Amazon wins court order to block Perplexity's AI shopping agent

Amazon sued Perplexity in November, accusing the startup of concealing its AI shopping agents.

Galatasaray v Liverpool: Champions League last-16, first leg – live

⚽ Champions League news from the 5.45pm GMT kick-off
⚽ Live scores | Read today’s Football Daily | Email Scott

The teams are out! And there’s some BREAKING NEWS: the atmosphere is hella hot at the Ali Sami Yen^†. Cim Bom Bom! Galatasaray wear their classic red and yellow halves, Liverpool are in third-choice bottle green, a colour that may send shivers down the spine of the Candy generation. We’ll be off in a couple of Zadok-the-Priest-soundtracked minutes.

^{†: This isn’t BREAKING NEWS}

Middle East crisis live: Hegseth says today will be the ‘most intense day of strikes’ in war against Iran

The US defence secretary says the military is increasing attacks on the regime

• Pete Hegseth warns of day of ‘most intense’ US strikes on Iran yet

• How have you been affected by the latest Middle East events?

Investor hopes for a swift resolution to the Middle East conflict propelled Australian shares higher today, with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 finishing the day up 1.1% and recovering about $35bn in value after yesterday’s $90bn plunge.

Oil prices surged to a four-year high early in the week before coming back down below $US90 a barrel after Donald Trump suggested the Iran conflict would end soon, sending global stock markets higher.

'Forever war:' Democrats rebut Trump's assertion that Iran war nearing end

President Donald Trump on Monday suggested the war may be nearing an end, sending markets soaring and oil plummeting.

Thune stands firm on SAVE America Act despite Trump pressure

Senate Majority Leader John Thune made clear that an elections bill known as the SAVE America Act faces an unlikely path to passage.

Bon Jovi biopic in the works from Universal Pictures

The film will cover the early years of the 1980s rock band and their breakout with hits like Livin’ On a Prayer and You Give Love a Bad Name

A Bon Jovi biopic is in the works from Universal Pictures, Deadline has confirmed.

The feature film will focus on the early years of the rock band, tracing their rise from modest beginnings in New Jersey to selling out stadiums as one of the 1980s’ most defining rock bands.

Meta acquires AI agent social network Moltbook

Co-founders of Moltbook, a platform for artificial intelligence agents, will join tech giant’s AI research unit

Facebook parent Meta Platforms said on Tuesday it had acquired Moltbook, a social networking platform built for artificial intelligence agents, bringing the company’s founders into its AI research division.

The deal will bring Moltbook co-founders Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr into Meta Superintelligence Labs, the unit led by Alexandr Wang, former Scale AI CEO, which Meta purchased for $14.8bn. Meta did not disclose financial terms of the deal. Schlicht and Parr are expected to begin at Meta Superintelligence Labs on 16 March.

Minab school bombing: what evidence is there that the US was responsible?

Trump has blamed Iran for the mass killing at Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school but geolocation, videos, satellite imagery and fragments apparently recovered from the site indicate otherwise

The bombing of a primary school in Minab on 28 February killed scores of people, most of them seven- to 12-year-old girls. The strike is the worst mass killing of the US and Israel’s war on Iran so far – and has been described by Unesco as a “grave violation” of international law.

On Saturday, the US president, Donald Trump, declared that Iran was responsible for the school bombing. “In my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran … they’re very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran.”

Trump order cutting ties with Anthropic likely coming this week, sources say

President Trump will issue an executive order to remove Anthropic's AI technology from agencies across the executive branch, sources familiar with the matter tell CBS News.

Shots fired at US consulate in Canada in what police call ‘national security incident’

No injuries reported but security boosted at US and Israeli diplomatic buildings in Toronto and Ottawa

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Two men fired multiple shots at the US consulate in Toronto early on Tuesday in what police described as a “national security incident”, prompting beefed-up protection for US and Israeli diplomatic buildings in the city.

The individuals approached the consulate in downtown Toronto at around 4.30am ET, exited a white SUV and fired several rounds from a handgun at the consulate, Toronto police deputy chief Frank Barredo told reporters.

Hawaii braces for powerful kona storm bringing heavy rain and strong winds

Josh Green, the governor, declared an emergency as the islands face flooding, gusts and thunderstorms this weekend

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Hawaii is preparing for a powerful storm this week that is expected to cause intense winds, thunderstorms and possibly significant flooding across multiple islands.

Josh Green, the governor, said on Monday he had issued an emergency proclamation in response to the weather expected to hit his state in the coming days, in order to bring additional resources into effected areas.

Alabama governor commutes death sentence of inmate who didn't kill victim

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has commuted the death sentence of Charles "Sonny" Burton, who was not in the building when the victim was killed.

Could Trump really end the war in Iran 'very soon'? - The Latest

Donald Trump has held an astonishing press conference in which he said the war in Iran was 'very complete' and could end 'very soon', but also claimed that the US had not 'won enough'. The US president is under growing pressure over the economic toll from the conflict, but his words were met with defiance from Tehran. So is the war any closer to ending and has Trump underestimated the resilience of the Iranian regime? Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik

Oksana Masters roars to Paralympic redemption at Milano Cortina with 11th gold medal

• Masters powers past Kim for sprint gold redemption

• American claims 11th Paralympic gold medal at age 36

• Chernobyl-born star extends remarkable medal haul

Oksana Masters’ 11th Paralympic gold medal was “redemption” for the most decorated American Winter Paralympian.

And it was clear just how much it meant to her. Masters screamed loudly several times in delight after winning the women’s sprint sitting discipline in Para cross-country skiing on Tuesday at Milan Cortina.

Russia told Trump it has not shared intelligence with Iran during war, Witkoff says

U.S. officials have said Russia has given Iran information that could help its forces strike U.S. military assets in the Middle East, MS Now has reported.

Team USA's Oksana Masters wins 11th Paralympic gold medal

The most decorated American Winter Paralympian had her left leg amputated at age 9 and her right leg amputated at age 14.

Could tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve lower gas prices?

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is designed to cushion disruptions to U.S. oil supplies during emergencies.

Trump and the Tories would have the UK wade into another Middle East war. Kudos to Starmer: he has not done that | Matt Western

The prime minister has approached a complex geopolitical conflict with a level head – and most importantly, the support of the public

• Matt Western is the Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, and chairs the joint committee on national security strategy. He is writing in a personal capacity

Donald Trump’s demands for Keir Starmer’s unwavering support in the Iran strikes last week has echoes of earlier episodes in the US-UK “special relationship”.

The prime minister’s response has been striking. There were no Bush-style flying jackets or aviators. He resisted calls to wade blindly into another US war in the Middle East. Instead, he has supported the US where possible within the confines of international law, allowing the use of bases in defensive strikes, while protecting lives and prioritising British interests.

Matt Western is the Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, and chairs the joint committee on national security strategy. He is writing in a personal capacity

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.

Immigration detention on track for deadliest fiscal year since 2004

Twenty-three people have died since October in ICE custody, as advocates warn about overcrowding and health care access.

February home sales see small rebound, but supply growth is 'sluggish'

Home sales made a small gain to start the year, but higher mortgage rates now could throw cold water on the spring season.

Neil Simpson wins first Great Britain medal at Winter Paralympics with skiing silver

• Scot second in men’s visually impaired alpine combined

• ParalympicsGB mixed curlers lose to Italy in fifth defeat

Great Britain won their first medal of the Winter Paralympics on Tuesday as Neil Simpson imposed himself on a stacked field to claim silver in the men’s visually impaired alpine combined.

Finishing second behind the home favourite Giacomo Bertagnolli, but ahead of Austria’s Johannes Aigner, who has won two gold medals at these Games, Simpson found the form the British team had been hoping for as he recorded a leading time in the final slalom race to pull himself up from fourth place in the standings.

Photos from Iran and across the Middle East as the war enters Week 2

More than a week of the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran has dragged in global powers, upended the world's energy and transport sectors, and brought chaos to usually peaceful areas of the region.

Villagers on Principe, the ‘African Galapagos’, to be paid for protecting the ecosystem

A billionaire is funding a sustainable development project on the west African island that makes the local population stewards of its future

At the crumbling colonial farm buildings in Porto Real, agricultural worker Kimilson Lima, 43, has signed the agreement and he’s happy. “With this money we can have a proper floor in the house,” he said. “And an inside toilet.”

Lima is part of a ground-breaking experiment on the West African island of Príncipe, where villagers who agree to follow an environmental protection code will reap a quarterly dividend. To date nearly 3,000 have joined the Faya Foundation’s project, more than 60% of the adult population. The first payment of €816 (£708) has just been delivered, a large amount of money on the island. “This will be truly transformative, both for nature and for the people,” said the president of the self-governing region, Felipe Nascimento.

Keyboard jamming: the sneaky way to make your boss think you’re working from home

Got a keyboard, something heavy and a desire to put your feet up during office hours? This could be the scam for you. But beware – employers are fighting back

Name: Keyboard jamming.

Age: Being workshy isn’t new. Diogenes the Cynic was famous not only for living in a barrel, but also for his rejection of ambition and employment.

Blooming orchids and hidden faces – readers’ best photographs

Click here to submit a picture for publication in these online galleries and/or on the Guardian letters page

João Pedro shining brightest as Chelsea brace for PSG reunion

Liam Rosenior has unlocked the forward and must do the same with Cole Palmer for the team to reach their potential

João Pedro had been a Chelsea player for less than two weeks when he faced Paris Saint-Germain in the final of the Club World Cup last summer. The settling-in period was intense. The forward had an impactful substitute appearance when he made his debut in the quarter-final win over Palmeiras, struck a clinical double when Fluminense were downed in the semi-finals and then, on a thrilling, sweaty afternoon in New Jersey, delivered the coup de grace when Chelsea became world champions thanks to a stunning demolition of PSG.

It was 3-0 when João Pedro lifted a clever finish over Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 43rd minute, and the manner of the humiliation was hard for PSG to accept. Heads were scrambled as the newly crowned European champions felt their aura of invincibility ebb away at the end of an epic season. João Neves was shown a red card for a tangle with Marc Cucurella – who else? – and the loss of discipline even involved Luis Enrique, the PSG manager, appearing to slap João Pedro in the face when a mass brawl broke out at full-time.

Two more Iranians seek asylum in Australia after football team flies out – reports

• Pair reportedly refused to board plane home

• Team’s departure for Malaysia ends Asian Cup saga

Two more members of the Iranian women’s football team have reportedly sought asylum in Australia after refusing to board a flight back to their home country after competing in the Women’s Asian Cup tournament.

A plane left Sydney airport on Tuesday night local time for Malaysia, reports said, with players and staff, ending a dramatic two days when five players were granted asylum after refusing to return home.

2 teens charged in alleged "ISIS-inspired" attack outside Mamdani's home

Two teens are charged for allegedly trying to detonate homemade bombs in a crowd outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's official residence. Prosecutors allege they were inspired by ISIS.

Stephen Colbert on US war in Iran: ‘We’re still no closer to learning what the goal is’

Late-night hosts discussed the unclear objectives and exorbitant economic cost of Trump’s ongoing war in Iran

Late-night hosts looked into the murky goals, economic impact and disrespect for military protocol of Donald Trump’s war in Iran.

Iran war: Hegseth says Tuesday 'will be our most intense day of strikes'

President Donald Trump on Monday had predicted that the war against Iran would be over "very soon," and warned that country against withholding oil afterward.

Amazon plans 'deep dive' internal meeting to address AI-related outages

Amazon said AI-assisted production changes were partly to blame for recent infrastructure issues.

Family of Tumbler Ridge shooting victim sues OpenAI alleging it could have prevented attack

Eight people were killed by 18-year-old in Canada, who had described violent scenarios involving guns to ChatGPT

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The family of a child critically injured one of Canada’s worst mass shootings is suing OpenAI, arguing the technology company could have prevented the attack on a school last month.

The lawsuit comes days after the head of OpenAI said he would apologize to the families of a remote Canadian town after violence shattered the tight-knit community.

Parts of giant Nasa satellite to crash to Earth, posing low risk

The 600kg Van Allen probe A will re-enter Tuesday evening, with most of it burning before reaching Earth’s surface

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Parts of a giant Nasa satellite will crash to Earth on Tuesday evening, the US space agency is warning – but the chance of being struck is extremely low.

According to the US military’s Space Force, the roughly 1,323lb (600kg) spacecraft, one of twin probes launched in 2012 to investigate the Van Allen radiation belt, is estimated to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at about 7.45pm EDT.

DOJ's Ed Martin faces ethics charges over threatening letter to Georgetown

The office that polices attorney misconduct in Washington, D.C., has filed ethics charges against Justice Department pardon attorney Ed Martin.

A dose of psilocybin helps smokers quit in new study

The psychoactive substance in magic mushrooms appears to have a powerful effect on people trying to stop smoking.

FDA approves leucovorin as first drug for rare genetic disorder, after touting it as autism treatment

The move comes months after the Trump administration touted leucovorin as a potential therapy for a broader group of patients with autism symptoms.

Hegseth: Today "most intense day" of attacks on Iran, Trump to determine "end stage"

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that it would be the "most intense day" of strikes against Iran so far.

Academy wars: how did this season’s Oscars discourse get so toxic?

Fury over Timothée Chalamet’s comments about ballet or Jessie Buckley not liking cats has reached a bizarre fever pitch as the industry wills this Sunday to arrive faster

Around day five of debate over what Timothée Chalamet said and/or meant about opera and ballet, it started to feel like maybe the 2025-2026 Oscar season had actually lasted for the past 17 years.

Voting for the 98th annual Academy awards concluded on 5 March, but that didn’t stop the internet from throwing a bunch of attempted buzzer-beaters; an interview where Chalamet casually referred to ballet and opera as potentially endangered (and perhaps not especially relevant) art forms was actually held some weeks ago in a conversation with fellow actor Matthew McConaughey. But it was that same vote-closing on Thursday when the clip started to circulate virally online and rebuttals poured in. This was swiftly followed by counter-charges that most likely the majority of people excoriating Chalamet, campaigning for best actor in Marty Supreme, had themselves not been the ballet or opera especially recently.

Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics 2026: day four – in pictures

We take a look at the best images from the Games, including skiing, curling and ice hockey

England recall Ollie Chessum but keep faith with misfiring backline for France

• Chessum wears No 6 jersey as Pepper switches flank

• Borthwick accepts ‘huge challenge’ awaits in Paris

Steve Borthwick has recalled Ollie Chessum to his beleaguered side for their final Six Nations match against France but otherwise stuck by the same underfire players who suffered defeat against Italy.

Chessum comes into the side at blindside flanker to add to England’s lineout options but Borthwick has named an unchanged back line despite last weekend’s humiliating first ever defeat by the Azzurri which extended England’s losing run to three matches. Guy Pepper switches to openside flanker with Sam Underhill – who was a late call-up for the injured Tom Curry against Italy – returning to the bench.

Long lost George Michael film and live album set for release later this year

George Michael: The Faith Tour will receive a global cinema release alongside previously unheard music from his Wham! and solo discographies

A long lost film centered on George Michael’s landmark 1988 Faith tour is set for cinema release later this year, in addition to a new album of previously unheard live performances.

George Michael: The Faith Tour is being lined up for a global big screen rollout, with footage taken from a previously unseen 14 camera shoot of Michael’s performance at Paris’ Bercy Arena in 1988. A press release bills the project as a tour de force in archival film-making, celebrating Michael’s ambition and artistry at its peak.

Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel show celebrates and plays with brand’s history

New designer’s kid-in-a-candy-store enthusiasm is evident in confident colours and loosened silhouettes

A building site, but make it chic: that was the set for Chanel’s Paris fashion week show. Cranes in Meccano-bright colours towered over the catwalk, their reflection shimmering sequin-bright on an opalescent floor that was inspired by Monet, according to the designer Matthieu Blazy. Monet has been a backstage buzzword at Dior and Chanel this week, as the two giants battle for bragging rights over French culture.

Fashion week loves a visual metaphor. Blazy, who arrived at Chanel last year, is rebuilding the designer, and having fun with it. The invitation for the show was a tiny stainless steel tape measure on a pendant. He has immersed himself in house history – Cocology? – and after the show, greeted reporters clutching a folded printout of an interview Coco Chanel gave to Le Figaro in 1955. Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and a grandee of the brand since 1990, remarked that he had never come across this interview before Blazy brought it to him. Blazy’s kid-in-a-candy-store enthusiasm is infectious, and the city’s Chanel boutiques have been packed all week. A simple cotton shirt embroidered with the Chanel name is sold out, at a price of €3,900. New season bags are limited to one per customer – a policy designed, the company says, to limit resale at even higher prices.

Aramco warns of oil market ‘catastrophe’ unless strait of Hormuz reopens soon

Saudi Arabian state oil firm calls crisis by far the biggest the region has seen but firm can reroute 70% of exports and tap crude held in storage

• Business live – latest updates

• How the Iran conflict could affect energy prices – video explainer

Saudi Arabia’s state oil company has warned of “catastrophic consequences” for the world’s oil markets if the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to block shipping in the strait of Hormuz.

The world’s biggest oil exporter expects to be able to supply the market with about 70% of its usual crude output despite the stranglehold on the vital trade artery, but its chief executive warned that there would still be “drastic” consequences for the world economy if the disruption continues.

Louis Theroux’s 20 best documentaries: from Savile and Scientology to prisons and painkillers

He’s wrestled until he vomits, posed naked for adult photos and now he’s about to take on the manosphere for Netflix. We look back at the interviewer’s most jaw-dropping shows

It has been almost 30 years since Louis Theroux began making documentaries for the BBC. Few could have predicted that the endearingly dorky figure who made his first series, Weird Weekends – throwing himself, gonzo-style, into strange American subcultures – would become a public figure as famous as many of his celebrity interviewees.

With nearly 100 BBC titles under his belt, Theroux is now moving over to Netflix. Inside the Manosphere, the first programme he has presented for the streamer, dives into the world of the men’s rights movement, and explorations of masculinity, in the extremely online era. Ahead of its release on 11 March, we pick out 20 of Theroux’s finest docs to date.

Valencia’s fire festival and Ukrainian cadets: photos of the day – Tuesday

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

Ex-Syrian colonel appears in UK court on charges of crimes against humanity

Salem Al-Salem faces landmark trial over alleged role in crackdown on protests in Damascus in 2011

A former Syrian colonel has appeared in a London court to face charges of crimes against humanity in the first prosecution of its kind in England and Wales.

Salem Al-Salem is charged with murder and torture, crimes allegedly committed during the Syrian government’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in Damascus in 2011.

‘A sobering preview’: extreme heat now affects one in three people globally, study finds

Rising temperatures making it hard even for young, healthy people to safely do normal physical tasks in many regions

Climate breakdown is shrinking the amount of time that people can safely go about their lives, according to a study that shows a third of the world’s population now resides in areas where heat severely limits activity.

Rising temperatures, driven by the continued burning of fossil fuels, are making it difficult even for many young, healthy adults to do basic physical activities, such as housework or walking up stairs during daylight hours at the height of the summer, the report warns.

Perfect chopped chives are a status symbol for chefs. Can I learn to master ‘green confetti’?

My goal: a perfect 10 from Rate My Chives, the ‘number one authority on chives worldwide’. Why is this so hard?

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Chopping chives, I notice my weak wrists for the first time. My knife is connected to my hand which is connected to my wrist, which is flopping about like an overcooked piece of asparagus.

“You’ve got to keep them more sturdy,” says chef Trisha Greentree. “Lock in that line.”

Leap Year is patently ridiculous and widely panned. It’s also the perfect romcom

Starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode as enemies-to-lovers, this very American portrait of Ireland happens to be charming

In 2010 the Guardian gave the romcom Leap Year a one-star review. The script was “horrendous”, according to the reviewer: “Afterwards, the only ‘leap’ I felt like making was off a motorway gantry into the fast lane of the M25.”

He wasn’t alone. Leap Year has an approval rating of 23% on Rotten Tomatoes; the New York Times called it “so witless, charmless and unimaginative that it can be described as a movie only in the strictly technical sense”.

The US World Cup is facing two crises: a financial mess – and ICE | Nellie Pou

Fewer than 100 days out, host cities haven’t received promised funding, and fears about ICE’s presence are widespread

On Sunday 19 July, the final match of the 2026 Fifa World Cup will be played in East Rutherford, New Jersey. For one day, our community will be the center of the world.

But as that moment approaches, I find myself spending less time thinking about the games at MetLife Stadium, and more time worrying about whether we are ready. Because if Washington doesn’t get its act together, we risk turning a generational opportunity into an international embarrassment.

California vowed to stamp out hospice care fraud, but years later there are still red flags

A CBS News investigation found that four years after California vowed to stamp out fraud, many hospices with red flags remain in business. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, suspected Medicare hospice fraud totaled almost $200 million nationwide in 2023. Adam Yamaguchi reports.

Andreeva ‘not proud’ after Indian Wells title defence ends in smashed racket and gestures at crowd

• Russian loses to Katerina Siniakova in three sets

• Teenager throws racket on several occasions

Mirra Andreeva’s Indian Wells title defense met a bad-tempered end on Monday as Katerina Siniakova stunned the Russian teenager 4-6, 7-6, 6-3.

The 18-year-old opened her bid to retain her crown with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 demolition of Solana Sierra. But she was in trouble early and often against Siniakova, the world No 44, in a rollercoaster contest that ended with a shot from the Czech that hit the net cord and dribbled over in one last frustrating moment.

I’ll also be back as Conan: Arnold Schwarzenegger to make third Barbarian film 44 years after original

The 78-year-old has announced a return to the action hero role that made his name in 1982, promising ‘all kinds of madness’

Arnold Schwarzenegger is to return to the role that launched him as a movie star in a belated third instalment of the Conan the Barbarian franchise. The original film, released in 1982 and adapted from pulpy novels by Robert E Howard, saw the then bodybuilder play the chivalric sword-wielder on a quest for revenge against James Earl Jones’ cult leader Thulsa Doom.

Schwarzenegger, 78, whose acting work has slowed since he returned to the profession after his stint as the governor of California, announced at the Arnold sports festival in Columbus, Ohio over the weekend that director Christopher McQuarrie, best known for his work on the Mission: Impossible franchise, would take the reins on King Conan.

It’s shock and awe as Trump’s granddaughter does her bit for the war effort. All hail Kai Trump, the shopper-in-chief | Marina Hyde

Yes, many Americans are struggling, but it’s good to know the first family can still afford Earth’s most expensive provisions. Morale is everything, isn’t it?

In the absence of any clearly and consistently stated aims from the US administration, maybe each day of the Iran war just needs a moodboard description. In which case, Sunday was a tale of two nepo babies. In Iran, the high-level executive search for the new ayatollah concluded that the old ayatollah’s son was the best man for the position. It’s not for me to assess his job prospects, but you’d hope his supermarket order doesn’t contain any “ripen at home” pears.

Meanwhile, across the world, in LA, Donald Trump’s eldest granddaughter posted a YouTube video titled “I Brought My Secret Service to Erewhon”. By way of background, Erewhon is Earth’s most pretentiously extravagant hipster food shop, and, as Kai was at pains to brag, “the most expensive grocery store pretty much out there. Everything’s crazy expensive! So we’re going to get my favourite stuff.”

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.

Warsh to meet Tillis as Senate confirmation remains blocked

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has refused to advance Warsh's confirmation until a probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell is dropped.

Spain to formally pardon 53 women incarcerated by Franco regime

Thousands of girls were locked up by Board for the Protection of Women for ‘rehabilitation’

Spain is to formally pardon a group of 53 women who are among thousands who were incarcerated by the Franco regime on the grounds that they were supposedly “fallen or in danger of falling”.

The women were locked up as adolescents by the Board for the Protection of Women, a collection of institutions run by religious orders. The board, which had echoes of Ireland’s notorious Magdalene laundries, was overseen by Carmen Polo, the wife of the dictator Gen Francisco Franco.

US attorneys handpicked by Pam Bondi were appointed illegally, judge rules

Federal judge said prosecutors picked to replace Alina Habba repeated error of bypassing congressional approval

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Three prosecutors installed by Donald Trump’s administration to lead the New Jersey attorney general’s office after the president’s former personal lawyer was disqualified from the role in December were also illegally appointed, a federal judge has ruled.

Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, handpicked the three to replace Alina Habba, who resigned after a succession of district and appeals court rulings that she was serving illegally because she never received Senate confirmation.

Cathay Pacific offers £20,000 Sydney-London flight amid disruption in Gulf

Hong Kong-based airline has business-class return listed at A$39,577, as travellers seek routes avoiding Middle East

The Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific is selling seats from Sydney to London for more than £20,000 in April, as passengers search for scarce long-haul flights without changing in the Middle East.

The tickets, listed at A$39,577 in business class for returns departing in mid-April, far outstrip the usual fares charged even in the first-class cabin.

Crispin Odey was described as ‘sex pest’ by head of his hedge fund, court hears

Multimillionaire begins case against FCA ban over handling of investigation into sexual misconduct claims

The multimillionaire financier Crispin Odey was described by the head of his hedge fund as a “sex pest” and blamed an incident in which he allegedly groped a female staff member’s breasts on a sedative he had taken, a tribunal has heard.

The Brexit-backing hedge fund chief’s behaviour came under the microscope on the first day of a lawsuit he has brought against the financial services regulator over his exile from the City.

What's known about the woman accused of shooting at Rihanna's home

Police identified Ivanna Ortiz, 35, as the individual accused of opening fire on Sunday outside of Rihanna's Beverly Hills home with an AR-15-style assault rifle. The Florida woman is now facing attempted murder charges. Carter Evans reports.

Spirit Airlines to recall furloughed pilots to combat attrition as carrier eyes bankruptcy exit

Spirit Airlines is reversing course on pilot furloughs after aviators left in high numbers for rival airlines.

Family of teacher killed during prank asks for charges to be dropped against teens

The family of a Georgia high school teacher killed in a prank gone wrong is asking authorities to drop the charges against the teens allegedly involved. Mark Strassmann explains how the tragedy unfolded.

Jeffrey Epstein's former Zorro Ranch searched after revelations in FBI files

Investigators are searching a New Mexico ranch where Jeffrey Epstein once entertained guests, amid allegations that it may have been used for sexual abuse and sex trafficking.

How the Iran war and rising energy prices are threatening semiconductor demand

A prolonged U.S.-Israel war against Iran could lead to shortages of key chipmaking materials and higher energy costs which could hurt semiconductor demand.

Alexander brothers found guilty in sex trafficking trial

More than a year after the Alexander brothers were first arrested on charges including sex trafficking, a jury found the trio guilty of all 10 counts against them. During the trial, the jury heard from 11 women who accused the brothers of rape or sexual assault.

‘I wish I could push ChatGPT off a cliff’: professors scramble to save critical thinking in an age of AI

As AI has upended the way students learn, academics worry about the future of the humanities - and society at large

Lea Pao, a professor of literature at Stanford University, has been experimenting with ways to get her students to learn offline. She has them memorize poems, perform at recitation events, look at art in the real world.

It’s an effort to reconnect them to the bodily experience of learning, she said, and to keep them from turning to artificial intelligence to do the work for them. “There’s no AI-proof anything,” Pao said. “Rather than policing it, I hope that their overall experiences in this class will show them that there’s a way out.”

Project Hail Mary review – Ryan Gosling’s charm carries unserious last-ditch space mission

Tale of a brilliant molecular biologist cast into outer space with only a helpful alien for company is a bit silly, but Gosling’s charisma keeps it watchable

This is a movie, adapted from Andy Weir’s sci-fi bestseller, about a desperate astronaut mission of the future, named by Nasa after the “Hail Mary pass” in American football, launched into space in a last-ditch attempt to save Planet Earth, dying because a string of alien microbes are snuffing out the sun.

Hunky high school science teacher Dr Ryland Grace, played with seductive, unruffled good humour by Ryan Gosling, wakes up from his induced coma on this spacecraft, with wacky long hair, straggly beard and zero memory of why he is aboard. The rest of the crew are dead, and Grace must now figure out how he got there and how to rescue humanity.

Fears of 1970s-style stagflation arise with oil spike to $100. How big a threat is it?

High inflation and slow growth present a double threat, as measures like interest rate cuts and government spending only aggravate inflation.

Sex with Scorsese, beef with Sondheim … and inventing the moonwalk? The wildest moments in Liza Minnelli’s memoir

From Peter Sellers dressing like a Nazi, to having to manage her mother Judy Garland’s addiction, jaws will drop at Minnelli’s anecdotes

Tuesday marks the publication of Kids, Wait Til You Hear This!, the enormously entertaining memoir by Liza Minnelli, and that title – gossipy, confiding and with no small measure of Broadway panache – sets the tone from the off.

As well as coming across as kind and politically aware, Minnelli is quite heroically unburdened by tact, and as she sketches her life from gilded Hollywood to scrappy New York and on through addiction, ill health and multiple marriages, everyone – most of all herself – is assessed with bracing honesty.

Alexander Butterfield, Nixon aide who disclosed Watergate tapes, dies aged 99

The White House aide who revealed that Richard Nixon had secretly recorded his conversations as president has died

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Alexander Butterfield, the White House aide who inadvertently hastened Richard Nixon’s resignation over the Watergate scandal when he revealed that the president had bugged the Oval Office and Cabinet Room and routinely recorded his conversations, has died. He was 99.

His death was confirmed to the Associated Press by his wife, Kim, and John Dean, who served as White House counsel to Nixon during the Watergate scandal and helped expose the wrongdoing.

Trump reiterates threat of a 'friendly takeover' of Cuba as fuel crisis deepens

The comments come less than a week after Trump suggested that his administration would turn its sights on Havana.

Sanctions on Israeli settlements are working – even without the US

As a new West Bank settlement plan gains steam, now is the time for governments to take multilateral economic action

Amid an unforgiving global news cycle – and as nations weigh their options in responding to the yet unbuilt West Bank settlement project that would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state” – a telling sanctions-related development in Israel passed largely unnoticed outside Israeli media. In Tel Aviv, the new year began with a protest by a violent extremist settler group that has faced UK sanctions since October 2024.

The trigger was a new Israeli banking directive, rushed out to placate Israel’s hardliners, that they said did too little to shield Israelis from international sanctions.

David Squires on … FA Cup magic for Port Vale and a close call for Mikel Arteta

Our cartoonist reflects on the FA Cup fifth round, including Ben Waine’s commitment to the bit

• Buy this cartoon | David’s favourite works of 2025

• And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now

NFL free agency winners and losers: Ravens shine and what were the Jets thinking (again)?

As the new league year gets underway, we take a look at the best and worst moves heading into the 2026 season

Los Angeles Rams

‘So much disrespect’: outrage grows over postponement of Women’s Africa Cup of Nations

Players and coaches demand more accountability from Caf after latest decision further disrupts preparation schedule

On 13 February, Patrice Motsepe, the president of the Confederation of African Football (Caf), promised that this year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), scheduled to be played in Morocco between 17 March and 4 April, would go ahead as planned. One of the reasons he had to make that statement was the 2024 tournament had been postponed for a remarkable 19 months, until July 2025.

That supposedly solemn presidential promise was broken on 5 March, 12 days before the start of the tournament, with many of the teams – including Nigeria, the defending champions, Cameroon and Ghana – playing friendlies across Africa and Asia to prepare for the showpiece, which also determines which teams get to represent the continent at next year’s World Cup.

This is an extract from our free email about women’s football, Moving the Goalposts. To get the full edition, visit this page and follow the instructions. Moving the Goalposts is delivered to your inboxes every Tuesday and Thursday.

VW to cut 50,000 jobs by 2030 amid Trump tariffs and falling Chinese sales

Car group reports 54% drop in pre-tax profits as it says Iran war could affect demand for Audi and Porsche brands

Europe’s largest automaker, Volkswagen, is to shed 50,000 jobs by the end of the decade, as it faces falling sales in China and North America and punitive US tariffs imposed by Donald Trump.

The 10-brand group, whose luxury subsidiaries Porsche and Audi are also under pressure, said the jobs would go in Germany, affecting the entire group, as part of a restructuring drive amid the darkening global business climate.

‘It’s a big saga with big hair’: the bonkbuster remake of one of the biggest TV dramas ever

The raunchy 80s adaptation of smash hit novel A Woman of Substance drew the highest ratings Channel 4 has ever seen. As the broadcaster goes there again, the cast and creators talk feminism, revenge – and sex caves

Somewhere on the West Yorkshire moors is what the team behind A Woman of Substance nicknamed “the sex cave”. It is here that the heroine, Emma Harte, loses her virginity in the lavish new adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s bonkbuster. “It’s hidden away and beautiful,” says the showrunner, Katherine Jakeways. “The lighting in there almost looks like AI, but it’s real. Weirdly, it’s about a mile from my mother-in-law’s house. I haven’t told her yet that it’s a sex cave!”

This is just one of many unusual sites for sex scenes featured in the show. “Oh my God, I know,” laughs Jessica Reynolds, who plays the young Emma. “Not just the cave, but there’s a little love shack, too. The cave is the most stunning location, with sunlight coming through these arching rocks. I wonder if they used it in Wuthering Heights, too? If they didn’t, they should have.”

‘Lack of class’: Quentin Tarantino hits back at Rosanna Arquette over Pulp Fiction N-word criticism

Director rounds on actor, who acted in the cult film, saying he feels disrespected, and claiming cynical reasons behind her recent comments

Quentin Tarantino has responded to Rosanna Arquette’s criticism of his prolific use of the N-word in his films including Pulp Fiction, saying Arquette “show[ed] a decided lack of class”.

In a statement sent to numerous publications including Deadline, Tarantino said: “I hope the publicity you’re getting from 132 different media outlets writing your name and printing your picture was worth disrespecting me and a film I remember quite clearly you were thrilled to be a part of? … After I gave you a job, and you took the money, to trash it for what I suspect is very cynical reasons shows a decided lack of class, no less honour.”

Trump gives mixed signals on Iran war. And, how Epstein built ties to scientists

President Trump provided conflicting messages about when the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran will end. And, NPR investigates how late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein leveraged ties with scientists.

Iran’s new supreme leader is a figure of mystery, but the symbolism is clear: the regime fights on | Sina Toossi

The rarely seen Mojtaba Khamenei is a surprise appointment, but his accession is above all a statement of defiance

When Mojtaba Khamenei was named Iran’s new supreme leader, many observers reacted with surprise. For decades, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been a shadowy figure in Iranian politics, rarely seen in public and almost never heard speaking.

He has never given interviews, has held no elected office and appears publicly only on rare ceremonial occasions. Even among political insiders, knowledge of his views is fragmentary. What little is known about him consists of scattered anecdotes: brief involvement in the Iran-Iraq war as a young man, occasional appearances in political circles and a long association with figures inside Iran’s security establishment.

Uruguay’s candombe brings streets to life as the once-banned musical tradition roars back

The Afro-Uruguayan rhythms, born among enslaved Africans and once banned, now draws thousands to public squares and carnival parades

Like the blues in the US, samba in Brazil, rumba in Cuba and plena in Puerto Rico, candombe, Uruguay’s Afro-descendent music, was once reviled, marginalised and even banned – but managed to endure.

But while other such genres have for decades formed part of the cultural mainstream across the Americas, only now is candombe experiencing its peak.

A drone view of the Rueda de Candombe gathering in the streets of Ciudad Vieja in Montevideo, Uruguay.

I’ve taught thousands of people how to use AI – here’s what I’ve learned

Most people fail with AI because they don’t understand what it actually is – if you treat it as a skill, not a shortcut, you’ll get the best results

• Sign up for AI for the People, a six-week newsletter course, here

Training teams to use AI at work has given me a front-row seat to a new kind of professional divide.

Some people hand everything over to the machine and stop thinking. Others won’t touch it at all.

‘Everyone feels like they are being scammed’: can Central America’s small coffee growers survive as global prices fall?

Family-run farms in El Salvador and Honduras face mounting losses, rising costs – and the need to adapt or be left behind

• Read more of our Coffee crisis series here

On a steep hillside in western El Salvador, Oscar Leiva watches rainfall in December, a month that once marked the start of the dry season. During this harvest cycle, flowering came early and then stalled. A heatwave followed. What remains of the crop is uneven, lower in quality and more expensive to produce than the last.

For Leiva and his family, coffee has never been just a crop. His mother, Marina Marinero, remembers when the rains arrived on schedule and the harvest could be planned months in advance. Today, the calendar no longer holds. Decisions about pruning, fertilising and hiring labour feel like educated guesses. Each mistake carries a cost the family cannot afford.

Scott Pilgrim EX review – is it time to grow up?

PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5; Tribute Games Inc
A treat for nostalgia fans and completists, but there’s little new in this rehashing of a classic that feels like an add-on rather than a fully fledged adventure

It’s 20XX, and unrepentant slacker Scott Pilgrim and his friends are revelling in the throes of young adulthood. They’re skint, but in a cool way that’s unrecognisable today (not least because nobody can afford to live near downtown Toronto). For many readers, the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels were a cultural touchpoint, a story about emotional immaturity, growing as a person and ultimately defeating youthful arrogance. Having cemented itself as a cult classic with an Edgar Wright movie, a 2010 tie-in game and a Netflix miniseries, it’s now back in the form of a raucous action-adventure game, Scott Pilgrim EX.

This is a homecoming of sorts for developer Tribute Games, which was formed by ex-Ubisoft employees who worked on the 2010 Scott Pilgrim game. Having established themselves as beat ’em up revivalists with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and Marvel Cosmic Invasion, the team has stepped up for another crack at this essential coming-of-age tale. Scott Pilgrim EX feels like a passion project, so they have the Powers of Love and Understanding on their side.

Student who died after rush event had blood-alcohol level of 0.425%, autopsy says

Three leaders from the Delta Tau Delta fraternity were arrested on suspicion of hazing after the death of Colin Daniel Martinez.

There's one building in LA with 89 registered hospices: "Ground zero" for fraud?

A CBS News analysis of records for every hospice operating in Los Angeles County finds indications of fraud are growing.

'Pro-worker AI,' streaming fatalities, and other fascinating new economic studies

From artificial intelligence to fatalities from music streaming to the effects of immigrants on elderly health care, the Planet Money newsletter rounds up some interesting new economic studies.

China-North Korea trains to restart, six years after Covid brought them to stop

Travel operators say Chinese and North Koreans can now buy tickets for services leaving this week

Passenger train services between China and North Korea are to resume this week, six years after their suspension because of the Covid-19 pandemic, travel operators have said.

Train journeys between the two countries were halted in 2020 as strict border closures were imposed to prevent the virus spreading.

Volkswagen flags a tough year ahead as 2025 profit halves on tariffs, China competition

Volkswagen reported a more than 50% drop in annual operating profit, citing the impact of U.S. tariffs, currency effects and a strategic shift at Porsche.

Fears for women’s rights in Chile as anti-abortion president set to take office

José Antonio Kast, who voted against legalising divorce in 2004, has pushed for return to total abortion ban

Women’s rights activists in Chile are bracing as the most conservative president since the Pinochet dictatorship prepares to take office on Wednesday.

José Antonio Kast, a 60-year-old ultra Catholic whose father was a member of the Nazi party, has consistently blocked progressive bids for women’s rights and equality across his three-decade career in politics.

Fifty years of sexing up tech: Apple’s epic hits – and misses

Remember the iPod? How about the Pippin? In the half-century since it launched its first PC, Apple has given us some amazing innovations. We round up its biggest triumphs and flops

Fifty years after Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne founded the company in Jobs’ parents’ garage in Los Altos, California, Apple has become a behemoth, and billions of us use its products every day. From the first successful home computers with colour screens, to the iPod, to the smartphone that set the template for the modern mobile era, the company has repeatedly reset consumer expectations.

As a result, the firm occupies a central position in the tech world, initiating trends and popularising products. Here are five of its most influential products from the past half-century – alongside some unusually big misses.

Stellantis taps Toyota, Bosch suppliers for hybrid technologies for new Jeeps

Jeep maker Stellantis is leaning on technologies from automotive suppliers for its newest hybrid vehicles, CNBC has learned.

GLP-1s have transformed weight loss and diabetes. Is addiction next?

A large study found that people taking GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for diabetes were less likely to be diagnosed with substance use disorder.

The Pentagon says this will be 'our most intense day of strikes inside Iran'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was giving President Trump "maximum options" and that the war will not be "endless," a day after the president gave mixed signals about progress.

Morning news brief

Trump hails Iran successes but offers no end date, Lebanon wants talks with Israel, and two teens are charged in NYC attack attempt.

Twisted Yoga: how a search for enlightenment turned into a dangerous cult

A shocking new Apple TV series goes behind the yoga camps where women alleged criminal behaviour from a guru wanted for sexual exploitation charges

Practicing yoga has its benefits: the meditative calm, grounded-ness and balance. The devoted pursue transformative spiritual journeys, through poses, chants and breath work. Some followers of tantra yoga take things even further, using sensuality to channel their energy and reach beyond themselves, seeking out of body liberation and enlightenment.

But it’s that very pursuit that has also left hundreds vulnerable to alleged rape and trafficking.

Why Congress rarely pushes back when presidents deploy military force

The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, but presidents assert broad authority over use of force and the military. Congress has done little to push back.

Georgia special election to replace MTG tests the power of Trump's endorsement

Voting ends Tuesday night in the district that former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene left this year after a feud with President Trump. It's unclear if his pick will win her spot.

Sudanese students say UK visa ban has dashed hopes of studying at top universities

More than 200 applicants fear they will lose places after home secretary suspends study visas from four countries

Sudanese scientists who have been promised research posts at leading UK universities have spoken of their “shock” and “sadness” that their hopes have been dashed after Shabana Mahmood’s decision to end study visas for people from their country.

More than 200 Sudanese postgraduates and undergraduates fear they will no longer be permitted to take up places at 46 universities, including Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London, with some claiming that their lives have been torn apart by the home secretary’s “blunt” intervention.

Why One Battle After Another should win the best picture Oscar

Paul Thomas Anderson’s capering clash between a demented repressive regime and ragtag freedom fighters is both cartoonish and deadly serious – and perfectly tuned to its times

Viva la revolution and don’t forget your password, your pronouns, your plaid gown and your gun. One Battle After Another, from writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson, is the brawling rebel insider of this year’s Oscar race; a state-of-the-nation Hollywood spectacular that feels as disunited and unstable as the country it depicts. The film hates America and it loves it, too. It’s on the side of the angels even when it’s not quite sure who they are. It lights a candle to curse the darkness, and prays to God it hasn’t picked up a stick of dynamite by mistake.

“We have to stay out of politics,” Wim Wenders advised his fellow directors at last month’s Berlin film festival, and yet One Battle After Another is political to its fingertips, hard-wired to the here and now and perfectly anticipating the tenor of Donald Trump’s second term. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Bob, the one-time firebrand turned burnt-out stoner, who belatedly hauls himself off the couch when his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) is captured. Freely adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, the film updates the book’s jaundiced post-60s hangover for the ICE-age 2020s as the plot careens from the migrant detention camp to the sanctuary city to uncover a Christian Nationalist cell within the US federal government. The self-styled “Christmas Adventurers” are on a heaven-sent mission to make America great again. They say, “If you want to save the planet, you always start with immigration.”