Real Madrid v Benfica: Champions League knockout round playoff, second leg – live

⚽ Champions League updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off
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GOAL! Atalanta 3-1 Borussia Dortmund (Adeyemi 75); agg 3-3. Karim Adeyemi dribbles in from the right. A big gap in the Atalanta defence opens up, just inside the box. Adeyemi shifts the ball to his left before unleashing a power-curler into the top left! What a strike! I’m going to have to stick with this one now.

There’s something brewing in Bergamo. Atalanta started the second leg of their tie against Borussia Dortumund 2-0 down. But tonight this has happened …

Israel responsible for two-thirds of record 129 press killings in 2025, says CPJ

Committee to Protect Journalists report says Israel also to blame for 81% of ‘intentionally targeted’ journalist killings

• The deadly toll on journalists in the Gaza war

A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed in the course of their work in 2025, two-thirds of them by Israeli forces, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

It was the second consecutive year in which killings of members of the press reached unprecedented levels, and the second year running in which Israel was responsible for roughly two-thirds of the total, the New York-based independent organisation, which documents attacks on journalists worldwide, said in its annual report published on Wednesday.

What to know about Trump's new plan to help people save for retirement

About 50 million workers lack access to employer-sponsored retirement plans, a hurdle to setting aside money for old age.

US and Iran nuclear talks at critical stage amid threat of Trump tearing up terms of success

Tehran says deal is possible as long as Washington abides by agreed-on preconditions, but Trump’s view is unclear

Iran enters critical talks on its nuclear programme with the US on Thursday, insisting a deal is in reach as long as Washington sticks by its willingness to concede Iran’s symbolic right to enrich uranium, allow Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in country, and not to impose controls on Iran’s ballistic missile programme.

The three preconditions for success are seen as critical by Iranian diplomats, but it remains unclear whether Trump accepts these parameters.

Larry Summers resigning from Harvard over Epstein ties

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers will resign from his remaining roles at Harvard over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the university confirmed to CBS News.

Larry Summers to resign as Harvard professor as Epstein files fallout continues

Larry Summers last fall said, "I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused," after his emails with Jeffrey Epstein came to light.

Maria Grazia Chiuri brings a radical spirit to Fendi debut

Eight months after departing Dior, Chiuri’s return to fashion’s front bench was stamped with her identity and values

A big name designer’s first catwalk show in a new job is a drumroll moment of pure ego: Maria Grazia Chiuri, who joins Fendi after leaving Dior, is a headline-making hire with main character energy.

The first surprise, as Milan fashion week began, was a catwalk painted with the motto: “Less I, more us.”

Judge rules Trump policy for "third-country" deportations is unlawful

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy ruled that the Trump administration's policy for swiftly deporting migrants to third countries violates federal immigration law and the Constitution.

Tropical plants flowering months earlier or later because of climate crisis – study

Changes threaten ecosystems as flowering falls out of sync with fruit-eating, seed-dispersing animals and pollinators

Tropical flowers are blooming months earlier or later than they used to because of climate breakdown, with potentially “cascading impacts across ecosystems”, according to a study of 8,000 plants dating back 200 years.

Researchers looked at flowers from a range of countries, including Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana and Thailand, home to the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, but also the most understudied.

Top earners are more afraid for their employment than lower income as AI threat increases

The prospect of being replaced by artificial intelligence is helping to scare higher-income workers.

Will banning big home investors lower prices? Experts are skeptical.

The president reiterated a plan to ban big investors from buying single-family homes, but some experts say bigger remedies are needed.

Surgeon general nominee Means questioned about vaccines, birth control and financial conflicts

During a confirmation hearing, senators asked Dr. Casey Means about her current positions and her past statements on a range of public health issues.

Ilhan Omar says her guest for Trump’s speech charged with unlawful conduct for standing silently – live

Democratic representative says Aliya Rahman was ‘forcibly removed’ because she stood for a ‘short period of time, part of which other guests were also standing’ during Trump’s State of the Union speech

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A newly revealed diplomatic cable calls on US diplomats to work against attempts by foreign nations to regulate how US tech companies handle their citizens’ data, as “data sovereignty initiatives” gather steam in Europe over security concerns.

More from Reuters:

President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered U.S. diplomats to lobby against attempts to regulate U.S. tech companies’ handling of foreigners’ data, saying in an internal diplomatic cable seen by Reuters that such efforts could interfere with artificial intelligence-related services.

Experts say the move signals the Trump administration is reverting to a more confrontational approach as some foreign countries seek limits around how Silicon Valley firms process and store their citizens’ personal information - initiatives often described as “data sovereignty” or “data localization.“

Subscribing to digital apps has gotten a lot pricier, new data shows

Consumers today can easily spend more than $1,000 a year for streaming TV, music and other widely used apps, new analysis finds.

English cricket’s hunger for Indian money has led it into a moral and legal minefield | Barney Ronay

Potential exclusion of Pakistan players in the Hundred could breach UK laws on discrimination and leave ECB exposed

The thing about inviting a tiger round for tea is, for all the excitement, the fur, the teeth, the muscles, they do tend to walk off with your dinner and drink all the water in the taps. The thing about saying yes to the person with the biggest stick is, in the end, you don’t get to say yes, or no, or anything at all. And that person still has a very big stick.

The thing about closing your eyes and just taking the money is: money only passes in exchange for something of value, and full payment will be taken. Welcome to English cricket in full blind, groping crisis mode, and the first small tremor of what lies in store whatever happens in the next few weeks.

Yosemite worker fired for hanging trans pride flag on El Capitan files lawsuit

A Yosemite park ranger was fired last year after helping to display a transgender pride flag from El Capitan.

Steve Borthwick turns to 2003 World Cup heroes for Six Nations inspiration

• Blow as scrum-half Alex Mitchell is ruled out of campaign

• Johnson, Dallaglio, Leonard and co to dine with players

Steve Borthwick has turned to England’s 2003 World Cup winning heroes to arrest his side’s drastic decline after suffering another setback with the scrum-half Alex Mitchell ruled out for the rest of the Six Nations.

Borthwick’s squad were on Wednesday night due to have dinner with members of the 2003 team, including the captain, Martin Johnson, Test centurion Jason Leonard and Lewis Moody, who in October revealed he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

Fast-breaking fashion: Ramadan becomes part of London fashion week

British-Yemeni designer Kazna Asker paused her presentation at sunset to share iftar with the models, staff and guests

For the first time in its history, Ramadan and the act of fast-breaking have been officially incorporated into a London fashion week show, according to the British Fashion Council.

On Monday evening, 29-year-old British-Yemeni designer Kazna Asker deliberately paused her presentation at sunset to share iftar with the models, who were also fasting, as were the interns and many of the staff.

Nancy Guthrie's family offering $1 million reward for her whereabouts

Savannah Guthrie said in a new video that the family is offering an additional reward of up to $1 million for information about their mother Nancy Guthrie's whereabouts.

Met on Fabergé egg hunt after items worth £2m poached from Soho pub

Enzo Conticello admits theft as judge says ‘I expect we’re going to find out’ what he did with egg and luxury watch

Metropolitan police officers are still trying to recover an unusual pickpocketing haul after a Fabergé egg and watch worth £2m were stolen at a pub in Soho in London.

Enzo Conticello stole the treasures from Rosie Dawson, the director of premium brands at the Craft Irish Whiskey Company, in a West End pub in November 2024, alongside some more conventional loot contained in the handbag he swiped, including her laptop and credit cards. Met detectives arrested him in Belfast on 26 January.

New legislation in House would ban taxpayer money from going to Jan. 6 rioters

The bill would ban distribution of taxpayer money for any "January 6th compensation fund" and any further refund of damage payments made by convicted Capitol rioters.

‘Future of party lies in balance’: Corbyn and Sultana’s battle for soul of Your Party

After eight months of rows and rifts, leadership election is offering members two ‘fundamentally differing visions’

An increasingly bloody battle for the soul of the leftwing Your Party set up by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana will come to a conclusion on Thursday, when the results of its leadership election will be announced.

After almost eight months of public spats, rows over money, accusations of sexism and rifts over policy and direction, Your Party is hoping to turn a page on the manifold misfortunes that have beset it since its launch last year. “The future of the party lies in the balance,” said one Corbyn-allied insider. “You have two fundamentally differing visions of the party and what it is for.”

Restaurant reservation wars heat up as DoorDash enters the arena with Resy, OpenTable

The still-simmering reservation wars of the last decade could fully reignite this year, as a shifting tech landscape pits the biggest players against each other.

5 takeaways from Trump's State of the Union address

Democrats are nipping at the heels of the incumbent Republicans for control of Congress in the 2026 midterms.

Bill Gates addresses Epstein files in candid town hall days after last-minute speaking cancellation

Bill Gates "took responsibility for his actions" in a meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation, which had held fundraising discussions with Epstein.

Breakaway union stands behind Tara Moore’s $20m legal battle against WTA

• Former British doubles No 1 has same legal firm as PTPA

• The 33-year-old doubles star has always denied doping

The breakaway players’ union that is suing the tours and grand slam tournaments has thrown its weight behind Tara Moore’s $20m (£14.7m) legal battle against the Women’s Tennis Association in a new front in the sport’s civil war.

The Guardian has learnt that Moore, a former British No 1 doubles player who this week brought a legal action for negligence against the WTA after being handed a four‑year ban for doping, is using lawyers from the Professional Tennis Players Association’s legal partner, King & Spalding.

Berlin film festival organisers to hold crisis talks amid Gaza rows

Emergency meeting called to discuss festival’s ‘future direction’ after series of controversies

The organisation that manages the Berlin film festival is to meet for talks amid reports that its American director faces dismissal after a series of rows over Gaza.

In a statement on Wednesday, the office of Germany’s federal government commissioner for culture and media said the emergency meeting on Thursday had been called to debate the “future direction of the Berlinale”.

BBC to conduct fast-track investigation into broadcasting of racial slur from Baftas

Corporation says broadcasting of N-word by Tourette syndrome campaigner was ‘serious mistake’ as anger at error rises

The BBC is to undertake a fast-track investigation into how a racial slur broadcast during its coverage of the Bafta film awards was not edited out, amid rising anger inside the corporation over the error.

Tim Davie, the outgoing director general, has now instructed the corporation’s complaints unit to investigate what the BBC describes as a “serious mistake”.

Epstein files: Nobel winner Axel quits Columbia U. brain institute over friendship with predator

Dr. Richard Axel, a longtime Columbia University professor, is mentioned repeatedly in the Jeffrey Epstein files released by the Department of Justice.

Brazilian politician brothers convicted of ordering murder of Rio city councillor

João Francisco Inácio Brazão and Domingos Inácio Brazão sentenced for murder of Marielle Franco, a gay Black woman and rising political star

Two influential Brazilian politician brothers have been convicted by Brazil’s supreme court of ordering the murder of Marielle Franco, the Rio de Janeiro city councillor, nearly eight years ago.

João Francisco Inácio Brazão, the former congressman known as Chiquinho, and the former adviser to Rio’s court of auditors Domingos Inácio Brazão were sentenced to 76 years and three months in prison for the murders of Franco, 38, and her driver, Anderson Gomes, 39.

BBC backlash grows after Bafta racial slur - The Latest

The BBC is under fire over its failure to remove a racial slur shouted by John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome, from its broadcast of the Bafta awards. Davidson was heard shouting the N-word while two stars of the film Sinners, Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan, were on stage. He said controversy over the incident had left him “distraught” and that he had been assured any offensive words would be edited out. The BBC has apologised for the error and said producers overseeing the coverage did not hear the slur. Lucy Hough is joined by the Guardian’s assistant opinion editor Jason Okundaye – watch on YouTube

Source close to Rolling Stones disputes Melania producer’s claim Mick Jagger ‘gave his blessing’ to use song

Spokesperson for Rolling Stones tells Guardian band did not liaise with Marc Beckman and his team on use of Gimme Shelter in first lady documentary

A source close to Mick Jagger has cast doubt on a claim by Melania producer Marc Beckman that his team was closely involved with the singer over the use of a Rolling Stones song in the film.

The film, which follows the first lady in the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, opens with a sequence in Mar-a-Lago soundtracked to the Rolling Stones’ Gimme Shelter. Despite being owned by music company ABKCO, Beckman told Variety that Jagger “was actually involved” and “gave us his blessing”.

Nvidia set to report quarterly results after the bell

Nvidia has been the best performer on Wall Street this year among tech's megacap companies.

Panera Bread releases first-ever value menu with 'Mix & Match' deals

Panera Bread is in the early stages of a turnaround, and affordability is a key part of CEO Paul Carbone's strategy for Panera.

Stephen Lillie on Donald Trump’s State of the Union address – cartoon

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Moves to pave way for Chagos handover paused, minister tells MPs

But officials say Hamish Falconer misspoke in saying UK ‘pausing for discussions with our American counterparts’

Moves to pave the way for the handover of the Chagos Islands have been paused, a minister has told MPs, amid continuing discussions with the US over the controversial deal.

The comments by Hamish Falconer, a Foreign Office minister and former diplomat, were swiftly played down by government sources who said he had misspoken. But opposition parties said they appeared to describe the reality of the UK’s position as the deal comes under increasing pressure from Donald Trump.

I wanted an oven with a knob. Instead I got a world of pain | Adrian Chiles

My new oven has a touchscreen – and demanded to be connected to my broadband. Now it won’t give me a moment’s peace

I bought an oven. I wish I hadn’t. Ovens are like homes, cars, pets and partners, in that you can like the look of them but can’t know what it’s like to live with them until you’re living with them. And by then, it’s too late; you’re stuck with them. All I wanted was an oven that gets hot, to a temperature of my choosing, until the cooking is done, at which point I can switch it off. That’s it. But functionality this simple exists only in the good old days. In ovens, as in all things, manufacturers seek to excite our feeble minds with ever more fantastical features. One knob is all I want, all I need. But, as Feargal Sharkey might sing to himself, a single knob these days is hard to find.

My new oven actually has no knob at all, which is worse. This curates the vibe of simplicity but is only a mask for unconscionable complexity. It’s like the cleverdickery of a Tesla car’s cabin. Look how simple it is, how clean, how clever! Nothing but a steering wheel and a giant touchscreen, but thereon and therein – as with my wretched oven – lies a world of pain, confusion and entirely unnecessary nonsense.

Table for one: is eating lunch at work on your own a bad thing?

In France, they think it is, alarmed by more and more young people choosing to do so. They should see how many eat alone in the UK …

Name: The lonely lunch.

Age: Recent, but growing.

‘We’re a pub friendship – with songs attached’: deadpan dazzlers Black Box Recorder return, thanks to Billie Eilish

Their unnerving songs about car crashes and suburban ennui, sung in a sparkling yet unemotional RP, stood out from the Britpop bloat. Now, thanks to a certain singer taking their streams stratospheric, the band are back

John Moore, the guitarist in Black Box Recorder, adopts a weary tone as he tells this story. “Our daughter said to us, ‘Have you heard of Billie Eilish?’” His response was not what she was expecting. “Yes,” he said. “She’s fucked up our retirement.” This spring, he, Luke Haines and vocalist Sarah Nixey (the mother of said daughter, though she and Moore are long separated) will return to the stage for the first time since 2009, in part thanks to their streaming numbers going stratospheric after Eilish posted videos of herself listening to their 1998 debut single Child Psychology.

The song, about a disruptive girl who has refused to speak, been expelled from school and fallen out with her family, is typical of Black Box Recorder’s obsession with psychological breakdown in a peculiarly English, often suburban and middle-class setting: stories related by Nixey in her sparkling yet deadpan vocals. It’s a mix that later broke Black Box Recorder into the UK Top 20 with 2000 single The Facts of Life, and produced three albums that still stand apart from the rest of British pop.

Kalshi reveals insider trading case against editor for MrBeast

With prediction markets booming, so have concerns about insider trading. Now, Kalshi has disclosed its first public actions against accounts suspected of trading on confidential information.

Bill Gates apologizes to foundation staff for Jeffrey Epstein ties

Microsoft co-founder admits affairs and calls meetings ‘huge mistake’ but denies involvement in Epstein’s crimes

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Bill Gates apologized to staff of his foundation for his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and admitted to two affairs but stated he did not participate in the convicted sex offender’s crimes, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

At a town hall on Tuesday, Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist, said it was a “huge mistake to spend time with Epstein” and to bring Gates Foundation executives to meetings with Epstein.

Rising chef highlights Black culinary excellence at restaurant founded by Food Network star

In the series "The Dish," a young, rising chef shows how he's making a name for himself and highlighting Black culinary excellence at a D.C. restaurant founded by a Food Network star.

Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals

On this edition of CBS Mornings Deals, we show you items that might just become essentials in your everyday life. Visit cbsdeals.com to take advantage of these exclusive deals today. CBS earns commissions on purchases made through cbsdeals.com.

Nobody believed that Putin would invade Ukraine. Four years on, has Europe learned from the failures of 2022?

I looked back to discover the untold story of how western intelligence was misread, even in Kyiv. The conclusion offers a stark warning for the future

Tuesday marked the fourth anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and at this time of year it’s hard not to recall memories of the morning of 24 February 2022, when the fate of Ukraine and the history of Europe were irrevocably changed by the decision of the man in the Kremlin.

Around 9pm the evening before, I had received a message from a colleague at another news outlet. It was an unequivocal warning from an intelligence source that the war would start that night. We discussed it among the Guardian’s Ukraine reporting team and international editors. My colleague Emma Graham-Harrison, who was on an overnight train from Kyiv towards the frontline city of Mariupol, decided she would get off halfway, in the middle of the night, and beg a spot on the first train heading back to Kyiv. It turned out to be a wise move: Mariupol was soon under siege and the scene of much of the worst carnage of the war. Emma remained in Kyiv, part of our team covering the initial Russian attack on the capital.

Met apologises to Commons speaker for sharing tip-off with Mandelson’s lawyers

Exclusive: Lindsay Hoyle told MPs he had shared information ex-US ambassador planned to flee UK with police ‘in good faith’

• UK politics live – latest updates

The Metropolitan police has apologised to the Commons speaker for giving Peter Mandelson’s lawyers information pointing to him as the source of a claim that the former UK ambassador planned to flee the country.

Senior Scotland Yard officers are also understood to be meeting in person with Lindsay Hoyle on Wednesday afternoon to explain their error, which is regarded internally as a serious breach of protocol.

Guide to navigating your child's big emotions

Popular parenting expert Dr. Becky Kennedy joins "CBS Mornings" to advise parents on how to help children who are what she calls "deeply feeling kids." Kennedy provides strategies to navigate children's big emotions and discusses the reasons behind their actions.

Two skinheads counting the takings from a neo-Nazi gig: Leo Regan’s best photograph

‘These guys wanted to leave the chaos and fighting of a neo-Nazi skinhead band playing a school hall – and causing horror. “We’re using your car to count up the takings,” one told me. “As long as I can take a photo,” I said’

In 1990, I was working in photojournalism but doing music photography on the side to make money. At the time there was a rise in neo-Nazi music, with bands such as Skrewdriver and the Blood and Honour movement. I was initially going to do a magazine piece on it but it grew into a much bigger project and I ended up spending two years following these people around the country. It led to a book and a documentary.

It was a difficult project and there were moral and ethical challenges as well as dangerous ones, but that was part of the attraction. The people were suspicious of me but I was honest about what I wanted to do. They knew I didn’t agree with their politics but that I didn’t have an agenda.

Mortgage rates hit lowest level in nearly 4 years, but homebuyers are still stuck on the sidelines

Mortgage rates dropped to the lowest level since 2022 last week, but demand from homebuyers declined as well, as they continue to struggle with affordability.

Germany accused of ditching climate targets as it scraps renewables mandate

Coalition government agrees to remove parts of controversial law and allow homes to rely on fossil fuels

Germany’s coalition government has been accused of abandoning its climate targets after agreeing to scrap parts of a contentious heating law mandating the use of renewables in favour of a draft law allowing homeowners to rely on fossil fuels.

While the previous law required most newly installed heating systems to use at least 65% renewable energy, often with a heat pump, the amended legislation will allow households to keep using oil and gas.

Fact checking Trump's 2026 State of the Union address and Democratic response

CBS News fact checked President Trump's 2026 State of the Union address, and Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger's Democratic response.

Disputes over Hamas disarmament stall Gaza peace plan progress

Hamas to almost certainly reject plan described in Israeli press, say experts, as no guarantee Israel will withdraw on surrender of weapons

Progress in the Gaza peace plan has stalled over disagreements on how Hamas should be disarmed, with Israel threatening to go back to full-scale war if the condition is not carried out quickly.

The second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire, which Washington declared had begun in January, was meant to involve Hamas disarming, Israeli forces withdrawing, and a Palestinian interim administration moving into Gaza backed by a Palestinian police force and an international stabilisation force (ISF).

How did Epstein ensnare so many rich men? By knowing they were entitled and insecure | Emma Brockes

The sex offender could exploit these masters of the universe ​because, despite their privilege, ​they still felt short-changed by life

One of the things that has been frequently puzzled over as the effluent of the Epstein story flows on, is how a college dropout who thought it was cool to do typos managed to persuade the world’s most powerful into his lair. What, precisely, was the nature of his “genius”? Was it blackmail? Was it the social pyramid scheme of using one big name to reel in another? Nothing has come close to explaining it until, with the latest crop of details from the Epstein files, something has become suddenly clear: that it wasn’t the trafficked girls and women who Jeffrey Epstein groomed. The man’s real talent, if we want to call it that, was in the grooming of his cohort of associates.

This isn’t to say, of course, that the men and occasional woman who threw in their lot with a man we must straight-facedly refer to as “the dead paedophile” weren’t culpable. Nonetheless, if you study the huge amount of Epstein-related material, from the New York Times’s deep dive into his finances to the vast cache of correspondence contained in the files, a picture emerges of a man who did the kind of number on his peers that you would more commonly see directed at victims. While multiple survivor testimonies indicate that Epstein regarded the girls and women he trafficked as of such low consequence he didn’t even need to bother to groom them – per Virginia Giuffre’s account, Epstein raped her the first time they met – all of his resources, via a variety of tactics, went into capturing the allegiances of powerful men.

Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist

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Why food justice isn’t being served in America

Advocates often assume communities of color just don’t know any better when it comes to eating healthy

I met the man I’ll call Randy Johnson 13 years ago, as I began research in South Central Los Angeles. I’m an anthropologist who explores how people think about food and use food in their everyday lives. As executive director of a large food justice organization focused on K-12 education throughout the city, Randy was a key source. He talked to me about South Central’s status as a food desert, where its majority Latinx and Black residents had little access to groceries or healthy food. A middle-aged white man, Randy told me of his work in South Central, which centered around encouraging school-age children to eat more fresh vegetables.

He described South Central as a wasteland of sorts. “There is just nothing there,” he said, pointing to the common but false idea that there were no grocery stores there. He then pivoted to talking about the residents. “I see them having almost zero education when it comes to [making healthy eating choices]. They don’t know that what they’re eating is destroying them slowly. It’s just that we, as a society, have failed our citizens to educate them that they shouldn’t be buying the fries every day.”

Hanna Garth is assistant professor of anthropology at Princeton University

In the Blink of an Eye review – Pixar director’s long-delayed sci-fi epic falls flat

The director of Finding Nemo and Wall-E has made an ambitious yet entirely baffling mess with the help of Rashida Jones and Kate McKinnon

In the first few minutes of In the Blink of an Eye, director Andrew Stanton’s long-gestating, epoch-spanning sci-fi epic, a Neanderthal man (Jorge Vargas) explores a perilously rocky beach 45,000 years ago. For some reason, he decides to climb one of the larger, steeper rocks – for food? For a view? But he loses his grip and falls backward, landing on the sharp stones below with a sickening, visceral squelch.

That moment is, I think, supposed to convey the fragility of early human existence – one second you’re foraging, the next you’re impaled and/or imperiled – though I couldn’t help but think of the film’s own cursed journey. Shot all the way back in 2023, In the Blink of an Eye is just now arriving on Hulu about three years later after many delays – not unheard of in the relatively glacial world of movie production, though never a good sign, especially considering that Stanton is the creative force behind such sentimental juggernauts as Wall-E and Finding Nemo (as well as several other Pixar movies, plus John Carter). The protracted timeline suggested that it was either going to be tricky and ambitious, a hard-fought journey of space and time, or, more likely, a complete mess.

Indian state of Kerala to be renamed Keralam to reflect local pronunciation

Proposal approved by Modi government will bring official English name into line with Malayalam language

The Indian state of Kerala, known as “God’s own country” for its golden beaches and lush tea plantations, is to be given a new name.

Narendra Modi’s cabinet has approved a proposal to change the southern coastal state’s name from Kerala to Keralam. The move will bring the official English name into line with how it is pronounced in Malayalam, the primary language spoken by the state’s estimated population of 35 million.

Greetings from Jordan's Wadi Rum desert, where patches of green emerge after winter rains

Wadi Rum's otherworldly landscape is where Star Wars movies and The Martian were filmed. In late winter, plants emerge in this desert — but some are toxic to camels, so their herders must protect them.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame unveils "diverse list" of 2026 nominees

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 2026 list of nominees, including Phil Collins, Mariah Carey, Wu-Tang Clan and more.

UK suspension of refugee family reunion scheme to be challenged in high court

Judge allows Safe Passage International to launch judicial review of halting of right to bring in children and partners

The Home Office’s controversial decision to suspend the right of refugees to bring their children and partners to the UK is to face a legal challenge in the high court, the Guardian can disclose.

Safe Passage International, a charity working with unaccompanied children and refugees, has been granted permission to launch a judicial review of the decision to halt refugee family reunion after it claimed the suspension was unlawful.

Lucid widely misses earnings expectations, forecasts slowing EV growth in 2026

For 2026, Lucid announced a vehicle production target of between 25,000 and 27,000 units, which would be a roughly 40% to 51% increase compared with last year.

Reflections in Kyiv and bread baking in Gaza: photos of the day – Wednesday

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

Jess Cartner-Morley on fashion: the quarter-zip is the breakout star of 2026 – and I think I know why

It was once reserved for office workers and Rishi Sunak, but now pop stars and supermodels can’t get enough of the preppy look

My favourite kind of fashion moment is not a Met Gala headline-maker or a Paris catwalk extravaganza. Nope. My favourite fashion moment is when one piece of clothing is suddenly everywhere for no obvious reason, which is what is happening right now with the quarter-zip sweater.

The jumper with a chin-to-breastbone zip, which has been around for ever, is the breakout main character of the 2026 wardrobe. At a Chanel catwalk show held in New York recently, a quarter-zip knit was the star of the show, worn with a fancy cocktail-hour skirt and diamond drop earrings. Charli xcx teamed a Saint Laurent one with sunglasses and shorts on her last trip to Paris fashion week. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wears stealth-wealth dark merino ones in the dugout, rapper Central Cee wears a cream Ralph Lauren one on TikTok – and the man opposite you on the train right now, taking a Zoom call on his AirPods while eating Pret porridge, is probably wearing one too.

Witnesses in Kouri Richins trial testify about what was in husband's system when he died

Testimony continued in the trial of Kouri Richins, the Utah mother accused of killing her husband before writing a children's book about grief. Witnesses testified Tuesday about what was in her husband's system when he died. Richins denies allegations that she gave her husband a deadly dose of fentanyl.

Millions dig out from historic winter storm that slammed the Northeast

While a new round of snow is hitting parts of the Northeast, millions are still digging out from the historic blizzard that hit earlier in the week. More than 3 feet of snow fell in parts of Massachusetts. Meanwhile, airports across the Northeast are working around the clock to clear snow after more than 2,000 flights were canceled Tuesday. Rob Marciano reports.

Facial recognition error prompts police to arrest Asian man for burglary 100 miles away

Exclusive: Alvi Choudhury claiming damages against Thames Valley police after biased technology confused him with man looking ‘10 years younger’

Police arrested a man for a burglary in a city he had never visited after face scanning software deployed across the UK confused him with another person of south Asian heritage.

Alvi Choudhury, 26, a software engineer, was working at the home he shares with his parents in Southampton in January when police knocked on his door, handcuffed him and held him in custody for nearly 10 hours before releasing him at 2am.

The Taliban are burning musical instruments in the name of morality. It is an assault on all culture

The sounds of Afghan history are being erased to prevent music’s ‘moral corruption’ of the Afghan people. We can help keep Afghanistan’s music alive. Plus, Eliane Radigue’s deep listening, and the brilliance of Sinners’s score

The horrors of the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan are all-encompassing. New laws that effectively legalise domestic abuse means that every woman in the country now lives with the threat of state-sanctioned violence. In the context of the twin tragedies of the Taliban’s fundamentalist zealotry, and the rest of the world’s silence in the face of their atrocities, the fate of Afghanistan’s cultural life might seem a smaller catastrophe. Yet it’s equivalently devastating.

The recent burning of hundreds of musical instruments and equipment – reported last week on Afghan National Television – is the latest stage of the Taliban morality police’s ongoing mission to destroy all these artefacts. Last week’s pyre included tablas and harmoniums, instruments that are the bedrocks of Afghanistan’s unique tradition of classical music, as well as keyboards and amplifiers.

President Trump's 2026 State of the Union Address and the Democratic response

President Trump delivers the longest State of the Union address in recent history, followed by the Democratic response from Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger.

The US men’s hockey team at the State of the Union showed proximity to Trump is never neutral

The newly crowned Olympic champions were warmly greeted by both Republicans and Democrats. They were also used as props by the president

During Tuesday’s State of the Union, Donald Trump welcomed members of the US men’s national hockey team to the House gallery to chants of “U-S-A, U-S-A!”. Trump revealed that Team USA’s goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “What special champions you are,” Trump told the players, who had beaten Canada on Sunday in the gold medal game of the Winter Olympics.

In Trump’s America, proximity is never neutral.

‘We don’t take ourselves too seriously’: street style at London fashion week – in pictures

From a Lidl trolley bag to thrifted berets and a vintage Louis Vuitton bag, fans attending this year’s shows proved that fashion in the capital is all about experimentation, eccentricity and a sense humour

Ayahuasca psychedelic DMT shows promise as depression therapy

Study finds participants saw reduction in depressive symptoms as researchers welcome ‘promising’ results

A phase II clinical trial has found dimethyltryptamine (DMT), one of the psychoactive components traditionally used in the Amazonian psychedelic ritual ayahuasca, might be a promising therapy for depression.

The psychedelic pharmaceutical company Small Pharma (now Cybin UK) sponsored and designed the trial, which was led by Dr David Erritzoe, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at Imperial College London. The results were published in Nature this month.

Man charged after shooting involving Border Patrol agent at Canada crossing

A New Hampshire resident has been charged after a shooting involving a Border Patrol agent at a Canada crossing, the DOJ says

Why Xbox’s corporate shake-up matters for everyone who plays games

With ​i​ts longtime figureheads stepping aside, Microsoft’s gaming division faces a pivotal moment​, raising questions about whether ​i​t can still balance creative ambition with corporate strategy​ in the age of AI

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And so it’s all change at Xbox. Last Friday it was announced that the CEO of Microsoft’s gaming division, Phil Spencer, is to retire, while its president Sarah Bond is resigning. In their place, a new partnership: Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty is promoted to chief content officer, while the new CEO is Asha Sharma, who moves from her post as president of Microsoft’s CoreAI product.

In a company-wide email, Spencer stated that he would stay on until the summer in an advisory role before, “starting the next chapter of my life”. For her part, Bond issued a statement on her LinkedIn account: “I’ve decided this is the right time for me to take my next step, both personally and professionally.” It was all extremely good natured, but its doubtful these airy missives tell the full tale.

‘People feel like they’re in on the joke’: the new wave of pseudo-biopics

It’s not about John Bishop, Anna Wintour or Bill Clinton, but … Screen stories about pop stars, actors, sporting heroes or politicians bend fact by steering close to the deeds, or misdeeds, of real celebrities. What’s behind their rise?

Any self-respecting cinemagoer will know the phrase by heart: “The characters and events portrayed in this film are fictitious.” It’s cinema’s ritual boilerplate disclaimer. “Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and unintentional.”

Lately, however, film-makers have been treating the fine print like a challenge. A clutch of recent releases has taken up a curious middle ground: not quite biography, not quite fiction, but something more slippery in between. Marty Supreme, for instance, spins 1950s table tennis wildcard Marty Reisman into Marty Mauser, borrowing Reisman’s forename and forehand while rewriting the rest. Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On? mines the early career of standup comic John Bishop, only to rebrand him as New Yorker Alex Novak. And later this year The Prince, directed by Cameron Van Hoy and written by David Mamet, will refract aspects of Hunter Biden’s life through proxy Parker Scott.

Takeaways from Trump's State of the Union. And, House rejects aviation safety bill

Trump's State of the Union underplayed the economic problems that voters are concerned about. And, the House rejected a bipartisan aviation safety bill after the Pentagon abruptly withdrew support.

Here are all the awards Trump announced during his State of the Union

During his State of the Union, President Trump honored several service members and an Olympic athlete with awards that included the Purple Heart, the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Legion of Merit and the Medal of Freedom.

US man deported from Bali after 11 years in prison for ‘suitcase murder’ of then girlfriend’s mother

Tommy Schaefer released early from sentence for murder of Sheila von Wiese-Mack and will face US federal charges

Indonesia has freed and deported a US man after he spent 11 years in prison for the premeditated murder of his then girlfriend’s mother on the tourist island of Bali, and he will now faces federal charges in the US.

Tommy Schaefer was sentenced to 18 years in prison in Bali for the 2014 murder of Sheila von Wiese-Mack, the mother of Heather Mack, during a luxury holiday, in a case that became known as the Bali suitcase murder. Prosecutors allege the couple were trying to gain access to a $1.5m (£1.1m) trust fund.

Macron appoints new head of crisis-hit Louvre after jewellery heist

Christophe Leribault, most recently Versailles director, will be tasked with improving security and ‘restoring climate of trust’

France has appointed Christophe Leribault as the new head of the Louvre, bringing in the director of the Palace of Versailles to turn around the world’s most visited museum after a humiliating jewellery heist and staff strikes.

Leribault, who was chosen by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, will succeed Laurence des Cars, who resigned on Tuesday. Des Cars had faced intense criticism since burglars made off in October with jewels worth an estimated $102m, exposing glaring security gaps at the museum. The jewels are still missing.

Reality bites: why the wildest TV shows of the 2000s are haunting us now

A string of documentaries are taking aim at problematic millennial hits such as The Biggest Loser and America’s Next Top Model – but who’s to blame?

Caution: the 2000s have become a crime scene. The reality television my generation once watched as escapist comfort – built hastily and clumsily, before anyone quite knew the rules – is now being dusted for fingerprints by a younger cohort fluent in the language of harm, certain that cruelty was the point. The past six months have brought a spate of brooding postmortems revisiting The Biggest Loser, To Catch a Predator and America’s Next Top Model – dodgy network TV experiments that monetized humiliation at scale.

And while the critiques are frequently justified, they’re also conveniently calibrated for a judgmental media landscape where retrospective outrage doubles as a growth strategy. “Gen Z wants to get in a time machine and fix the errors of 20 years ago,” says Kristen Warner, a Cornell University media studies professor. “There was no roadmap. Reality TV was a wild west, and people were just doing the most outlandish things to keep it going.”

A Hollywood ‘heir’ levied horrific abuse claims against four industry titans. How did he end up in prison?

Rovier Carrington thought his cases against MTV and Paramount executives should have been the biggest of the #MeToo era. Instead, they raised unsettling questions about victimhood

One unseasonably warm afternoon in February 2023, in a very brown New York City courtroom, Rovier Carrington did the inconceivable: he admitted to a lie. On that day, the aspiring screenwriter told a federal judge that he had altered evidence to support his legal claim of being systematically raped and blacklisted by a bevy of Hollywood powerbrokers.

His 11th-hour capitulation came as a shock.

Tech legend Stewart Brand on Musk, Bezos and his extraordinary life: ‘We don’t need to passively accept our fate’

He was at the heart of 1960s counterculture, then paved the way for the libertarian mindset of Silicon Valley. At 87, Brand is still keen to ensure the world is maintained properly – not just today, but for the next 10,000 years

Stewart Brand thinks big and long. He thinks on a planetary scale – as suggested by the title of his celebrated Whole Earth Catalog – and on the longest of timeframes, as with his Long Now Foundation, which looks forward to the next 10,000 years of human civilisation. He has had a lifelong fascination with the future, and anything that could get us there faster, from space travel to psychedelic drugs to computing. In fact, he was arguably the bridge between the San Francisco counterculture of the 60s and present-day Silicon Valley: in his commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005, Steve Jobs eulogised the Whole Earth Catalog and Brand’s philosophy, and echoed its farewell mantra: “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

You could say that Brand has also lived big and long. He is now 87 years old, in the final chapters of an eventful and adventurous life that has crossed paths with some of the most consequential events and figures of his era. He has been a writer, an editor, a publisher, a soldier, a photojournalist, an LSD evangelist, an events organiser, a future-planning consultant, even a government adviser (to the California governor Jerry Brown in the late 70s). “There was a time when people asked me, ‘What do you do?’ I said, ‘I find things and I found things,’” says Brand, as in he is a founder. He is speaking from a library where he likes to work in Petaluma, California, not far from his houseboat in Sausalito. “I’m always searching for good stuff to recommend, and good people.”

Bodø/Glimt bask in ‘crazy’ Champions League victory over shellshocked Inter

Italian giants were well beaten by a side who dazzled despite Norway’s domestic season not starting until next month

There was a moment after the final whistle at San Siro on Tuesday night when the head coaches, Bodø/Glimt’s Kjetil Knutsen and Inter’s Cristian Chivu, stood chatting, seemingly discussing some tactical element of the game that had just finished.

Chivu appeared genuinely interested in what Knutsen had to say, smiling politely, but above all he looked utterly bemused. What the hell had just happened? His Inter team, top of Serie A by 10 points and undefeated in the league since 23 November, had not only lost the home leg of their Champions League playoff against the Norwegian side but been well beaten: 2-1 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate.

‘A rushed execution’: the case of the woman convicted of child murder that shocked Somalia

The speed at which Hodan Mohamud Diiriye was executed has raised questions about the fairness of her trial

On 12 November last year, Hodan Mohamud Diiriye called her husband to tell him that his 14-year-old great niece, Saabirin Saylaan, who had been living in their house for two months, was unconscious. Together, they took Saabirin to the hospital in Galkayo, in central Somalia, where medical staff pronounced her dead and called the police.

Diiriye, a 34-year-old mother of more than 10 children, was arrested. Less than three months later, on 3 February, she was executed by a firing squad for murder.

Pieced Together review – poignant narrative game gathers bittersweet fragments of a friendship

Glowfrog Games; PC
Short but very sweet tale asks the player to compile a scrapbook of mementoes telling the story of a heartfelt bond that frays over time

There are few things sadder than the end of a close friendship. Whether it happens in a sudden moment of betrayal or after years of gradual separation, the feelings of loss can stay with you for a lifetime.

This is the theme of Pieced Together, a quiet, charming narrative game about best pals Connie and Beth, who meet at school in the 1990s and form an immediate, seemingly inseparable bond. Through the ingenious medium of an interactive scrapbook, we play as Connie, glueing in photos, notes and memories of her friend after years of separation. The game begins with several attempts to write Beth a letter, before we cut-out, stick and sort the story of their lives together.

Among the gangsters, gamblers and high rollers: a master bookie’s life in Las Vegas

In his new memoir, Art Manteris recalls raucous times in Nevada, and explains why the explosion of sports betting in the US presents serious risks

Forty years ago, the New England Patriots played in their first Super Bowl. It ended disastrously for New England, who lost 46-10 to the Chicago Bears. The Bears’ mammoth defensive tackle, William “The Refrigerator” Perry, even got involved in the scoring with a touchdown.

That moment looked like it would cause serious problems for Art Manteris, who at the time ran the sportsbook at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Under Manteris, Caesars had offered odds on whether Perry would score during the game – and, as fans scrambled to back the popular player, the house stood to lose a significant sum if he did. When Perry ran into the end zone, gamblers collected handsomely, to the tune of $250,000. The next day, Manteris was summoned to meet the boss of Caesars, Henry Gluck.

When a horse whinnies, there's more than meets the ear

A new study finds that horse whinnies are made of both a high and a low frequency, generated by different parts of the vocal tract. The two-tone sound may help horses convey more complex information.

Outrage in Austria after man ordered to pay female footballers €625 each for secretly filming dressing room

• Former official at Altach given suspended prison term

• Player says the sentence ‘leaves me speechless’

A man has been given a seven-month suspended prison sentence and fined €1,200 (£1,046) after being found guilty of taking secret videos and photographs from the changing room, gym and showers of the Altach women’s football team. He was also told to pay the victims €625 each in compensation.

The sentence was handed out in the regional court in Feldkirch, Austria, with the judge saying that it made a huge difference “if one looks at pictures or actually creates them oneself”. The defendant accepted the sentence but the prosecutor may appeal.

What to expect from the next round of U.S.-Iran talks as Trump threatens Tehran

The upcoming talks come as the U.S. continues to build up military forces in the region and as Trump warns of "bad things" if Iran doesn't agree to a deal.

‘A partisan and politician’: Abraham Lincoln and the art of the deal

New book Boss Lincoln takes a fresh look at a well-studied political figure, showing him to be a master of party politics

Some historians are wary of discussing their work in light of modern events, comparing subjects to current political players. Not Matthew Pinsker of Dickinson College, the author of both a major new book, Boss Lincoln: The Partisan Life of Abraham Lincoln, and the Substack What Would Lincoln Do?.

“I’m not running away from it, that’s for sure,” Pinsker said from Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

The Spin | Zimbabwean breakout at T20 World Cup has fans rejoicing renaissance

Swelling fanbase has been in dreamland this past month as Zimbabwe have defied all expectations in the competition

Dean du Plessis could tell Zimbabwean cricket had turned a corner by the noise of the crowd. The veteran broadcaster, who was born blind, has forged a remarkable career as a commentator by distinguishing the game’s almost imperceptible audio shifts. He can tell a slower ball has been bowled by the fractional delay before ball meets bat. He can tell if a batter has pressed forward or back by the scratch of spikes against the hard pitch. And, in 2018, he could tell the sport he loved would never be the same again.

“When I was a teenager, cricket in Zimbabwe was almost exclusively played and supported by white people,” he says. “Besides the accents and topics of conversation, you could tell this by the way they would applaud and chant. It had a particular energy. The most animated fans were usually the ones who had too much beer and hurled abuse at the players on the boundary.”

The rise of rejection sensitive dysphoria: ‘My chest feels like it’s collapsing’

It makes rejection, teasing or criticism feel unbearable, often prompting a strong physical reaction. Sufferers describe life with a condition that is only just starting to be understood

Jenna Turnbull’s chest is tightening. The 36-year-old civil servant, who lives in Cardiff, can picture herself as she speaks: an 11-year-old in her PE kit waiting with the other kids for her lesson to start. “We were outside by the courts waiting to play netball,” she says. “Somebody commented that I had hairy arms, one of the boys.” Her voice wobbles. The incident was clearly juvenile; rationally, she knows that. Yet 25 years on, her embarrassment is still visceral, with the power to cause instant physical discomfort.

She searches for another example of her acute reaction to teasing and recalls a trip to the pub with her friends six years ago. Amid the loud conversation and laughter, a quip was made in the group about her being untidy at home. Or that’s how she perceived it. “About me not keeping on top of the house,” she recalls. The person “was having a laugh. It was just something that was said off the cuff.” Yet while the memory and detail is hazy, the shame she feels about it is not. “That comment still haunts me,” she says. After that pub outing, she started cleaning her house obsessively – to such an extreme that it became one of the symptoms leading to her diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). “I’ve been known to spend four or five hours cleaning my bathroom,” she says.

Chronic ocean heating fuels ‘staggering’ loss of marine life, study finds

Fish levels fall by 7.2% with as little as 0.1C of warming per decade, northern hemisphere research shows

Chronic ocean heating is fuelling a “staggering and deeply concerning” loss of marine life, a study has found, with fish levels falling by 7.2% from as little as 0.1C of warming per decade.

Researchers examined the year-to-year change of 33,000 populations in the northern hemisphere between 1993 and 2021, and isolated the effect of the decadal rate of seabed warming from short shifts such as marine heatwaves. They found the drop in biomass from chronic heating to be as high as 19.8% in a single year.

Hundreds of American nurses choose Canada over the U.S. under Trump

More than 1,000 American nurses have successfully applied for licensure in British Columbia since April, a massive increase over prior years.

Why prices won't drop after the Trump tariff ruling, according to economists

The Supreme Court struck down President Trump's signature tariffs. But the president has other tariff tools, and consumers shouldn't expect cheaper prices anytime soon, economists say.

Highlights from Trump's 2026 State of the Union speech

President Trump defended his first year back in office in his 2026 State of the Union address, touting his record on immigration, the economy, tariffs and more.

British dual nationals: have you been prevented from travelling to the UK?

We’d like to hear from British dual nationals who have been prevented from boarding a flight, ferry or train because they did not have a British passport or certificate of entitlement

Have you been prevented boarding a flight, ferry or train because you did not have a British passport or certificate of entitlement proving your right to enter the UK?

From 25 February the Home Office says “international carriers will check all passengers for valid permission or status to travel to the UK – just as they currently do for visa nationals.

Marty Supreme’s ping-pong thrills grip but the theatre plot really smashes it | Chris Wiegand

In Josh Safdie’s film, the worlds of sport and stage are aligned – with the stakes higher for Gwyneth Paltrow’s former screen star, now on Broadway, than Timothée Chalamet’s hotshot

• This article contains spoilers about Marty Supreme

Josh Safdie’s ping-pong nerve-jangler Marty Supreme races through ambition, vanity, humiliation, deception, soaring glory, crushing failure and the deathless allure of an 11th-hour comeback. All of this I recognise from hours of playing table tennis in our local park. But I recognise it, too, from nights at the theatre – not so much the plays themselves, perhaps, rather the stage as a crucible for the careers of those involved. The film’s subplot, about a Broadway play’s fraught opening, becomes an inspired parallel to Marty’s frantic story and Safdie’s wired style matches not just the adrenalised world of a tournament but also the sensation of stepping out on the stage. I’m a sucker for theatre scenes in films and Safdie’s are brief but certainly supreme.

Halfway into the movie, Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Mauser sneaks into New York’s Morosco theatre. That’s a real playhouse – or was, until it got demolished in the 80s. The film is set in 1952, the year that Terence Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea was put on at the Morosco, which would soon have a hit with the premiere of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Those plays about failing marriages find a counterpart in the film’s story of Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), a silver-screen star of the 30s who is now making a risky return to acting in an overheated play bankrolled by her husband, Milton Rockwell.

Tax credits for solar panels are available, but the catch is you can't own them

Rooftop solar installers are steering customers toward leases instead of purchases. Federal tax credits for purchased systems have ended but are still available for leased ones.

5 takeaways from Trump's State of the Union address

President Trump hit familiar notes on immigration and culture in his speech Tuesday night, but he largely underplayed the economic problems that voters say they are most concerned about.

My Bags Are Big by Tibor Fischer review – how to make it in crypto

Amusing oddballs populate a wise-cracking wheeler-dealer’s tale of leaving London for Dubai in search of loot and laughs

The narrator of Tibor Fischer’s eighth novel, My Bags Are Big, is a walking anachronism. Dan is “an old school crypto geezer” who hails from south London and lives in Dubai, where he drives an old Citroën and wears a Mickey Mouse watch given to him by his father in the 1970s. He’s done well for himself – the bags of the title are a slang term for a cryptocurrency wallet – though it didn’t happen overnight. “Get rich quick? It was very much a get slightly comfortable slowly deal.” His adopted city, he tells us, is “a cross between Las Vegas, an airport departure lounge and a pirate bay”, and a magnet for low-status westerners looking to reinvent themselves: “Assistant masseurs at second division football clubs. Taxi drivers. Linen porters. Nail technicians. Dog groomers. Life coaches. They’re all through the pearly gates, here in Dubai.”

Dan himself is one such individual. Having just turned 60, he relates his journey from Catford to Dubai, via a calamitous career in sports management, a doomed love affair with a quantum physicist, and several brief encounters with David Bowie. In the 80s he won a vindaloo-eating contest and had a Monty Python-esque run-in with some Maoist student revolutionaries. The novel is populated by amusing oddballs, including one character who belongs to an international bollard appreciation society, and another who superstitiously smears caviar on to a lottery ticket in the hope of “giving it a taste of wealth”.

Mary Earps says she ‘learned some tough lessons’ from book backlash

• Former England keeper has met with Sarina Wiegman

• She adds: ‘I’m human. I’m not perfect, I’m still learning’

Mary Earps said she has “learned some tough lessons” and understands why there was such strong condemnation of comments made in her autobiography last year.

The former England goalkeeper told the Guardian the “last thing she wanted to do” was hurt Sarina Wiegman and she is grateful to have had a chance to meet up with the Lionesses head coach and have a “really positive conversation” since the release of her book in November, which led to a huge backlash.

Russian firms have routed $8bn of trade through British island territories since invasion of Ukraine

Anti-corruption group Transparency International has catalogued ‘sanctions circumvention’ channelled through ‘unaccountable jurisdictions’

Russian companies have used Britain’s secretive island territories to conduct $8bn (£5.9bn) of trade since the invasion of Ukraine, according to a report that highlights the flow of goods ranging from oil-drilling equipment to luxury yachts linked to Moscow’s political elite.

The analysis, published a day after the fourth anniversary of Russia’s assault on its neighbour, raises questions over the role played by the British overseas territories in enforcing sanctions designed to turn the screw on the Kremlin.

Yachts linked to allies of Vladimir Putin.

Drilling kit for Kremlin-backed oil projects.

Coal linked to Ukraine’s pro-Russian ex-president.

A jet linked to the Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov.