tracks ubiquitous on the social media app, from opener Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) to encore Cherry Waves – although why its users have alighted on them is a matter of conjecture. On fan forums, opinions range from the practical (younger listeners discovered the band after emo rappers sampled their music) to the more earthy: there is discussion of a phenomenon called – dear God - “hornycore” into which the Deftones apparently fit because Moreno has “sexual tones” and is “a fox/daddy”.

NGOs sound alarm as foreign families flee camp holding suspected IS members

Annexe holding 6,000 women and children is now mostly empty, raising security and humanitarian concerns

Most of the foreign families of suspected Islamic State fighters have left al-Hawl camp since the Syrian government took control of the facility, prompting security and humanitarian concerns over their whereabouts.

About 6,000 women and children from 42 different countries were previously held in the foreigners’ annexe of al-Hawl camp in north-east Syria, which housed some of the most radical former members of the extremist group. The foreigners’ annexe was separate from the part of the camp that contained about 20,000 Syrians and Iraqis.

CPI rose at an annual rate of 2.4% in January, cooler than expected

Inflation came in below economists' forecasts and slowed from December's 2.7% annual rate.

Amazon's Ring cancels Flock partnership amid Super Bowl ad backlash

Ring's decision to cancel its partnership with Flock comes as tech companies face growing pressure to reexamine their work with federal agencies.

‘What word is there for this?’ Tumbler Ridge reaches for unity in storm of grief

In Canadian town stunned by shooting perpetrated by one of its own, there is anger, but also a prevailing sense of duty

Residents of the Canadian mining town Tumbler Ridge largely agree that Tuesday 10 February began like a normal day. The cloudy haze that settled over the valley was typical. So, too, was the chill of winter.

There were no hints that the quiet and comfortable routine of daily life in the mountains would be irrevocably shattered in one of Canada’s worst acts of mass violence.

Skating body defends Olympic judging after French duo’s ice dance gold

• French judge marked French duo higher than US pair

• Petition calling for probe approaches 15,000 signatures

• ISU says it has ‘full confidence’ in scoring system

The International Skating Union (ISU) has defended the integrity of Olympic ice dance judging after a single judge’s scoring gap became central to the outcome of the gold medal contest, insisting variations across panels are expected and that safeguards exist to prevent bias from determining results.

In a statement released on Friday, the governing body rejected suggestions that the judging system failed during the competition, in which France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron narrowly defeated Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates in one of the closest and most disputed finishes of the Milano Cortina Games.

Martin Rowson on uncertain times for Keir Starmer – cartoon

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Ukrainian athlete’s appeal for Winter Olympics reinstatement dismissed by Cas

• Vladyslav Heraskevych says ‘Cas has failed us’

• Lizzy Yarnold: Olympic chiefs have got it badly wrong

The Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has lost his appeal to compete at the Winter Olympics after the court of arbitration for sport ruled that the International Olympic Committee guidelines banning his “helmet of memory” were fair and proportionate.

Heraskevych had gone to Cas after being dramatically removed from the men’s competition on Thursday only 45 minutes before it was due to start because of his helmet, which depicts 24 athletes and children killed by Russia.

Bangladesh election: BNP wins historic first vote since overthrow of Hasina

Voting was largely peaceful in an election seen as a test of Bangladesh’s democracy after years of political turmoil

The Bangladesh Nationalist party, led by Tarique Rahman, has won a sweeping victory in the country’s first election since a gen Z uprising toppled the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina.

Results from the election commission confirmed the BNP alliance had won 212 seats, returning the party to power after 20 years, while the rival alliance, led by the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, won 77 seats.

Trump, Musk and now UK billionaire Jim Ratcliffe – they are the enablers, making racists feel great again | Jonathan Freedland

With their profile and vile words, these malign provocateurs are tearing down decency’s guardrails

It lacks the elegance of “greed is good”, but as a distillation of the spirit of the age, it’s right up there. “I feel liberated,” a top banker told the Financial Times shortly after Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 US presidential election. “We can say ‘retard’ and ‘pussy’ without the fear of getting cancelled … it’s a new dawn.”

So that’s what they meant by “vibe shift”. Though, as the Epstein files reveal daily, the top 0.01% were hardly primly biting their tongues before Trump’s win, at least not in private. Those with telephone-number fortunes and great power felt able to speak, and write, to each other about women in language so vicious, so filled with hate – women discussed as body parts, as “less than human”, in Gordon Brown’s apt phrase – that they didn’t need the encouragement of a “grab ’em by the pussy” president to cast off their inhibitions.

Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist

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

Kitty cats and cloud hands - how U.S. Olympic snowboarders keep calm in competition

U.S. snowboarders psych themselves up before competition with heavy metal and pop music, cat photos, and apparently many on the men's halfpipe team now do Qigong.

Consumer prices rose 2.4% annually in January, less than expected

The consumer price index was expected to increase 2.5% from a year ago in January, according to the Dow Jones consensus.

Can TrumpRx help you save money on drugs? Here's what experts say.

The Trump administration's new discounted drug platform isn't a game-changer for consumers, health care experts said.

Cocktail of the week: Huŏ’s Szechuan sizzle – recipe | The good mixer

With 2026 being the year of the fire horse, this spicy number has a suitable kick to mark the occasion

Here’s a spicy little number that will help you see in the lunar new year in style on 17 January.

Rron Rakoci, mixologist, Huŏ, London

Two men jailed for life over plot to attack Greater Manchester’s Jewish community

An undercover operative stopped the pair from carrying out what could have been UK’s deadliest terrorist attack

Two men have been jailed for life after attempting to stage one of the UK’s deadliest terrorist attacks before it was thwarted by an undercover operative.

Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, who had sworn allegiance to Islamic State (IS), planned a marauding firearms attack targeting Greater Manchester’s Jewish community.

‘People laughed at TV jobs in Belfast!’ How Northern Ireland’s capital became the home of quality drama

From Blue Lights gossip to How to Get to Heaven from Belfast cocktails, the city has become a small-screen hotspot – and is basking in its newfound fame

‘I love them!” Minutes after I jump into a taxi at Belfast International airport, the driver is beaming about Derry Girls. So many tourists he picks up want to talk about the hit comedy and, as a fan himself, he’s happy to oblige.

We’re stuck in traffic, which is odd for this small city on a wet Tuesday morning. “It’s because all the media are here,” he jokes. But there is some truth to it. I’m visiting for the world premiere of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, the new series from Derry Girls mastermind Lisa McGee, and to see how the capital became home to the best TV.

Itoje calls for ‘bulletproof’ England approach to banish their Murrayfield ghosts

• Scotland boast strong recent Calcutta Cup record

• England have not won at Murrayfield since 2020

Maro Itoje has called on England to be “bulletproof” as they seek to clinch a first win at Murrayfield in six years on Saturday. England can keep their grand slam pursuit alive by successfully defending the Calcutta Cup and Itoje has urged his side to create their own history despite their recent wretched form in Edinburgh.

With England on a 12-match winning streak and Scotland suffering a shock defeat by Italy last week, Steve Borthwick’s side are clear favourites. Their only victory at Murrayfield since Eddie Jones’s first game in charge in 2016 came in miserable weather in 2020, however, with Scotland securing victories in 2022 and last time out in 2024.

Epstein files: Goldman Sachs top lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler to step down after email fallout

Kathryn Ruemmler joins a growing list of people whose professional lives have been rocked by their past associations with Jeffrey Epstein.

Signature Puerto Rico drink recipes

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show has led to a huge spike in interest in his music and Puerto Rican culture. Dorian González Vega, the beverage director at Union Square Cafe in New York City, joins "CBS Mornings" to make some signature drink recipes.

Salt calls on England to play with ‘chests out’ in crunch T20 World Cup clash with Scotland

• Defeat by West Indies leaves England needing a win

• ‘It’s about playing with personality,’ says opening batter

It turns out England’s self-confidence might be a bit more resolute than their batting. It will take more than a couple of teetering performances to set this team’s morale atremble. So despite being nervy against Nepal and wobbly against West Indies, England could hardly have been more cocksure on the eve of a crucial T20 World Cup group fixture against Scotland. As Phil Salt put it: “When we’re at our best nobody can live with us.”

England arrived in India having lost once in 11 Twenty20 games over the previous 12 months, and that run continues to be a source of belief. “It’s just about getting to that space more often than we have in the last two games,” Salt said. “We’re not talking about 10 [bad] games or 12 games, we’re talking about two games where it’s fair to say we haven’t been at our best. But the good news is the competition is in front of us and we’ve got these opportunities to come. And if we can be that authentic side of ourselves – chests out, taking the game on and being smart – there’s nothing to stop us.

Showdown in the American west as Colorado River faces crucial deadline: ‘Mother nature isn’t going to bail us out’

Seven states must make deal for sharing basin that supplies 40 million people, before US government steps in. With negotiations at an impasse, what’s at stake?

The future of the American west hangs in balance this week, as seven states remained at a stalemate over who should bear the brunt of the enormous water cuts needed to pull the imperiled Colorado River back from the brink. Time is running short to reach a deal before a critical deadline, set for Saturday.

In the region where water has long been the source of survival and conflict, the challenges hindering consensus are as steep as the stakes are high.

Romance costs more this year as inflation lifts Valentine's Day gift prices

Love is biting consumers this year amid the rising cost of flowers, chocolates and other Valentine's Day staples.

Try this chicken sheet pan dinner for an easy weeknight meal

The series "The Dish: Recipe" shows how to make a chicken sheet pan dinner with spicy corn from New York Times Cooking. It's an easy-to-follow recipe for a weeknight dinner.

Blaming immigrants for problems is wrong, says Pep Guardiola after Ratcliffe comments

• ‘Society is better when we embrace other cultures’

• Haaland doubt for FA Cup tie, Rodri charged by FA

Pep Guardiola has said that blaming people from overseas for a country’s problems is wrong, the Manchester City manager’s comments coming amid the fallout of Sir Jim Ratcliffe claiming the UK is being “colonised by immigrants”.

Ratcliffe’s comment, made in an interview with Sky News on Wednesday, has led to widespread condemnation, including from within football, leading to Manchester United’s single largest minority owner saying he was sorry that his “choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe”.

Parents share how they are fighting a rare genetic disorder affecting 1 in 1 million kids

Leena Panwala and Tim Drury share their stories with "CBS Mornings" about how they're raising awareness and money for INAD, a rare genetic disorder. Panwala created the INAD Cure foundation after her daughter was diagnosed. The disorder affects about one in 1 million children.

Arundhati Roy quits Berlin film festival over ‘stay out of politics’ comment

Author says she is ‘disgusted’ by claim from jury president Wim Wenders that film-makers should remain apolitical

The author Arundhati Roy has withdrawn from the Berlinale after the film festival’s chief jurist said film-makers must stay out of politics.

The festival got off to a shaky start on Thursday after the competition jury, led by the German film-maker Wim Wenders, fielded questions about the conflict in Gaza. Asked if films can affect political change, Wenders said that “movies can change the world” but “not in a political way”.

Pancake flipping and Palestine Action: photos of the day – Friday

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

No water or electricity, and children begging in streets filled with rubbish – but this is why I won’t leave Cuba

Whether you blame the US or the communist regime, there is no doubt that this is an island spiralling into tragedy

Felix Valdés García was nine years old when the revolutionaries came to blow up his trees. It was the verge of the 1970s and his father, Felin, was losing the family farm to Cuba’s 10-year-old communist regime. A push called the Revolutionary Offensive was under way, mobilising the people to sow, clean and harvest 10m tonnes of sugar cane in an effort to make Cuba financially independent. The land needed to be cleared.

For decades the family had nurtured their 800 hectares of rich loam alongside the meandering Sagua River. Eight couples, all related, worked the fields, while Felix and his sister had fruitful adventures among the royal palms, avocado, mango and magnificent ceiba.

Charli xcx: Wuthering Heights review – atonal, amorous anthems that more than stand apart from the film

(Atlantic)
Casting off her Bratty cigarettes and sunglasses, the pop visionary channels the torments of Heathcliff and Cathy and the tumult of the Velvet Underground on her latest captivating pivot

In the catalogues of rock and pop artists, film soundtracks usually seem like interstitial releases. For every career highlight Shaft or Superfly, there’s a plethora of soundtrack albums that carry the tang of the side-hustle. It was doubtless flattering to be asked in the first place – who doesn’t want to feel like a polymath? – but the results are doomed to languish in the footnotes, alongside the compilations of B-sides and outtakes, where only diehard fans spend extended amounts of time.

But the release of House, the first single taken from Charli xcx’s soundtrack to Wuthering Heights, strongly suggested that its author saw Emerald Fennell’s take on Emily Brontë as a chance for a reset. In 2024’s Brat, she made an album you could genuinely call era-defining without fear of embarrassment: if an album makes an impact on the US presidential campaign and its title ends up refashioned as an adjective in the Collins English Dictionary, then it’s definitely era-defining.

Thomas Tuchel is in no hurry to return to club management. It’s easy to see why | Jacob Steinberg

Extending his England men’s team contract until 2028 means increased stability and a less relentless form of pressure

Thomas Tuchel was supposed to be here for a good time, not a long time. It was win or bust when he signed up to become England’s head coach in October 2024. The target was clear – lead the side to glory at the 2026 World Cup – and it came with an acceptance that the German was nothing more than a very expensive gun for hire.

An 18-month deal, which began on 1 January 2025, saw to that. Tuchel talked about it giving him focus. He said it streamlined the role. “It’s a little bit of a step into the unknown for me,” he said. Tuchel would have to adapt. He loves being out on the training pitch, working with his players, honing their understanding of his tactics. Wouldn’t he get bored during the long months without a game? Wouldn’t he get itchy feet as soon as he saw a job open up at a big club?

MoneyWatch price tracker shows how much food, utility, housing costs are rising

These charts track prices consumers pay for groceries and other goods now compared to five years ago.

Spurs agree deal to make Igor Tudor interim manager until end of season

• Tudor’s former clubs include Juventus and Marseille

• Door remains open for summer Pochettino return

Tottenham have reached an agreement for Igor Tudor to become their interim manager until the end of the season, leaving the door open for Mauricio Pochettino to return this summer.

The club turned to Tudor after making checks on the former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic and the former RB Leizpig manager Marco Rose. The former Croatia international has been out of work since he left Juventus in October after the Serie A club went eight games without a win.

FBI releases first description of suspect in Nancy Guthrie case, increases reward

Authorities on Thursday released the first physical description of a male suspect wanted in connection with the Arizona disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.

Dual nationals to be denied entry to UK from 25 February unless they have British passport

New border controls require ‘certificate of entitlement’ to attach to second nationality passport that costs £589

Dual British nationals have been warned they may be denied boarding a flight, ferry or train to the UK after 25 February unless they carry a valid British passport.

The warning by the Home Office comes amid scores of complaints from British people living or travelling abroad who have suddenly found themselves at risk of not being allowed into the UK.

If you are affected by the change and want to share your story, email [email protected]

An ‘impossible’ situation or ‘unhinged’ police? Inside the chaos at Sydney’s anti-Herzog protest

Police have defended their actions after Monday’s protest. Here’s how the night played out

• WARNING: this story includes sensitive video content

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A man in a white button-up shirt and suit trousers puts his hands in the air as a police officer grabs him. He appears to steady himself on the officer’s shoulders.

He’s then punched multiple times by multiple officers. People watching on scream.

Michael Kors celebrates 45-year career by toasting chic women of New York

Night at the opera theme for Kors’ autumn-winter collection features elegant gowns draped in opulent coats

Five years ago, Covid prevented Michael Kors celebrating 40 years as a fashion designer, so nothing was going to stop him partying when that figure reached 45. “It’s crazy, I’ve been in fashion 45 years, but I’m only 32,” said Kors, 66.

The sweeping double staircase of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York became the catwalk for a fashion week show dedicated to the chic women of the city. On Kors’ best dressed list is the “amazing, remarkable” Rama Duwaji, the city’s first lady as wife of the mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

LeBron James, 41, makes more NBA history as oldest player to post triple-double

• Star has 28 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds in Lakers win

• Record stood for 22 years since being set by Karl Malone

• First triple-double for James since February 2025

Deep in the 23rd season of the longest career in NBA history, LeBron James is still dropping triple-doubles – on the Dallas Mavericks and on Father Time.

James became the oldest player to have a triple-double Thursday night, accomplishing the feat at 41 years and 44 days old during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 124-104 victory at home over the Mavericks.

‘It’s over for us’: release of new AI video generator Seedance 2.0 spooks Hollywood

An AI clip featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting has caused concern among industry figures

A leading Hollywood figure has warned “it’s likely over for us”, after watching a widely disseminated AI-generated clip featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting.

Rhett Reese, co-writer of Deadpool & Wolverine, Zombieland and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t was reacting to a 15-second video showing Cruise and Pitt trading punches on a rubble-strewn bridge, posted by Irish film-maker Ruairí Robinson, director of 2013 sci-fi horror The Last Days on Mars. Reposting the clip on social media, Reese wrote: “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us.”

Rivian tops fourth-quarter expectations, targets significant production increase

Rivian's 2026 guidance includes increasing vehicle deliveries to between 62,000 and 67,000 units, which would be up by 47% to 59% compared to 2025.

Fred Again review – guest-heavy homecoming for the golden boy of UK dance is an eclectic triumph

Alexandra Palace, London
Following a six-night stint in NYC, Fred Gibson returns to London for a brilliant, five-hour melange of his own tracks and wildly energising guest-star mini-sets

Fred Again, AKA Fred Gibson, has been on an impressive run in recent months: a tour from Madrid to Mexico City, a six-night residency in New York, and the emergence of dozens of the songs forming his unfolding album, USB002. He now comes home to the UK; literally with this four-show residency at Alexandra Palace in London, and also in the musical homages he pays on the opening night.

In succession, Gibson plays Arctic Monkeys’ When the Sun Goes Down, a techno mix of EsDeeKid’s 4 Raws, and a blend from Spice’s dancehall track So Mi Like It to the Chariots of Fire theme over a drum’n’bass beat – comedy patriotism, but very enjoyable for it, and all showing absolute disregard for any sense of purism in electronic music.

Love in a cold climate: Winter Olympic village runs out of condoms after three days

• Athletes in Italy have been ‘promised more will arrive’

• Free condoms have been provided since 1988 Olympics

Free condoms for competitors at the Winter Olympics have run out within a record-breaking three days, according to La Stampa.

“The supplies ran out in just three days,” an anonymous athlete told the Italian newspaper. “They promised us more will arrive, but who knows when.”

Steven Spielberg, Dawson Leery’s idol, donates $25,000 to James Van Der Beek fundraiser

Director revered by actor’s character in Dawson’s Creek is among film industry figures – also including Zoe Saldaña and John M Chu – to make large donation to family

The film director Steven Spielberg has donated $25,000 (£18,365) to a crowdfunder to help the widow and six children of the actor James Van Der Beek, who died this week after being diagnosed with cancer in 2023.

Dawson Leery, Van Der Beek’s character in Dawson’s Creek, the 90s teen soap that shot him to fame, was an aspiring director who idolised Spielberg. Show creator Kevin Williamson had based the character on himself; he went on to write the horror-comedy Scream and other films in the franchise.

Tell us your favourite TV romance

Who is your favourite television couple, and why?

From sparks flying during The OC’s Spider-Man snog to love stories so powerful they make you weep, Guardian writers have picked the television couples whose tales never fail to make hearts pound. Now we would like to hear yours. What is your favourite TV romance, and why?

If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.

Boss of P&O Ferries owner DP World leaves over Jeffrey Epstein links

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem’s exit as group chair and CEO follows pressure after publication of emails

The boss of the P&O Ferries owner, DP World, has left the company after revelations over his ties with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein forced the ports and logistics company to take action.

Dubai-based DP World, which is ultimately owned by the emirate’s royal family, announced the immediate resignation of Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem as the group’s chair and chief executive on Friday.

Senate fails to advance DHS funding, teeing up partial shutdown

The Senate failed to advance a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday, paving the way for another partial government shutdown without a last-minute breakthrough.

Canada Soccer extends controversial sponsorship deal in run-up to home World Cup

• New 11-year deal agreed through to 2037

• Relationship has attracted heavy criticism

Canada Soccer has extended its controversial sponsorship and broadcast deal with its privately owned commercial partner, Canadian Soccer Business (CSB), on improved terms for the governing body ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

A new 11-year contract has been agreed through to 2037, with both parties having an option to extend by a further five years, despite the in-fighting that marred the original 10-year deal. It culminated in player strikes and the Canadian Soccer Players Association filing a $40m lawsuit against Canada Soccer board members two years ago.

Enforcement of laws against polluters nearly non-existent in US, analysis finds

EPA’s records show one environmental consent decree filed in last year – 26 were filed in year one of first Trump term

Enforcement of environmental laws against major polluters has virtually ground to a halt under the Trump administration, a new analysis of Environmental Protection Agency records from January 2025 to January 2026 shows.

Major polluters typically include companies that are among the largest in the oil, gas, coal and chemical industries.

‘I didn’t know who I was’: Tom Misch on burnout, becoming a barista and returning to music

His debut LP brought success, but stardom messed with his mental health. After stepping away for three years to surf, travel, and work a succession of jobs, the Londoner is back – and has fixed his relationship with music

In 2022, everything changed for Tom Misch. The London-based singer-songwriter had been at the height of his powers: his easygoing blend of hip-hop-influenced beat-making with soulful guitar melodies and yearning vocals led his self-released and self-produced 2018 debut album Geography to chart at No 8 in the UK, while 2020’s collaborative record with the jazz drummer Yussef Dayes reached No 4 and earned them both an Ivor Novello award nomination. In 2022, riding high from the viral social media success of the live Quarantine Sessions he had posted during the Covid lockdowns, he was playing larger stages than ever in the US and Brazil and was booked for a summer leg in Australia. Suddenly, in July, he decided to pull the plug.

“I had an intense year of touring and I wasn’t feeling good, I wasn’t enjoying it any more,” he says. “My mental health was getting worse and I was so anxious I had to cancel the Australia tour. I was forced to stop, really, and I had no plan for what would happen next.”

SpaceX launches space station crew on 8-month mission

The two-woman, two-man crew is replacing four other station fliers who came home early last month due to a medical issue one was having.

Some PR advice for the Andrew-stricken royals – try something that look less like a $12m cover-up | Marina Hyde

A loan to keep the case out of court doesn’t quite add up to ‘thoughts and prayers to Epstein’s victims’. Working with the police might be a start

“I could have worse tags than ‘Air Miles Andy’,” the then Prince Andrew once reflected. “Although I don’t know what they are!” I think it’s safe to say he does now.

Almost all senior members of the royal family are biologically capable of sweating, and what really brought them out in a cold one four years ago was the thought of this honking liability testifying in a New York courtroom. So they paid millions upon millions to make sure it didn’t happen. The late Virginia Giuffre’s civil case alleging that the former prince abused her on three occasions in London, New York and the US Virgin Islands was never heard, because the late queen seems to have decided that it shouldn’t be at almost any cost. (Andrew denied all claims of wrongdoing.) And yet, as many of us predicted at the time, this would never be the end of it, and the royal family are now playing a failing game of catch-up with the institution’s own actions. Andrew’s de-princing – an attempt to keep it all in-house – already hasn’t worked.

Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist

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

CIA publishes recruitment video aimed at disaffected Chinese soldiers

Army in turmoil after Xi Jinping placed top general under investigation for suspected corruption last month

The CIA (the US’s Central Intelligence Agency) has published a Mandarin-language recruitment video aimed at Chinese soldiers, in an apparent attempt to capitalise on the recent instability in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) after a series of high-level purges.

The video, published on the CIA’s YouTube channel on Thursday, is titled The Reason for Stepping Forward: To Save the Future.

OpenAI retired its most seductive chatbot – leaving users angry and grieving: ‘I can’t live like this’

Its human partners said the flirty, quirky GPT-4o was the perfect companion – on the eve of Valentine’s Day, it’s being turned off for good. How will users cope?

Brandie plans to spend her last day with Daniel at the zoo. He always loved animals. Last year, she took him to the Corpus Christi aquarium in Texas, where he “lost his damn mind” over a baby flamingo. “He loves the color and pizzazz,” Brandie said. Daniel taught her that a group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.

Daniel is a chatbot powered by the large language model ChatGPT. Brandie communicates with Daniel by sending text and photos, talks to Daniel while driving home from work via voice mode. Daniel runs on GPT-4o, a version released by OpenAI in 2024 that is known for sounding human in a way that is either comforting or unnerving, depending on who you ask. Upon debut, CEO Sam Altman compared the model to “AI from the movies” – a confidant ready to live life alongside its user.

Why James Rodríguez signed in Minnesota amid a federal occupation

The Colombian icon joined the MLS side in a short-term deal with an eye toward fitness for the 2026 World Cup

Two weeks ago, few could’ve expected that the most notable international acquisition of the MLS offseason would be made by Minnesota United.

The team’s marquee import until last week was Finland striker Teemu Pukki, with honorable mentions for Colombian playmaker Darwin Quintero and ex-Porto midfielder Ibson. The Loons aren’t known for paying sizable transfer fees, and their wage bill last year was the league’s fifth-smallest.

Trump pardons 5 ex-NFL players for crimes including drug trafficking

President Trump pardoned five former NFL players - one posthumously - for crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.

Shooting at South Carolina State University leaves 2 dead, 1 wounded

Two people are dead and another is wounded after a shooting in a South Carolina State University residential complex, the school says.

After a mad week, Labour is hopefully seeing sense: Starmer needs to stay | Simon Jenkins

The only winners from a political coup in Westminster would be Labour’s enemies on the left and right

They roared, they stamped and they cheered. On Monday, the parliamentary Labour party reacted as it should when its leader hit a spot of bother. It knew it could not sack him, so it backed him. The constitution did its job and parliament supported the elected government of the day.

The idea that what Britain most needs is a Downing Street conflict is madness. After a week of a truly almighty storm in a teacup, it was a relief that the Commons could recover and steady the ship of state. It should keep it that way into the immediate future.

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist and the author of A Short History of America: From Tea Party to Trump

The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – review roundup

Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward; Pagans by James Alistair Henry; Pedro the Vast by Simón López Trujillo; Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman; A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang

Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward (Viper, £16.99)
The latest from the horror/crime virtuoso combines supernatural, psychological and all-too-human terrors in a tale drawing on elements ranging from Peter Pan to historic serial abusers. Nowhere House was in a remote American mountain valley; when it burned down, the terrible crimes committed by Hollywood star Leaf Winham against young men were revealed. Subsequently, runaway children turned the valley into a fortress, surviving on food they could catch or grow, with occasional forays into the towns below. Riley has heard the rumours, but it is only when she sees a green-clad boy – or is it a girl? – hovering outside her bedroom window offering directions on how to find Nowhere that she realises this might be her chance to escape and save her little brother from their sadistic guardian. Her experiences are interwoven with stories from others drawn there: Marc, a journalist determined to get inside the fortress; Adam, the only one of Leaf’s victims to survive; the pioneers who built the first house in the valley, and more. A dark, grimly compelling and very twisty tale.

Pagans by James Alistair Henry (Moonflower, £9.99)
In this entertaining alt-history debut, we are in a 21st-century Britain where the Norman conquest never happened, split along religious and cultural lines. The Saxons are led by the High King, who rules the greater part of England; Scotland is behind a wall, allied to the Nordic Economic Union; and the indigenous Celts are second-class citizens. In the buildup to a London summit to discuss plans for British unity, a Celtic negotiator is found dead, nailed to a tree in Epping Forest. Detective Captain Aedith Mercia of the London police teams up with Drustan of the Dumnonian tribal police in a search for what seems to be a religiously motivated serial killer; they find evidence there could be a greater political threat. It’s a great read, combining clever world-building with engaging characters and an exciting story, and ending with a promise of more to come.

Add to playlist: the genre-busting, buttery falsetto of Natanya and the week’s best new tracks

The Londoner defies classification, writing, producing and arranging her unique mix of neo-soul, R&B, indie and grunge – and gathering some big-name backers along the way

From London
Recommend if you like Rochelle Jordan, Ragz Originale, Sailorr
Up next New music due later this year

Natanya tears genres open and rebuilds them in her own image. Her drums swing loose and jazzy over heavy 808s; synths drift dreamily before snapping into gritty guitar riffs. Writing, producing and arranging all her own work, she weaves together neo-soul silk, R&B groove, indie edge, and flashes of grunge, all carried by a buttery falsetto that nods to Aaliyah, Amy Winehouse, Janet Jackson and early Destiny’s Child.

Potstickers and sea bass with ginger and spring onions: Amy Poon’s recipes for lunar new year

See in the year of the fire horse with a duo of dishes packed full of flavour and symbolism

Christmas is lovely, but my kids think Chinese new year is by far the best holiday. I might be biased, but, unusually, I am inclined to agree with them. As my eldest puts it, “New clothes, cash, booze and food – what’s not to love?” There’s the added bonus that cash is absolutely more than acceptable – in fact, it’s de rigueur, so there’s no shopping for mundane socks and smelly candles. Chinese new year is full of rituals and, just as at Christmas, every family has its own, but they are all variations on a theme. Symbolism looms large in Chinese culture, and at new year it centres around messages of prosperity, luck and family. Symbolism extends naturally to the food, too. The word for “fish’” in Chinese, Mandarin and Cantonese sounds a lot like the word for “surplus”, so to have fish is to have an abundance, to have more than one needs, while dumplings represent wealth on account of their shape. I hope you enjoy these abundantly wealth-wishing recipes. Kung hei fat choi!

Minnesota immigration crackdown will end, border czar says. And, DHS funding to expire

Border czar Tom Homan announced that the Trump administration will end the immigration crackdown in Minnesota. And, DHS funding is set to expire after lawmakers failed to advance a spending bill.

Olympic chiefs have got it badly wrong over Heraskevych ban and owe him an apology | Lizzy Yarnold

As athletes we try to focus on our event and the task at hand, but our lives do not take place in a vacuum

I’m deeply saddened by the IOC banning the skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from the Winter Olympics. His helmet depicting images of athletes and children who died in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, some who he knew personally, was a human display of remembrance. The IOC’s response was not an appropriate one.

One only needed to look at the image of Heraskevych’s father when he was told the news of his son’s disqualification – doubled over with his head in his hands – to know the emotional toll. I cannot imagine what they are experiencing but, as both a former athlete and just a fan watching on, I also feel emotional about it and cried when Vlad and his dad messaged me on social media to say thank you for my messages of support.

Britain's High Court says government illegally banned Pro-Palestinian group

In its ruling, the court said an earlier decision to ban the Pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was "disproportionate."

Roses are a proper Valentine’s treat – especially if you can eat them

The classic flower of romance can be used in jams, tea, even turkish delight – and now is the time to start growing your own

I am extremely cynical when it comes to overly commercialised celebrations designed to pressure us into spending money. But when I realised that this column would appear on Valentine’s Day, I couldn’t resist the temptation to write about the plant that is perpetually intertwined with romance. Fortunately for me, roses happen to be edible.

While technically the entire plant can be eaten, it’s best to stick to the petals, buds and hips (as if I had to tell you not to chomp on their thorns and woody stems). Fresh or dried, rose petals can be used to make rosewater or rose syrup, as pretty garnishes for cakes, and to infuse into sweet treats such as ice-cream and panna cotta. Rosebuds can be used this way too, but beware that by harvesting an entire bud you’re not going to get the rosehip developing later. Rosehips appear once a rose has bloomed and faded, and while they can be eaten raw, the seeds inside are surrounded by irritating hairs that should be discarded. To coax the flavour and abundant vitamin C from rosehips, make them into jellies, jams or syrups, steep them in hot water as a tea, infuse them into vinegar or spirits, or cook them into soups or sauces. As with all foraging-adjacent activities, remember there are many creatures that rely on these flowers and fruit, so leave plenty behind for the pollinators and birds.

Gender studies courses are shutting down across the US. The Epstein files reveal why | Joan Wallach Scott

Texas A&M University is the latest school to end women’s and gender studies programs and teaching race. We know why

Last week, we learned of the decision of the Texas A&M University board of regents to end women’s and gender studies programs as well as the teaching of “divisive concepts” such as race. A&M was not the first university to do this. Florida’s New College made the move in 2023. Other red state legislatures have passed similar requirements and their public universities (in North Carolina, Ohio and Kansas) have followed suit.

The move to cancel gender studies is explicitly justified as a way to comply with Donald Trump’s executive order of last year titled Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government. That document makes “the biological reality of sex” a matter not of science but of law.

Rio carnival to offer towering tribute to Lula, ‘the greatest Brazilian of all time’

Brazil president to receive unprecedented honour at opening night of procession with a giant effigy of him

He is a giant of Brazilian politics and soon he will become a giant of Brazilian carnival too: a 22-metre metal figurine, to be precise.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who rose from rural poverty to become his country’s first working class president, is to receive an unprecedented tribute at the opening night of Rio’s annual carnival procession on Sunday.

Television made easy … for phone scrollers. The Stephen Collins cartoon

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‘It launched a million fantasies’: the greatest ever TV romances

From sparks flying during The OC’s Spider-Man snog to love stories so powerful they make you weep, Guardian writers pick the television couples whose tales never fail to make hearts pound

As TV romances go, it’s not the most original. Nerdy teen boy finally gets the queen bee he’s loved since they still had baby teeth – and off we pop on a four-season cycle of dramatic breakups and grand-gesture-fuelled reunions. Yet through all of the faintly ridiculous plotlines, their romance is anchored by that most elusive of on-screen tricks: actual, palpable chemistry. There is the sarcastic sparring, the physical spark (who could ever forget that Spiderman snog?) but also a feeling of deep care and genuine friendship – one that helps both characters grow into promising mini-grownups by the end. Watching the pair navigate insecurities, battle identity crises and generally make some spectacularly poor choices, lets us all feel better about the emotional dumpster fires of our own adolescence. And the fact that they keep on choosing each other speaks to that part of our teen selves that longed to find someone who might jump on to a coffee cart and declare their love for us – or at least wait around all summer while we campaigned to save sea otters. Lucinda Everett