Reese's family member criticizes Hershey for "quietly replacing" ingredients

Brad Reese claims Hershey is cutting costs by relying on cheaper ingredients, risking the Reese's brand.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal: Premier League – live

⚽ Premier League updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off
⚽ Live scores | Follow us on Bluesky | And email Scott

2 min: It’s not a pleasant evening weather-wise. It’s raining in the West Midlands, and that rain could turn to sleet or snow later. Slapstick entertainment not yet off the menu.

Wolves get the ball rolling. “A quiet night is wanted, I think, from all parties, at least in the sense of avoiding the ghastly shenanigans on view in the notorious match last night,” begins Charles Antaki, who speaks for us all. “Raucous is good, animated is fine, full bloodedness welcome, but none of the other stuff, please. British football has been pretty free of it these last years, for which we should all be grateful.”

Arsenal v Leuven: Women’s Champions League – live

⚽ WCL updates from the second leg (first leg: 0-4)
⚽ Live scores | Follow us on Bluesky | Email Sarah

There is going to be a revival of el Clasico in the quarter-finals as Real Madrid secured their spot in the last eight where they will play Barcelona. Real beat Paris FC 5-2 on aggregate to go through.

I would love to hear from you. Anything from how you think this tie will shake out, what you might be giving up for Lent or, on the opposite end of the scale, what you are treating yourself to in terms of snacks while watching the game. Email me and let me know.

Winter Olympics 2026: USA v Sweden men’s ice hockey, speed skating and glory for Shiffrin – live

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

• Follow us over on Bluesky | And you can email James

Women’s aerials: the qualifying rounds of accelerating down a ramp and flying through the air. Hanna Huskova, gold medallist in 2018, does a triple somersault, or the “the kiss arse blaster” in the commentator’s words, but it is only enough to leave her seventh.

Women’s curling: Back to the brushes, where Rebecca Morrison posts the final stone of the sixth end into perfect position, Team GB take two and go into a 4-3 lead against the USA with four ends left.

Trump tells Starmer handing Chagos Islands to Mauritius is a ‘big mistake’

US president had recently said that the plan was the best deal Starmer could make

Donald Trump has urged Keir Starmer not to hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius, warning he was “making a big mistake”.

Under the deal agreed last year, Britain would cede control over the British Indian Ocean Territory but lease the largest island, Diego Garcia, for 99 years to continue operating a joint US-UK military base there.

Trump administration releases $127 million in overdue funds for New York-New Jersey Gateway tunnel project president had called a 'future boondoggle'

President Donald Trump asserted that the federal government will not be responsible for any cost overruns associated with the $16 billion tunnel project.

Cadence Design Systems shares pop on earnings beat, custom chip optimism

CEO Anirudh Devgan said he expects the trend of companies making their own custom chips to accelerate.

FDA chief warns U.S. is losing ground to China in early drug development, calls for faster trial approvals

Makary pointed to three bottlenecks: hospital contracting, ethical reviews and approvals and the Investigational New Drug applications process

Goldman Sachs CEO Solomon calls rule-based system for crypto 'very, very important'

David Solomon spoke weeks after a Senate panel advanced a cryptocurrency market bill to create a national regulatory structure for crypto.

Zuckerberg testimony: Upping engagement on Instagram was not a company goal

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand in a closely watched social media and safety trial that could reshape the industry.

Ilia Malinin reflects on Olympic experience: "You learn a lot more from failure"

Star figure skater Ilia Malinin stressed he was focused on moving forward and continuing to push the boundaries of the sport.

Trump’s immigration siege is rattling hospitality industry, workers say

Unite Here, the US’s largest hospitality workers’ union, says ICE crackdown is harming tourism and costing jobs

Donald Trump’s immigration policies are having a chilling effect on the hospitality industry, where nearly a third of workers are immigrants, according to the largest hospitality union in the US.

The number of employed hospitality workers dropped by 98,000 from December 2024 to December 2025, according to a report from Unite Here, which represents 300,000 workers across the hospitality, food and tourism industries in the US and Canada.

Billionaire Les Wexner testifies before Congress about ties to Epstein

Wexner, who has denied misconduct related to Epstein, is one of several subpoenaed by House oversight panel

The former boss of the Victoria’s Secret lingerie brand, Les Wexner, said he has “done nothing wrong” and has “nothing to hide”, as he testifies on Wednesday before a congressional committee in relation to his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Wexner is one of several Epstein associates subpoenaed to testify before the House oversight committee in their continued investigation of the late financier’s crimes.

Leavitt: Trump concerned with Potomac River sewage stench, with America 250 celebrations planned for summer

A sewage pipe collapse just outside of Washington, D.C. that spilled 200 million gallons of wastewater into the Potomac River has caught Trump's attention.

Fed officials split on where interest rates should go, minutes say

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday released minutes from its Jan. 27-28 meeting.

‘Can I come over and take your picture?’: a decades-long archive captures cross-cultural womanhood

Through more than 300 photos, the New York City artist Clémence Polès Farhang captures the immigrant story and unconventional womanhood

Clémence Polès Farhang started Passerby magazine around the time she immigrated to New York City. She says she wanted to explore womanhood as she navigated her own, and used publishing as a way to “deconstruct the internalized misogyny” from her own education. Polès Farhang’s mother, who left Iran during the revolution, believed women should have the right to choose what to do with their bodies, “yet would dismiss any woman who didn’t conform to conventional expectations,” says Polès Farhang, such as those didn’t dress “in a way she considered put together, or didn’t marry into heteronormative relationships within the right social class.”

“I remember being scolded in my early 20s for embarrassing her by leaving the house barefaced,” she says.

Americans paid nearly 90% of Trump tariffs in 2025, NY Fed report says

White House advisor Kevin Hassett slammed the New York Fed report, which found that Americans, not foreign exporters, bear most tariff costs.

Anthony Gordon grabs four as Newcastle hit Qarabag for six in playoff

When, on the eve of kick-off, Qarabag’s manager, Gurban Gurbanov, said Newcastle had “a style of play that does not suit us”, there were suggestions he was playing mind games.

Long before half-time it was fully apparent that, if anything, Gurbanov had rather understated things. Had this been a boxing match it would surely have been stopped after a matter of minutes. Qarabag were utterly overwhelmed by the pace of their guests and that of Anthony Gordon in particular. Gordon scored four times, taking his tally in the Champions League this season to 10.

Zuckerberg questioned on under-13 Instagram users in social media trial

The Meta CEO defended his company's efforts to keep kids under 13 off of Instagram, but noted that there are "people who lie" about their ages.

Dangerous conditions hinder search teams after deadly avalanche

Eight backcountry skiers have been found dead and one remains missing after an avalanche near Lake Tahoe in California, officials said.

Mourinho accused of gaslighting for response to Vinícius’ allegation of racism

• Benfica manager strongly criticised by Kick It Out

• Uefa investigating Real Madrid player’s claims

José Mourinho has been accused of gaslighting for his response to Vinícius Júnior’s allegations of racist abuse. The Benfica manager was strongly criticised by the anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out for referencing the Real Madrid forward’s goal celebration when talking about the incident.

Vinícius’s allegation that he was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during Madrid’s Champions League playoff win in Lisbon on Tuesday prompted Uefa to appoint an ethics and disciplinary inspector to investigate. Benfica said they would collaborate with the investigation but reiterated their support for Prestianni, who they said was “victim” of a “smear campaign”.

Zuckerberg grilled in landmark social media trial over teen mental health

Meta chief says it has improved identifying underage users but adds ‘I always wish we could have gotten there sooner’

The Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, testified at a landmark trial of social media companies on Wednesday. Plaintiffs’ lawyers grilled Zuckerberg about internal complaints that not enough was being done to verify whether children under 13 were using the platform.

Zuckerberg claimed Meta had improved in identifying underage users but also said: “I always wish that we could have gotten there sooner.”

‘Grace period’ needed for dual nationals returning to UK on second passport, say Lib Dems

Will Forster MP says ‘lack of planning and haphazard communication’ on new border rules has caused chaos

A “grace period” should be introduced for British dual nationals living, working or holidaying abroad who face being blocked from returning to the UK if they do not have an up-to-date British passport, the Liberal Democrats have said.

Entry requirements change on 25 February as part of a wider initiative to streamline immigration which requires British dual nationals to present either a valid UK passport or a “certificate of entitlement” on their foreign passport to the airline, ferry or train operator.

Les Wexner says 'diabolical' Jeffrey Epstein 'duped' him, denies wrongdoing

Wexner, the retired founder of Victoria's Secret ex-parent L Brands, has long faced scrutiny over his personal and financial relationships with Epstein.

Hassett says authors of New York Fed tariff study should be disciplined: 'Worst paper I've ever seen'

The NEC director ripped the report, saying that central bank researchers ignored key aspects of how the duties worked

Major European allies decline to join first meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace

Dozens of world leaders head to Washington for what White House says will largely be a fundraiser on Thursday

Dozens of world leaders and national delegations will meet in Washington DC on Thursday for the inaugural meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, as major European allies declined to join the group and criticised the organisation’s murky funding and political mandate.

The White House has indicated that the summit for his new ad hoc council at the renamed Donald J Trump Institute of Peace will heavily function as a fundraising round, with Trump announcing on social media that countries have pledged more than $5bn toward rebuilding Gaza, which has been devastated in the war with Israel and remains in a humanitarian crisis.

Good news for Trump before midterms: he’s still more popular than cockroaches

Trump’s disapproval rating indicates he’s less popular with Americans than some insects like ants. Will it mean anything in November?

• This was originally published in This Week in Trumpland; sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday

A couple of years ago, the polling company YouGov asked people about insects. The resulting survey found that butterflies are America’s favorite insect, with eight in 10 people having a “very or somewhat positive” reaction to them.

Many journalists will tell you to never trust the polling, and they’ve been proven right many times over. Still, aren’t you curious how a random group of 1,148 adults feels about bugs?

Lake Erie shipwreck identified in area where explorer died while diving

The wreck of the stone-hauling vessel is in the same area where the founder of the Cleveland Underwater Explorers died in 2024.

Trump Jr. calls banking a 'Ponzi scheme' that forced family to create crypto business

Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are hosting the World Liberty Forum at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, which is owned by their father, President Donald Trump.

Winter Olympics: Canada escape shock exit at hands of Czechs in men’s ice hockey

• Mitch Marner scores in overtime to seal 4-3 win

• Canadians lose star Sidney Crosby to injury

Nick Suzuki tied the game on a deflection with 3:27 left, Mitch Marner scored in overtime, and Canada avoided what would have been a stunning quarter-final exit at the Olympics by rallying to beat the Czech Republic 4-3 on Wednesday.

“I never had a doubt, but it was getting a little nerve-racking,” defenseman Drew Doughty said.

Les Wexner, longtime Epstein benefactor, tells Congress he was "duped"

Billionaire retail tycoon Les Wexner testified before a House committee Wednesday as part of the panel's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

Plug-in hybrids use three times more fuel than manufacturers claim, analysis finds

While most hybrids are said to use one to two litres of fuel per 100km, a study claims they need six litres on average

Plug-in hybrid electric cars (PHEVs) use much more fuel on the road than officially stated by their manufacturers, a large-scale analysis of about a million vehicles of this type has shown.

The Fraunhofer Institute carried out what is thought to be the most comprehensive study of its kind to date, using the data transmitted wirelessly by PHEVs from a variety of manufacturers while they were on the road.

Vinícius, Mourinho and treating racism as reputational risk rather than a lived reality | Jonathan Liew

The Brazilian has seen this before, football has seen this before and yet why does it feel like nothing ever changes?

José Mourinho: against provoking opposition fans. José Mourinho: in favour of restrained celebrations. José Mourinho, once of the poke-in-the-eye, sprint-down-the-touchline, accost-the-referee-in-the-car-park school of footballing expression: now apparently very big on showing respect to the game. Well, it seems like we’ve all been on a journey here.

“I told him the biggest person in the history of this club was Black,” Mourinho recounted when asked about his conversation with Vinícius Júnior on Tuesday night. “This club, the last thing that it is, is racist.” And doubtless these words will have been a profound source of comfort to Vinícius in his lowest moment, having been insulted on the pitch by an opposition player in a Champions League playoff.

Vítor Pereira back on familiar ground as he begins Nottingham Forest revival mission

Portuguese managed Fenerbahce and leads his new side into their Europa League playoff sounding confident

As Vítor Pereira wrapped up his pre‑match media duties at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Wednesday evening, his assistant Luís Miguel Moreira da Silva waited at the mouth of the tunnel. “Let’s go?” he said as Pereira eventually emerged, before the Nottingham Forest squad followed the pair on to the pitch.

Then it was down to business, Pereira’s first assignment in charge of Forest at one of his 13 former clubs, Fenerbahce. For Pereira, the Kadikoy district of Istanbul represents familiar territory, having lived in the city across two enjoyable but trophyless spells here as a manager, most recently in 2021.

The Guardian view on UK-EU defence: moving in the right direction, much too slowly

The threat of Russian aggression makes a compelling case for urgent continental cooperation

For Vladimir Putin, peace talks with Ukraine are war pursued by other means. That is why progress has been so slow in negotiations, which resumed in Geneva this week. The Russian president demands the surrender of territory that his army has failed so far to win in combat. Since Mr Putin cannot be trusted to honour any agreement, Volodymyr Zelenskyy rightly insists on robust security guarantees. The Kremlin remains committed to restoring national pride through territorial expansion. Mr Putin might accept a lull in the Ukraine conflict, but only to regroup. He must be deterred from resuming a campaign aimed at extinguishing Ukraine’s sovereignty.

His country’s economy and propaganda apparatus are increasingly oriented towards sustaining a long war. He has shown little sign of abandoning efforts to weaken Nato and punish European democracies for backing Kyiv. The intent is signalled by a campaign of constant provocations: sabotage, maritime and air incursions, cyber-attacks and online disinformation.

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.

FDA agrees to review Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine application in a reversal

The FDA is slated to make a decision on the flu shot on Aug. 5, which will allow Moderna to make the vaccine available for the upcoming influenza season. 

Bad Bunny set for first lead acting role in historical drama Porto Rico

The Grammy winner will star alongside Edward Norton and Javier Bardem in a film inspired by an early 20th century revolutionary, directed by rapper Residente

Fresh off his victorious Super Bowl half-time show, Bad Bunny will take on his first lead acting role. The rapper and sometime actor will star in Porto Rico, a love letter to his home of Puerto Rico directed by the veteran rapper René “Residente” Pérez Joglar.

As announced by Deadline, the film boasts a starry cast including Viggo Mortensen, Javier Bardem and Edward Norton, as well as executive producer Alejandro G Iñárritu, director of Birdman and The Revenant.

Women in California prison accuse staff cook of rape and urge criminal charges

Exclusive: After investigators concluded an abuse incident occurred, women speak out for first time – ‘I was so scared to tell anybody’

Two women incarcerated in a California prison are calling for the prosecution of a staff cook who they say sexually assaulted them.

The women say Marcus Johnson, a former supervisory cook at the California Institution for Women (CIW), raped them in 2020 while they were working for him in kitchen jobs. The women, who were making under 40 cents an hour, said in federal civil complaints he threatened disciplinary action if they reported him.

Democratic lawmakers ask watchdogs to probe ex-lobbyists serving in Trump admin.

Four congressional Democrats are asking inspectors general to probe whether ex-lobbyists in the administration broke ethics rules to benefit former clients.

Moderna says FDA to review its flu vaccine after reversing course

With the reversal from the FDA, Moderna said it is aiming to make the vaccine available for the 2026-27 flu season.

‘Summer is coming!’: Royal Shakespeare Company to stage epic Game of Thrones prequel

Novelist George RR Martin says RSC is ‘obvious choice’ to put on new play The Mad King, which will open after spring

A new prequel to George RR Martin’s blockbuster fantasy saga Game of Thrones is to be staged this summer by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The bestselling author, whose novels have been turned into a juggernaut TV franchise, said the RSC was the “obvious choice” to put on the play, Game of Thrones: The Mad King, because Shakespeare had been a constant source of inspiration to him. “Not only that, he faced similar challenges in how to put a battle on stage,” added Martin. “So we are in good company.”

Countries that do not embrace AI could be left behind, says OpenAI’s George Osborne

Without AI you will be a ‘weaker and poorer nation’, says former UK chancellor two months into job at US firm

The former chancellor George Osborne has said countries that do not embrace the kind of powerful AI systems made by his new employer, OpenAI, risk “Fomo” and could be left weaker and poorer.

Osborne, who is two months into a job as head of the $500bn San Francisco AI company’s “for countries” programme, told leaders gathered for the AI Impact summit in Delhi: “Don’t be left behind.” He said that without AI rollouts they could end up with a workforce “less willing to stay put” because they might want to seek AI-enabled fortunes elsewhere.

'Crap': Stephen Colbert blasts CBS for denying it blocked James Talarico interview from air

"Late Show" host Stephen Colbert has said CBS feared running afoul of the FCC if it broadcast a talk with the U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico.

Tamás Vásáry obituary

Conductor and pianist highly regarded for his elegant interpretations of Chopin and Liszt

The Hungarian pianist Tamás Vásáry, who has died aged 92, was highly regarded for his elegance and clarity of execution in music by Chopin and Vásáry’s compatriot Liszt. His first concerts in the early 1960s, in London, New York and other major cities such as Milan, Vienna and Berlin, gave promise of a new talent that was exciting for its poetic expressivity rather than for daredevil virtuosity.

That priority was maintained as his career unfolded, and although his repertoire was also to embrace Debussy, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven and Schumann, as well as the concertos of Rachmaninov and the chamber music of Brahms, it was Chopin and Liszt to which he constantly returned.

Fifa’s plan for expanded 48-team Club World Cup will not be blocked by Uefa

• Backing a sign of improved relations between presidents

• Tournament expected not to be held every two years

Uefa is ready to back Fifa’s proposed expansion of the Club World Cup to 48 teams for the next edition in 2029 in a sign of improving relations between their respective presidents, Aleksander Ceferin and Gianni Infantino.

The European football governing body had opposed plans to grow the Club World Cup over concerns an expanded tournament could threaten the status of the Champions League, but Uefa is now willing to back Fifa in return for an undertaking that the competition will not be held every two years.

Climber faces manslaughter charge after leaving girlfriend on Austria’s tallest peak

Kerstin G froze to death on Großglockner when Thomas P descended mountain to fetch help

An Austrian mountaineer is to appear in court accused of gross negligent manslaughter after his girlfriend died of hypothermia when he left her close to the summit on a climb that went dramatically wrong.

The 33-year-old woman, identified only as Kerstin G, froze to death on 19 January 2025, about 50 metres below the summit of the Großglockner, Austria’s tallest mountain, after an ascent of more than 17 hours with her boyfriend, Thomas P, 36.

Mamdani floats New York City property tax raise if state won’t tax millionaires

Threat of 9.5% property tax increase puts pressure on Governor Hochul, who is seeking re-election this year

Zohran Mamdani, New York’s democratic socialist mayor, has unveiled two new budget proposals for the city – one to raise income and corporate taxes, or another to raise property taxes – triggering resistance from some political figures in and out of the state.

Mamdani’s two proposals include either raising taxes on the city’s wealthiest residents – which would require approval from New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul – or a “last resort” measure of a 9.5% property tax increase, which could affect “more than 3 million single-family homes, co-ops and condos and over 100,000 commercial buildings”, according to the New York Times.

Bono lambasts ICE, Putin, Netanyahu and more as U2 release first collection of new songs since 2017

New EP Days of Ash features songs about Renee Good, Iranian protesters and other political topics, and precedes new ‘defiantly joyful’ album later in 2026

• Alexis Petridis on Days of Ash: six new tracks that reaffirm the band as a vital political voice

U2 have released their first collection of new music since 2017 – a politically charged EP entitled Days of Ash, which focuses on a series of high-profile global deaths including the killing of Renee Good by ICE agents.

Good, a mother of three children who was killed on 7 January while protesting against ICE activity in Minneapolis, is the subject of the opening song, American Obituary.

U2: Days of Ash review – six new tracks reaffirm the band as a vital political voice

(Island)
On their first collection of new songs since 2017, the quartet have a crispness that has been lacking in their 21st-century material, as they nimbly react to shocking news stories

• News: Bono lambasts ICE, Putin, Netanyahu and more as U2 release first collection of new songs since 2017

It’s nearly nine years since U2 released a collection of original material, 2017’s Songs of Experience. They’ve hardly been idle since: two tours, two films, a 40-date residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, nearly three hours of stripped-down re-recordings of old material on Songs of Surrender, plus Bono’s autobiography, which spawned a solo tour, a stint on Broadway and another film. An impressive workload by any standards.

Still, you could take the gap between original albums – the longest in U2’s history – as evidence of a problem that’s bedevilled the band for nearly 20 years: where do U2 fit into the current musical landscape?

Soft toys and a jagged edge: how Russia is circling the Winter Olympics

Russia is back in love with the Games and a return to athletes competing under their own flag at LA in two years’ time seems highly likely

First came the reverberating cheers. Then a deluge of soft toys lobbed from the stands. But across the face of the brilliant Russian skater Adeliia Petrosian there was only the faintest of smiles. For now.

So far at these Winter Olympics, a Russian is yet to win a medal. But there is a possibility that could change on Thursday when the 18‑year‑old Petrosian, who sits in fifth after the short programme, takes to the ice again shortly after 9pm.

Trump would like the government he leads to pay him billions

President Trump is asking the federal government for billions of dollars in damages, putting his own Justice Department on the spot and creating an unprecedented ethical morass.

Bayer proposes $7.2 billion settlement to resolve weedkiller cases

Germany's Bayer has faced thousands of lawsuits after buying Roundup maker Monsanto in 2018 for $63 billion.

Australia bans a citizen with alleged IS links from returning from Syria

The Australian is among a group of 34 women and children who had planned to fly from Damascus to Australia on Monday but were turned back by Syrian authorities to the Roj detention camp due to procedural problems.

Soldier goes on the run with teen after his wife's murder. Is she in danger?

After Cati Blauvelt, 22, was murdered in Simpsonville, South Carolina, her husband, former U.S. Army recruiter John Blauvelt, fled with his 17-year-old girlfriend Hannah Thompson. U.S. Marshals led the cross-country chase for the armed fugitive.

Tom Noonan, actor known for Heat and Manhunter, dies aged 74

Actor, whose credits also included RoboCop 2, Anomalisa and Heaven’s Gate, was also an accomplished playwright

Tom Noonan, the actor known for his Michael Mann collaborations, has died at the age of 74.

His death was confirmed by Fred Dekker, the director of 80s comedy horror The Monster Squad which saw Noonan play Frankenstein’s Monster.

Do the people building the AI chatbot Claude understand what they've created?

Anthropic is one of the world's most powerful AI firms. New Yorker writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus explains how they're trying to make chatbot Claude more ethical, and the implications of AI's widening use.

Athletes to watch from Team USA at the Winter Olympics

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

Does Trump really care about peace in Ukraine? - The Latest

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says ‘no agreement’ has been made during Ukraine-Russia peace talks taking place in Geneva. The US are brokering talks but expectations remain low - while Ukrainians continue to face Russian strikes amid subzero temperatures. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s foreign correspondent in Kyiv, Luke Harding.

Trump administration sued over reversal of key climate finding

The Trump administration is facing a new lawsuit over its decision to deregulate emissions and repeal a landmark scientific finding on climate pollution.

Russia's hybrid warfare rattles Poland and NATO

Russia is stepping up covert attacks across Europe — rail sabotage, drones, cyberstrikes — testing NATO. Polish officials warn "disposable agents" are sowing fear and weakening support for Ukraine.

It’s said that Tony Blair thought he was Jesus. At least Jesus never thought he was Tony Blair | Emma Brockes

The idea of the former PM being driven by delusions of grandeur runs through Channel 4’s new documentary. Still, there is fun in seeing the world as it was

There’s a funny moment towards the end of The Tony Blair Story, Channel 4’s three-part documentary about the former prime minister, in which Blair is asked to introspect about his own personality. For the previous three hours or so we have enjoyed a series of talking heads picking over his premiership. Now he breaks the fourth wall and, with something like incredulity, says what’s the point of asking him to identify his own weaknesses when all he’ll give is a “politician’s answer”. Reminded he’s no longer a politician, Blair replies as honestly as at any point in the encounter: “You’re always a politician.”

It is one of the more satisfying exchanges in Michael Waldman’s series, which, depending on your view, is either a futile exercise in confirming one’s existing prejudices about Blair, or more than three hours of great telly. I’m inclined towards the latter, partly for the enjoyment it offers of being yanked back to the memory of all those old horribles. Nothing dates quicker than an out of office politician and it’s a particular nostalgia that’s triggered by footage of Robin Cook at John Smith’s funeral, or Max Hastings describing Blair’s henchmen as “absolutely ruthless bastards”, or Jack Straw being interviewed in a black velvet jacket like something from Death on the Nile.

‘By the end of the day we’re just knackered’: business booms for UK’s south Asian jewellers as gold prices soar

Economic uncertainty drives customers to snap up 22-carat gold bars and coins or sell off unworn jewellery

“With everything that’s going on in the economy and Donald Trump banging his chest against the world, we’re finding there’s no trust in the banks because we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Sandeep Kanda says.

Kanda is the owner of Sunny Jewellers, situated along a stretch of Leicester known as the Golden Mile, and is a beneficiary of consumers seeking alternative investments amid the uncertainty.

Hundred-year reveal: Catalonian chalet confirmed as Gaudí work in centenary year

Xalet del Catllaràs contains elements of architect’s naturalistic style, expressed in works such as Park Güell and Sagrada Família

An elegant modernist building in the mountains north of Barcelona, originally constructed to house engineers establishing a nearby mine, has been confirmed as a work of Antoni Gaudí, Catalonia’s most celebrated and distinctive architect.

The Xalet del Catllaràs, about 80 miles from Barcelona in the county of Berguedà, was built in 1905 and commissioned by Eusebi Güell, Gaudí’s lifelong patron. Güell was the owner of a cement company with mines in the region and he needed somewhere to house the engineers, many of them British, who would help extract the coal for his factories.

'Let them shower in hotels': Johannesburg Premier faces backlash amid water crisis

In South Africa, as taps run dry in Johannesburg, Africa's richest city, a tone deaf remark by a senior politician there unleashes fury.

‘I don’t wish anyone to fall down a sewer. Except sometimes’: TikTok sensation and Oscar-nominated star of Weapons Amy Madigan

As her nightmarish turn as orange-wigged child-catcher Aunt Gladys takes her to Oscars night, the actor talks about surviving ‘brutal’ Hollywood, the fury that almost drove her from the US – and still being homeless after the wildfires

It’s a full-time gig being an Oscar nominee, what with the luncheons and fittings, the interviews and photocalls. It’s a wonder anyone ever gets any actual work done. “I’m tired,” says Amy Madigan, grinning crookedly on a video call. It’s noon in Los Angeles but the living room curtains behind her are shut tight. I worry she may have just pulled an all-nighter.

The last time Madigan was nominated was in 1985. She played Gene Hackman’s brittle daughter in a blue-collar drama called Twice in a Lifetime (the title now feels apt). Awards season, she points out, was shorter and sweeter back then. “Now it’s a big unruly beast. ‘We want to speak to Amy!’ I’ve been doing this since November. Do you not think people are sick of talking about us and seeing our faces? Haven’t you people seen enough?”

Belgian investigation into three Jewish men sparks diplomatic row with US

US ambassador accused of interference after labelling inquiry into suspected illegal circumcisions ‘antisemitic’

A diplomatic row is escalating between Belgium and the US, with Donald Trump’s ambassador refusing to apologise for accusing his host country of antisemitism and reportedly threatening to bar a socialist politician from travelling to the US.

Bill White, a staunch ally of the president like many US ambassadors, on Monday demanded Belgium drop a “ridiculous” and “antisemitic” investigation into three Jewish men suspected of performing circumcisions without medical qualifications.

Finger princesses: are these the biggest villains of the chat group?

We all know one – and there’s a good chance you fall into the category yourself. Here’s how to recognise if you’re a ‘walking, talking red flag’ …

Name: Finger princess.

Age: The term circulated this month, but the behaviour has been escalating across digital communication for some time.

FDA chief Marty Makary says 'everything should be over the counter' unless drug is unsafe or addictive

Makary said the FDA is looking at prescription drugs like nausea medications and vaginal estrogen, and hopes to make changes this year.

Turmoil at US constitution museum as leader exits ahead of 250th anniversary

Leadership disputes claim of political motive for ousting Jeffrey Rosen, who was praised for non-partisan approach

The first and only museum dedicated to the US constitution has been plunged into turmoil over the sudden departure of its president, a legal scholar widely respected for his commitment to non-partisanship.

The National Constitution Center (NCC) in Philadelphia announced last month that Jeffrey Rosen would step down after 12 years to be replaced by Vince Stango on an interim basis.

Labour insiders fear ‘annihilation’ in Lancashire local elections after U-turn

County has highest number of reinstated elections following decision not to delay them for 30 English councils

Labour figures in the county with the highest number of reinstated council elections, following the government’s recent U-turn, have said they fear the party will be “annihilated” when voters go to the polls in May.

The polls had expected to be postponed pending a reorganisation of local government in the county and a move to unitary authorities, but earlier this week the local government secretary, Steve Reed, scrapped plans to delay the elections, after Reform UK threatened a legal challenge.

Queen at Sea review – crushingly sad dementia drama offers a startling portrait of intimacy

Driven by fine performances from Tom Courtenay and Anna Calder-Marshall, Lance Hammer’s comeback is unbearable in its tragic candour and essential in its moral questioning

This inexpressibly painful and sad story – featuring angry, complex, brilliant late-career performances from Tom Courtenay and Anna Calder-Marshall – is about dementia, the endgame of care and the decisions that need to be made when the spouse-carer is as vulnerable as the patient (and whose right it is to take those decisions). It is about the nature of intimacy between the two; and about the moment this becomes a problem for the grownup children with a conflicting sense of their own responsibilities.

Queen at Sea is directed by indie US film-maker Lance Hammer, absent since his 2008 Sundance winner, Ballast. This is an almighty comeback, a lacerating movie bearing comparison with Michael Haneke’s Amour or Gaspar Noé’s Vortex. It concludes with a heartbreakingly ironic and enigmatic final sequence refusing the traditional final cadence; a diptych of love, contrasting the pleasures and expectations of intimacy across the generations.

Stephen Colbert says CBS blocked James Talarico interview from air

"I think Donald Trump is worried we're about to flip Texas," Texas state Rep. James Talarico said. "This is the party that ran against cancel culture."

Ford to follow Tesla Cybertruck with electrical tech in new EV pickup

Ford's next generation of all-electric vehicles will feature a budding technology commercialized by Tesla in the U.S. on its Cybertruck.

Judge: Lawsuit against Buffalo Wild Wings has "no meat on its bones"

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by an Illinois man who alleged that Buffalo Wild Wings' use of the term "boneless wings" was deceptive.

Stephen Colbert slams CBS, says network blocked James Talarico interview

"The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert criticized CBS on Monday night, saying the network blocked his interview with U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico from airing.

Jim Ratcliffe’s shameless comments signal soccer’s turn toward total Trumpism | Leander Schaerlaeckens

What made the Manchester United co-owner’s anti-immigrant screed so revolting was his brazen willingness to say it all out loud. Remind you of anyone?

Did British petrochemicals billionaire and Manchester United’s controlling minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, really mean it when he proclaimed to Sky News that “the UK is being colonized by immigrants”?

Is Ratcliffe simply a gutter racist or actually making a cynical political play that may redound to his benefit down the line when Britain faces down yet another period of political upheaval as the country’s old factions continue to fracture? There’s reasonable debate to be had there.

‘My DNA is in this car’: Lewis Hamilton revved up for Ferrari in new F1 season

• Seven-time world champion upbeat for 2026

• ‘I’m more connected to this car for sure,’ he says

Lewis Hamilton believes he is in the “best place” he has been at Ferrari, with a new car that carries his “DNA”.

The seven-time champion failed to take a podium place for the first time and finished sixth in the drivers’ championship, behind his teammate Charles Leclerc in fifth in his debut season. By the end, he was clearly disenchanted, describing his first year at Ferrari as a “nightmare”.

Greetings from Cairo, where lights and decorations transform the city during Ramadan

As Ramadan begins, traditional lanterns called fawanees brighten Cairo. They have become a symbol of Ramadan and are an almost-mandatory home decoration for the holy month in Egypt.

‘Bored by all the sex and violins’: readers on Wuthering Heights film

Reaction to Emerald Fennell’s movie adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi

My group of six English teachers – aged from 30 to 54 – saw the film on Friday. We are still processing our thoughts in a group chat. We agreed that the visuals were often delightfully shocking. We talked about the contrasts between the lavish costumes and the moor landscape, which we thought Fennell got right. We talked about the Charlie XCX music and how well it evoked the landscape and the spirit of the book.

Very good dog invades course but falls short of medal glory at Winter Olympics

• Nazgul makes unexpected entry in team sprint

• Owner says two-year old looking for company

A local dog has missed out on a historic cross-country medal at the Winter Olympics despite a lung-bursting surge in the homestretch.

Nazgul, who according to NPR lives at a nearby hotel in Tesero, broke on to the course on Wednesday morning and sprinted for the line behind Croatia’s Tena Hadzic as she came to the end of the qualifying race for the women’s team cross-country sprint. Even if he had completed the entire race, Nazgul’s time would not have counted as he is male. And a dog.

A bike with 21 satellite dishes struggles through a desert: Hiba Baddou’s best photograph

‘The Peugeot 103 is iconic in Morocco: a symbol of social mobility. But my rider, a living sculpture, is so overstimulated he can’t choose which way to go – and ends up going nowhere’

This image, Parabomobile, shows a living sculpture I created. A man is riding through the desert on a road near Marrakech that is still partly under construction. He rides a Peugeot 103 motorcycle and carries 21 satellite dishes – each pointing in a different direction. But the person driving the motorbike is so overstimulated, he cannot choose which way to go – and ends up going nowhere.

It is part of a wider multidisciplinary project, Paraboles, that is an inquiry into Moroccan people’s identity, our imagination and the way we see the world. It can feel to Moroccans – and those in other postcolonial countries – that their minds have been colonised as well as their land.

After my ICE arrest, I learned one crucial way to respond to trauma. We can all take part | Rümeysa Öztürk

I was detained for co-writing a op-ed about Gaza as a student at Tufts. My experience has only made me feel more connected to others facing oppression

It started off as a normal Tuesday. On 25 March 2025 I reviewed applications from university students applying for a summer research position at my lab. I told friends I would bring pastries from Harvard Square for the Friday dinner we were planning. I finalized my schedule for an upcoming child development conference. I worked on my dissertation proposal.

The day was busy but not unusual – until I left home after quickly dressing for an iftar dinner at the interfaith center. What followed was my first personal encounter with human-made trauma through state violence.

Stephen Colbert slams CBS again amid controversy over Talarico interview

"The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert slammed CBS again on Tuesday night after the network issued a statement about his interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico.

Arm shares edge higher as Nvidia sells entire stake in company

SEC filings showed Nvidia has exited its position in the British chip designer, which it once tried to buy for $40 billion.

The hot Hollywood trend for minute-long TV shows: ‘the sort of thing you’d watch drunk at 2am’

From fight scenes lasting for one punch to plots resolved in 45 seconds, smartphone-friendly vertical dramas are growing by 8,000% year on year. Here’s a guide to the wild new medium

If you haven’t heard of vertical dramas, chances are you will soon. These quick, grabby series – usually split into minute-long episodes – have risen unstoppably over the past couple of years, and now Hollywood is taking an interest.

Last year, the former Showtime executive Jana Winograde announced MicroCo, a studio devoted to vertical drama, and claimed that she was shocked by the amount of top-tier talent that has approached her. Two months before, former Miramax boss Bill Block launched GammaTime, which promises original microdramas by CSI creator Anthony E Zuiker.

Zelenskyy accuses Russia of ‘trying to drag out’ process as Ukraine talks end without breakthrough

Latest round of US-mediated peace negotiations come to close in Geneva with war set to enter its fifth year next week

The latest round of US-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Geneva on Wednesday ended without a major breakthrough, as fighting continues in a war that will enter its fifth year next week.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said no agreement had been reached on the thorniest questions at the negotiations in Switzerland, accusing Moscow of “trying to drag out” the process.

FBI, St. Paul police probing ICE arrest that resulted in skull fractures

Minnesota and federal authorities are investigating claims that immigration officers shattered a Mexican man's skull while taking him into custody last month.

‘His friendship changed my life’: 25 years of camaraderie with Robert Duvall

Film-maker Scott Cooper describes how his small role in a civil war drama starring Duvall led to a happy, lifelong friendship with the great actor, who died earlier this week

I first met Robert Duvall in a muddy field in Maryland in 2001, on the set of Gods and Generals. It was a Warner Bros civil war epic, the kind of production where the scale alone made you feel small. I was playing a low-ranking Confederate aide-de-camp to General Stonewall Jackson. I was young, unsure of myself, and painfully aware of exactly where I stood in the hierarchy of things.

That morning, they placed him on the horse.

A flooded train ride and Ash Wednesday: photos of the day

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

Students at trial for dad of alleged school shooter recall horrifying moments

The prosecution in the trial of Colin Gray, whose son is accused of opening fire at Apalachee High School in 2024, called 23 witnesses on Tuesday - many of them children who survived the shooting. The students testified they are still suffering, both physically and mentally, after the deadly shooting. Skyler Henry reports.

Jess Cartner-Morley on fashion: brighten the winter gloom with accessories that add personality

This is the season when dressing is dictated by logistics – safety first and function-led. But don’t let that put you off adding the odd flourish

My very first girlcrush is still my ultimate winter style icon. Miss Bianca, star of the 1977 film The Rescuers, is Disney’s most underrated princess. As the Hungarian delegate to the Rescue Aid Society, an international humanitarian organisation run by mice with a secret headquarters in the walls of the UN building in New York City, Miss Bianca travels the world rescuing children in peril, and never allows being a mouse to stop her either from feats of bravery – commanding meetings of international delegates, rescuing children from flooded caves – or from rocking a look. She has a nice line in shawl-collar trapeze-line coats (think mid-century Balenciaga), but her real style signature is her glamorous scarves and hats. In a violet pillbox hat with a matching scarf tied in a bow, or dashing shades of mustard, Bianca makes cosy winter dressing look delicious. She might be a mouse, but she is never, ever mousey.

A cartoon mouse is an unusual place to begin an article about winter accessories. It is also an unusual point from which to draw a line to a former first lady of the US, but while pairing a tiny animated rodent with Michelle Obama as co-style icons is a mismatch on paper, it is not so in spirit. At the 2009 inauguration, Obama wore a lemongrass coat and dress by Isabel Toledo, offset by olive-green leather gloves. Her daughters, Malia and Sasha, were chicly bundled in scarf-and-glove sets chosen to contrast with their coats. Their clothes were elegant, but it was the accessories that made the look memorable. The family looked comfortable, relatable, and quietly joyful: no small feat on a freezing day dense with symbolism and expectation.

Unprovoked shark attacks up sharply in 2025, with 12 human deaths worldwide

Report records 65 unprovoked attacks – but annual drowning deaths in US alone exceed 4,000

The number of people killed or bitten by sharks in unprovoked attacks globally increased significantly in 2025, a report published on Wednesday has found, while a single Florida county maintained its crown as the so-called shark bite capital of the world.

The International Shark Attack File, compiled by the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida, recorded 65 unprovoked attacks worldwide, up from 47 during 2024, and an increase on the five-year average of 61.

Mikaela Shiffrin storms to stunning slalom gold to make Winter Olympic history

• American wins third gold overall and first since 2018

• Shiffrin more than a second ahead of Rast in silver

With one last chance to break her ­barren Olympic run stretching back eight years, Mikaela ­Shiffrin ­delivered in style. The 30-year-old American surged to victory in the women’s slalom on a sun-splashed Wednesday in the Dolomites with a two-run time of 1min 39.10sec, becoming the first US skier to win three Olympic gold medals.

Switzerland’s Camille Rast, the reigning world champion and only woman to have beaten Shiffrin in her signature discipline this season, came in a yawning 1.50sec behind for the silver – the largest winning margin in any Olympic alpine skiing event since 1998 – while Anna Swenn-Larsson of Sweden took the bronze. After fourth-placed Wendy Holdener, of Switzerland, the rest of the field trailed by at least two seconds in the final race of the alpine skiing.

Mark Zuckerberg to testify in landmark trial over social media addiction allegations

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify Wednesday in a civil case about kids and social media. Zuckerberg denies allegations that Instagram is designed to be addictive and that kids are not protected. Jo Ling Kent explains what to know about the landmark trial.

Sweet redemption for Mikaela Shiffrin, who wins Olympic gold

Third race is the charm for Shiffrin, who won gold today after failing to podium in her first two races of the 2026 Olympic Games.

Extreme weather fuels wildfires in multiple states, burning thousands of acres

Wildfires are burning in multiple states from Colorado to Texas, and Oklahoma. In the Oklahoma panhandle, a massive blaze has grown to 145,000 acres - which is about the same size as the city of Chicago. Meanwhile in Colorado, another wildfire has burned at least 5,000 acres. Jason Allen reports.

‘A mission of mine’: during Ramadan, Sudanese food is a reminder of what is at stake in a time of war

The loss of sacred spaces during the period of observance and the ongoing conflict reminds us of the importance of cherishing food

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Today starts the first week of Ramadan, and I have the great pleasure of digging into The Sudanese Kitchen by Omer Al Tijani. The war in Sudan has been going on for almost three years now, and Ramadan is a month that arrives with heightened feelings for those fasting in the middle of conflict and displacement. The cookbook, a first-of-its-kind collection of Sudanese recipes, is both a celebration of Sudan and a reminder of all that is at stake.

Al Tijani first realised he needed to learn how to make his own Sudanese food while he was a student at the University of Manchester in the early 2010s. The packages of treats his mother prepared never lasted long enough; he grew sick of student food and began looking for recipes, but there were few resources. Over 15 years, his passion for tracing and documenting Sudanese recipes took him all over Sudan, and his work became, as he told me, “bound” in Sudan’s political story. He gathered recipes and food culture on the ground during the revolution that overthrew president Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s dictator of 30 years.

Aggravated burglary charges against 18 Palestine Action activists dropped

Prosecutors drop charges over break-in at Israeli defence firm site after jury cleared six other defendants of offence

Prosecutors have dropped aggravated burglary charges against 18 defendants accused of a Palestine Action break-in at an Israeli defence firm’s UK site after a jury cleared six other defendants of the offence.

Charlotte Head, 29, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, Fatema Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, were all acquitted of aggravated burglary, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with respect to the 6 August 2024 raid on the Elbit Systems factory in Filton, near Bristol.

The disturbing rise of Clavicular: how a looksmaxxer turned his ‘horror story’ into fame

His gonzo argot of ‘mogging’ and ‘jestermaxxing’ masks a malign chauvinist philosophy, and his audience keeps growing

How’s your “jestermaxxing” game? Have you been “brutally frame-mogged” lately? If you’ve been finding this kind of online discourse even more impenetrable than usual, a 20-year-old content creator calling himself Clavicular is probably to blame.

Born Braden Peters, Clavicular is a manosphere-adjacent influencer who has recently broken containment for a string of high-profile controversies, including livestreaming himself apparently running over a pedestrian with his Tesla Cybertruck and being filmed chanting the lyrics to Kanye West’s Heil Hitler in a nightclub with the self-styled “misogynist influencer” Andrew Tate and the white nationalist commentator Nick Fuentes.

Parliamentary aide among 11 arrested over killing of French far-right activist

Assistant to hard-left parliamentarian among those held over fatal attack on 23-year-old Quentin Deranque

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Eleven suspects, including a parliamentary aide to France’s hard-left party, have been arrested in connection with the killing last week of a far-right activist in an incident that has shocked the country and laid bare its deep political divisions.

Quentin Deranque, 23, died on Saturday after sustaining a severe brain injury. The Lyon prosecutor, Thierry Dran, said he had been “thrown to the ground and beaten by at least six individuals” during an incident last week.